There goes cylinder 3 & 1!!! suggestion?

2004 PSM sti with 125k miles. Cylinder 3 crap out and looks like cylinder 1 is going to go out also. 90psi on cylinder 3 and 100 on cylinder 1. 2 and 4 are at 120psi. Not too familiar with subaru. Yes, you have to factor a lot of things and if I can at least get the bottom and top fully assemble I can probably do the rest my self (gaskets, installing the head to block, etc...). Would rather have someone build it and I'll just drop it right in. Any suggestion on crate motors or recommend builders? Message Jesse and he recommended going oem at the dealer. Dont mind oem, but after countless of reading and searching it looks like oem will only last so long (with a good tune) and how fragile the internals are. Did a estimate on Maperformance to see what it'll come out and was a little over my price. Will most likely be a weekend to here and there dd.

Goals!
Price: $3500-$4000 budget
HP: 300-350awhp

Probably tear it apart to see if the block or head needs a rebuild. Running really rich and cylinder 3 has fuel in the exhaust (removed the exhaust and notice it). Would rather build both block and head at once so I dont have to deal with it again.

 

1: Your goals and your budget will never meet. Double your low end and plan for that.

2: The only thing I would go to MAP for is a recommendation for a prostitute.

3: Built engines blow up too. A good tune on an OEM block might last you 50k, it might last you 150k. A built engine might last you 10k, it might last you 150k.

4: Proofread your posts.

 

I agree with all of this

Except possibly #1. If you (Spencer) are willing to do some of the labor on your own, it can save you some money. Labor to pull the engine, dismantle, slap refreshed heads on a refreshed block (not including rebuild for either heads or block), would run you around $1k to $1,500. So you might be able to hit the $3.5k to $4k budget.

-A brand new OEM short block from Subaru (Morries Minnetonka) with the MNSubaru discount is about $1,800-$2,000.
-The head rebuild at a machine shop could be as cheap as $300-$400 or upwards of $1,000, depending on the condition of your heads.
-While you're in there, you might as well do the timing belt, water pump, etc (the whole kit) assuming that none of that has been replaced yet. Ballpark of $150-$300...can't remember exactly.
-Also while you're in there, might as well do the clutch and flywheel (again, assuming it hasn't been done recently), so tack on extra for that. Depending on what you get, could easily be $700+
-Then add in the miscellaneous stuff - head studs, oil pump, OEM engine rebuild gasket kit, fluids, spark plugs, etc, etc. Hard to say, but I'd budget at least an extra $500.

The OEM shortblock should be fine for a while with only stage 2 power and a proper tune. Heck, this block made it 125k miles, which is pretty good for a STI.
-If you want, you could replace the OEM pistons in a new OEM block with forged pistons (~$700 or so), which would give you that safety net of about 300-350whp. You would basically sacrifice some long-term reliability for short-term durability. (hey, I just thought of that phrase, and it actually makes a lot of sense when it comes to built motors. I might use that more often).

Now let's say you want to go the pre-built shortblock route - you're looking at a ballpark of $4k for just the shortblock. If you do, I highly recommend Rallispec. I ran one of their blocks and had a lot of success, as have many others.

If you're open to just having your shortblock rebuilt, you could save some money. You might be able to get away with as little as new pistons and a hone, but it's hard to say until it's torn apart. You might be able to handle the downtime if you don't mind driving your Mini for a while.

For local shops, I'll recommend NF Performance and RS Motors. NF and RS are reputable shops that could rebuild your shortblock (and give you a good tune) if you decide to go that route. There are other engine builders in the area as well, I'm just not that familiar with the others.

Finally, research, research, and research some more, and then do what is best for you. Just make sure you really like the car, because you won't make any of this money back

 

2 other quick things:

1. Kudos to you for checking compression and catching the failure early. You probably saved yourself a decent amount of money.

2. Your heads are going to need a cleaning, deck, and check at a minimum. Don't slap old heads on your new shortblock.

 

I was more talking about final all in, including oh crap expenses, timing belt kit, clutch and flywheel, heads, fluids, etc.

 

OE EJ257 shortblock is $1709.71 + tax with the MNSubaru discount at Morries (I could probably do pretty similar here at Miller Hill). There are 2 current part numbers, it looks like it changed in 2008 or so and I don't remember what would be different about it. IIRC we looked up a part number for a 2012 when Carl built his rally car engine, which used all 2004 stuff.

Drop some nice pistons in it, and you've got a decently stout bottom end. Have the heads rebuilt. Head studs. Convert to Parallel fuel rails. Gaskets. Belts. Etc. That could all be done well within your budget.

The exact details on your build might dictate a lot more money, or maybe not. Exactly what turbo you get, and where you buy it. What fuel you run might dictate mild or major fueling upgrades (E85 requires pretty high-volume pump capacity, and I'm partial to bumping up fuel pressure considerably, but that really limits your pump options, although requires less extreme injector selection).

Reliability comes mostly in the tune. I'm extremely impressed with what can be done with the Open Source tuning on the stock ECU. Nuke works some serious magic. But there are some serious gains to be had going with an aftermarket ECU, but that'll ruin your budget, in a big hurry.

 

Parallel fuel rails @Chux?

 

Google it, man. There are so many explanations that are much better than what I have the patience to type here.

Short version, stock system has a tendency to deliver less fuel to 1 and 3 than 2 and 4. Re-plumbing the system, and re-locating the FPR improves that considerably.

 

There is actually a ton of debate over parallel vs. series fueling. I don't want to get this thread too far off-topic, but basically, I don't believe there is any conclusive evidence that shows that one way is better than the other. Do your research, talk to your tuner, and figure out what is best for you. For my setup that I had on my 08 sti, NF recommended fueling in series.

 

I'd say buy some aftermarket rods and pistons, drop off your block and heads at Metro Engine Service, and wait. You could easily stay under your budget. I had never worked on a subaru as of 16 months ago, that's when I had ringland failures on 3 pistons. (yes, holiday gas) my experiences so far is that subarus are far easier to do major work on than my past vehicles. (VW passat, F150)
Edit: obviously buy gasket kits and bearings too. Arp studs, cams, valve springs, etc is all up to you.