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Old 04-04-2021, 12:05 PM   #1
Dreamproject
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Default Can an ej205 with engine knock still be a good platform to build on

Happy Easter everyone!!!

I have an opportunity to buy a 2002 wrx with 132k for 950, and supposedly the only reason it was parked was because of engine knock (and no title). The main reason for buying it was for the 5mt, since mine is out of commission, but I have been considering buying the whole car for spare parts and possibly using the block to build an engine. My questions are what possible reasons could an ej205 knock, is any damage caused by it fixable, and would this block be a good one to build? Thanks
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Old 04-04-2021, 12:26 PM   #2
subaru_gc8
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rod bearings... you will have to flush the whole engine. if you are buying it as a parts car, no problem but if you are bluing it for the engine I would pass and get a new short block from Subaru
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Old 04-04-2021, 12:52 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by subaru_gc8 View Post
rod bearings... you will have to flush the whole engine. if you are buying it as a parts car, no problem but if you are bluing it for the engine I would pass and get a new short block from Subaru

Parts alone makes it worth it. I didn’t know Subaru still sells the blocks, that’s good news. Is the block from this one worthless?
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Old 04-04-2021, 01:16 PM   #4
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Rods and rod bearings were the known issues for the 205. When built properly they can be pretty stout and hold plenty of power. Just need a good engine builder. Heads are the weak link for making power. A good pocket port and valve train and they can be made to flow well. Sounds like a 2.1 stroker kit would be worth looking into. Adds a little torque to the 205.
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Old 04-04-2021, 03:56 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snow_bound26 View Post
Rods and rod bearings were the known issues for the 205. When built properly they can be pretty stout and hold plenty of power. Just need a good engine builder. Heads are the weak link for making power. A good pocket port and valve train and they can be made to flow well. Sounds like a 2.1 stroker kit would be worth looking into. Adds a little torque to the 205.

What would you say a good and high target whp should be when thinking about building an engine?
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Old 04-04-2021, 05:11 PM   #6
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Not a question I'm comfortable with answering. Too many variables to consider: quality of work done by builder, quality of parts used, quality of tune, supporting mods, etc, etc, etc. Best advice is figure out how you want to use the car (fun street build, track day, drag racing, and so on) and find a quality tuner to discuss those aspects so the two of you can start putting together a parts list. Most reputable tuners know what machine shops to work with who do solid builds. From there put an addition $3000 aside for misc things you'll most likely forget about or decide to change/upgrade along the way.

Once you have an idea of the direction to take your build, start looking around the forum for similar projects so you can get an idea of how yours may turn out. Remember, every car, every build, every tune, and every dyno are different. Take numbers with a grain of salt as quality of gas, elevation, and a while mess of other things will influence final numbers. All those number are are a record of where you can see gains/losses on any changes you make in the future.
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Old 04-08-2021, 10:52 AM   #7
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If you want to do a cheap and fun project with it, get used STi rods and a 79mm crank and then forged stroker pistons. You can do some port work and toss in some plugged up EJ255/257 cams as well.

It'll add some mild punch and flow the engine.
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Old 04-08-2021, 11:21 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamproject View Post
What would you say a good and high target whp should be when thinking about building an engine?
I personally wouldn't go over 400 for a daily it seems once you go over that point in a 2.0 it gets a little sketchy with longevity, and honestly with 400 whp you need lots of room to use that power
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Old 04-08-2021, 11:28 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snow_bound26 View Post
Not a question I'm comfortable with answering. Too many variables to consider: quality of work done by builder, quality of parts used, quality of tune, supporting mods, etc, etc, etc. Best advice is figure out how you want to use the car (fun street build, track day, drag racing, and so on) and find a quality tuner to discuss those aspects so the two of you can start putting together a parts list. Most reputable tuners know what machine shops to work with who do solid builds. From there put an addition $3000 aside for misc things you'll most likely forget about or decide to change/upgrade along the way.

Once you have an idea of the direction to take your build, start looking around the forum for similar projects so you can get an idea of how yours may turn out. Remember, every car, every build, every tune, and every dyno are different. Take numbers with a grain of salt as quality of gas, elevation, and a while mess of other things will influence final numbers. All those number are are a record of where you can see gains/losses on any changes you make in the future.

