02RS25

iTrader: (9)

Any weekend warrior engine rebuilders out there? Im going to be pulling engine this week and have it on a stand by friday. at that point, im going to remove heads, and send over to maching shop to have them rebuild them. Im looking for someone to help me with shortblock. Measuring to be exact and just general questions. do i just buy new crank and pistons, etc without measuring or honing? or is it worth it to measure and reuse? i do not want to dump lots of $$$ into my RS engine. i just want to rebuild the engine myself with OEM internals. Ill be dumping $$$$$$$ into my forged internal STI engine. So, if there is someone out there that can lend a hand with measuring and figuring out what bearing etc. ill need, (possibly help close halves for good) it woulld be greatly appreciated. again, i mainly need help on the shortblock. after that im golden. but if u wanna stick around i aint kicking anyone out PM if you are able to help out!

Shayhan27

iTrader: (4)

my .02

I know you are mechanically inclined but I read earlier that you are wanting to make some power. I dont know if that was on this block or not.

I know you may want to do this for fun/expierience/money saving but in all honesty a machine shop should not charge that much for bottom end assembly. Then you have the peace of mind it was done right.

Hey good luck though. I use to rebuild my 2276 in my bug all the time, why all the time you ask because I never did it right lol.

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

.02 richer! lol. thanks for lookin out bud. first off, i have TWO engines. The EJ25 RS engine thats still in the scoob with a blown head gasket and my EJ25 STI engine thats on a stand in storage. The STI will be the powerhound. Yet, im going to build STI engine with stock turbo and stock tune, etc. BUT i will build STI with forged internals to give myself that option of going BIG HP in the future, NOT to mention so i can bypass that retched "STI ringland failure" . Second, I HAVE been toggling the idea of a machine shop building bottom end and i complete the rest. just seeing whats out there. that being said, do you or anyone know of a reputable machine shop? Im going to rebuild RS engine back to stock to hopefully last me another 100-200k. New internals (at least bearings and seals) new water pump, new oil pump, new complete gasket set, rebuild heads, new timing belt and components (idler, tensioners), new thermo and gasket, new hoses, list goes on. lol

Shayhan27

iTrader: (4)

I am doing a bottom end with rods, pistons, and nitrated crank with ACL bearings the works. I am going through GST and the machine shop they use. I think the pistons will be JE I forget what brand the rods are. I would give Mike at GST a call or a facebook message to inquire about what machine shop he uses.

I trust them because he trusts them, and I know they do good subie motors.

I am going to have them do my heads as well. I am going to put a little money in the heads as I want to spin 8k+ at 450 HP on the GST Heartbreaker.

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

+1. just dropped LIC and GST a PM to see what they have to say about it. thanks again for the help bro! im trying to get my scoob back on the road STAT!

Harry Maneuvers

iTrader: (2)

I am in the process of rebuilding an EJ251 (motor in your RS) however I am doing a high compression build... only difference is my heads are EJ22... still SOHC though. Oh yea and I swapped my AT out for an MT.

My Full rebuild thread.

Subaru Legacy International • View topic - Harry Maneuver's 99 BD-Finally assembling the motor! 4/10/13

I break open the donor EJ251 on page 2, pull my stock EJ22 out on page three and the rest follows.

I can pretty much answer any questions you might have considering I most likely already researched it.

Photodump of all photos related to the rebuild... you might start with oldest first:

http://s773.photobucket.com/user/har...?sort=3&page=1

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

awesome. Ill take a quick lookk. I dont really trust myself with the measuring. Otherwise id be doing the entire build myself. With the exception of tthe heads having a valve job done to them. Thanks for the help!

Harry Maneuvers

iTrader: (2)

FWIW, measuring is not needed if your car never spun a bearing. The clearances, journal surfaces ect should all be within spec.

I plastigauged my clearances just for the experience and it is really finicky stuff... I got a WAY better reading with a cheap HF digital caliper directly on the journal surfaces. Either way, just about everyone that I talked to who has rebuilt multiple NA subaru motors said the same thing... no need to worry about main or rod clearances unless something failed other than the headgaskets... IE spun bearing, bent rod, valves ect.


My rebuild has a lot more to it than just building the motor.

Now that I have done it once... if I needed to do it again... from bare block halves to fully assembled long block... I bet I could do in in 5 hours if all parts are laid out, FSM manual handy ect.

