anthonymcgrath

So for the last couple months I've had an 02 bugeye wagon wrx. It was driving great.. love how it drives.. but basically when it fired up it would chuff a little blue smoke out the back which would dissapear after a minute. Was told scoobs are common for that.

Slowly it got worse.. it would drive ok from cold.. then I might take it for a bit of a blast.. 5 mins of fast driving. If I came back to the car 15 mins later or half hour it would chuff out lots of blue smoke and it would do it for a good 5 mins. Brilliant.

The car is also using coolant. I found a split pipe on my header tank which was easy to replace. Also replaced the header tank. But even after those I found steam escaping from under the turbo.

I have been going thru oil at the rate of a litre or more every 100 miles and the same for coolant.

Neither is mixing in the engine.. no oil in coolant or coolant in oil. Seems clean.

I pulled the turbo last week and sent it off to get
tested this week.. I suspected the vf35 I had on was blowing but it turns out that it's ok. A little bit of a tweak needed on the nut on front but otherwise spun past 100,000 rpm and didn't leak oil or coolant. I was really hoping it would just be the turbo.. alas.

From what I can gather I can only surmise the engine is duff.. annoyingly it seems to have drove ok and makes power.. altho after a couple of on off starts and drives it was low on rpm needing revs to keep it going.

I'm just sharing my experience of it.. anyone got any thoughts? To me it sounds like something serious like piston rings are gone or not gapped correctly but that's a guess until I pull the engine.

Cheers
Ant
Bugeye paperweight owner.

stockcar

if you car was using as litre of oil every 1000miles that would be excessive on a healthy EJ20..........1ltr every 100miles is toast!!

anthonymcgrath

Agreed. Peeved isn't the word.. barely had the car now I gotta rebuild it.

So now given all the probs all these EJ seem to suffer ive kinda lost the love for these engines and I'm tempted to pull it and stuff a v8 in there tbh.. big torque drift wagon lol.

stockcar

blue smoke on start up is not normal so likely you were sold a lemon anyhows...............

i would suspect (as it has a non std VF35 STi turbo) that its either poorly mapped or has suffered a failing pump, etc. resulting in a fuel issue and ultimately DET / piston failure.....
at that level they 'should' be very reliable if correctly mapped / maintained

anthonymcgrath

It was mapped by Andrew Carr apparently. I would love some confirmation on this because it stunnnnk of fuel on boost and after a bit of a drive.
Yeah definitely looks like I was sold a lemon.. gotta get it fixed up because I can't sell it on for what i paid that's for sure. So looks like I gotta do the lot.. engine (I don't trust ANY of it right now so full build) then may as well do the front subframe it looks tired.. fuel pump too (walbro 255 should be good).. and I'll likely stick a link g4 in as well. Got some BC coilovers to go on too. Don't wanna chase bonkers power i just want it to drive nice and be bloody reliable.. at least for a little while!

lockheed

iTrader: (1)

Out interest what does the oil smell like ?

By the way love your film in the muppet room!

Russell38

If you only going for 350bhp why not get a ej207 short block from as performance and have your heads rebuilt

anthonymcgrath

I didn't know that was a thing I could do.. RB engines and mods for gtrs I can talk about all day lol but scoobs I'm lost on Haha! What is the ej207? Is that like the ej205 I have already but bored out with forged bits?

My current plan is drop engine to my local engine builders they have built many Subaru impreza engines to good results. I want to go forged rods and pistons and then new head gasket and have my cylinder heads sorted out and cleaned up. Once that's on and I know my turbo is ok I've got a decat up pipe to go on. Then I'll get a link ecu for a decent remap.

But any alternate ideas I'm all ears to

anthonymcgrath

Hmm that's a weird one.. it smelled sweet coming out the back almost coolant like.. but we didn't see any evidence of oil and coolant mixing.

And thanks haha it looks good 1440p on YouTube with a decent 4k telly took me about 2 yrs to make it but turned out ok in the end hehe

lockheed

iTrader: (1)

No petrol smell then ? which is good .

anthonymcgrath

Well actually my sense of smell is chronic ****e lol.. but a couple guys said it smelled fuely out back and like coolant in the cabin. Either way I've completely lost faith In this supposed "build" that was done by previous owner so I'm pulling engine and gonna get it built properly and any other bits replaced that I don't trust.

Russell38

What engine builder is doing the work for you

anthonymcgrath

I'm in Warrington so the guys I trust are head shop near me. They built stuff for me before with no issues including big power RB26 engines. Why?

Russell38

When it comes to engine building there is only a few people i would trust call me paranoid but after spending 5 grand you want the job to be spot on

lockheed

iTrader: (1)

I would go to TDR and have it built and mapped all at the same place and save the blame game antics if something goes wrong.
just my 2p

anthonymcgrath

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I dont know many of the subaru specialists but I trust the head shop near me they've built loads of Subaru engines over the years and they built me a solid RB26 engine and plenty cylinder heads in the past. The other thing is they are quick. I don't want my engine sat in a workshop down the country that I don't know and can't visit.. I've had heaps of being messed about over the years tbh sitting waiting months for garages to do the work for me but instead working on their race car for an upcoming track day. Head shop concentrate on building the engines and can get parts quick so I'll have it back in 4 weeks once it's out.

