EJ20K Failure Thread

[jdmvip]

Hey guys I'd like to get some info about the failures and hopefully figure out what is killing these EJ20Ks.

There's really no proof of what the issue is, all we know is that more EJ20Ks are dying than EJ20Gs.

My theories include these possibilities:

• Design flaw such as a weak oil pump, or weak bearings and rods.
• Too aggressively tuned for non-JDM fuel and detonation from the octane being too low.

Here's the template (if I missed anything important someone let me know):


Model Year:
Model (eg. WRX or STi etc..):
Version (3/4):
Mileage When Purchased:
Mileage at failure:
How long did you have the car?:

Your Driving Style:
Have you bounced off the rev limiter (Y/N)?:
What kind of oil (brand and weight):
What type of fuel (brand and octane):
Where do you live?:
Did you have any signs of detonation or other issues?:
What were you doing when the car failed?:
Did you verify the timing belt condition and oil level after the failure?:

[Adverse]

MY97
WRX
3
12xxxxkm
14xxxxkm
Year and a half
Semi aggressive
Sometimes I did a couple times after the most recent oil change which I think is the reason that I spun a bearing
Royal Purple 10w30
Husky 94
Saskatchewan
Oil pressure dropped and a day later I heard knocking
Driving home from the store. Under 3k rpm shifts.
No on timing belt but oil lvl was full

[jdmvip]

Thanks for posting/sorry to hear about the failure . Have you tried other fuels and did you notice any difference?

[Vr4much?]

You should use thicker oil in cars that like to spin bearings like 5-40

[jdmvip]

That's an interesting thought and I would also add to use only high quality synthetic oils and filters. I wonder if doing that would reduce the rate of failures. I think 10W30 is the minimum for most performance turbos in anything but a cold winter.

[jdmvip]

Someone else with a dead EJ20K PM'd me some questions about oil and filters, hopefully they'll post here.
They were running Mobil 1 just before the failure......the EJ20K may have a weak point but for those who know Mobil 1 is the worst you could put in most cars especially Subaru's (proven by so many UOAs everywhere).

[Anthony Therrien Bernard]

Model (eg. WRX or STi etc..): STI Type R
Version (3/4): 5
Mileage When Purchased: 82 000km
Mileage at failure: 92 000km
How long did you have the car?: 6 months or so

Your Driving Style: semi-aggressive
Have you bounced off the rev limiter (Y/N)?: Never
What kind of oil (brand and weight): Mobil 1 syntec (5w30 I believe)
What type of fuel (brand and octane): Husky 94
Where do you live?: Calgary
Did you have any signs of detonation or other issues?: Rod knock started 1-2 days before, the engine blew up on the highway at cruising speed
What were you doing when the car failed?: Driving on the highway, died in the middle of nowhere on my way back from castle mountain
Did you verify the timing belt condition and oil level after the failure?: After the car was towed back it seems like oil doesn't show on the dip stick. When the noise started I checked oil and levels were good, same that morning