Need advise on possible rebuild of ej22t

[tsbpenguin]

Ok so I've put about 10k miles on the car since the swap, and it never has really felt 100%. It has been consuming a substantial amount of oil. Even after I fixed the front crank seal, the oil level drops, but now there is no oil leaking on the ground. I've only seen smoke a couple times out of some second gear WOT pulls. There have been a couple rare, quick pulls where it felt like it was pulling correctly, but the rest of the time it seems lacking in power under WOT, feels like it's pulling timing among other things. Sometimes before the car warms up all the way, it sputters and hesitates under medium to heavy load. I don't quite trust my boost gauge because it's just an ebay cheapie, but it seems to read consistent under vacuum, but starts fluttering and sporadically spiking (within 3-4psi and always under what i've got the boost controller set at) when under boost. First thought was boost leak but I can't seem to track any down. Pulled the downpipe and checked the shaft on the turbo, there was some shaft play, but not enough to allow the blades to touch the housing. Checked compression cold a few days ago, and then checked it after warming it up yesterday. It was almost identical both times 115-120psi across all 4 cylinders. Finally, I noticed yesterday that there is an ever so slight wobble to my crank pulley. When I replaced the oil pump seal, it seemed like the crank may have a little extra play to it. Also the half moon keyway fell out of the groove when I pulled off the pulley and sprocket, but I've been told this is normal. I didn't see any abnormal wear on the slots in the pulleys or in the crank. Basically at this point I'm thinking it's something internal. I suppose a blown turbo may be part of my cause, but I'm really confused as to why I have low compression, matching in all 4 cylinders. I've got the motor all prepped to pull, so I'm going to do ej25d heads, cams, and intake manifold, bigger turbo + accessories, all top end gaskets and seals, etc, but I'm concerned about the bottom end.

How likely is it that there is damage to the bottom end? How possible is it that I could do a mild rebuild on the bottom end? I'd like to get away with just doing bearings and piston rings if possible/necessary. I've been told that it might be a tough road to travel down because the crank and cylinders likely need to be machined .010 over. Are there reliable bearings that can compensate for that? Would that mean I'd have to get custom pistons? I'm trying to diagnose and fix all my issues at once and for as cheap as possible. ANY and ALL advise/input is welcome.

[wtdash]

Hi,
Since the comp test was equal, I'd be surprised if the engine is that worn. But you're right @ the limit:

TURBO
STANDARD 142 - 171 PSI
LIMIT 114 PSI
difference between cylinders 28 PSI

I'd add a Leak Down test to see if the issue can be further diagnosed.

And I'm assuming you've checked for any stored ECU codes?

I had a bad KS after my swap, fixing that made a big difference.

GL,
Td

[Legacy777]

Yeah, I'd second a leak down test. Pulling the motor seems kind of drastic.

From my own experience....if you're going to rebuild these motors, there is no "light" rebuild. You either do it, or you don't. What I mean by that is check all the clearances, if you can use standard bearings great, if no, you need undersized bearings. The same goes with the pistons. If you're out of tolerance, you'll need pistons & rings. Typically, you should have the pistons prior machining so the machine shop can properly machine the clearances on the pistons & block.

Depending on what your goals are and how long you plan the keep the car, it may be cheaper to just pick up a used engine and slap it in there.