So like the title says, I'm looking for anyone experiences about buying a jdm motor. I've been panning over the web for about a year or more and prices range from 5400-8500. Does anyone know what your getting with a 3k $ price difference? Any incite would be greatly appreciated.
I suppose it depends on the ad and condition. Some will be just the motor, some will be motor/trans/drive train. Some will include everything including axles/calipers/rotors/hubs...
Ya i see thoese differences but still there is some that are apples to apples and 2k+ price differences.
i would go with the best price on any well known importer if things are apples to apples. (mileage, condition, version) Just be sure you get the ecu.... because those are getting hard to come by. People want $400+ when u can find them. I can lookup to see what importer zombie used when importing the v7 in my wagon.
it was nagano japanese.... experience was ok,,, engine had gear oil all over it from trans stacked on top or above it and engine was dirty. ecu was dead on arrival. they did send another ecu though. Nothing a little time to cleanup and new t-belt kit, pulleys couldn't fix. compression was good. good luck on your order btw.
Out of curiosity, why are you looking for a JDM engine specifically? It seems like you could build up any US junkyard engine into whatever you want at that price level.
The reason for the JDM engine is I'm trying to keep it as close to its original design as I can. Also I like the idea of factory forged internals, avcs, better heads, a very stout trans, and a turbo that won't have a wastegate crack until the end of time. I thought about building an engine but its so unfeasible to build a motor as stout as a ej207 and get a trans that won't scatter itself at the sight of 300whp for 6k. I'm open to suggestions if you have a better plan. I also don't trust some of my stock parts as some have 180k on them.
I'm not exactly sure what your target price is for everytihng but... I would think you could probably build a motor for close to the same cost and have a stronger motor. Granted the v7 ej207 is strong but you could get equally strong or stronger building something up. I would bet aftermarket forged pistons would be superior to the ej207's. If you don't know the jdm 6spd is close ratio. I'm atleast around 3500rpm in 6th at 70. What kind of driving do you typically do. You can easily drive around in 6th gear at 50mph and be around 2400 rpms. You may not like all the shifting so maybe a us sti 6spd might be a better match? It is way different than my other 6spd that is for sure. jdm parts are harder to obtain if you need something. avcs cam sensor are $200 a pop, solenoids are close to that. Both are unique to the jdm engine and you can't just pop down to the dealer to grab them in a pinch. The motors are aging and you don't really know what condition motor you will get so bare that in mind too. Expect additional cost to replace t-belt, idlers, etc before popping the motor in. If you don't get the axles with the rear diff you will have to account for r180 vs. r160 of the wrx. You can run custom axels like I currently am or you can spring for 04-07 sti hubs/knuckles/etc. '04 if you want to keep 5x100, or deal with 5x114 conversion as well. Though, this might all come with what you plan on ordering. I'm not trying to sway you one way or the other just give you info. to make informed decision.
Running a 207 made sense when the WRX was running the 205. Now you're better off just getting an EJ257 shortblock and a set of Mahle pistons and swapping the block, keep the WRX heads, put on whatever turbo you're looking at, and get tuned. The 207 is a nice motor, but you're talking 300whp...you can do that all day with a stock 257 and stock STi 6-speed. Get the taller gears as well. And you're going to spend less in the short term and in the long term on upkeep. And nothing will make you feel regret like paying nearly 10k to swap in a bone stock EJ207 setup, only to get walked by someone with a 2.5L and 1000 bucks in basic bolt ons.
So after doing some searching just based on parts I would need 7300$ in parts block(internals 1500$) heads(maybe internals between 150-500) turbo( 1100 new 500 used) trans (3500 ish with new clutch, flywheel, driveshaft) + supporting mods. None of that includes assembly or installation. So unless im missing something a hybrid swap will cost more and will only be as good as its weakest part.
You're going to get an EJ207 for 1500? Yeah, have fun with your grenade. Let me guess, you found some engine importer that sends "low mileage" blocks from Japan...Let me tell you from experience how that pans out. Japanese tuner kids don't give a damn about their cars. Oil changes are rare occurance. Basically, if you're getting a low mileage JDM engine from an importer, it's coming out of a completely thrashed car. And they may say "14 day" or "30 day" warranty. Most of them don't spell it out real well, but that warranty begins the moment they put it on the back of the delivery truck. They typically expect you to fire up said engine when you get it to make sure everything is cool. If you open it at all to see what sort of carnage is inside, warranty void. I'll have to pull up pictures of my 45,000 km SR20DET redtop that I got from an importer. Had I fired it up, it likely would have turned over and ran. But odds are, within a week of normal driving, it would have grenaded. The oil had turned into the consistency of mayonnaise and had never been changed. It was black as pitch and had to be removed with a putty knife. The owner had apparently smashed into something hard while under wide open throttle, as there was a chunk of cast intercooler core material lodged into the intake runner of cylinder 2. If you're doing this right, you get an EJ207 and assume the worst, and give it a full rebuild. All new gaskets, split the halves and hot tank the parts. Blow out all the passages. All new rings, gaskets, seals and bearings, along with all new oil and water pumps, belts etc. Expect to nearly triple your 1500 dollar block budget on a JDM import block.
Also, good luck finding the internals for an EJ207 or any other JDM part without going through a gigantic hassle, if you can get them at all. Plenty of people have gone the hybrid route for cheaper than 7 grand.
Hell, if you just want to get the 2.5L in there and have a running car, you need a weekend, hand tools, and around 2k in parts. That gets you a BRAND NEW EJ257, new gasket set, and new head gasket. Toss in a couple hundo more for the oil and water pump. You'll have an STi hybrid block in your car by Sunday night if you play your cards right.
