I'm looking for a good shop to help with my EVO IX MR. I've had issues with this car for the past couple of years that no one can seem to fix.

Over the past two years, the car has run for a total of a few months. This was AFTER an engine rebuild, and turbo upgrade. The car is being repaired now free of charge because it never ran right from the day I got it back this last time, but the cause of the failures was never accurately determined, so there's no guarantee that it won't break again even though it will be on a freshly built motor.

It's been the same thing every single time. Broken ring land, on cylinder one. When the original motor blew, that was the problem. Then the built motor blew TWICE on the exact same issue. I need a shop to look this car over, find the issue, and fix it along with any other issues it might have so I can get back to enjoying, and racing this car.

Below are the parts used for the motor build. It is their stage 1 package that is supposed to be good up to 600whp. The mods I have on the engine are also listed. If my stock motor had not blown, I would have been happy just to keep the bolt ons on stock motor, and stock turbo.

ACL Race Main Bearings (evo 8/9 (5M1219H)
ACL Race Main Bearings (evo 8/9) standard size
ACL Race Rod Bearings (Evo 8/9) (4B1185H)
ACL Race Rod Bearings - 7 bolt standard size (Evo 8/9)
OEM Thrust Washers (Evo 8/9) (MD351820)
OEM Thrust Washers (Evo 8/9/X)
ARP Main Bolts (Evo 8/9) (207-5401)
ARP Main Bolts (Evo 8/9)
Manley H-Beam Rods Evo 8/9 (14022-4)
Manley H beam rods evo 8/9 2.0L
JE 4G63 2.0L +.020 (278906)
JE piston, +.020, 9:1CR 2.0L evo 8/9
OEM Balance Shaft Elimination (MD092785/MD098626)
OEM Balance Shaft Elimination Kit (Evo)
OEM Master Gasket Set Evo 9 (1000A493)
OEM Master Gasket Set (Evo 9)
OEM Oil Pump (Evo 8) (MD366260)
OEM Oil Pump (Evo 8)
OEM Oil Strainer (Evo 8/9) (MD343947)
OEM Oil Strainer

Diaqueen OEM gear oil (MZ320345)
Diaqueen OEM gear oil

Valvoline 20w50 Full synthetic VR1 race oil

NGK Laser Iridium Spark Plugs 7 (ILFR7H)
Diaqueen 75w85 6speed
TRE 6 speed transmission
Megan O2 housing

ETS Intercooler
Grimspeed 3 port boost control solenoid
Megan 3" downpipe
HKS Carbon Ti catback
Megan test pipe
Spark Tech COP
Stock EVO IX turbo
Walbro 255 fuel pump
FIC 780 injectors
ETS Upper Intercooler Pipe
ETS Lower intercooler pipe
ETS intake
Synapse DV/Tomei BOV (have both, willing to use either for tune depending on power/driveability) The Tomei is currently installed due to bucking issues with the Synapse, but the power feels like it is way down now.
The car is currently tuned to 24.5 peak psi. It put down 353whp on a dyno dynamics.

Right now I am looking at either JMS racing, or CBRD.

Does anyone have any suggestions about either of these, or any other possible candidates that would be able to get this issue solved, and get me driving again?

Also, any ideas of what I could check to determine the causes of this problem? Any help is appreciated. I just want a reliable car again.

 

Bad injector cyl 1?
Have you got injectors flow tested?
Are the 3 other pistons/rings looking good?
Broken ringland are normally caused by detonation. It could be poor fuel, too lean, bad tune.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

+1

 

That was the first thing I thought of. All of the injectors were pulled, tested, and fine. The other cylinders all looked good. The block looked good, and so did the head every time.

 

As insurance this time I would install an egt guage on the #1 exhaust runner watch those temps dont let it blow the engine and have the tune checked by some one who knows what there doing. Not whoever is working on it now.

 

Broke ring lands are caused by improper ring gap.

If your builder isn't familiar with building turbo engines ( alot more ring gap than a NA ) then theres your problem. Its really about the only reason you can be having the same problems each time.

 

Ring land broke on cylinder one on the stock motor too. I'm still leaning toward something with the fuel or electrical system controlling the fuel being the issue.

 

I've got the car at a local shop now replacing all the pulleys, the radiator, fuel pressure regulator, and checking out the electrical systems, the alternator, and just giving the car a good once over. Beginning of May I'll be sending to JMS racing to look it over, and probably retune it. I'm trying to get some ideas of where to direct them to begin looking though. I want them to do a THOROUGH job of going over the car. Don't care how long it takes, or if it runs a couple thousand to do. I just want the car to be reliable again.

It's annoying as hell to have spent this much money, and had the car gone for so long to still have it just about undriveable.

 

JMS is putting out some badass Evos, but I've never used them. Good luck with the build, hopefully you get it sorted out.

 

We now do full builds also and have a shop and we have full builds that are extremely reliable. Some with almost 40K on them. We have some 700WHP builds with 20K+ on them.

When I do full builds I do a flat rate fee at $4,000. Which includes fluids, tuning, and all machine labor costs. We disassemble the car, we reassemble the car, we build the engine, and we pretty much provide a turn key RELIABLE vehicle back to the customer for only 4K flat rate.

We now also just started offering porting and other services. Only problem I have is, we run out of space quick at the current shop, but anyone who goes through us for any kind of vehicle labor I can GUARANTEE a happy customer. We also warranty our work.

Just throwing that out there. We have gotten cars from all over the US shipped to us, and have 10 Evo's at the moment at the shop.

 

$4k + parts I'm assuming, Tom?

 

4K Is just the fixed labor rate which includes the fluids, tuning, and machine shop labor (bore/hone/tank etc).
Now we do include everything in that fixed price though. If the customer wants a trunk battery relocation we do it,
if they want tires rotated, we would do it, wire tuck, brakes, clutch rebuild, egr delete/vac line cleanup, etc you get the idea.

Car comes fully assembled, we disassemble, we build it, reassemble, break it in, tune it, they get it back turn key. We warranty our work also.

The rest is the customers responsibility. We drop the price a little for military people though. We give them a $500 discount usually.

 

That's a good deal.

 

I agree on the labor price too. Wish you guys were in SoCal to handle my engine build.