anthonymcgrath

So just to add.. it's currently an ej205 from an 02 Subaru bugeye. I'm looking to pull the short block and get Manley rods and wosner pistons or wiseco along with new ACL bearings. Hopefully crank is all ok. But just wondering if there is anything else worth adding? Obviously metal head gasket will help and perhaps ARP studs. But have you guys got any suggestions for maybe cams or something? If it's all coming apart I might as well see what can be improved.. so any suggestions most welcome.

lockheed

iTrader: (1)

Just my opinion
I would go 2.1 stroker. I went 2.35 and it cost a lot of money .

anthonymcgrath

Cripes man that's a mental amount of work there. I've got a quote for full engine build and parts and it's affordable for me and will do what it needs to after wards. Not sure how much more a 2.1 kit is really? Is there any links online for it?

lockheed

iTrader: (1)

I wasn't suggesting you do what I have done but you did ask on how it could be improved .
I would think a well built 2.1 would cater for further power needs when you get the bug and you will . look at the RCM web page for examples of 2.1 kits , I still think you should chat to TDR or Finch Motorsport .(they are in your area)
It certainly wont hurt to just have a chat with the mentioned people who live,eat, and breath Subaru not to mention AS performance who was good enough to get involved with your thread earlier. aka stockcar.

anthonymcgrath

Thanks I will do some research. The thing is I just can't afford to have a specialist do it for me because of the extra cost.. I can afford to have it built (the tall block) and then I will be dropping it in myself and save some money for a remap and ecu.

Regarding the power bug your right I will end up wanting more lol.. but I wouldn't push it into a 2litre I would go with a v8 car if I'm honest. For now the 280 to 300 I would like would be plenty for me with a good map, some suspension (got some BC to go on) and an upgraded braking setup.. for now I'll have to keep it sensible hehe. Also I'm told the gbox wouldn't take much of 350 so don't wanna fight that hoo hah too lol.

But I'll chase these companies up and try get some advice

anthonymcgrath

Finch motorsport Subaru

Just had a read through I'll give them a call tomorrow and see what's what

lockheed

iTrader: (1)

Henrik

iTrader: (5)

That is an excellent outfit (from my arguably limited experience). Kept me up to date, fast turn around, and re-used the parts that could be re-used (without skimping on necessary stuff, obviously)

AS performance come highly recommended too, but they might be a bit further away from you, maybe? Probably worth the extra travel if you decide to go with them, though.

RetroPug

If you just want 280-300 why not just get a replacement engine that is/was running well before removal for £800ish from breakers on here? They make 280 with cheap bolt-ons and a map, and 300-320 with more bolt-ons.

Or an STI engine would be a little more and able to make a little more than that, but still much cheaper.

anthonymcgrath

I've done that in the past and had my hand bitten as a result.. bought a spare rb26 needed to get it fixed only 2 to 3 months later. I simply don't trust second hand now.. I would sooner buy new if I can. I'll be contacting finch soon tho to see if I can get any info.

To my (very limited) knowledge the STI engine is essentially a wrx but with forged internals is that correct?
That's why I'm thinking to get my ej205 wrx engine sorted with forged goodies and new replacement bits like oil pump etc. It's gonna cost more but essentially new wrx build that will take a bit more stick. I've heard my prob after that is gbox anyhow.

I've literally just got back from collecting my vf35 turbo too that's been balanced and cleaned and new seals so hopefully that shud be good to put in some work again heh!

TECHNOPUG

iTrader: (1)

Put the rebuild costs towards buying an STi. Unless the WRX is mint, it makes no sense dropping several thousand pounds on the engine, when to take advantage of the forged goodies, you'll also need a 6-speed box, brakes, suspension and all the other parts.

anthonymcgrath

Comes back to same problem can't afford to get an STI. Originally I got this as a run about that would be fun but practical too.
As it turns out the rest of it is in good condition underneath and bodywork is brilliant with no rust.

Tbh if the engine is stripped and rods pistons ok then I'll likely save the cash and just get new rings and bearings and a refresh. Need to see what's going on with it fully first before committing to other routes but an STI isn't an option. And selling this thing would get me next to nothing as it stands. I hear what your saying but gonna have to soldier on and fix it up lol.

TECHNOPUG

iTrader: (1)

OK but have a think about where you ultimately want to go with the car. If you plan in future to run anything bigger than a VF35, then you really should start with an STi. Conversly, if you are considering a forged rebuild (best part of £4k if done properly), then it's a bit of a waste with just a VF35. If you plan for the WRX to be a long term keeper, then a rebuild is sensible (non-forged) choice but bare in mind that you'll never get your costs back when you sell it. So if you are just dipping your toes in the Scooby pool and may move it on again in less than a year, a second-hand engine may be a better bet. I have an 02 with 178k and an 05 with 109k, so they are a very reliable engine if maintained properly.

anthonymcgrath

Totally get what your saying I am the type of person who tends to keep cars a good few years if I can tbh so it's worth me doing a build on it. Plus I really do quite like the car.. it drives ace, handles really well, it's sooo practical and it looks cool with the moretti headlights and esp the Rota grid on it now
Yeah it might be overkill but the guys near me said it's barely any more to get forged parts vs oem Subaru ones hence my thinking to go forged. In the near future I might look to more upgrades like a 6speed and 8 pots if I can land some more film work contracts lol. Otherwise if they crack open the short block and find the pistons and rods are all good then i might just stick with that and get them to refresh. I get what your saying tho about STi and selling further down the line but I plan to try and enjoy this car as I really do like it don't see many wagons about now heh