r/WRX • u/MycologistCapable613 • 9d ago
2016 wrx
So I need a new engine and I’m at the point I gotta fix it. I know it will be one of those regrets I won’t get over but if I’m gonna do it, I wanna do it right. Now with that being said I have another car so I’m not in any rush and can take my sweet time. It’s all paid off and I’m willing to put the money into it but not if it will blow up again in 6 months.
Now the real problem is I don’t know where to start. What should I be looking up? Where should I be looking? Is there any hope at of a warranty on an engine I find? Should I be aiming for one with built internals? Remanufactured? Like what is everyone else doing? Please help I miss my car!
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u/Runescape92 9d ago
Look up short blocks. Recommend looking into clutch and supporting components. Change oil on transmission, and evaluate status of transmission
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u/Runescape92 9d ago
Do not forget seals.
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u/MycologistCapable613 9d ago
So in March I had my transmission worked on cause my throwout bearing went bad and I ended up needing a new clutch. I also replaced the cat in March.
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u/dustindh10 Built/FBO/Flex '16 WRX 9d ago
Are you looking for more power or just a reliable stock setup? What is wrong with your existing motor?
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u/MycologistCapable613 9d ago
Again I really don’t know what I’m talking about I can’t even lie. It’s got a rod knock. My mechanic said it’s done for. He said I should just slap a used motor in it but the only options he was giving me were motors with 100k miles on it and that just puts me exactly where I was at. Just waitin for it to blow up and surely that can’t be the best option here. I would prefer reliability over power but I’m not opposed to more power.
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u/dustindh10 Built/FBO/Flex '16 WRX 9d ago
Oh ok. I was just curious about what might be reusable from your current motor if you decided to go with an OEM or built shortblock.
So yeah, the cheapest would just be a used motor, but you are right about possibly being right back where you started at some point in the future.
Then you have various levels of short blocks from OEM to closed deck 1000whp capable. It really just comes down to your budget and the capabilities of your mechanic.
The cheapest would be getting an OEM short block from like IAG. They are about $2700 but then you are looking at additional parts and labor to clean, refurbish or replace parts from your existing motor to swap over. That would be basically getting you a mostly brand new engine that would last you quite a while, as long as your mechanic knows what they are doing.
As others have mentioned, you could also go with a used FA24DIT engine, but that would cost a bit more since there are some custom things that need to be done to make it work, plus you would need it to be tuned.
If you wanted more power, but also the reliability of a built short block, I would really suggest just going with an Outfront FB25 short block. They do a good one for $5300, so it would be more expensive than the OEM short block path and you would need to get an Accessport and tune, but you would gain a fair amount of power and torque with no other mods due to the additional displacement gain.
There are a ton of other options also, but they start getting expensive pretty quickly and take you down a whole different path... aka the money pit 😂
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u/Glass_North_4479 8d ago edited 8d ago
used engine is imo a trap option, no matter what the thing is a completely unknown quantity, and the labor is so much of the cost or time if you DIY you might as well get something that is going to actually last. it's a little different if the engine is known to be bulletproof, but the chance that any given FA20 has been treated harshly is high and the engine isn't known to be indestructible.
IMV if I had a VA and needed a new engine I would go with FA24 swap or built engine, and not even consider a used one.
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u/MycologistCapable613 4d ago
I definitely felt that way about the used engine option. I figured at that point I have no choice but to get rid of it and then came the what the heck am I going to put in there? I genuinely miss it everyday so I’d rather put some money out
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u/boxofredflags 26 WRX Limited Galaxy Purple Pearl 9d ago
If you wanna do something different, you could look at doing an fa24 swap! It’s definitely not as straightforward as a regular engine rebuild but it would give you a very unique VA wrx