Engine rebuild??

[scoobycolm]

No build ever is the same, these cars are quite old now, and so many have so much poor workmanship over the years that alone causes headaches.

I do alot and they all come with there own set of problem, If the engine runs but overheats /burns oil etc, You can build it back to a high standard using sti /rcm parts for 5/6k. But if you suffered rod failure etc, new jdm short block is the way to go, but thats price will rise as time goes on due to parts increases , labour and just cost of everything

what Eoin paid last year would be probably be 1000 euro more now, A fully forged 2.0 or 2.1 with all the bells , its 10k plus.

Congrats on winning Independent Garage of the year

 

[BazGF8]

+1
Well deserved

 

[Eoinmack]

No build ever is the same, these cars are quite old now, and so many have so much poor workmanship over the years that alone causes headaches.

I do alot and they all come with there own set of problem, If the engine runs but overheats /burns oil etc, You can build it back to a high standard using sti /rcm parts for 5/6k. But if you suffered rod failure etc, new jdm short block is the way to go, but thats price will rise as time goes on due to parts increases , labour and just cost of everything

what Eoin paid last year would be probably be 1000 euro more now, A fully forged 2.0 or 2.1 with all the bells , its 10k plus.

Congrats man

 

[dontommy]

 

[ben1973]

Right - I know that this is going to sound controversial - but there is another option
Get a used engine from the likes of JDM distro...
I paid over 4k to have my legacy engine rebuilt and got about 40k out of it before it went and sh*t itself. Was looking at 5 k to have another one done and finding it difficult to get someone to rebuild it.
So I bought a used engine from jdmdistro.
I replaced the engine myself in a weekend and it genuinely hasn't skipped a beat. On last engine I always had to top up oil around halfway between oil changes at 3-4 k and this one hasn't needed a drop. I understand that my engine is not an sti motor but I picked up that engine for 1279 euro delivered. Changed timing belt and dropped it in.
It's another option.
It's not that everything is getting more expensive - it's the value of your money is dropping through the floor...

 

[Feeney213]

Have to agree with Ben, on the return vs investment has to be looked at with soaring costs

I spent 5k on my engine build with a new crank and a list of other bits after that costing nearly as much and even at that I paid cash for everything to try and bring costs down where I could

Ontop of that my car was down for 9months vs a weekend as said above for an engine swop

 

[ben1973]

Have to agree with Ben, on the return vs investment has to be looked at with soaring costs

I spent 5k on my engine build with a new crank and a list of other bits after that costing nearly as much and even at that I paid cash for everything to try and bring costs down where I could

Ontop of that my car was down for 9months vs a weekend as said above for an engine swop

Similar here- first rebuild was a lesson in sheer frustration and exaggerated promises of six weeks... I was off the road for six months minimum.
Did you rebuild it yourself?
If not, I bet ya I know who did the rebuild - given the amount of time it took...

 

[Feeney213]

Similar here- first rebuild was a lesson in sheer frustration and exaggerated promises of six weeks... I was off the road for six months minimum.
Did you rebuild it yourself?
If not, I bet ya I know who did the rebuild - given the amount of time it took...

No I gave my car in for the rebuild and tbh I'd have just bought another car had I known it would have taken that long, and even at that the accessory work if that's what you'd call it was never done and I ended up spending another few months fucking around to sort stuff that was agreed to be done along side the engine build

I actually did buy my Golf R because of all the time wasting that went on with the legacy

 

[scoobysub]

It’s high risk strategy buying a second hand engine . Having installed 6 secondhand engines less than 3 were good or worth it . It was 4k wasted . It’s a 1000 quid to do a timing belt kit water pump oil pump front and rear crank seal plugs oil filter oil on top of the second hand engine cost 3.5-4k now your at 4.5-5k

Your saving time more than Money . If the second hand engine last 4-5 years and 40k then your gamble paid off but if it lasts 1000 KLM’s or 3monrhs your 5k in the hole and now need another 5k to build an engine which usually means the car goes up for sale

There’s places for both but new short block in my opinion is the way forward If you had a major failure

 

[ben1973]

100 % agree.
Just in my case , I had a horrible experience with the rebuild and all of the bullshit that went with it. My car is my daily and can't be without it.
I originally bought this used engine to drop in and then rebuild my other engine ( which I haven't gotten anyone to do) so I wouldn't be,3,6,9 months off the road
I know it was a gamble, but, touch wood, it seems to be a good unit.
And look, a lot of fellas on here have their pride and joy as a second car and don't drive them much and I 100% agree getting a built engine is obviously the much better, safer route to go, my point is that using a second hand engine, although a risk, is a viable option.
Like, I bought new cosworth head gaskets and a few other bits from Ali up north, and had a guy to build, but was warned off by a good friend and member on here about said guy, and have been unable to get someone else to do it. I was out of that engine for in and about 2100-2200 Euro and about 3/4 weeks off the road.
But as above, if you can, getting a engine built that's prolly the best route

 

[ben1973]

No I gave my car in for the rebuild and tbh I'd have just bought another car had I known it would have taken that long, and even at that the accessory work if that's what you'd call it was never done and I ended up spending another few months fucking around to sort stuff that was agreed to be done along side the engine build

I actually did buy my Golf R because of all the time wasting that went on with the legacy

Id take a educated guess at who did it...
I feel your pain and just got a shiver remembering all the fucking lies and bullshit I endured. It's was a complete nightmare..
I really love my car for a few different reasons and know everyone on here understands that.
Anyway, glad you got sorted in the end.
How you like the golf R?

