My Vortex Project

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:27 am

Hey everyone, sorry i haven't been on here in awhile, thanks everyone for the input and im trying to find a local wrecker that has parts but its kinda tricky so I gotta keep looking

just an update on the car, I didn't spend too much time on the car yesterday but I did come up with some problems with it and I have know idea how to fix it + I'm not sure if this is a common problem too.
When I started the car a little bit of white smoke came out of the exhaust, the car was almost overheating within 8min of idling and it was also idling at 2400RPM and maxed out revs at 4400RPM (something tells me this is not a good thing for the turbo as-well) but then I adjusted the throttle body back to 900RPM and then now that maxes out to 6500RPM but the car still over heats. Can someone help me out with this cos I do not want to blow the motor.

As for the ID tags go, i forgot to look but next time I'll have to go check again.

Thanks again.

Chris_Rogers · Post by **Chris_Rogers** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:43 am

if it has done that then there is a GOOD chance the heads are toast. most of the EA82 series engines had that issue. I would also look at the cooling system and pump. do you haev bubbles in the radiator with the cap off?

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:57 am

So the heads are most likely gone, are they easy to replace or the ea82? I didn't check if there where any bubbles in the radiator because I didn't want to touch the motor while it was hot, I'll have to go and check next week because the car is located at my uncles place.
With the head gasket would I be able to get them from repco or autobahn?

Thanks again

Chris_Rogers · Post by **Chris_Rogers** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 6:12 pm

possibly. never really tried. my wagon HAD that engine in it when I got it and it was toast. I dropped something more potent in there. see what damage is done before doing too much. they are ok engines but a WRX is a better option.

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:06 am

Hey everyone, just an update, I'm finally starting my project on the vortex and I've already have a few new problems, and I would like to know if anyone can help me out on this one

Problem 1: When I moved my car into my drive way the car was sitting level and the adjustable suspension is working fine and so was all the other electrics, then after about 5 hours the car is leaning to the left so the car is super low on one side and the other side is very high up. Could this be because of the springs or could this be something to do with the adjustable suspension?
(I will get a photo on Wednesday)

Problem 2: My car overheats within 5min of start up, I think its because I might have a problem with my radiator, it could be blocked or it could be that I need to replace the thermostat meter?

Problem 3: The tires have around 90-95% tread left on them, only thing wrong with them is that they are 6 years old, would I have to replace them because they are old or are they safe to drive with them on?

Any help would be great

Johnny T

ConeOfSilence · Post by **ConeOfSilence** » Fri May 07, 2010 7:50 pm

haven't seen a Vortex in a long time.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Mon May 10, 2010 9:44 pm

G'day Johnny T.

I know I'm in Vic, but I've got no idea where Ashwood is! If you're in the south eastern burbs there's a place that was called centre rd wreckers, they've since changed their name but they 99% of the time have a token vortex in the yard. It would be worth a trip there to see what they've got or keep an eye on the parts yard thread in the Victorian section as we update whats at the yards when we can.

As for the problems you've asked about. The overheating issue could be blown head gaskets as someone's already mentioned. It could be a combination of things since it has been sitting for the last 5 years. The radiator would need to be rodded (cooling channels cleaned out with a rod), the water pump probabily replaced - checked at the very least. I'd change the coolant, best to leave after you've checked everything out. To check for bubbles in the radiator, fill it up, leave the cap off and start the engine, let the engine run while watching for bubbles in the radiator - keep an eye on the temp from time to time as not to overheat the engine.

Overall it looks like a pretty neat unit for its age - the only missing piece I've seen so far is the dash surround...

What I think Chris Rogers meant about a WRX is that a WRX drive train would go much better in your vortex. Its not a great deal more work to make it fit as it's pretty straight forward once you've done some research - and it'll go 130% better!

Cheers

Bennie

d_generate · Post by **d_generate** » Mon May 10, 2010 10:34 pm

El_Freddo wrote:G'day Johnny T.

Overall it looks like a pretty neat unit for its age - the only missing piece I've seen so far is the dash surround...

Bennie

What's the black thing sitting on the passenger seat?

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Mon May 10, 2010 10:49 pm

d_generate wrote:What's the black thing sitting on the passenger seat?

Got me there - I couldn't load the whole pic, only the top half... But it works now that I've given it another go...

Either way I'd reckon its got potential.

Cheers

Bennie

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Tue May 11, 2010 11:19 am

Thanks for the reply guys

just an update on the car, i got my m8 too look at the car and he said its overheating cause it could be the thermostat, so we had a look and it was completely finished, I have purchased a new one with the gasket. The weird thing is I started the car again and let it sit there for about 10min and there was no smoke at all. I have also purchased a new oil,fuel and air filter for the car and they should be going in the car this weekend, the next thing I have done was cleaned out the engine bay with and air compressor to remove any dirt, then I degrease it waited about 2 hours then used a high pressure water gun to remove the rest. (There should be a pic below to show before and after) The car has been sitting for about a month so the engine should be dry now.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

For the dashboard I have glued most of it back together but I cant seem to take off the center console, is there an easy way on how to do this because I don't want to break it.

As mentioned before about the WRX drive train, what exactly is that and what does it do?

