Research Project

[4WRXter]

So, I am starting on a research project. The subject is: engine replacement vs. "new" car.

A little background;

2004 forester XT. 2.5L turbo engine. Auto trans. 151,000 miles. Rust bubbles on the left front fender and rear hatch. I was planning on replacing the fender (new) and hatch (used) before the engine issue arose. With the prices I got for the body parts, I was guessing $1000-$1500 for the parts and paint.

I found this thread http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2423256 for the possibility of sourcing an engine. Have not checked prices or availability yet. I have PMd Meyagi. I would like to hire him for the swap if that is what I decide to do.

So far, I have found that '06-?? WRX engines are 2.5L. My initial feeling is to stay away from STi engines, because of the 150k mileage auto trans. I don't know if it will hold up.

SO my major question is........Is the cost of an engine replacement plus body work bringing me close to the cost of a different used car? Maybe with less mileage.  Obviously I will have to make that final decision.

Some other questions are....

What do I need? Engine, ECU? At this point I don't know if I could get away with a short block.

Obviously, I am probably not going to hear or see any engine run. What can I do to ensure I get a decent engine?

Can I use a 2.5 N/A engine and swap my turbo, intake manifold onto it?

There are probably questions that I don't even know to ask, yet. So throw out any and all advice or suggestions.

 

[Meyagi]

ill reply here so others may use the information too. you can use any 2.5 turbo longblock you want. wrx/sti/fxt does not matter (except dual avcs sti). the internal differences are so small that you will never notice. your ecu/turbo/injectors will swap over, so no matter what block you use it will run the exact same as it does now. your automatic trans would even hold up fine to a sti swap which would entail use of sti injectors/turbo/intercooler, its a well made trans that holds power good within reason. the n/a motors have different c/r pistons so those are out. if your heads are ok you can use any turbo 2.5 shortblock. a new one from subaru is around 1800.. hopefully that answers your question.

 

[JoshP]

There's so many unknowns when buying a new used car, so I'd suggest fixing it if you are happy with the rest of the car.  Unsure of your engine issue, but you could probably get your heads rebuilt and replace the shortblock with a much lower mile (or new) unit and have an excellent engine.  That work through Mike won't be too expensive and you will be good to go. 

 

[Ray]

Did you lose the engine in the fozzy!?

 

[4WRXter]

Did you lose the engine in the fozzy!?

Possibly. It is at a local garage right now. I'm waiting for him to dig into it some to see exactly what is going on. We were driving down the road, and the engine quit, and when I got it off the road, there was coolant on the front of the engine. No LOUD banging, clunking, grinding. The engine turned over but wouldn't start. I tried not to crank it much, in case it might be a broken timing belt. But the fact that it quit going down the road, and coolant is not encouraging.

 

[Chris]

That's what happened when the waterpump on one of my cars seized. It overheated before shredding the timing belt, and sprayed coolant everywhere.

 

[4WRXter]

So, the local mechanic is replacing the timing belt, water pump, idler, etc. I didn't actually talk to the mechanic, but they said the car should be done this afternoon.

Is it possible at all that there is no valve or piston damage? As stated above, I did try to restart the engine after it shut down, before I realized it could be a timing belt issue. It didn't sound like metallic bits slamming together, not that I would know how that sounds, but I can imagine it might be obvious.

I guess if there is damage and the engine gets Started, it won't make it much worse, right? Run 'er 'till she blows???!!!!!!

 

[JoshP]

Should have taken it to mike...  You're crazy lol

 

[4WRXter]

Well that's helpful, thanks Josh.

I'm about three hours from Mike. I wanted to get some kind of diagnosis locally before I drove 2 hrs to Auburn rented a car trailer, and drove 2 hrs back just to get the car. And took a whole day to get it to Standish. And then took another day to go get it. If it is real serious, then it would be worth it.

 

[JoshP]

You could have used AAA for less than 100 dollars to get the car there for one.  But that wasn't really the point.  It sounds like you agreed to a 500+ dollar job to someone you didn't even speak to.  On an engine that could need a rebuild.  Maybe you just left of the details of how it was diagnosed etc.   

 

[IBratmanI]

You could have used AAA for less than 100 dollars to get the car there for one.  But that wasn't really the point.  It sounds like you agreed to a 500+ dollar job to someone you didn't even speak to.  On an engine that could need a rebuild.  Maybe you just left of the details of how it was diagnosed etc.   

I would hope it didn't cost $500+ for a timing belt job!

 

[i-wagon]

With water pump and idler (s) and labor I could see that

 

[IBratmanI]

I don't know. That's still less than $300 in parts, should be less than $100 for labor. But many places charge more than that unfortunately.

 

[4WRXter]

I don't have AAA. I try to do business locally as much as possible.

I was hoping they would diagnose it and advise from there before proceeding. But as everyone knows that doesn't always happen. They just went ahead and fixed what they thought was wrong. Not to defend them, but I may have to fight that fight down the road.

 

[Ray]

So you didn't agree to any work done before they did it? That's messed up on there part!

 

[4WRXter]

Well, hindsight being 20/20, I know I should have got it home and dug down to the timing belt myself. And maybe come back here for input. At the time I didn't want to attempt that in my driveway at 15 degrees and 40 mph winds. Also being a little busy right now trying to get the shop put together and ready to open, I opted to go the route I did. As I said, I may have to fight that fight.

 

[RyanR]

I don't know. That's still less than $300 in parts, should be less than $100 for labor. But many places charge more than that unfortunately.

Damn dude.  Where do you get a timing belt done for less than $100 in labor, especially with a water pump, belt, tensioner, and all rollers?  I'll sell all my tools and take my cars to them from now on.  No reason to bother lifting a finger, haha!

 

[IBratmanI]

Damn dude.  Where do you get a timing belt done for less than $100 in labor, especially with a water pump, belt, tensioner, and all rollers?  I'll sell all my tools and take my cars to them from now on.  No reason to bother lifting a finger, haha!

Well I had one person on here do my timing belt on my XT for $75. And that's the same price my guy charges as well. I guess it might be $100 with the water pump, but pretty much  everything else is coming off anyway.

 

[RyanR]

Well I had one person on here do my timing belt on my XT for $75. And that's the same price my guy charges as well. I guess it might be $100 with the water pump, but pretty much everything else is coming off anyway.

Wow. That's impressively cheap. Sounds like a good resource for the community.