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More questions on knock in 04 WRX

2K views 24 replies 5 participants last post by  stuttle 
#1 ·
So in another thread I mentioned I bought a writeoff 04 WRX. Got all the body panels I need, some need paint, some are minty and the right color already.

Engine has what I would call two knocks. A really loud one on startup, and rev, and a constant one. The constant one almost goes away when warm. The rev one is not as severe when warm.

I contacted the insurance company to see if they would help me out, as no engine issues were indicated on the auction site. I told them it was for sure a spun bearing based on all the youtube sad stories I viewed.

I sent them a video of the noise. They replied with another video, and said they had one with the same sound. It was a spring on one of the intake cams. Here is the tech's quote exactly "The repair to rectify this concern was a retaining spring that holds the second rocker on the intake cam that was not engaged in the rocker shaft. Its a very good possibility this is that same concern"

So, I bought a mechanics stethoscope. Had a listen on all sides of the oil pan, left and right valve covers.

By the time I got under it, the main noise had quieted down alot, but the loud rattle was still there.

The constant one was hard to locate, I will do the test again when it cools off to get full effect.

The loud rev one was 100% coming from passenger side valve cover.

The tech said the constant sounds like the spring, and the loud noise is the rocker trying to walk.

Is this even possible? I have read a million forums and they range from spun rod to reallllllly spun rod

I uploaded a quick youtube vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAZ-AFD5zGM&feature=youtu.be
 
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#12 ·
What the problem actually is will help determine if they will kick me back some money, so I still need to figure out what is going on

The best (and usually only) way to really pinpoint an internal engine problem is to remove the engine, tear it down, and carefully inspect all of the components. More often than not the culprit will be obvious once you have it in your hand.
 
#5 ·
Seems it will be cheaper to buy a JDM engine that an actual replacement from a wrecker.

For a non AVCS JDM engine, do I need to change the intake and exhaust manifolds, the cam gears and the main timing gears over from the stock engine to the JDM?

I am a NOOB to WRX's, but this is what I have read so far.
 
#11 ·
Wiring harness ECU's, random bits to complete the swap. You will need a performance shop for any tuning that may be done, and on this topic I called several about this some time back and any shop considered reputable won't touch it. There are tons and tons of things.

It seems more expensive to buy the correct usdm engine but it's far cheaper in the end. It will also have support and you can easily source parts.

If you complete this, there will be no way to have the car pass any inspection you likely won't be able to sell it either if you have to have the car inspected like you do here in ky. I know several people who got stuck with Hondas that way. Car had to be junked.



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#13 ·
Well...I am thinking a rebuild might be the way to go.

From what I have read, I am going to buy a new oil cooler and oil pan to avoid any metal getting in the new engine. Anything else I should not reuse? I am on a budget, however, I am not going to try and save $100 on something and risk blowing up a new engine.
 
#15 ·
Not 100% sure yet;

So far I have priced out;

rebuild master kit from Clegg (pistons, rings, seals, full gasket set, oil pump, full timing set)

New water pump

New oil cooler

New oil pan

Pulling the engine, disassembly will be just my time.

Machine work, I have a friend that runs a shop, he has alot of experience with Subarus so that shoudl be reasonable price wise
 
#20 ·
I did a JDM Swap on my 02 wrx and everything on yours is the same. Apparently none of the people replying to this thread know anything about it. It is actually very simple if you know how to swap out a motor. Basically you remove everything bolted to your current EJ20 and Swap it on to the new one. By that i mean all accessories, engine wiring harness, intake manifold, fuel injectors and rails, exhaust manifolds, also you need to replace bank 1 intake cam (not all of them) and cam sensor which is located directly behind the Bank 1 intake cam in the rear timing cover. you also need to replace the crank pulley for the timing belt (not the one for the accessory belt). Depending on what block you use it may or may not come with coil on plug ignition (mine did not) so you will need to use those all too. I would also have it tuned for good measure, however i data logged mine as soon as i got it up and running and it was fine. It seems like a lot of work and dont get me wrong it is time consuming and not for the weak hearted or someone that does not have time to commit. I did this in one weekend by myself however i am a mechanic and i have many tools. I also got my motor from a reputable importer of JDM Engines and mine is perfect with great compression. Make sure you get compression or leakdown test results on the motor you are getting before you buy.
 
#21 ·
I know going that route you're getting a used engine with unknown condition.. and that the success rate of swaps is generally low, with many people encountering a lot of different issues. If you want a junk yard engine of unknown condition you can find USDM ones too.. I just don't recommend that option because unlike with a NEW factory block, you have no idea what you might be paying for.. from what I've seen, it's about a 50/50 chance that the engine you get will fail within a short period of time.
 
#23 ·
Short block is $2,500 CDN from the dealer, I will 99% be going this route.

Not trying to save my old engine anymore...but....I still do not understand if it is rod knock, why do I hear nothing at the oil pan with the stethoscope? The noise is coming front the font half of the passenger side head.

Just trying to understand these engines a bit more.
 
#24 ·
Is your oil pan full of bearing material? That's the easy way to tell if a rod bearing let go.. drop the oil pan and look at the contents. Just draining the oil should be good enough to tell if it's full of metal or not.

Noise from the head could be a number of other things.. like a stuck valve for instance.
 
#25 ·
Short block from the dealer is definitely the best option. EJ25 short blocks can be had from the dealer for around $1800. That Was going to be my original route but i needed a quicker option so i would have less downtime, and a bit less money also. The Hybrid will be what i end up doing if i ever have bottom end issues from here on out. I have a friend that also did a jdm ej20 in his Sabaru and had no problem, but you are right about not knowing what you are getting, it is a bit of a gamble. The company i bought from has a good rep about making good by sending another motor if there is an issue, that is why i went with them.
 
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