The next problems I found on this car are:
1: The window wiper motor doesn't work and I'm not sure how to remove it and where I can find another 1 cos I think there is 1 at the center road wreckers (Have to double check next time I go down there)
2: I cant take the rear seat off (Again not sure how to)
3: The battery I have for the car doesn't fit on the battery terminals correctly but I have been told I can get a thing that goes around the terminals to make it fit on the battery

Also is it worth getting a MBC (Manual Boost Controller) for this car?
Any advice would be great
Thanks again
Johnny T

spike · Post by **spike** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:07 pm

ok maybe i can answer a few questions
fist off
how mechanically minded are you jonny?? it "seems" to me that you do this as a hobby and dont know everything about subarus or cars in general sorry if you consider yourself an anorak
the wrx drivetrain is the gearbox and diffs and all other associated stuff out of the more modern subaru wrx it does very little but its newer, it also has some perks but yeah in my opinion not that nessasary.

in your first picture you can see the window winder im not sure if you know it, hence why i asked if your a mechanic or such, its the black and silver thing the the middle of the car and the base of the windscreen, normally it would have 3 bolts on the silver bit and the black is just sitting there, it is connected to the windscreen wiper mechanism by a splined joint possilby with a circlip.

rear seat could be tricky as i havent done it in a vortex, if your seats fold down try adn take them out peice by peice, the l series ones, the bottom part tilts forwards and you can unbolt it from there.

you mean to say the leads wont reach or that they dont fit the terminals??
get a battery that fits the clamp and the terminals are the right size usually a battery shop can help.

it depends what your going to do. id suggest keeping it at standard boost unless your going to race the thing or build a monster out of it
thankyou
spike

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:37 pm

Thanks spike, yer this car is just a hobby and I don't know too much about mechanics, but I would like to learn how to fix these things slowly. With the MBC i was just thinking of getting a little bit more boost out of the car but I guess I'll be wasting my money if I got one. As for the seats, they don't fold down so I'll just keep looking for the clips to take them off.

Thanks again
Johnny T

spike · Post by **spike** » Tue May 11, 2010 4:33 pm

i dont think their clipped in
i think their bolted, maybe from the boot??
i think atm it would be a waste, if you accidently wind the boost up too hard then you blow the engine then your out of pocket

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Tue May 11, 2010 11:47 pm

yep, while you remain a novice car enthusiast tinker with what you have without thinking about the power upgrade using EJ series engines from later Subies. You have an EA82T with a stuck thermostat. If temp gauge went to red - be thankful that you know temp gauge works above quarter. Mine did not and believe this is why the previous owner traded it in, to then go to wreckers and then my backyard for 18 months before I got to drive and play.

PLay with that first. The wipers may not work due to a blown fuse perhaps? Wiper switch dodgy or maybe they are just frozen/ rusted from no use long term. Maybe not try a boost controller to up boost pressure just yet.

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Wed May 12, 2010 11:24 am

I have thought about the EJ20tt engine if i can find a half cut with all the parts I need, with the wiper motor I've checked all the fuses and they seem to be fine so i'll check for rust and the switch

[Thanks for the advice steptoe].
One of my m8's told me I should get a inter-cooler for the car as-well but will it do my car any good / is it worth the hassle because I'm not sure if its worth getting cos the car is stock as a rock.

Chris_Rogers · Post by **Chris_Rogers** » Wed May 12, 2010 12:42 pm

you will be biting off a LOT more than you can chew if you do teh EJ20HD or EJ20R route. the plumbing on those is a nightmare and the wiring is not that much better.

spike · Post by **spike** » Wed May 12, 2010 1:09 pm

hmmm i like the idea of the intercooler a bit more custom piping but yeah it would be a good start i spose, i must say that although the first thing people do is build an engine that pulls 700hp at 10 000 rpm redline its a waste
start with a car that can handle the power, im sugesting upgraded brakes and suspension??

btw jonny what age bracket are you in??

if you want to learn to drive hard learn to drive slowley, learn car control and the like.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Wed May 12, 2010 1:51 pm

I'd say continue to learn with what you have and with that knowledge you can move on from there.

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Wed May 12, 2010 3:22 pm

Thanks for the help guys, i'll keep you updated on what im doing this weekend on the car (depending on weather) and when i get stuck again i'll let you guys know

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:18 am

Hey everyone, its been awhile since I've done some stuff to my pride and joy, I finally got my fuel pump (took 2 months to come in but it was worth the wait) and now i just have to find some time to put it in.
While i was waiting for the pump to come in I got a bit board and started to work on the interior, I'll show photo's when everything is complete (don't want to say too much because I'm keeping that a surprise)

I have a quick question (hopefully its easy) I would like to know if somebody can tell me how to take off the rear pascal shelf out of the car (where the rear speakers are), (not sure if i spelled that correctly so theres a picture below

)

As for the engine and important stuff, the car is still not running yet, but within the next month or two I'll be putting the pump in and doing all of mechanical work with a lot of help from everyone and I'll keep you guys posted with heaps of pics and stuff.

So if anyone can help me out with that question about removing the rear pascal shelf that would be great

Thanks everyone and I'll keep you posted