Fox_IX

Glad you posted! Did you buy the car with low comp or did that come about after some time of ownership?
Also curious as to what in the rear diff signaled that it needed a rebuild. Mine is at 170k original miles but I haven't noticed any problems with it. I don't have the plates restacked either.

Hopefully this thread can serve to others as a "what to expect" guide now that many Evos on the market are reaching 120k+ miles.

japspec

i love threads like this they serve a purpose. Thank god my diff and transfer case were in good condition but I did have to get my transmission refreshed because of third gear.

Biggiesacks

170k on my 2003 8 which I bought as a wreck in 2005 with 20k miles on it. Just passed 100k on my evo X MR which I bought new in 2011. Aside from preventative maintenance the X MR hasn't needed any repairs, the 8 is a different story. It is still on the original shortblock, trans, transfer case, and rear diff though.

kaj

iTrader: (60)

Answers in bold

Fox_IX

That's really impressive man, what sort of stuff have you had to do to the 8 aside from repairing body damage from the wreck? Also you mention just original short block, is that just because you upgraded the head or did it have issues?
Also I think it's awesome you have an 8 and an X, that's my dream team right there. Evo 8/9 for performance and an X as a comfortable fun daily driver.

Fox_IX

Good to know! Thanks for posting, man!

Biggiesacks

Thanks, its a nice contrast. One has all the mechatronic drivetrain stuff and the other is pure mechanical. I had to rebuild the head because my timing belt tenssioner blew its guts out @ 121k and I threw the timing belt a few teeth. This bent my valves so, I pulled the head and sent it out for a rebuild. It was really bad luck because I was about to do the belt and all the other 120k service stuff. I had opted not to replace it at 60k and just reuse the old one, won't do that again. It might have been my fault also, when I did the 60k It's possible I didn't properly set tensioner during that job. I was still pretty new to wrenching on 4g63s at the time and I don't remember If i followed the factory procedure or not. Aside from the accident related stuff, mods and regular maintenance, I have had to repair/replace:

The starter twice (First replacement was non-oem and it died in a few months)
The Ignition Switch
The radiator
The heater core
The climate control airbox (I had the stuck blend door issue, while I was in there doing the heater core i just bought a whole used airbox from a 9 and installed that)
The blend door cable
2 wheel bearings (both rear, the first one might have been related to the accident).
The driveshaft lobro joint seal went bad, but I got a great deal on an entire driveshaft so I went with that. Technically they sell a seal repair kit I could have used.
The Radiator fan controller
The wastegate actuator (when the turbo was stock)
I have replaced the suspension twice, the first time around 80k miles and I bought a set of used MR bilstiens. One of those blew just a few months ago @ 168k miles. I'm in the process of installing coilovers right now.
Throttle body and injector seals a few times
Throttle cable
brake booster line
transfer case driveshaft seal
That's about all I can remember, I'll add more as it comes back to me.

Fox_IX

Sounds like a pretty typical life for an Evo haha. Sucks about the tensioner, I think I might actually do my timing sooner than later now to prevent something like that happening. Last timing service was at 120k, but I used a Gates blue belt.
I also had issues with non-OE starters, I think I went through like 3 warranty replacements before I finally got a good one. Can't remember if I ended up getting an OEM or not.
Thanks for posting the info, very useful and feeds my curiosity hah.

kaj

iTrader: (60)

When my alternator went out, I ponied up for OEM. My Honda days thought me a lesson when it came to buying Auto Part Store electrical equipment with life time warranties.

barneyb

2003 bought new - now with 130K

I've replaced parts on the car but the only parts that were actually broken or worn out, excluding consumables, were a door lock actuator and a front shock. I change oil every 3000 miles and the engine has no lifter noise.

Edit: I just thought of another thing that wore out - compressor clutch at 110K.

Fox_IX

I went for a Maniac Electric 200amp alternator since I was running audio. Still going strong like 60k miles later. Was only like $300 on Amazon, but unfortunately it looks like they went out of business.

I had O'reilleys alternators in my 2006 Forester and I've already been through 5 of them haha. At least the replacements are free! I picked up an OEM alternator from ebay for $50 and just gonna have our local gen shop rewind and rebuild it for me, hopefully that'll be a lot more reliable.

The only parts house brand I've actually had a good experience with is Duralast wheel bearings. Never used them on an Evo, but on Miatas they have more meat than any other mfg including Timken.

Fox_IX

Oh nice, that's awesome! I envy those that are the original owners of their Evos, must be nice knowing literally everything that's ever been done to the car.

I have pretty noisy lifters, I've been meaning to clean them and bleed them, but tbh my injectors are even louder so I just keep putting it off haha.

kaj

iTrader: (60)

I'd rather pay more for a part than get free replacements for one that needs to be swapped every six weeks. Just me, though.

Fox_IX

Completely agree with you, I'll happily pay $100-200 more for something that won't leave me stranded every few months! Usually the only time I buy partshouse is when I absolutely need something the same day and I regret doing it every time... In fact I'm pretty sure my Duralast CSC is part of the reason I had to back my pedal all the way out to the point where I can't even comfortably left foot brake anymore because I get caught up on the clutch pedal. Have an OEM one going in soon, guess we'll see.

kaj

iTrader: (60)

oooh, nooo. Good luck, man. that's a bummer.