Also, for further knowledge. Only ONE year of the EJ207 had forged pistons. All EJ motors otherwise are hyper cast pistons. All the rods and cranks are the same materials throughout all blocks. There is an EJ20 with a closed deck, but not all of them are closed. And you likely wont be finding one for 1500 bucks. What does an EJ207 have over an EJ257? Redline mostly, you can rev them higher in stock form. Otherwise, the 2.5L will give you more torque, will be cheaper to build, easier to source parts for, and can be purchased NEW from numerous places. The only real reason to get an EJ207 is for "OMG SOOOO JDM." Because if you are looking for power bang for the buck, you're better off just starting with the EJ257.
Am I the only one thinking of rebuilding a 205? You want a cheap platform with more than enough potential for your goals, I would be looking there.
Stroke it. Yeah go ahead. No one's looking. Stroke it. Seriously. I won't tell your gf. Just stroke it.
For my personal engine build, I am stroking it. I'm missing the custom pistons, but have the rest of the rotating assembly. That will probably be done in the next 20 years or so. But for the OP, I'm just thinking, why not a 205? If you're going to spend money on a block like that, just port the heads and get forged internals. It's plenty of motor for that kind of target power.
Fully aware the v7 has forged not the v8 or 9 and it was for 2 years 01 and 02 I guess I wasn't clear on my post thats the price for the ej257 here's my breakdown. hybrid build Block ej257-300$ machineing-$$? crank-400$ rods-350$ pistons-525$ assembly-$$?(oil pump gasket berings ect...) Heads ej205-500$ head work PnP-$$? valves-150sih? springs\retainers-250$ assembly-$$?(valve locks, seals, gaskets ect...) Timing belt, water pump Turbo-new Blouch 16g-xt1100$ used vf48 500ish$ I know there is a performance difference MAF-turbo pipe 200$ intake 200ish$ sti tmic 250$ smooth tmic piping 100$ Trans-2500+shipping clutch-600$ flywheel resurface$$? new lightweight200$ ripping out the old engine and stripping good parts-$$? I plan on using as little as possible from my old engine as it has 180k on it I also have 0 time to do this myself working 70hrs a week.
You can buy the block completely assembled for about the same price, saving you a ton on having some asshole assemble it for you. Oil pump, water pump and gaskets will run you another 500-ish. And you can install them without needing anything more than basic hand tools. The gaskets will already be installed in the assembled block, so you'll only need the stuff for re-assembling the heads, plus head gaskets. P&P for a 16G? Save your money. I'm still not sure why you wont just reuse your current WRX heads. Or why you would need aftermarket springs/retainers if you aren't running more CFM and a more aggressive cam. 180k miles on a set of heads isn't some heavy wear or anything. Just clean them up and make sure your lash is adjusted. Not sure what "smooth TMIC piping" is. You can probably just get a silicone elbow from most any auto-parts place that has the correct diameter and it'll be fine and wont cost you but 30 bucks. What clutch do you need that costs 600? On my 2.5 Hybrid with a 35R my clutch cost me 515 + shipping. But that was for a clutch that can handle 450-550 wheel torque. You could probably get a clutch for 400 that suits your needs. Is this a 6 speed trans you're buying? You will need an R180 rear diff for that. Along with rear stubs and hubs and brakes. And a driveshaft as well. This costs you nothing. Requires basic hand tools. And can be done in a weekend. It's your money I guess. Also you forgot to add a tune in there. And injectors. And fuel pump.
Don't forget to budget for beer. Even if the work is being done by someone else, you're going to want it.
Here's the cost of doing a V7 swap: "full swap" import engine with ECU, wiring harness, transmission, rear diff, driveshaft, rear stub axles, brakes and hubs - 8000-10,000 plus shipping Tear down entire block and heads to check for damage - $0 New engine gasket kit for rebuild - $330.00 (probably more, because it isn't like Morries is going to have V7 STi engine gasket sets) New headgaskets - 100.00-120.00 Resurface or new flywheel - 200 Check clutch, you'll probably need to replace this New oil and water pumps - 250 New timing belt - 110 Installation - $$$ You're looking at between 9100-11100 for your swap before install fees. That's assuming you can get the gasket kit for the price of an EJ20 rebuild kit. Then you will need a tune. Because JDM ECUs are meant to run on JDM gas. I don't think they even have 91 octane in japan.
And after you're done burning approximately 12k on your V7 swap, a stage 2 STi or Hybrid swap will come hand you your lunch. 12k down on an actual sports car would be a better "investment" You will NEVER see your money back on what you're planning to do.
The good news is that tears are free. I foresee many of them, especially when those JDM parts break and you've got a paperweight for a few weeks.
OP, no one's trying to beat you up, just trying to give you good advice. I have a v7 because the car came that way, I picked up everything for a great price since I'm on great terms with the seller (family). The original acquisition was obtained for a great price, work/tear down, etc was done without any work from a shop so costs were saved there. Others are right in that parts are expensive and it's frustrating when something goes wrong. I currently have avcs off-line and haven't been able to get it going. On an ej207 you NEED avcs online to get any benefit from this motor. I agree with others when thinking building something else up you'll be be better off, happier, and save more money in the long run. like I said good luck with whatever you decide but if I were you I'd listen to the wealth of information on this site especially from those that have built their motors in the past or do so on a regular basis. There is a lot of great knowledge, tuners, etc on this site.
