Hey everyone, my car blew up like 6 weeks ago as the title say.
I bought evo 8 with 21k miles from a guy off craigslist, the car wasnt running right but the guy i bought it from said that undercover owes him a tune (already paid for), their dyno had something wrong with it for like 3 months and i had trouble with inspection cuz it runs on AEM V1.

So, after i got it inspected, 3 months later, i went back to them after they fixed the dyno to get the tune, and also install cams. They called an hour after tellin me that they cant install the cams without springs and retaines even when i told them we gonna keep it stock rev limit on my own responsibility. So i told them lets just get the tune without cams. Then a little bit after they called me again telling me that my car has a leak in the waterpump and it gonna cost me $1300 to do waterpump and timingbelt! I thought it was too much, so i went the day after to pick the car to find my bill is $321. I didnt really know for what, after a little argument i paid 250 and took the car.

After i fixed the water pump to get tune and swap to smaller injectors, after a little trouble with the injectors the car got tuned made 296/279. I was pretty happy with the numbers, but i looked at the boost gauge and the car is tuned to 28 psi!! Stock block,stock turbo and pump gas. Also, they know that this block doesnt have 21k like the car cuz it was a jdm engine swapped(unknown miles). I called them telling them about boost increase which i didnt ask for they told me that i can stop by monday to lower it. So friday i was coming back from work and just wanted to make pull and BOOM and fire from the hood and the exhaust. The next morning, checking the car to find a hole in the block. So i called them telling them what happened they tried to blame it on that the block is unknown miles, and when i told them maybe the too much boost, he said:"thats how make hp gains man the car was tuned right but the block didnt handle". And then they told me that they can swap engine in for me for $800 labor "only" and after what they did, i dont think i will let them work on my car again.
So, right now my is in the garage waiting for the rebuild hopefully soon. I just wanted to share what happened with me with everybody.

 

sorry for your loss for start,

why did you used smaller injectors?which did you used?
usually when increasing psi you do need bigger injectors...

also what is the point of keep going to a tuner when you do not trust him?

my opinion is that you should find a tuner who you can trust and
decide your spec with him...

hope that you soon have your evo back

Michael.

 

The car had 2150 in it on pump gas so i switched over to 1250. And i didnt ask for the boost raise, they raised it without even me knowing.

I went back to him because it was a free tune and the car is also pretty much stock on 23 psi, so i didnt ever think that would happen.

Thanks alot micheal, i am starting the build pretty soon will go to JR at prime motoring i think.
Thanks for the input

 

If it was on 93 octane, 28psi should have been fine as long as timing was good. Your power numbers don't reflect an unsafe tune. If it had too much timing at 28psi it would have probably about 10% more power.


I would have to side with the tuner on this and that it was likely the blocks fault, and not the tune. 280wtq is not going to take out a rod. At that power level, detonation would just melt the piston, and it would likely just quit before you windowed the block..

 

I'm very sorry for your loss! Not hating, or anything, but why would you do a "pull" when you know the engine had issues, and way too much boost? Wait for the engine to be sorted out/dialed in first.

 

Seems like you knew the car had issues, and were just hoping it was something as simple as needing a tune. But is that ever really the case?

 

My stock motor and turbo was tuned at 32 psi no problem and was making 500/380, something else happened most likely you was only making 296/279 that is nothing at all just a little above stock number so i would have to guess something was wrong with that motor and that is one reason why the guy sold car car he probably knew something was not right and handed it off to you.

 

Stock turbo and 500hp? Hmm...

OP a lot of this doesn't add up. 28psi and such low power, You "making a pull" when you think the car isn't right, your side of what all the tuner said/did, etc.
I don't think we're getting the whole story. Either way, something was wrong with the car that isn't the tuner's fault. I think this is an unfortunate instance of a seller cheating the buyer.

 

32psi, bro.

 

And NOS octane booster, I'm thinking.

 

I think he meant just stock motor because if you look at his sig he has 330hp posted with stock turbo and 504 with upgraded turbo

 

i hit 28ish psi peak on 93 (8 turbo). 15k miles now no problems. i think your timing was aggressive or it ran too lean.

 

Ah. Mobile app = no signatures. Plus some bad grammar LOL
Makes more sense, now.

 

Power would not have been that low if timing was too aggressive. Running lean likely would have melted a piston and broken ****, but it would not have so thoroughly ventilated the block.

 

Yeah it would be great to get reliable 500 whp power out of a stock turbo and best of all it would give you great spool up!