mtnbikeman123

The last step I may or may not complete would be to run the VF38 turbo. I care less about ultimate power and more about driveabliity, so the quick spooling nature of the twin scroll ball bearing VF38 appeals to me. To complete this, I would need: USDM Intake manifold, JDM VF38 exhaust manifold, uppipe, turbo, and downpipe, JDM topmount I sourced a JDM downpipe from a 2014 JDM STI on ebay but it ended up being the wrong flange, I should have researched a bit more. But I believe this will bolt up to my exhaust, I will just need to convert the VF37 flange to a VF38. You can purchase a VF38 flange from numerous sources so once I have some time to swap the turbo and mock-up the downpipe for welding, I should be good to go. The VF38 also uses a different compressor housing outlet so I will need to source a JDM top mount intercooler since my motor package did not include one. I hope this information is helpful for some. Thanks to these threads for the help. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/ej20x-swapi-224284.html

I just flashed the car today with a modified map to mirror the 06-09 JDM calibrations. The intake AVCS, timing, and target boost have been updated in my USDM ecu to reflect the approximate JDM values, along with a couple other minor changes. The WGDC map will need to be tuned since the turbo needs more duty cycle to hit target boost. Tip-in enrichment may need to be modified but initially it looks okay according to logs. Secondary air system trouble codes were also deleted. I have what sounds like a vacuum leak so I will need to correct that before seriously tuning to hit target boost. My setup is now: USDM Intake manifold, exhaust manifold, uppipe, VF46 turbo, downpipe, tmic, and ECU w/ JDM approximate map My IAM also wont increase beyond 0.3, so I am getting knock from something, maybe the vacuum leak or the timing in the map wasn’t input correctly. Will need more time to look into this. I plan to run the JDM ECU but this poses a problem for me with a 2009. The ECU pinout is NOT the same as the 05-06, so I cannot just plug in the 05-06 JDM ECU. I sourced a 08 JDM 2.0 LGT ECU from yahoo auctions Japan and I am trying to get a hold of a JDM wiring diagram for the 08-09 cars but I haven’t had much luck. Based on some information I found on published service manuals, I tend to think that the JDM ECUs maintain the same pinout through 08-09. I will likely build an adapter harness, which should be pretty easy when using an AEM extension harness and just repin based on the pinout diagram I made.

So the EJ255 issues finally caught up to me at ~165k miles, coolant in my oil AND signs of ringland failure. EJ20X seemed like the easiest route to get the car back on the road, this is my daily driver so I needed something quickly. The swap was very straight forward. Swap intake and exhaust manifolds and turbo and a few odds and ends(crossover tubes, knock sensor, I think thats it), that’s it. My plan is to run with the OBXT VF46 turbo setup and USDM ECU until I have some more time. I did integrate the exhaust AVCS wiring, I pulled it from the JDM harness and installed it so I just need to run wires to the ECU and add a connector between the engine harness and ECU. EJ20X does not have ports for the secondary air system so this does not get transferred from the 255. I may install the pump for smog appearance purposes; I am not sure how closely they will inspect the car. My setup is now: USDM Intake manifold, exhaust manifold, uppipe, VF46 turbo, downpipe, tmic, and ECU The car has been running well on the USDM map, IAM of around 1 with several secondary air system trouble codes. I am not hitting target boost since I need more WGDC than the 2.5L did with the VF46. I do have what sounds and appears to be a vacuum leak so fuel trims are elevated in the low ranges but they are normal in the higher G range as observed in Learning View. I will be changing the timing belt and water pump, who knows when they were last done on this japanese motor. Here are some items that would have been good to know ahead of time. - Wagons are awesome - Try to get JDM top mount intercooler if you are planning to run the VF38 instead of the stock USDM turbo, the top mounts are different - The USDM exhaust manifold heat shield will need to be relieved to clear the exhaust AVCS unit – be careful to allow clearance to socket and nut to fasten the flange to the head, I had to grind a relief after using a hammer - Be careful with the nipple on the intake manifold behind the alternator, I broke it twice like an idiot when lifting the engine – I didn’t want to use the JDM manifold since there are some slight differences to my newer car - You need a special tool to remove the fuel lines, but you can get around that with some creativity - I opted to swap the crossover hard lines so I could use my hoses - Replace water fitting with plug from USDM motor - Replaced plugs with engine out, saved some hassle in the future - Integrating exhaust AVCS wiring while the motor is out of the car seems like a much better option if you have the time