 

[EoinF]

100 % agree.
Just in my case , I had a horrible experience with the rebuild and all of the bullshit that went with it. My car is my daily and can't be without it.
I originally bought this used engine to drop in and then rebuild my other engine ( which I haven't gotten anyone to do) so I wouldn't be,3,6,9 months off the road
I know it was a gamble, but, touch wood, it seems to be a good unit.
And look, a lot of fellas on here have their pride and joy as a second car and don't drive them much and I 100% agree getting a built engine is obviously the much better, safer route to go, my point is that using a second hand engine, although a risk, is a viable option.
Like, I bought new cosworth head gaskets and a few other bits from Ali up north, and had a guy to build, but was warned off by a good friend and member on here about said guy, and have been unable to get someone else to do it. I was out of that engine for in and about 2100-2200 Euro and about 3/4 weeks off the road.
But as above, if you can, getting a engine built that's prolly the best route

Ciaran Larkin in Finglas if you're in Leinster, Ben. Far, far better than that pure cowboy.

 

[Feeney213]

Id take a educated guess at who did it...
I feel your pain and just got a shiver remembering all the fucking lies and bullshit I endured. It's was a complete nightmare..
I really love my car for a few different reasons and know everyone on here understands that.
Anyway, glad you got sorted in the end.
How you like the golf R?

Love it, can't seem many other cars giving the same performance and usability as a daily for the same price point.

Ya tbh I don't think the service "on offer" was what I got in the end even after care with a few gremlins was basically it's not my problem even after 200kms with oil leaks and a few small things.

 

[ben1973]

Aw there savage cars. I worked on them for a long time and always liked them. Very fast and excellent build quality.

I definitely recognise who it was
Same fella that I used...

 

[ben1973]

Ah,I forgot about this..
Some of you may like this, although it's pics of the enemy.. this was in a couple of weeks ago for work.
I have to say - id almost be tempted to cheat on Subie with this
Almost...
Maybe...
But no - I couldn't

 

[BazGF8]

The engine in mine is 2nd hand Jdm ej207 but I got to drive the car it came out of before doing the conversion so it can work out , previously I would have built a forged engine , never again .

With this it’s setup that if it does let go it’s a new short block , oil pump and back on the road .

 

[ben1973]

Did you build a forged engine Baz?
If so, why never again?

 

[BazGF8]

Did you build a forged engine Baz?
If so, why never again?

Ya, I built myself a forged 2.5 back in 2010 for the car and it started to lift heads on track around 2014 , still drove perfectly on the road , so got Ali burrows to build another ej257 in 2015, closed deck conversion, 14mm head studs ,gtx3076r turbo, never had a breakdown with that engine , was running when I took it out in February this year 2026 , I just couldn’t live with the oil usage on road driving and excessive noise when the engine was cold , still a great engine just only suited to track use , it would cost 10-15k to build that spec now again .

So the engine now is a late 2007 Jdm hatch Sti engine , very reliable so far (maybe 4-5k kms on it )
Doesn’t use oil, it’s quiet and refined
Exactly what I needed ,
Makes the car more usable

 

[ben1973]

Ya, I built myself a forged 2.5 back in 2010 for the car and it started to lift heads on track around 2014 , still drove perfectly on the road , so got Ali burrows to build another ej257 in 2015, closed deck conversion, 14mm head studs ,gtx3076r turbo, never had a breakdown with that engine , was running when I took it out in February this year 2026 , I just couldn’t live with the oil usage on road driving and excessive noise when the engine was cold , still a great engine just only suited to track use , it would cost 10-15k to build that spec now again .

So the engine now is a late 2007 Jdm hatch Sti engine , very reliable so far (maybe 4-5k kms on it )
Doesn’t use oil, it’s quiet and refined
Exactly what I needed ,
Makes the car more usable

Wow- that's a big spec on the build.
I had heard they can be a very noisy engine once forged...
I don't think I could live with it tbh.
My fooking nerves were gone for about 3 months ,both on the rebuild and the used unit, every little noise, grumble and the sweat would be dripping down my back.
Constantly plugging the cable in to check IAM and all other parameters.. anyway, that settled after a while.
I'm in around 7-8 k kms into this engine, almost a year in, no oil usage and very possibly more powerful than the built engine. It goes straight off the end of the clock and keeps pulling like a savage.
It's was a later gen unit and had to block off air pump inlets and modify one cam sensor to fit and a new seal on that, it has different heads on it(U 20's if I'm not mistaken) and I got a lot of good info from a member on here at the time.
I get that I'm probably lucky enough with this engine and it sounds like you got yourself a lovely unit too.
Fair balls for the build.
Respect.

 

[larSTI8]

So to give you an insight of what can go wrong with taking a chance on used engines. I am repairing a car for a customer. The original engine dropped a valve so the heads and block are gone. He sourced a used engine, the report was it did run but had excessive blow by

This used engine was to be a donor so I could build a good engine. After opening it up, this is what we have. It’s scrap basically

hopefully customer can sort something out with seller.