Fix saab, then daily drive it. Sell/part out everything else. Buy miata or e30 and then build to your liking.
Fix saab, then daily drive it. Sell/part out everything else. Buy miata or e30 and then build to your liking.
Looks like you are well on your way. The hardest part for me is not succumbing to the "While I'm at it I might as well...."
Ojala wrote: Looks like you are well on your way. The hardest part for me is not succumbing to the "While I'm at it I might as well...."
No kidding! That's a very slippery slope. I keep getting pressure from guys at work to swap an entire STI drivetrain in. Haha... unless on falls into my lap at a practically given away price...no thanks.
ahaidet wrote: No kidding! That's a very slippery slope. I keep getting pressure from guys at work to swap an entire STI drivetrain in. Haha... unless on falls into my lap at a practically given away price...no thanks.
I have momentarily thought about a drivetrain swap. But my Saabaru 5 speed is good, and I only have 52k miles. So why would I spend thousands of dollars to replace a good transmission? And I would never pay for a factory STI motor when I can build a better one for less.
And for that kind of money I could buy a formula car with a trailer...
Ojala wrote: Details like the cross drilled crank, which hampers high rpm oiling, are a strong clue to their intentions.
i don't want to detract from the OP's thread here. just a question...
Ojala, as a fellow subaru guy looking to enter HPDE's later on, i've been trying to read up on this oil control info so this has been some good stuff. i could be wrong but i had thought the EJ207 engines used cross drilled cranks, and they spin to the moon? different factory clearances or do they fail often as well?
to the OP, i'd probably opt to keep the saabaru as your DD since it seems to be comfortable, safe, and otherwise reliable. fix it up and enjoy it until the wheels come off. Keep your porsche to tackle on weekends and when it's roadworthy enjoy some sunny day drives. i'd sell the talon (while it's working!) and Mr. Deuce and get into a miata or E30.
even though I have a Suby ('95 Impreza AT ) I don't know much about them, other than mine hasn't met any snow fall it couldn't woop
that said on the next to last session last Aug ( or Nov can't remember which ) at VIR a STi that had been lapping me ( well nearly ) came up behind me going into T1 ... I waved letting him know I'd seen him and would let him by somewhere between T1 exit and T3 entrance .... pull to the right and pointed and expected to get blown away same as he had been doing.... as I approached T3 and he still hadn't appeared and I couldn't see him in my blind spot I asked my rider where the hell was he and did he plan on going through T3 side by side ....
'bout that time he showed up beside me barely easing by me... then KAPLOWY.... stopped by his paddock area afterwards and there was a huge hole in the side and the top
he said he knew he needed some help with the oiling problem ... just put off doing something about it one track day to long
ScottyB wrote: Ojala, as a fellow subaru guy looking to enter HPDE's later on, i've been trying to read up on this oil control info so this has been some good stuff. i could be wrong but i had thought the EJ207 engines used cross drilled cranks, and they spin to the moon? different factory clearances or do they fail often as well?
The EJ207 does have a double cross drilled crank which does help and which is different from the ej205, ej255, and ej257. The ej207 also is supposedly better balanced from the factory which also helps but it doesnt address the problem. Instead of writing that the ej has poor oil control I should have put that the ej has sub-optimal oiling for a race motor. The ej will not do 10k rpm for very long. Judging by the 10psi /1000 rule and the STI pump is set at 85 relief I think that 8k is an upper limit without some work or redesign of the oiling system. The problem with the ej cross drill design is that up around 8k rpm the oil pump matches the centrifugal force. Because of the oil path the oil film strength drops and aerates thus dropping the effective oiling capacity. Add further stresses like some of the oil pooling in the heads in a high rpm high speed sweeper and the bearings get wrecked from not getting oiled.
You can drill the oil paths at angles in the crank in addition to doing some other work which will actually help solve the oil problem. But that all involves machine work and a bunch of other work. And we are still talking about oiling up around 8k rpm, so for most people I say don't bother unless you are going to go racing. And if you are going to go racing why not start with a better or cheaper design?
ahaidet wrote: No kidding! That's a very slippery slope. I keep getting pressure from guys at work to swap an entire STI drivetrain in. Haha... unless on falls into my lap at a practically given away price...no thanks.
Are these the same ones that peer pressured you into taking the car on track? Friends like these, huh?
dculberson wrote:ahaidet wrote: No kidding! That's a very slippery slope. I keep getting pressure from guys at work to swap an entire STI drivetrain in. Haha... unless on falls into my lap at a practically given away price...no thanks.Are these the same ones that peer pressured you into taking the car on track? Friends like these, huh?
Yep friends like those.
I have the motor torn down to a long block now. I need to pull the heads off tonight and then I will split the case halves.
WIth the oil pan off now I can for sure tell that the #2 rod bearing has spun. The oil pick up was intact. I am going to look at the oil pump tonight. Lots of shrapnel in the pan. My gut feeling is the heads are ok and just need a good reconditioning/cleaning/valvejob. Still debating on buying a Subaru assembled short block or machining/cleaning this one up and then installing a new Subaru crank, rods, pistons and bearings,
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