Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Ultimate Subaru Message Board

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

MPFI Pistons.

Featured Replies

I read in a thread that MPFI pistons can help to add a little hp in a carbed engine.

 

Can anyone tell me why please? Does anyone have any pics to show any visual differences?

 

Cheers

 

Dirk.

  • Author

Ok. But why?

 

Are you sure they raise compression? I can't figure it out.

  • Author

Iv'e flicking around on the net and it looks as though MPFI pistons have indents in them. Is this a turbulence thing?

 

As far as I can tell an indent in the piston is going to lower compression ratio. Is that why you would have to skim the heads?

Carbed engine is 9.0:1

 

SPFI/MPFI are 9.5:1

 

The difference is the pistons. They are taller above the wrist pin's.

 

Not worth the difference in HP for an N/A engine though. Too much work for too little gain without further mods.

 

GD

Iv'e flicking around on the net and it looks as though MPFI pistons have indents in them. Is this a turbulence thing?

 

As far as I can tell an indent in the piston is going to lower compression ratio. Is that why you would have to skim the heads?

 

Turbo pistons (which are also MPFI engines) have indents - they are 7.7:1 ratio pistons. N/A pistons have valve cut-out's but are not "dished" like the turbo pistons.

 

GD

  • Author
Carbed engine is 9.0:1

 

SPFI/MPFI are 9.5:1

 

The difference is the pistons. They are taller above the wrist pin's.

 

GD

 

Rick, I still don't get it. My pistons come up flush with the engine block. If they were taller, they would hit the head.

  • Author

I think I'm starting to get it now. the difference between 9:1 and 9.5:1 is about half a milimeter on the piston length?

 

Yes?

Yes - it's very small. I don't know the exact dimentional difference with EA82 carb vs. EA82 SPFI, but I know that EA71 pistons are about .008 - .010" taller than EA81 pistons and give a ratio increase from 8.7:1 to around 9.3:1 when combined with .020" off the heads. That was off some calculations I ran years ago when I built up an EA81.

 

GD

  • Author

Sweet

 

Thanks man.

 

One more thing. Is it possible to calculate a compression ratio on an old engine that has had heads skimmed? I do not know how much was removed

 

Oh yeah, The blocks were skimmed too.

Edited by Dirk

I think you answered your own question, you would first have to determine how much was removed from both by comparing dimensions with unmodified parts. Then it's simply a matter of mathematics to calculate the reduction in volume of the cylinder and the corresponding increase in compression resulting from it.

 

But can anyone here divine through the internet the inner workings of your particular engine... not so much. And actually that would scare the hell out of me if they could. :eek:

Edited by Txakura

  • Author
But can anyone here divine through the internet the inner workings of your particular engine... not so much. And actually that would scare the hell out of me if they could. :eek:

 

Ha ha. Let me put it this way: I am this 6th owner of this car and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only weekend mechanic to have had a go. The tell tale signs are all over.

 

Which reminds me. I met a man at the fuel station before christmas who told me he used to own the car and he re-built the engine! That makes two of us!

that's kind of cool to hear some of the history, some pics in another thread would be nice to see

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

Sign In Now

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.