Compression and Leak Down Results... :(

[The Korean]

1: 130/45%
2: 165/100%
3: 167/100%
4: 165/100%

:-(


What should I do? Upgrade to a 2.5 Phase II block, find another 2.2 Phase II block, or ya... I dunno... I'm almost at the point where I just wanna take my Prodrive exhaust off and sell the waaaaaaaagon! HELP!

[Wiscon_Mark]

Find another 2.2L block.

[The Korean]

what is your reasoning, lol?

[Wiscon_Mark]

Reliability.

Even the phaseII EJ25 had big issues. Headgaskets being one of them. Coolant leaks being another.

[ivwarrior]

Turbo swap? :grin:

[AussieDan]

Pull it apart and find out what's wrong.

You may be able to rebuild it cheaply, if not there are plenty of different options, mostly depending on how much money you want to put into it.

For the cheapest and simplest options to get it running again, repairing your bottom end or grabbing another 2.2 shortblock makes sense.

I wouldn't be as afraid of the 2.5 blocks as Mark makes out, they're pretty sturdy with the newer style headgaskets.

If you have the funds and ability though, a 2.0 turbo motor swap would make for a really fun ride.

[Perdue]

I think a lot of the problem with the EJ25 headgaskets was in the headgasket itself. Putting an EJ25 bottom end together with your EJ22 heads will yeild higher compression than stock, and you may need some tuning and higher octane fuel. If you want to do an NA build, this is an option, but the EJ22 heads aren't that efficient anyways. If you want to go turbo later on, then this will definately be a no-go.

I'd personally like to know what's wrong with the engine myself...I'm pretty sure that valves not seating right for whatever reason can cause compression leaks too, so maybe it's not even in the block.

[sheepdog]

lets swap it man

[The Korean]

Thanx all! I want to turbo eventually, but unless someone can donate everything that is a no go at the current moment... :-(

[SHOfast]

Pull the head and get it tested. Maybe all you need is a new head. If you open it up and it is not the head look at other options.

A junkyard engine is going to be the cheapest way to get rolling again, might not be the most reliable in the long run. Making a hybrid will bring tuning into the picture that you might not want to spend the time doing because of the rather small gains.

[Huffer]

Agree with pulling it to see why Cylinder 1 is low. Could just be a head issue, in which case you could chuck on a set of RS heads and have the car flow air better.

Still run 87 octane too.

[The Korean]

Ok so this might sound like a noObie question, but if I pull the head and see that it is bad... can I replace all the heads with Phase II 2.5 RS/GT heads and still keep my 2.2 block?

The only thing I'm worried about right now is that I don't have the money to have my car down for too long. Meaning, I can't pull my motor and take it apart until I have enough money.

BTW, I don't mind putting 87 in the car... as of right now though, I'm cheap and put in good ol 85... :lol:

[sheepdog]

up here 85 is 87 closer to sea level. when i moved out here I was like wtf noplace sells 93, but at higher altitudes you need less octane apparently

[Reason]

Upgrade upgrade upgrade! Weather its a 2.5 block, WRX engine or STi engine. If you don't want a turbo get the 2.5 block and get cometic head gaskets.


PS I didn't read any further than the 2nd post. If someone mentioned this oh well you can kiss my ass lol

[Wiscon_Mark]

EJ25 isn't worth the time & effort as an upgrade. Seriously.

PhaseII EJ22 is a stout block, and significantly nicer than the PhaseI for power. It's really not that far behind the EJ25.

If you get a new shortblock (assuming you figure out that's the problem) go for the same block you had before. I'm sorry you hade a bad experience, but anyone can kill any engine :roll:

[The Korean]

Mark,
I think Subaru hates me, lol... out of the four Subaru's I've owned every single one of them has had major engine problems... :-( And I'm fairly certain that the rings are bad... just judging by the results of the leak down and compression test and the fact that it makes some nice thick smoke screens (yay for "No Smoke No Leak"). O-well.


Question to all...
Has anyone ran a NA setup with a 2.0 block? I mean could you say put 2.2/2.5 heads on the 2.0 block and also put 2.2/2.5 intake manifold? I'm assuming you would have less power than you started out with because of the low compression, but ya... what do you think?

[sheepdog]

It can be done john, but would be a waste of your time. You'd need to run some serious EM to get it to work, and you would be dissapointed with the results.

[The Korean]

Looks like I found a 2000 RS longblock for cheap that I will be buying mid january... :smile:

[Huffer]

I was under the impression 2.2 heads flowed better than the 2.5

[Wiscon_Mark]

I was under the impression 2.2 heads flowed better than the 2.5

I don't think so. The general N/A build is a 2.5L with 2.2 heads for higher compression.

[Huffer]

I know that. I was talking about airflow. The extra displacement is in the block, not the heads.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Right. On the reverse side, the EJ22T users use EJ25 heads (SOHC) to get better flow, so I don't think so, considering the EJ22E heads would probably be easier to source.

[Huffer]

Fair point. I will do some research (if I can be bothered) to see if my fuzzy memory is telling me lies. :)