This obviously doesnt include honing the cylinders, valve job ect.

PM me if you want the entire digital FSM for your engine... I have it.

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

^can someone confirm this? obviously i wont know until i have split the block and done a visual inspection. but if my block is good (no cyl wall damage or crankshaft damage) i can conceivably order new bearings and rings and rebuild?

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

Good Day Iclubb!!
So i think i may take the day off tomm to pull the RS engine. I also have a list of things that need to be done to the scoob other than the engine pull:

1) adjust coilovers
2) remove Rally armor mud flaps
3) remove yakima mounts
4) swap wheels
5) install new headunit?
6) install new OEM STI rear roof vane?
7) find short in fog light circuit

obviously not all to be done in one day. but i at the very least am going to pull the engine within the next couple days. if anyone is willing or wanting to lend a hand for possibly lunch and beer, PM me. Help is always awesome, but not needed. Just giving the chance for someone like me (who loves wrenching on scoobs) to come and have fun. thanks in advance guys!

Also, still wondering about what Harry Maneuvers mentioned about the lack of needing to get measurements done. not even a hone with new rings?? can i get more feedback on this? thanks!

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

*should be working bump* lol

Im doing some reading up on my upcoming engine rebuild and im getting a lot of mixed ideas/answers:

-Do I need to balance crank,rods, pistons, etc after assembly with OE parts?

What i have recently found out: I will be honing cylinders as new rings will be going in. I also found out a couple easier/better? ways to measure clearances, of which ill will try and tackle myself. Am i missing anything?

-Tear down
-Inspect bearings and journals-order new bearing accordingly
-take block halves, crank, heads to machine shop to valve job/hone/clean/ balance?
-machine/polish crank?
-Double check clearances with new bearings installed
-Assemble shortblock
-Double check clearances in cyl.

again, my goal is to rebuild to OEM spec inside and out. No aftermarket parts or bearings. My car is a 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS with 255,000 miles on the odometer.

Prelim Parts List:
-New complete overhaul gasket set
-new piston rings
-new main/rod bearings
-new oil pump
-new water pump
-new thermostat
-new timing belt/tensioner/pulleys

what you guys think? given my situation:

Should i re-balance/polish crank? im already taking block halves to machine shop for clean and hone (or should i do it myself) and head job. how much more would it be to regrind (if no visible damage) and balance if needed? i know. so many questions. but after doing much research, i am now out of the clueless stage to the indecisive stage. LOL

Harry Maneuvers

iTrader: (2)

If you are not turning this motor into a high HP engine then the balancing is not needed so long as nothing (rods, rod caps, crank ect) is damaged, dropped or deformed.

Your parts have been working together just fine for the last 255000 miles.

From someone who has JUST gone down this road... You will be fine to just order new standard sized bearings and rings. Get everything cleaned, get the cylinders honed and take your time putting it all back together.

Get yourself a dental pick set from HF. When you get the crank out... go over each of the journal surfaces with one and you should feel that they are perfect with no scratches or defects at all. That is the purpose of the bearing... so it will wear out and not the crank

No need to regrind or balance your crank. I think you will probably agree with me that a polish is not needed after you check all journal surfaces with the dental pick.


A motor with that many miles on it though... you are definitely going to want to get the updated oil separator plate and replace anything that you can see that is rubber (hoses) or a seal.

You are going to have unprecedented access to many parts of your engine and engine compartment that you will want to take advantage of while the motor is out.

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

thanks bro. i hear what youre saying just want some more input on it. and as far as rubber and other parts go, ill be repolacing hoses and drive belts. other than, everything or most of everything was replaced not too long ago. and i just want to focus on engine and engine management with this build (cooling, oil, gaskets, etc.)

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

^^taking the time to save some during install. lOL. always worth it


^the whips

^ready for pull

^UP

^UP

^and away!

pilot bearing cover came off and damaged bearing. spun bearing with my finger and was choppy as hell!

02RS25

iTrader: (9)

^some cleaning to do as well as inspect hoses. may just end up replacing them all.

^engine out and ready for teardown



^^intake mani removed. note the tags placed on various hoses, harnesses, etc.

^timing

^cam cogs, idlers/tensioner, and belt removed

^doneso coolant crossover O-rings

^SOHC heads



^MMMMMM carbon. LOL