Engine Rebuild

[Badger_01]

How much would a complete engine rebuild cost?

Pretty sure mine is a bit buggered and dont really want to fork out for the cambelt change and what not just for it to crap itself soon after.

[wintertidenz]

Thousands.

I'd suggest you go the path I have - get a good condition second hand engine, do all the seals etc on that one (as it is SO much easier to do with engine out) and then swap them over.
Advantage of this is you can also go TD04s ;)

[scott.mohekey]

I rebuilt a 20v 4age for about $1000. It helps if you have mates in the industry.

[Gly]

i can sell you a set of forged rods for your rebuild :D

[scott.mohekey]

i can sell you a set of forged rods for your rebuild :D

Hah, that route will end up costing thousands!

[Badger_01]

Well no matter what I do I'll probably have to take out a loan to get everything done since Im stupidly poor at the moment haha

[wintertidenz]

Seriously... just get a second-hand engine with relatively low kms, replace seals etc and then use that.

[scott.mohekey]

What's actually wrong with your current engine?

[Badger_01]

It stutters and back fires if I boot it, also booting it it wont get over 10psi and it feels like hitting a brick wall. I've found moisture on one of the front spark plugs. Most likely the cause of the stuttering/back firing/brick wall when I boot it. Scares the crap out of me when that happens so I try drive like a normal person but it gets frustrating trying to over take people when they decide to speed up on passing lanes. Cambelt is due in less than 5k km

[wintertidenz]

Sounds like spark blowout. Could be faulty coil packs or leads?

[scott.mohekey]

You're probably not at the point of an engine rebuild yet.

[Badger_01]

What would cause the moisture in the spark plug hole, on the spark plug and on the coil pack tube bit?

[scott.mohekey]

Which end if the spark plug?

[Badger_01]

Terminal and insulator end. Turned the spark plug into this:

68691

[Badger_01]

SO no one knows what would cause the moisture?

[Subaru ETA]

**** seal on the plug lead? Someone has water lasted the engine at some point? Lots of sitting around?

[wintertidenz]

Could also be short runs not allowing any moisture to properly evaporate, especially from the oil.

[Badger_01]

Could also be short runs not allowing any moisture to properly evaporate, especially from the oil.

This would make sense, I only drive to and from work. Dont really go anywhere. But since everything in Richmond/Nelson is so close you dont really rack up many kms

[wintertidenz]

Take it for a long run once or twice a week and see how you go (ie. 60km+ trip).

I don't get this problem with my car even when the wife uses it as in Auckland a long run is considered to be going to the CBD at 9am :P (45 minutes LOL)

[Adam.Findlay]

sounds like you are making mountains out of molehills dude.

just take the time and slowly replace parts that could be the issue. short out the pin on the OBD plug and check the codes, compression test the motor.

and do the cambelt. if the cambelt gives out your engine will defiantly be shagged, dont forget if you do end up needing an replacement engine the new cambelt and stuff can easily be swapped over..

Shame your all the way in Nelson or Id lend a hand in sorting it out

Also Re the stuttering on load. do you have an aftermarket boost controller?

[Badger_01]

Yeah its just stressful lol. The only codes that come up are ayc faults haha. How hard is it to do a compression test? Well more like what do you need to do to do one?

Yeah I have a gizzmo ibc, the stuttering is only when I boot it, if I gradually accelerate its fine, then at 130+km it really stutters if I try to get faster

[Badger_01]

Regarding the cambelt, I got some prices from Bill:

MD318814 (MD338287)- Belt, Valve Timing $154
MD316826- Pulley, Timing Belt Tensioner $36
MD308593- Adjuster, Timing Belt Tensioner $124
MD179597- Pulley, Timing Belt Idler $43
MD153103 (MD372536)- Oil Seal, Camshaft x4 $6 each, so $24
MD168055- Oil Seal, Crankshaft, FR $5
MD302010- Water Pump Assy $82
MD317142- Belt P/S $23
MD184973- Belt, Alternator & Others $44
MD174560- Gasket, Rocker Cover x2 $33 each, so $66
MD178940- Gasket, Rover Cover Spark Plug Hole x6 $10 each so $60
Freight- $45

So mass total of $706

Going by that, is that an all right price?

[Subaru ETA]

Looks like a very good price

[Gly]

looking at that plug... how big is the gap?? should be around 0.6-0.8mm max

[Badger_01]

looking at that plug... how big is the gap?? should be around 0.6-0.8mm max

Yeah they were the 1.1mm ones, but we regapped them at work to 0.8mm

[Adam.Findlay]

yeah well step one Ditch the IBC. they are pretty rubbish. sounds like boost spiking in the higher gears causing fuel cut. My old IBC did that something wicked no matter how much I messed about with it to get it right.


compression test is easy. just take all the spark plugs out when the engine is warm and then screw in the comp tester to one cylinder at a time and crank the engine and read off the compression of each cylinder.

[Badger_01]

Well i disconnected the ibc, 6.4psi makes me sad haha, havent seen what its like booting it to 100kms yet, will find out tonight. I wish I could reflash my ecu and raise the boost levels like that

[wintertidenz]

Unfortunately people that can reflash and tune in NZ are a bit thin on the ground unless you want to pay mega bucks for someone like Gary Capper to tune it.

