Is my motor built?
 

I just bought a turbo BRZ. No papers but the price was too good to pass up. It has the SBD 500x kit and the install is super clean. I looked over every inch of this car and all the work (suspension, gauges, exhaust. etc.) is all done really well with nice brand name parts.

For my question....it has an ethanol gauge which leads me to believe it has an 85 tune (has an OFT) and it’s running about 12psi. I am pretty sure it’s been ran this way for the last 10k miles. (Car has 19k). It all seems unsafe for the stock motor but the car runs great and it’s FAST. I’m not too familiar with the FA20. Are there any key things to look for to figure if the motor has aftermarket internals? Will I see anything if I pop the valve covers?

Edit: It’s not running the 85 tune now but it is an option just to be more clear.
Any help is appreciated.

Hello DillonJay and welcome to our happy group - :clap:

Have you tried to contact the former owner for the answer to your question?

As far as I know, the only way you could tell whether or not the engine had been "built" would be to disassemble the engine.

If you got a really great deal on the car, I doubt it has a built engine.



humfrz

I bought the car from the second owner and he bought it this way. He didn’t know anything about it or much about cars in general. He said he didn’t change a thing on it since he bought it. I don’t think he really understood the money that someone put in the car so he had it priced low and he wanted it to go fast with winter around the corner. I asked about a previous owner but he didn’t know. He tossed all of the paperwork out that came with the car and couldn’t tell me much at all. He had papers for regular easy maintenance which helped me trust everything he said. Even paid a shop to change the battery...

But I guess the safest thing I can do is turn the boost down and treat it as if it is a stock motor. Perhaps try to continue to track down the first owner.

Not really a complete give-away, but see if the rear cam seal was replaced; it's a cheap to-do mod that most people won't pass up when they have the engine out. See if there's any ultra fresh looking RTV anywhere someone may have used.

I’ll check it out. Whoever did the work knew what they were doing so I have a hard time believing they’d run stupid boost on 85 and risk blowing it up. I mean the gauges are way better than they need to be. The coilovers aren’t a cheap setup and they are all in sleeves. Everywhere I look the more impressed I am with it.

Thanks for the help.

I highly doubt it will be a built motor. A lot of people slap turbos and superchargers on and hope nothing goes pop. I also wouldn't base gauges on whether the engine was built.

Certainly seems like they did some tasteful mods, but never ever assume they did the modifications with the interest of engine longevity in mind - It'd be far better to err on the side of caution and get it checked out. I'd have someone dissemble part of the engine and check the internals as has been suggested. Knowledge is power! Better to know what has/hasn't been done than to wonder. Definitely do not trust them to have done the build right though :)

Good plan!


humfrz

Pull fuel rail cover and check fuel injectors. If they have swapped those out, then it's more likely that you keep looking into the motor itself. If they have not been, then you most likely have a stock motor with a bolt on turbo kit.
Also, most built motors will be tuned via EcuTek.

I see you are in WI..... Whereabouts?

Do you hear piston slap during cold starts?

SBD? OFT? And you wonder if the motor is built?


Cheap is as cheap does. It's not built. And it probably wasn't the deal you imagine it to be...

Who knows, throw up some pics on here, someone might know the car and Google search the plates

What suspension does it have? Odds of your motor being built are 99:1.

https://i.imgur.com/QONVIyz.gif