Typically, we build all motors here in house. I have recently switched to a very well known machine shop. This particular motor was our 'beta' run for the new 2.2L stroker we will be offering our customers as a 'turn-key' type offering. It would basically include the shortblock and head work, cams, etc. The motor has fantastic potential, and will ultimately be a very good option for the guys wanting big power potential.

Essentially, what we are all chasing are the symptoms... MIvEC response, poor idle, misfire, etc. The cause is the low oil pressure in conjunction with a large cam and very stiff(Cosworth) dual springs. Oil pressure slowly drops to 3-5PSI and subsequently, the low oil pressure does not allow the EX cam to stay in a neutral position, rather it goes to a full -30DEG retard at idle...1050RPM. This massive overlap causes a lean condition and finally an erratic idle and mis-fire state.

The key here is the oil pressure. If you rev the car, the oil pressure is slow to respond. If you hold it at 3500 RPM it will climb up to 50+ PSI. There fore we can make an educated guess that it is a leak, not a full loss of pressure.

I pulled the oil pan off of the car and found the first problem. The crank was not clearanced correctly, and hit the oil squirters. Two of the 4 jets were in the oil pan...not good. I will also check the Main bearing clearances. I am in the process of pulling the motor this week. I will let you know if I see any galley plugs loose or missing. I have some pics thus far, but I want to really break this down with all of the fact, so no one else has this issue. Another point worth noting is Mitsu says 4.5 or > PSI at idle is 'normal' for the EVO X oil pressure..... and at 3500ROM oil press should be 45-100PSI.

My main problem is how this is being dealt with by the builder/machinist. I will not get the builders name involved, at least not until I have all of the facts laid out and the potential resolution in sight. This is part of a larger issue with this company. This is one of 2... possibly 3 motors with issues from them. In addition, they have 2 other motors for 10+ weeks. They have an opportunity to make this right. I tolerated the poor turn around because their potential for excellent work is there, and I want to offer our customers the best possible package. I will keep taking pics and get all of the facts and get them up on the thread, but it will take a few days.

John

 

So for my own interest - How do you make a motor with low oil pressure?

 

What do you mean? The motor 'may' have poor bearing tolerances...which I will verify this weekend. More to the point was the leak from the oil squirters being broken off which was contributing to the low pressure and slow oil pressure response with RPM.

 

sub'd good info you have here..but sorry to hear what happened, at least you had it figured out before really running the car.. hope all goes well for you guys!

 

Motor is out and in transit. The 'builder' will not warranty anything unless I send it in. What really gets me is all of the other things that were lost...100$ in coolant, gasket kit, customer head gasket-1/2 studs and much more. They have said they will only warranty the bottom end. I will give all of the details once a resolution has been met. I am just glad it is my car, not a customer.

Regards,

John

 

I was at the shop this weekend watching John painstakingly take his car apart. For me, it was like watching a Discovery Channel documentary on how to take apart a built motor. I didn't see any carnage or anything wrong to my newbie eyes. However, I must say all the goodies he had built into that motor, it's a damned shame it didn't work right.

Can't wait to read about the resolution. If that engine builder doesn't make it right, it would be even more of a shame...as I mentioned to John, I thought "blue printing" an engine was supposed to mitigate exactly the type of situation he's in now. I gotta think that engine builder has to stand by his product and just admit they f&*ked up the build.

Good luck dude!

 

I dunno but this builder sounds very similar to the name that starts with a E and is 3 letter acronym... I dunno if I am right. But a similar person had a motor built by them and had to send it in to be evaluated. Again I dunno...

 

Sigh....I really hope not.

 

Everyone should not Read between the Lines.

 

everyone makes mistakes...

as long as ERL fix it (and maybe compensate you for the lost fluids/gaskets/time/etc) then its all good...

 

For the idle pressure to be that low, the clearances would have to be very loose.

On our 2.2s, we typically have at least 20psi of oil pressure at idle when fully hot.

 

Wow, this is surprising.

 

Oh great.. I hope my ERL block that is being installed right now doesnt have problems! My block was 2 behind yours at ERL. Seth from ERL sent me pics of the process and I saw yours in front of mine labeled Akuma.

I have the stock crank so hopefully mine will be good?

 

Sorry for the delayed reply. We have had some really exciting times here at Akuma. I have a few new technicians joining the team and doing 'live' interviews this week so I have been a little slow on the forum work. I will keep everyone posted..

I completely agree. I am not bringing this to light to be unfair to ERL. I actually feel they have a potential to be a spectacular outfit. My main concern is how they handle this. I have made mistakes, and had to make adjustments. It is all how you handle things. That is what makes the difference between good and great service. I want to give ERL ALL of the leeway necessary to set things straight. The bottom end issue had further reaching impact that I have not posted yet because I have not fully determined where the 'shavings' came from. I have the head out at Headgames(Dave is freakin AWESOME!) now to see if we can salvage the new cams and head...ouch.

I will be completely fair in my final assessment. If ERL fixes everything, I would not hesitate to use them again. Things can happen, but I don't want anyone to jump to conclusions without all of the facts, which I will provide as I have them.

Regards,

John

 

Thanks for keeping this sane and taking the proper course of action right now. I'd suggest everyone reserve any off-topic comments until the problem is resolved and / or a vendor review is posted.

I'm interested to keep hearing what is happening here and how the problem is resolved.