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IAG Shortblock or Another Stock shortblock?

27231 Views 59 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Maddtvguy86, 
M
Hello community!

I have a 2009 WRX with bottom end bearing issues from what it sounds like. Rattle at
2500-3000 RPM with it going away at higher throttle pressure and some grey smoke out the back at aggressive acceleration.

I am looking for your input on the reliability of the IAG engines particularly the stage 1,2, 2 tuff and if it worth the extra $1000 for peace of mind over another OEM with stage 2 tune. My tuner says that he hasn't put a stock block in a WRX but maybe 1:50 cars he's worked on and that IAG's will be marketable when looking to sell over a replacement OEM. Obviously they get more $ from selling a higher priced engine + requiring a dyno and headers machine work.... I thought most people shy away from second hand tuned turbos to begin with ?

I drive about 25k miles a year and would like reliability over power. Would also consider STi shortblock if it is much of an upgrade.
Reviews on IAG motors seem hard to find. NAOSIC returned 0 results on IAG!?

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XJman
Try looking less specifically. A built engine is a built engine and in general will all have the same pros and cons. If you have questions about built engines or Subarus and are not finding answers you can contact turn in concepts in Cincinnati. They offer several solutions, and will not give you any bull****. They will only sell you what you need. They offer a stock build with forged pistons and some other goodies that may be worth looking at as well if you decide it's for you.

Either way, I highly recommend at least giving them a call. They are the only place I trust to work on my car, and many others have had delightful experiences. One member here travels from Detroit just to get work done.

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M
ok , I was looking for more feedback from people that own IAG's as I can't afford Crawford I think it's called. It seems like you are the only active member ^^


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XJman
At night basically.

I don't know that I've seen much mentioned about iag blocks outside of some of the Facebook groups. You can check around there as well if you can weed through the stanced bs and memes

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M
Are there any aftermarket blocks that are popular or do most ppl tune STi swaps since they are WRC motors


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XJman
The sti block and the WRX block are basically the same. The crank may be different, but only the pistons are for sure. There is nothing equivalent in any road going car to a wrc car besides the fact it's a Otto cycle engine.

The ej255 has higher compression than the ej257, and also uses different heads. The ej257 has variable valve timing on intake and exhaust where the WRX has it on one or the other only. The ej257 also comes with a different turbo and intercooler from the factory.

The ej207 has a higher rpm limit and from my understanding hypereutectic forged pistons allowing for better piston to wall clearences than a comparable forged piston would. This helps prevent blowby and piston slap while the engine is cold. It also is a stronger piston than a hypereutectic cast piston.

I don't know if your heads would mate to a jdm ej207 so you would likely need a long block. They can be had cheap but are a crap shoot when it comes to quality as they are almost all pulled from junked vehicles.

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M
That is very helpful but I am only talking shortblock a with possibly machined heads - new - so my car is in the perfect world not down while they are being sent out. I was told
They are about $500
I read somewhere today that the STi engine was used for WRC as standard, just built up if I understood correctly.
I plan on mating my turbo currently unless I can get a deal on a STi with ball bearings . I would probably need a bigger inter cooler at that point huh? Damn.

Which system is better or is it negligible VVT or EJ255?


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XJman
In all the dual vvt is better than the single in the WRX.

Rally engines typically are made from billets they are single blocks machined completely. Subaru hasn't competed in the wrc for some time as they don't offer an engine that meets the regulations of 1.6l. they do have a showing in the us, but the limitations are different.

I'll let you decide what way to go on the block. If longevity is concern I would highly recommend stock. It isn't uncommon to see a stock engine far Outlast even mildly built engines. Just browse around without specifying iag, there is tons of information out there you can use to make your decision. Iag has good quality stuff in general so I wouldn't so much question getting poor quality work, just something that may be overkill for your situation. That's why I recommend contacting a shop that specializes in building Subarus and getting their take on things. They will have handled and built more Subarus than any single person on social media.

If my car died tomorrow I would grab another factory short block. 2k plus head work and misc odds and ends would have the entire swap done for probably around 4k. That would include clutch, timing kit, water pump, hoses, plugs, fluids gaskets, etc.

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zax
The engine doesn't even share displacement with the WRC variant...

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M
lol should be cheap then since I have new clutch with transmission rebuild, timing belt and water pump
cuz the dealer didn't replace pump when I got timing done the first time and yay for doing head gaskets twice in a few months. I did contact my local Subaru Dyno shop who also builds and the advice I got was go with an aftermarket block because everyone does it ...


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MainFrame
Maddtvguy86 said:
..with stage 2 tune.. I drive about 25k miles a year and would like reliability over power.
Click to expand...

If you do in fact need a new shortblock, replace it with a new factory assembled OEM block from Subaru. No one can build a Subaru engine as well as Subaru can. There would be no advantage to running a STI block, or a built block at that power level.



I would make sure you need a new block first though. In my experience bearing issues make a heavy banging noise at all RPM (speed increasing with RPM), no smoke, and will rapidly go from sounding like a healthy engine, to seized up within a few miles. You could drain the oil and check it. If you have spun a bearing there will be flakes of metal in the oil. What you're describing sounds more like piston failure to me.. a compression test would be a quick and easy way to find out if that's what's happening.
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MainFrame
Maddtvguy86 said:
I plan on mating my turbo currently unless I can get a deal on a STi with ball bearings . I would probably need a bigger inter cooler at that point huh? Damn.
Click to expand...

A STI turbo wouldn't be an upgrade from your stock turbo, and you would have to replace a bunch of stuff, including the intercooler and intake manifold to make it fit.
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M
So if it is a piston failure hypothetically would I be spending just as much in parts and labor as a new block? Why under full throttle does the rattle disappear and not become overly loud in boost ?


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irickchad
This thread is making my head hurt. If your tuner said "Buy a built block because everyone does" you need to find a new tuner.

If this is your daily, and you're running stage 2 - ish, You do not need a built anything.
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M
I have been driving all week, shifting under 3k to avoid rattling but if I drive more assertively it doesn't rattle till I let the rpm drop to a constant speed


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zax
Can you please just get a professional opinion? What you are describing is not consistent with a bearing failure.

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M
I would love to get a professional opinion. I drove my car full throttle today up to 6k no rattle till I pushed the clutch in and then it went away as RPM fell, on my way to see if I could have someone put it on a lift to check for vibration, sadly I was too late. My hours for the next few weeks don't let me have time for service. Maybe whatever it is will vibrate off 170 miles today and survived


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XJman
Your not doing yourself any favors wringing it out if there is a problem.

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M
I know but I feel like maybe it's just something loose and the low end vibration is just making me paranoid


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XJman
Maddtvguy86 said:
I know but I feel like maybe it's just something loose and the low end vibration is just making me paranoid


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Yeah so it's loose, let's go, totals the engine maybe a head and now your problem is compounded

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