Thanks for the advice! There’s really not a lot of tuner shops that specialize in JDM around where I live (mainly American muscle), but I’ll see if I can call one and ask
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Old 04-08-2021, 11:49 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subaru_gc8 View Post
and honestly with 400 whp you need lots of room to use that power
Understandable, really for the build I have in mind, I want to go the opposite direction of slammed, track-focused weekend cruiser, and instead build a daily canyon carver (sort of an autox build). I was thinking “more horsepower=more funner” as I’m sure most new people do. Max whp isn’t the goal, but rather a question of the limitations, as knowing how far is too far is important. Any suggestions on threads to read up on for a canyon carver build?
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Old 04-09-2021, 01:17 AM   #11
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Default Can an ej205 with engine knock still be a good platform to build on

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamproject View Post
really for the build I have in mind, I want to go the opposite direction of slammed, track-focused weekend cruiser, and instead build a daily canyon carver (sort of an autox build).
Excuse my ignorance here, I meant to say “I want to go the opposite direction of a drag-type build (pulls and launches)”

The previous owner did have launch control added, so maybe that’s what he wanted
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Old 04-09-2021, 06:58 AM   #12
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Where are you located? People on here can chime in with tuner options for you.

300-350 is very very fun on the road. Having it setup more for mountain/canyon runs is all about suspension, chassis and brakes. You could look at any track focus build and get a good idea of what needs to be done for handling. This is where the main focus of your budget should be rather than power. A stock powered WRX is a blast through the corners with proper suspension, chassis and brake mods. You can check out my build in the members gallery to get an idea of what I've done for handling mods. Project Lucy. I still have a few more things to do but it's mostly there.

Based on this premise, I'd look into a JDM EJ205 w/AVCS and match it up to a VF34 or a Blouch 16g XTR. These are ball bearings turbos which have better transient response. This translates to quicker spool between shifts and coming out of corners. Both turbos would put you in the 275-325hp/tq range depending on the dyno. AVCS will help spool them quick at low rpm so you could see full boost anywhere from 3000-3500 depending on supporting mods. A quick spoiling, torquey setup will be more fun than trying to chase 400hp for instance. Quick spool is just as much about heat retention in the exhaust as it is about the size of the turbo.
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Old 04-09-2021, 01:12 PM   #13
Dreamproject
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Default Can an ej205 with engine knock still be a good platform to build on

Quote:
Originally Posted by snow_bound26 View Post
Where are you located? People on here can chime in with tuner options for you.

300-350 is very very fun on the road. Having it setup more for mountain/canyon runs is all about suspension, chassis and brakes. You could look at any track focus build and get a good idea of what needs to be done for handling. This is where the main focus of your budget should be rather than power. A stock powered WRX is a blast through the corners with proper suspension, chassis and brake mods. You can check out my build in the members gallery to get an idea of what I've done for handling mods. Project Lucy. I still have a few more things to do but it's mostly there.

Based on this premise, I'd look into a JDM EJ205 w/AVCS and match it up to a VF34 or a Blouch 16g XTR. These are ball bearings turbos which have better transient response. This translates to quicker spool between shifts and coming out of corners. Both turbos would put you in the 275-325hp/tq range depending on the dyno. AVCS will help spool them quick at low rpm so you could see full boost anywhere from 3000-3500 depending on supporting mods. A quick spoiling, torquey setup will be more fun than trying to chase 400hp for instance. Quick spool is just as much about heat retention in the exhaust as it is about the size of the turbo.

I live close to Acworth, GA, and the closest Subaru-specific tuner/shop is an hour away in Alpharetta (I’ve already called them and went up to the shop to ask about options and what I can do, but they were not that friendly)

It does have a speed density tune for 252whp (if I can find a picture of the dyno I’ll post it), and it certainly is fun around corners, but for this to be the “dream” build, I’d like whatever’s done to it to be the final modification. It doesn’t have to be the best and most expensive, just what is known to be good quality that will last. I’ll definitely read up on your build and go from there. Could you send the link?

And full boost at that low of an rpm!? That’s awesome knowing that the power is right where you need it! I figured that with max hp I’d only ever see the top end on the highways, which again wasn’t what I was looking for, but if 275-325 is the target, that would definitely help bring the cost down lol. The jdm ej205’s aren’t as pricey as I thought, but the transmission, chassis, and brake components looks to be where most of the budget will be going to. Either way, thank you for steering me into the right direction! No more guessing lol

Last edited by Dreamproject; 04-09-2021 at 01:31 PM.
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Old 04-09-2021, 04:21 PM   #14
snow_bound26
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Check out DBW Motorsports. If it's the Doug I'm thinking of, he's been tuning these cars for a long time and has a good reputation. Doesn't have a website from what I can tell. But I'm sure you can find him on FB or other social media sites.

Quite honestly, don't bat an eye at driving an hour for a tune. If the tuner is good and worth the hassle then it's worth the drive. Some people drive several hours for a good tune. I may start doing that as well once I go flex fuel.

As for reliability, OEM is going to be most reliable to a certain point. Beyond that then you just expect certain expenses every so many years or miles. As long as an engine was well cared for then it can go a long time. And the JDM versions were definitely built better than ours.
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