There are those Speedlab chips that you can buy, but TBH I have no idea what the maps look like... I might buy one in the next few months just so someone like Kenneth can check out the maps.

[crazydriver81]

if I read through that...

1. setup the boost controller properly - had a similar problem with my MBC and whenever I floored it there was boost cut all the way, It only helped to reduce the boost a bit and use a stiffer spring (I have the Forge MBC).

2. the spark plug looks like as if the spark plug hole seals in the rocker covers need to be replaced. On this ocasssion you might check if the spark plug coils are fine.

[Badger_01]

Well disconnecting the gizzmo ibc has made the car run a lot better haha.

With the cambelt, how hard is it to change one, along with the water pump, crank seal and cam seals?


if I read through that...

1. setup the boost controller properly - had a similar problem with my MBC and whenever I floored it there was boost cut all the way, It only helped to reduce the boost a bit and use a stiffer spring (I have the Forge MBC).

2. the spark plug looks like as if the spark plug hole seals in the rocker covers need to be replaced. On this ocasssion you might check if the spark plug coils are fine.

The ibc is an electronic one, and it is set up properly, but the duty cycle (no matter what I set it at) sets it so the car go 14psi+

I changed the spark plug oil seals about 20 months ago

[Davezj]

if you want to tune reflash your ECU just buy the cable and do it yourself.
if you have 7201 or H8 ecu buy the software as well. probably cost about £300 all in if you need the software as well.
£130 cable only, if you have a 7202 7203 ecu.
and you are sorted. you can even offset the cost by charging a nominal fee for reflashing mates cars with the basic adjustments like fuel cut, and boost control flashing kenneths rom to the ecu to give knock via engine management light on dash (don't forget to give kenneth his cut for the use of the rom.
i am not talking about messing with the fuel and ignition timing. you can do that later when you get more confidant, and have done lots of background reading.

with regard to the electronic boost controller it sound like it is either not setup correctly or not connected correctly or it is just plain old broken. i always found the best way to check the operation of a boost controller is to set the required boost level low and the gain/duty cycle low (whatever gizzmo call it the property) so it give the controller the best possible chance to affect the boost pressure. if this does not stop the boost going to 14+psi then it will be one of the other possibilities, my guess is it is not connected up correctly. having a separateboost gauge is a must for setting up and EBC.

well that is the way i see it.

[Louis]

If car runs better ( smoother, with no cut or hesitation), without the IBC, then the IBC is Not set up properly!.
Loose IBC for a while if all good then try setting it up again or get a different one.
Slight over reaction to problem!.
Looking at engine rebuild two weeks ago!!

[Adam.Findlay]

I would lend you my Openport 2.0 cable if it didnt get stolen last month. but sell your IBC and use the money to buy an Openport cable so you can reflash your ECU to do the boost control propperly

[Badger_01]

I would lend you my Openport 2.0 cable if it didnt get stolen last month. but sell your IBC and use the money to buy an Openport cable so you can reflash your ECU to do the boost control propperly

Ah thats a bugger. How much do the openport cables go for these days?

I'd love to do it myself, but all the reflashing stuff kinda goes over my head, which is quite annoying since I usually understand that sort of stuff lol

[wintertidenz]

OpenPorts are around $300 plus the tune.

[Badger_01]

Hmm pricey

[Adam.Findlay]

http://www.tactrix.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=17&Itemid=53

and you have to select the $10 Mitsubishi reflash connector. and the ECU flash software is free.
once you have that cable you can raise boost cut etc etc

[Adam.Findlay]

http://www.tactrix.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=17&Itemid=53

and you have to select the $10 Mitsubishi reflash connector. and the ECU flash software is free.
once you have that cable you can raise boost cut etc etc

[nos monkeys]

I've got that cable and evoscan if you want to see if that shows anything, although it never helped me with my problem but its there if you want to use it.

I was going to do the cambelt on mine but with my cheap tools that i can never find because there scattered through all my cars glove boxes boots inside my house and in the garage i really wasnt keen on doing it because i was stuck for time and would of spent more time looking for tools than actually working on the car lol but im more than capable of doing one so if you do yours yourself i can give you a hand.


also your problem sort of sounds like what mine was doing, even though it never done it when you drove it got alot worse over that couple weeks before i got the new plugs, but then again you'd need to take me for a drive so i can see if its the same problem

[Badger_01]

Damn so the prices Bill quoted me were excluding GST. But at least the freight ended up being cheaper..

So $750.95 inc but excluding the power steering belt since they didn't have any in stock.

[Oblivion]

Damn so the prices Bill quoted me were excluding GST. But at least the freight ended up being cheaper..

So $750.95 inc but excluding the power steering belt since they didn't have any in stock.

I missed where it was supplied from, Bill @ Ralliart NZ?

[Badger_01]

I missed where it was supplied from, Bill @ Ralliart NZ?

Yup it was

[noble105]

i have cables and software, just waiting for a new o2 sensor (getting it tomorow) once i have the sensor i know everything elce is in check so im gonna finally tune my 4g64