timhortons
11-24-2010, 12:26 AM
Hey everyone, I could really use some advice from those of you who've rebuild EJ25 engines, you see, I've never done one before, but I read the service manual before hand and tried to prepare, but naturally something tends to go wrong the first time you try to do something you've never done before.
Short story: my Legacy's engine blew the passenger side HG and the resulting carnage cracked the block. So my short block is now from a 1998 Outback and my heads are the ones that were from my engine and everything else.
I replaced the oil pump, water pump, gaskets, etc etc... none of that is the problem. I'm rather embarressed to say what happened, because it feels so colossally stupid, but it's been done and now I have to deal with the possible consequences...
Somehow, I managed to install the drivers side intake cam onto the exhaust, and the exhaust cam on the intake, so I had reversed cams. I did not reverse the pulleys though, and I actually timed it and started the engine. :oops:
1 and 3 ran beautifully of course, 2 and 4... obviously did not fire at all. So what I need to know is... have I bent the valves? If the timing was set would it possibly have minimized the damage?
I've since corrected the cams and retimed it, and I have videos referenced here: viewtopic.php?p=231258#p231258 (http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?p=231258#p231258) that show it running. I don't hear much in the way of abnormal valve noise, but I drove the car earlier this evening and right around 3000 rpm there is a clatter, especially with throttle application, other than that, no unusual noise really. Because it's been rebuilt, I am hesistant to just dump RPM's onto it, so I'm topping out around 4000, but the roads are ice right now so trying to apply throttle and listen to how it sounds is kind of difficult.
The exhaust manifolds are each missing one of the three studs, the middle one, the studs got mangled when I took it apart, rusted into one piece and aren't really reusable, I need to find new ones, it's more than likely that's a source of a leak and perhaps some noise.
Also the bogging it was doing around 2500 RPM disappeared after I unplugged the TPS, but it still idles around 1500 cold or hot, I loosened the IACV and rotated it, that does adjust the idle, but I reset it to where it was because with the CEL on thats not a proper fix, heh. Yet to take apart the idle air control valve, and haven't yet checked the TPS voltages. It has an appointment on the 29th to see a mechanic, then I'll know what codes the CEL is throwing at least (gotta plug the TPS back in though I guess for that, haha)
One other thing I should just briefly mention, my temperature is a little erratic, it starts out reading "in the middle" but climbs if I am driving around 80kph(50mph) in fifth gear. I wanted to see how it would do with a real load so I went up a very long hill in fifth at 80kph(50mph) and the temp climbed quite steeply but didn't hit the "red zone", and it did go back when I down shifted and leveled out. The RPM's around that speed were 2000-2500, external temp is -30c(-22f) but that usually doesnt matter with cars, but if it's having a hard time now I'm worried about warmer weather. It's not using an OEM thermostat though, so in my search I read that is often a culprit and I will replace it ASAP and then report on that issue if it doesn't clear up.
Short story: my Legacy's engine blew the passenger side HG and the resulting carnage cracked the block. So my short block is now from a 1998 Outback and my heads are the ones that were from my engine and everything else.
I replaced the oil pump, water pump, gaskets, etc etc... none of that is the problem. I'm rather embarressed to say what happened, because it feels so colossally stupid, but it's been done and now I have to deal with the possible consequences...
Somehow, I managed to install the drivers side intake cam onto the exhaust, and the exhaust cam on the intake, so I had reversed cams. I did not reverse the pulleys though, and I actually timed it and started the engine. :oops:
1 and 3 ran beautifully of course, 2 and 4... obviously did not fire at all. So what I need to know is... have I bent the valves? If the timing was set would it possibly have minimized the damage?
I've since corrected the cams and retimed it, and I have videos referenced here: viewtopic.php?p=231258#p231258 (http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?p=231258#p231258) that show it running. I don't hear much in the way of abnormal valve noise, but I drove the car earlier this evening and right around 3000 rpm there is a clatter, especially with throttle application, other than that, no unusual noise really. Because it's been rebuilt, I am hesistant to just dump RPM's onto it, so I'm topping out around 4000, but the roads are ice right now so trying to apply throttle and listen to how it sounds is kind of difficult.
The exhaust manifolds are each missing one of the three studs, the middle one, the studs got mangled when I took it apart, rusted into one piece and aren't really reusable, I need to find new ones, it's more than likely that's a source of a leak and perhaps some noise.
Also the bogging it was doing around 2500 RPM disappeared after I unplugged the TPS, but it still idles around 1500 cold or hot, I loosened the IACV and rotated it, that does adjust the idle, but I reset it to where it was because with the CEL on thats not a proper fix, heh. Yet to take apart the idle air control valve, and haven't yet checked the TPS voltages. It has an appointment on the 29th to see a mechanic, then I'll know what codes the CEL is throwing at least (gotta plug the TPS back in though I guess for that, haha)
One other thing I should just briefly mention, my temperature is a little erratic, it starts out reading "in the middle" but climbs if I am driving around 80kph(50mph) in fifth gear. I wanted to see how it would do with a real load so I went up a very long hill in fifth at 80kph(50mph) and the temp climbed quite steeply but didn't hit the "red zone", and it did go back when I down shifted and leveled out. The RPM's around that speed were 2000-2500, external temp is -30c(-22f) but that usually doesnt matter with cars, but if it's having a hard time now I'm worried about warmer weather. It's not using an OEM thermostat though, so in my search I read that is often a culprit and I will replace it ASAP and then report on that issue if it doesn't clear up.