Ok so I've lost slight power at WOT a couple of months ago and have been running my own tests and have concluded its rings....

Done cylinder leak down and compression tests, leak down was good on all cylinders, all checked out well except I could hear air escaping inside the oil cap, more on cylinder 1 which was down on compression at 85. I also did a second compression test and put a cap of oil in cylinder 1 too and it came up to 115. So it all points to rings now, blows a little smoke not to much but like I said slight power drop been going on for a while. I also did boost leak test too, replaced the OEM BOV and installed a catch can, slight change but not much.

So I have been thinking, I can just drive it, blow a little smoke, doesn't burn much oil and keep doing that, only thing is I am a second and a half down on my track days which means to me I don't really want to take it to the track anymore which I love, means Its only a weekender now so yeh.

Ok, so cause its a weekender, I have plenty of time if I want to work on it or I could put it into a shop for new OEM rings, pistons and hone, probably cost me 7-10k, we get ripped in AU and I have no relationship with a shop it would be hit or miss for me to trust someone to do that,

0r I could buy a Nitto or Tomei 2.3 kit for 4.5k plus 2.5k for say a fp red or other and maybe S2s, behives, and injectors and a clutch too and do the job myself over say 6 months and take it for a tune after. There's lots of youtubes on honing, and motor and head pull downs and I've been reading up here on stroker kits and engine pull downs. I would like to be able to leave the block in the car while I work on it.

So what do you guys think with all your experience?

 

Do you have any trustworthy machine shops near you? You need to get each cylinder honed to the diameter of each piston. They are not always exactly the same diameter, so you need the machine shop to bore and hone each cylinder to spec. Then each new piston ring needs to be cut so gaps are to spec based on your planned power level. Don't spend $5000 on quality parts to wing it yourself with the installation. Many have gone down this path and end up parting their cars.

 

And if you keep driving your engine this way, it will likely get worse fast. The last thing you want is a seized engine.

 

I can find a good machine shop that will do it but I'll have to pull the block I suppose.

If Im going to hand the car to a performance shop, I'll be up for big bucks for a 2.3 rebuild and I always read stories of cars here blowing up after rebuilds from shops, at least I can take my time and blame myself if I get a bad outcome but I shouldn't if I do it right.

 

You can do the tear down and assembly but you will still need a machine shop for the machining and fitting. I think what happens to some builds is that they go to a race shop saying they want a thousand horsepower and then the engine doesn't last. Well, you can have a high horsepower engine or a reliable engine but not both. High horsepower engines are consumables like brakes or clutches.

 

Have the shop measure each of your cylinders to give you what diameter they can uniformly bore to. From there, you can order your pistons. My shop measured mine in many spots of each cylinder and told me 0.002" Over, or 85.5mm pistons.
3 were is great shape (around 85.1mm] but 1 had some wear at 85.3 (probably from previous owner flex honing a worn cylinder). Shop will bore to 85.5 to make sure it's as straight as possible but will measure every piston first to match bore. Take your time to build and it will pay off!

 

Actually, before all that, what is your ultimate goal for your built engine? We have a bunch of guys in this forum that has built many engines and can point you in the right direction.

 

Probably something like what you have on your signature but with a 2.2 stroker build while using a shop to do all the critical stuff and I do the hands and feet for the rest. I'm reading a "2.3 stroker advice" thread where they recommend the 2.2 eagle crank over the 2.3 for reliability so that with wiseco 1400 pistons and H beams for reliability too, as I want to occasionally track it but solid and reliable. I'll probably keep it around 400/380 on fitronic as its hard to get e85 in jerry cans where I come from,i also have a weaker 6 speed, not hungry for power but might as well add some good stuff if I am going to save on DIY labour. So i'll ring a few shops and possibly look at a hybrid build and work with them to save money

 

You can save a decent amount of money doing the R&I on the engine yourself and having a reputable shop build the long block.

 

Probably the best way to arrive at a good result.