RomRaider

Well, it turns out I've had a terrible string of bad luck as far as motors go in my car over the last year or so.
Heres the background:
(1)Stock motor, stg3 (VF39 topmount) lasted 74k miles. (march 07)
Got a bit carried away doing rev limiter donuts in the snow, it overheated and I didnt notice, melted piston #4.
321 hp @ 21 psi
(2) JDM Legacy Twin Turbo longblock (converted to single VF39, FMIC) lasted 1800 miles (june 07)
Down in NY, beating on it at 7500 rpm, spun a road bearing.
245 hp @ 16 psi ( easy break in tune)
(3) Rebuilt stock shortblock, JDM heads (VF39, FMIC) lasted 1200 miles (august 07)
On the way to the dyno, drivers side exhaust cam got tight, blew the timing belt into pieces, 15 of 16 valves bent
(4) 05 STi shortblock (used 22k miles) 04 WRX heads, FP Green with all the dressings, lasted 2800 miles (last week)
417 hp @ 23 psi
Got CEL, misfire cylinders 1, 2, and 4

This is the aftermath:
Pistons 1 and 3

Pistons 2 and 4


They looked ok, but 1, 2, and 4 were seroiously down on compression... heres why

#1 rings spun


#2 cracked ringlands and rings spun



And I had loud piston slap cold, which happened to also be #2 piston


And finally, the good one... good old #4, broken ring land



So... crap on me... again

mike, you sticking with 2.5l now, or is a 2.0 an option?

i still think the v7 ej207 is the best engine fhi ever made.

I'm having a REAL hard time deciding. IMO the 2.0 seems to have a lot more drivability characteristics that I like over the 2.5, but at the same time the 2.0 has NO balls below 4k rpm, especially with a real turbo on it. I drove a 2.0 / VF39 wrx in the snow the other day and I'm like "WOW", I couldnt believe how used to the low end torque I already was, I was bogging the crap out of the 'ol 2.0 trying to drift in 2nd and 3rd. Being a stock 2.0, I wasnt going to hold it at 6k just to make it do what I wanted to lol.

So I'm still up in the air on it, but I gotta decide by the weekend so I can start buying parts.

If you can find me a complete V7 big port with harness and ECU under $4k, I'll buy it right now

What I want to know is how many transmissions you've gone through.

Zero... I bought my car used with 16k on it, and a V5 RA box already in it. The RA box is still kickin strong. Its seen MANY iterations of LC testing, MANY rev limit launches, and a handfull of powershifted passes down the track.

I had a straight cut PPG tranny converted to RWD in there for a month or so, but I sold it, so the RA is back in. Its got 84k on it

If your in MA it might be worth contacting jdmspecc4u up in Montreal. It is a very seamless transaction because you can just drive up pick out your engine, pay, and drive home with a receipt to get back through customs. Last I checked longblocks w/ecu and harness were $3500.

Dan

or just grab a 4G63, yes I said it

I'd like a V7 longblock or shortblock (if it would fit with my heads). The 07 heads have large intake valves. I need to mic them out but have been sick.

I prefer my ej207 to the ej257. it paired up nicely with a td06-20g

the avcs does make a huge difference in low end torque over the ej205. also, spool isn't that much worse than an ej257- i get ~23 psi by 4k rpm in 3rd (RA gearset). i've never really felt like i was lacking power down low. i also have the turbo dynamics spooling things up slower to be nice to my tranny....

I have the version 5 RA gearset, and basically it blows with my hybrid. It was REAL good with my stock motor/VF39 combo, because it made solid power up to 7400 and I could shift right there. I was frequently out-drawing stg 2 STi's (pre-07)from a roll at almost any speed because of the gearing/rpm advantage. When I went to the JDM 2.0 it was even better. Then back to the stock 2.0 with the JDM heads was still a real good setup. When I went to the 2.5L I went to a stock WRX ratio PPG straight cut gearbox with a center spool and went to RWD. It was pretty good, but then the snow came and I dont have the front axles for it, so I put the RA box back in and then I realized how truly pathetic my powerband was. So I'm fighting with myself whether or not to do an EJ207, or downstroke EJ257 (2.35L) with either JDM V7/V8 or EJ257 heads. Even if I dont use the AVCS, the improvement in head flow from valve/runner/chamber size and better cams whould totoally take care of my top end woes....

Just ordered:
Wiseco forged pistons
Eagle H beam rods
Crower Stage 2 cams (272 / .410)
Crower Valve springs w/titanium retainers

Time to find out how tough this s**t is hahaha

Hey Mike what is the stamp on your 2.5L block?

It says nowhere on my block where it is made. I have seen pics of some Subaru blocks that say Japan on them. Does your 2.5L?

I think I am going to have to do the same (except for the top end stuff).

On top of my block it says B25C / 01 on the right half and it says JAPAN on the left half.
On both sides it reads B25C / 701 on the front of the block.

These are my markings on the top tag:

Did a little testing/comparison tonight:

Which one is the STi rod, which is the WRX?







(the left one is STi)

And some more testing:

STi rod on a 2.0 crankshaft:





And finally, 2.0 crank and rods in a STi block






I must be onto something