Okay so originally I did a ton of research for a single cam boost setup. I learned the limitations of the d16's.

Now my buddy is hooking me a good deal for a b16a2, so I figure I'll boost that instead.

My question is, rebuild wise, what should I do to make 300whp reliably driven daily?

Some people go 11psi and just leave it stock and have no issues, but I want a bit of insurance. Is head work enough? Do I need to upgrade rods/pistons?

Thanks for any help.

 

leave it stock and just add boost man with a good tuner this isnt an issue

now with that being said you cant just run around town at 14psi all day long every second your in the car lol

the driver is the best tuning feature to keeping it all togather

 

Bottom end will go before the top. Rods/Pistons if you want insurance, but a stock b16 will hold 300whp with a good tune no problem.

 

compression and leak down test will ensure you have a good base to start with

 

This is true, but can I do this without cranking the motor? I drove the SiR that it came out of, it ran excellent, but now its on a garage floor..

 

You have to crank the motor for a compression test, but you can do that with the engine out just make sure it is secured.

 

probly a good engine for boost, depends on how many miles it has/how hard its been driven. i always like to know where a used engine came from, just gives me peace of mind and i dont have to do a bunch of testing before swapping it in

 

It has a quite a bit of milage on it, but pulls hard..

Basically I'm going into this with the understanding that the motor has high milage and needs to be pulled apart to see how intact it is.

What should I be looking for? Ovaled cylinders and buildups of ****?

 

yeah 300whp on stock blocks is very doable. The key is making sure the tune is on par.

Since it has high milage, I'm assuming it's probably buring a little oil (regarless if you can see it or not). I would spend money to get it rehoned for new oem rings using stock piston, acl race bearings, get arp head bolt studs and while the head is off do the valve seals.

That's all i would do for pice of mind when working with a high milage B series motor in hopes of hitting 300whp and keeping things reliable.

Good luck

 

So you mean get the actual cylinders rehoned, and stock pistons with new oem piston rings?

 

Pretty simple, compression test and leak down test it if possible. If results are good, turbo it, if bad rebuild it.

If you are going to tear it apart and can afford it, put forged components in the bottom end while you are down there. Saves you time of having to rip it all apart again.

 

Youll have to do a leak down test.

 

The tranny's still connected I believe, can I do a leak down on a cold engine?

 

Yes you can, but usually better warm; imo (as an oem tech) leak-down tests are far more informative than compression tests. Just because it has high compression, doesnt necessarily mean everything is ok and in working order. For example, carbon or oil buildup in your cylinders raises compression and can give misleading readings. Leak-down test pressurizes the cylinder with regulated shop air and allows you to see exactly where compression is escaping. If your rings are bad, it leaks into the crankcase (heard easiest when you remove the oil cap). If you have bad valves or carbon building up behind them, they will leak into the intake or (most commonly) out the exhaust. As a general rule of thumb, you never want an engine to leak more than 10-15% pressure.

If you plan on turboing this engine and want to tear it apart, this is your best bet; put forged pistons and rods in the bottom end with a fresh hone and piston rings. I would also suggest get a set of gsr (or better yet itr/ctr) cams. Thats a pretty good start, and should allow 300+ hp safely. But most importantly of all, make sure the fuel management and tune are up to par.

 

If your only shooting for 300whp and no more. (and your 100% positive) then sure, just keep your stock pistons as long as there isn't any abnormal signs of wear, metal fatigue. Get a good fresh hone with new OEM rings and your good to go.


OEM rings shouldn't cost more than $70 for a whole set....

 

Recommendations for forged pistons and rods?

 

not needed for 300whp. cast is fine


if you just had to go forged a 4032 piston can be setup tighter than 2618. buy whatever you find the cheapest, mahle, cp, whatever. rods the entry level manleys are great rods for what? $300 or so

the one drawback to forged is piston to wall clearance. no one does a forged boosted car under .0030 even with 4032 and that's going to slap when it's cold. ring life is also reduced some and cylinder wear increased.

 

if the motor has poor compression or leakdown, or if you just want to rebuild it i see no reason to rebuild it with stock parts. waste of time. i dont know anyone who boosts a car that doesnt want to turn it up at some point or another...


a basic piston and rod build will do you well, eagle rods, forged pistons (ive run wiseco and cp for example), arp headstuds and new oem gaskets, bearings and such everywhere else (except clutch, go aftermarket). for the head, honestly best bang for the buck is some gsr cams

spend the money on tuning and management, you will not be dissapointed

 

100% stock b16a3.. 320whp.. daily driven & about 25-30 passes @ the track just this summer and still running strong.. just do arp headstuds and new oem headgasket

 

I'm thinking since it's high milage, I'm gonna do piston rings and some other minor ****, keep it stock because I'm gonna grab mounts and drop it in soon and run it N/A till spring.

I don't wanna **** with C/R if I'm gonna run N/A for a bit, plus I'm going to get a great tune. OEM piston rings vs. like Hastings piston rings for boost? What the difference?

I'll try and figure out how to do a compression test on the floor, and a leakdown on a cold engine.. Lmao, then I'll get back to you guys.

Gonna start a build thread with pics.

 

good luck bro!! btw mine is high miles too.. about 130-140k

 

Mine's around 150k, thanks, did you freshen yours up with piston rings or anything?

 

Thats Cool, Im going to turbo my stock b16a2 for sure after reading that. Thanks

 

All i did was arp headstuds and a new oem headgasket... turned up the boost to 12psi and been running it hard ever since

@markymark885 no problem bro! good luck!!

 

interesting. I'm surprised how far the stock b16 can go on boost. at 300hp on a stock motor i would think the limits would be pushed a little bit on reliability. the so called "bullet proof" d in a local eg owner's car lasted on a 300 hp turbo setup, stock block and head, for exactly 36 hours. after reading through here, would 10 lbs of boost on a stock b16a2 be somewhat conservative? and would there be any issues with fuel or could the stock fuel system handle it?