Sad Subaru STI

[Christopher Sanchez]

Recently I made a questionable trade for a new project. I traded my stock appearing tastefully modified 1990 Nissan 240sx for a clapped out Subaru STI.. I purchased this Nissan over 2 years ago purely out of impulse.. the guy had owed it for 8 years And had completely built the thing himself. It was so rare for me to see one of these cars tastefully done making pretty good power. He estimated 350-400 which my butt dyno agreed.. unlike our turbo goblins which produce plenty of low end torque this car was a dog until 4500 and then turned into a rocket.. but never really felt any connection with the car considering I rarely had to work on it and everything had already been upgraded.. now on to the Subaru.

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

I found this on Craigslist the story couldn’t be any more different from the Nissan..we discussed a possible trade. the kid who owned it must have read every car forum there is on the internet about phrases to use to pretend you know what you’re talking about.. the car smelled strongly of fruity vape fluid go figure. Was told that the car was knocking which I verified with a start up. The kid kept insisting that the problem would be simple and even stated that he bought “new ring lands to be put in... WOW. He kept bragging about how many engines he had built and even offered to help me build this one if we made the deal. Without missing a beat he informed me that this current engine rebuild lasted all of 17miles... unbelievable. I sleep on it, after looking up shortblocks pricing from Subaru we ultimately agree on a trade with him putting some cash on top.. I am the new proud??? Owner of this!

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

Now the car sat in the garage for a couple of months before I started to tear into it. I was lucky enough to have taken a 2 week trip with coworkers to Thailand a month before all of this covid-19 madness started to take effect in the states. Finally I was able to get to work! I am no clean freak when it comes to my garage habits however I have never worked on an oilier car even after several pressure washes! Most bolts were only hand tight which made pulling the engine quick work.

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

Upon tear down I found that one of the wrist pin retaining clips had come loose causing the piston to dig into the wall. This was an expected discovery however the damage to the heads was not budgeted and cost me 1200 for a newly machined set.. there was a lot of scouring to the cams and heads and also looks like someone stripped a bolt and damaged the heads cutting it out. BUMMER! Continued to strip the “built” shortblock of needed hardware then one more rinse. Now the fun part begins.!

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

After finally deciding what I wanted from this car the parts are ordered!! I ultimately decided to stay with a stock shortblock I may regret this as I’ve read that the stock pistons are known to be a weak point even with fairly minor mods... no turning back. Nothing like nice new parts!

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

With all the free time to spend at home from the Coronavirus what would have normally taken a few weeks of free time was completed in 4 long days figuring things out along the way. The engine is in!! The feeling of success was extremely short lived.. haha oops!

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

The engine bay finally looking nice and neat.. time for first start....

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

The car fires right up!!! SUCCESS!! And immediately throws engine oil all over my garage including an innocent bystander, the goblin... I learned that head gaskets only work when they are installed in the correct direction... geez! Thank goodness UPS is still running during this pandemic. After licking my wounds and getting over the disbelief of such a silly mistake the engine comes back out haha. A new gasket installed. Let’s try this again.

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

So far I have enjoyed this little car a whole lot but still have a lot of work on the appearance.. the wheels are very “hot boi” protruding past the fenders. I am planning on using this car as a fun daily driver so stock spec will do..So this is how I’ve spent my time in quarantine thus far and thought I would share I hope everyone is staying safe out there.

 

[Karter2026]

The kid kept insisting that the problem would be simple and even stated that he bought “new ring lands to be put in... WOW.

And that quote right there is where I would of turned around not said another word got in my car and left a trail of dust.

 

[Briann1177]

I thought you were going to say you traded your Goblin. I almost shat myself.

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

And that quote right there is where I would of turned around not said another word got in my car and left a trail of dust.

Haha I even found a set of piston rings in the parts box in the trunk... haha it’s been a fun journey with this car..

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

So is this what the kid meant when he stated that "he bought “new ring lands to be put in... WOW"? Besides getting his terminology assbackwards, I would be sure to double check those rings are actually for a Subaru - probably bought off of Craigslist.

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

So is this what the kid meant when he stated that "he bought “new ring lands to be put in... WOW"? Besides getting his terminology assbackwards, I would be sure to double check those rings are actually for a Subaru - probably bought off of Craigslist.

Yeah that’s the moment when I figured a new Subaru short block was needed to remove anything he might have messed with and thus getting some cash on top to cover that cost.. I was able to use some of the new parts he had purchased however I chose to avoid using the box full of used timing belt components that he saved and pointed out to me as if a bonus. Haha I look at it as though I saved this poor car from its rough life! I definitely got a crash course in the Subaru world but Just hit the 500 mile break in mark so I’m hopeful I’ll have a nice fun daily.

 

[Zoom Zoom]

Did you use a break in oil, I have a new engine coming and they said to use break in oil for first 200 miles. From ZZ Performance

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

I did, I used Lucas break in oil for the first 500mi.. there seems to be a lot of varying information out there about break in procedures

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

My experience for an engine that will be living life in the fast lane: use standard motor oil - no synthetic - that matches the recommended weight (5W30, 10W30, etc.) and supplement with a zinc oil additive (this is important for properly 'tempering' parts). Check your oil level often during the break in period to make sure the level remains steady. If you see any significant change in oil level, find out why, otherwise it could be big $$$.

First 100 miles no more than 50% of red line RPM with light throttle application, trying not to keep any steady RPM for an extended period.

The next 350-400 miles gradually increase the engine RPM you are changing gears and a little bit more throttle application for moderate acceleration - but no full throttle or more than 80-90% of RPM - until you reach about 450-500 miles.

Change your oil and filter with the oil you plan to use for the rest of the engine life, but don't go more than 500-600 more miles before changing oil and filter again. Full throttle accelerations and 100% RPM is ok during this second segment, but use moderation of these applications until about the 1000 mile mark.

After the second oil and filter change beyond 1000 miles, then drive it like you stole it if you like.

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

Quick update on the sad Subaru. I Was never a huge fan of the look of rims that were on the Subaru but could not stand the figment. They stuck out past the body and gave it this hot boi stance look that I despise... not to mention the tires were all miss matched, they had to go.

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

Went with some Konig lockouts 17x8 with falken all seasons in 235/45/17.. I initially ordered them in bronze as I was going to try and replicate the stock gold rim look but thought black would look meaner.

 

[Christopher Sanchez]

Finally got around to painting the white trunk..two cans of color match rattle cans later and a lot of clear... came out to around a 7/10 after wet sanding, cut and polish. The car is not perfect so this will suffice. I had to throw in a pic of my son finding the best seat in the garage to nap during a late night of tinkering..