kimokalihi's 91 SS EJ20 Swap

[Legacy777]

Kimo,

FundamentalyConfused may want your cruise control pump & cable.

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=49131

[kimokalihi]

I saw that but I was hoping to sell it to someone who wanted everything so they could put cruise control into their car that didn't have it.

[kimokalihi]

I think I'm going to remove my evap canister again. Haha. It's still building pressure in the gas tank so I don't think it's doing it's job. It takes up a ton of space under the hood and complicates things.

[Legacy777]

If you're building up too much pressure in the tank, something with your evap lines is not working properly.

[kimokalihi]

I have misfire at 4,600-5,5000 rpm. Hunter (guy who dynoed my car) suggested using one step colder heat range 7 NGKs.

227 WHP
206 WTQ

Here is the dyno printouts. I think they might be from two different runs because the results page says 227.3 HP and 206 TQ and the graph shows 226 HP and 199 TQ. But you get the idea and you can see the loss in power on the graph that I'm talking about and when it happened you could see it shoot out what looked and smelled like unburnt fuel. I also have a video I could upload.

[kimokalihi]

Here's a link to the video on youtube of the dyno pull. You can clearly see the misfire towards the end of the pull. I just ordered some NGK BKR7EIX plugs which are one heat range cooler than the BKR6EIX which is the standard NGK Iridium plug made for use in the following heads: EJ20G, EJ20K, EJ20H, EJ20R, EJ25D, EJ22T, EJ205 and EJ207. Basically pre-02 Turbo heads and 91-94 EJ22T. Do not use STI plugs as they are 1/4" longer and could come in contact with the piston!

http://youtu.be/drXul1cIJGU

[Alphius]

Wish I could have gone! Sadly, prior obligations and a lack of notice kept me at home that morning.

[CAV3MAN227]

-Nice. Your car sounds really good. I'd like to put mine on the dyno, but I find it a waste of money since the car isn't tune-able.

-Joe

[kimokalihi]

Thanks. I hear you but I was actually really curious to see what kind of difference it made to fix my pre-turbo exhaust leak and a vacuum leak and after the clogged cat came apart and lodged itself in my muffler tip. From 194 to 227 but who knows how reliable those numbers are from either time. Every dyno is different, temperatures and resulting air density and a million other variables are at play.

[kimokalihi]

Got my eBay BPV in the mail today. Looks like pretty decent quality. Has 3 springs and washers to dial it in to fit your boost target. Haven't installed it though. Have to either refab the BPV plate/elbow I made with a larger diameter elbow (1" is the size of this BPV I believe and the elbow is 1/2" if I remember) or wait until I get my AWIC setup and figure it out then. I'm thinking I'll probably want to refab that plate sooner than I get the AWIC setup though.

[beatersubi]

Looks like you could keep making power, as well. What is the redline set at in the ECU?

[kimokalihi]

7,500.

[beatersubi]

Interesting that the dyno graph cuts off at 6400. Does it feel like it pulls all the way to the redline?

[CAV3MAN227]

-I have one of those bpv's that I got off a saab. I tried it once and it sounded like it never opened. I have an hks now but I'm starting to get tired of it. I think I'll go with the gfb hybrid in the future. Anyway, I'd like to hear what it sounds like once you get it on and working properly if thats not to much to ask for!

-Joe

[kimokalihi]

Yeah it does. Not as much, of course but I really doubt that turbo is running out of breath up there. He only took it to the stock redline. I told him afterwards that it will rev to 7,500 but he didn't think it was a good idea to rev those heads that high. Meh. I don't take it that high anyway. Usually shift at 6,000-6,500 in 1st and 2nd and then more like 5-5500-6K in the other gears.

[kimokalihi]

-I have one of those bpv's that I got off a saab. I tried it once and it sounded like it never opened. I have an hks now but I'm starting to get tired of it. I think I'll go with the gfb hybrid in the future. Anyway, I'd like to hear what it sounds like once you get it on and working properly if thats not to much to ask for!

-Joe

Well this one has 3 different springs with different rates and has washers to dial it in perfect so it should work just fine. I don't know how well you'll be able to hear it though. You can barely hear my turbo with the factory airbox in place.

[beatersubi]

Reciculated BPV's aren't real loud, anyway.
Those heads are shim under bucket? You should be able to rev those to the moon.

[kimokalihi]

Are they? I thought the were shim over bucket. I guess I could have looked when I had them off. Don't think I knew what that meant back then though. They seem to rev just fine.

[PhyrraM]

Are you still using the Forester EJ20G heads? If so, they may even be HLAs under the bucket.

[kimokalihi]

Yes, still using those forester heads. HLAs are not good, right? You want the solid lifters with shim under bucket.

[PhyrraM]

HLAs have a bad rep, but for normal street based powerbands - with stock cams and valvetrain - there is nothing really wrong with them. The self adjusting nature as the engine wears is a positive. Being self adjusting, they rarely tick either. 6500-7000 redline (IIRC).

They really only have weakness as aftermarket cams get more agressive and want more RPM.

I'm not sure if the Forester heads have HLAs or shim-over-bucket. Based on (sometimes bad) memory, I wanna say HLAs (hence the EJ20G nomiclature)

[mike-tracy]

Check out this thread about forester ej20g heads vs ej20k's:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... ?t=1920393

Note that he's comparing ej20k STI heads.

Oh looks like you already posted there. But for future searchers, here's how the 97-98 single turbo DOHC heads work:


Marnix wrote:
EJ20G: shim over bucket, normal valves and springs, all same as USDM EJ25D except for the cams
EJ20K: shim over bucket (same as EJ20G), specific EJ20K valves and springs, specific EJ20K cams
EJ20K STI: shim under bucket (unique for EJ20K STI and 22B), same valves as EJ20K, specific EJ20K STI springs, retainers, same cams as stock EJ20K
----------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere Marnix noted that the STI heads have different exhaust valves (sodium filled) and more aggressive cams compared to the WRX. Casting is different as well.

[kimokalihi]

Yeah I've seen that and that was actually why I assumed mine were shim over bucket.

[PhyrraM]

Well, there ya go. I did say my memory failed at times. Getting old.

[Legacy777]

Here's a link to the video on youtube of the dyno pull. You can clearly see the misfire towards the end of the pull. I just ordered some NGK BKR7EIX plugs which are one heat range cooler than the BKR6EIX which is the standard NGK Iridium plug made for use in the following heads: EJ20G, EJ20K, EJ20H, EJ20R, EJ25D, EJ22T, EJ205 and EJ207. Basically pre-02 Turbo heads and 91-94 EJ22T. Do not use STI plugs as they are 1/4" longer and could come in contact with the piston!

Kimo,

Just to clarify, you're saying the BKR6's are the stock plugs for the heads listed above correct?


Have you pulled your plugs and looked at them? Unless the electrode looks melted I don't quite see how going to a step colder plug is going to help a misfire situation since a misfire is an incomplete combustion cycle. Going colder isn't going to help. What kind of boost are you running and what is your ignition setup?

Do you get a misfire at any other rpm/load range, and how old are the plugs that are currently in there?