b.obsdian | b.orginal

I have had a few oil leaks on my EJ207 for some time now — the oil cooler, oil pan, and the cam position sensors. I have replaced the cam position sensor o-rings multiple times now from a generic o-ring kit, and they always flatten out and leak from the heat.

While I had the oil pan off, I figured I should go ahead and replace the pickup. I thought about replacing the pan as well, but that wasn’t in the budget. I went with the IAG pickup and tray. If I had time, I would have ordered a Killer B windage tray with the IAG pickup. While I don’t think there is anything wrong with the Killer B pickup, I prefer designs that are closer to the OEM.

Blingstrom has a good write-up on resealing your oil pan. My only change to his workflow is using a block of wood on the oil pan to lift the engine. I don’t know how he lifted his engine from the transmission. The six-speed is heavy, but it isn’t THAT heavy. I placed some wood under the engine mounts and set it back down. I also had to remove my header since it is twin-scroll and got in the way.

We can see the oil filter is covered in oil from the leaky o-ring.

With the oil pan off (I had to remove the pickup to clear the pan), I was a little surprised to see an OEM baffle in there. I forgot the STI engine got them. I was also surprised at how much oil staining on the block. This engine does have relatively high miles, though (approx. 150k).

After we remove the tray, we can peek at the rotating assembly. It is always wild to look at these cranks and the very thin counterweights. There is some oil staining, but nothing super crazy. While these engines are advertised as having only 60k miles on them from importers, I suspect they are closer to 100k.

Here is a quick comparison of the IAG and OEM Pickups. The IAG obviously has stronger bracing with an additional mounting point. My stock pickup wasn’t cracked, but it isn’t something I want to fail at 8,000 rpm.

I installed the IAG Pickup and Windage tray. I reused the OEM bolts, as I don’t like Allen head bolts. I also tested-fitted the oil pan to make sure it would clear the pickup. The last thing I want is to smear my perfect sealant job, trying to reinstall the oil pan.

At this point, I was running behind on the install, so I didn’t take any more photos of buttoning up the oil pan. I used Permatex Ultra Grey to seal up the pan and waited 12 hrs for it to cure.

Does anything feel different? Not really. The engine always feels a little bit happier after an oil change, and this felt similar. I don’t drive this car as much as I used to, so it would be hard for me to notice minor changes like this. This was more of a maintenance session than a modification.

I installed these mods last June, and unfortunately, I still have an oil leak or two from somewhere. I suspect it is coming from the cam position sensors again.

Cheers!