legacycentral bbs

EDIT: Ran a Comp and Leak down test and the numbers were telling: 80% on LD; 70psi on compression on #2 cylinder. Pulling the engine, light hone and re-install some newer (10K miles) pistons/rings.

I'm running the EJ22T w/the EJ25D heads. Car runs strong, but Rich (low 10 AFR's) - see Notes below. (The EJ20G 'rob tune' has always ran rich on my car. )

Specs:
-Block has approx. 180K; heads were redone about 3K miles ago by a pro. EJ22T Head Gasket=~7.5:1 CR
- EJ20G ECU w/MBC set @ 19 PSI
- VF39 turbo
- 520cc injectors


Symptoms:
-Blue smoke cloud on startup more often than not; Usually no smoke once warm, but have seen it @ least once.
- Excessive oil consumption = 1 quart every 200 miles or so - this is my main concern.
- Running Autox a few weeks back and I saw smoke. Popped the hood and oil was sprayed everywhere on the driver's side - the oil dipstick had come out! I filled it back up w/oil and have had no issues since, but also haven't driven it as hard.
- Milkshake - White/Gray oil (?) buildup in the PCV and breather hoses. I checked the breather ports on the heads and they are clear. Check out this THREAD for pics of what I see. My oil cap and oil filler tube are clean.
- Oil in the air intake - MAF sensor has oil on it and oil was pooling in the 'coffee cup' mod.
- Drained close to a pint/16oz from the CC after only 200 miles.
- Dipstick comes out clear - no milkshake residue on it.
- I'm in N. ID and it's below freezing in the am and warms to maybe 45 during the day.

Other Notes:
- Coolant level stays full
- Lots of short drives (5 minute commute).
- Have NOT done a Compression or Leak-down Test...(DOHC are PITA.)
- I changed the oil the night before the Autox.
- I had this engine in my Forester project and it always ran really Rich on the Greddy Emanage Ultimate - <10:1 whenever I was in boost. Reading this THREAD I'm thinking I may have 'washed' the cylinders:
"Fuel washdown may have taken out the rings on one or more cylinders, allowing fuel and air blowby which is overrunning the PVC system" per Tahiti350.


PCV hose routing and Breather hoses:
PCV- Runs from back crankcase vent (under turbo) >>>catch-can>>PCV valve. In the hose going back to the PCV I have a Tee fitting that connects to the intake like the stock setup. I added this AFTER the AutoX experience to be more like stock.
Breathers - The 2 ports on the heads Tee into the front crankcase vent (under the Alt.), and then Tee into the Intake.

Thanks for any feedback.

Todd,

I know we chatted about this a little while ago, but after reading over this I've got a few additional comments.

Catch cans in cold climates do not work very well. You get moisture coming from the PCV system condensing in the catch can, and you end up with a milkshake soup. This was after I dumped most of the milk shake portion out. Essentially the entire catch can was full when I dumped it.

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/s ... fault2.htm

If forget who makes it, but there's only one catch can setup that has a coolant hose connected to it to keep it the catch can hot, so the moisture doesn't condense.

The other thing is your short trips.....it's just going to make things worse. You need time for the engine to warm up and evaporate out the moisture.

It does sound like you are burning oil and may be a result of the engine running rich, however I'm not convinced that the engine running rich is the sole reason. The stock ej22t runs rich. This dyno plot was when my engine was stock. It was hitting AFR's down in the 10's, and when I got my WB installed, I saw data that confirmed that.

https://www.main.experiencetherave.com/ ... gdyno2.jpg

I guess the question would be, are you seeing 10:1 AFR all time, or just under heavy boost?

Ultimately, I think the motor is worn, whether the rich AFR caused accelerated wear to an already worn motor may be hard to prove.

Thanks Josh......so is a Comp. Test going to get me what I need or should I have a shop do a Leak-Down to determine the engine's health status?

A compression test will give you an indication of the engine's health, however it won't pin point the problem. A leak down test will help you pin point the problem to the heads or pistons/rings.

Based on the issues, I would lean towards the problem being in the pistons/rings, but it's one of those things, if you want to be absolutely sure, do the test.

If you can do a cylinder leak down test aswell.

Some more modern subaru's had a PCV problem in the cold weather. Like new WRX's
Some got to the point that they blew the turbo up. There is a recall for them pvc's

So ya i would check your pvc system and your engine health.

Yep 70 psi on cyl # 2. Going to do a light hone and replace pistons/rings. Thanks