1997 Legacy GT Ej25d to Ej22T swap Q's

[Kdubsteezey]

Hey guys-

 

I haven't really posted much on here but I had a few questions regarding this swap. First I have a 97 LGT 5MT and I want to swap a 93 Legacy SS Ej22T motor into it. I have the motor with the stockVF11 turbo (also have WRX TD04 turbo and 02 TMIC, but just want to get motor in and running befor doing upgrades), UEL headers/ catless up pipe, catless downpipe, and a 93 Legacy SS wiring harness for an auto.

 

First, Can I splice the two harnesses together to get the right harness to work with my 5mt and the 22t despite the harness being for a auto harness? and would anyone have diagrams on how to do it? or if i would just be better off having a shop splice one up for me?

 

Second, also regards wiring, this motor is OBD1 and my car is OBD2. I'm not worried about passing emissions test, or check engine lights as long as it runs good and I can get it tuned, besides that, will I have any other issues?

 

Third, I've also heard of stand alone ECUs being an option to assist in getting this motor swap running right. Anyone have any info on this and how I would utilize a stand alone?

 

Any and all feedback is appreciated!!! I'm fairly new and naive so just trying to learn and have something fun and unique!! Also this car IS the car I've always wanted to build. Please dont try to tell me to do a WRX swap lol.

 

Thanks again guys! Kole-

[93ej22]

there are a couple guys that will do the wiring ask over at iwire or numbchux conversions

im sure you will hear wrx swaps dozen times in this thread

standalone is doable but more expensive, but would be ideal for lego-ing together a turbo motor with misc parts, and you can tune better

[fahr_side]

Would you consider putting your 25D heads on the shortblock? The EJ22T heads are truly awful!

[96legacyls]

im doin 22t into my 96 legacy ls currently. my stock 2.2 na ecu will run 22t up to 10-12 psi until it cant handle it im told.

 

as for obd1 vs obd2 because im using my stock ecu i just have to switch the sensors from my obd-2 2.2na over to the 22t, therefor the 22t is now obd2 and running my stock ecu which means no problems w inspection. you having 2.5 i dont know if thats all u gotta do as well or if a na 2.2 ecu is plug n play.

 

scrap the 02 tmic its more of a pain then its worth get a 06 wrx/forester tmic(long narrow one), fits w/o moving stuff and bashing your firewall n what not. pretty sure either way u gotta make a y pipe. if you go tdo4 gotta re route your oil and water lines for turbo.

 

doing a stand alone is pointless unless your gonna do a hybrid build. if your staying w stock 22t w vf11/ tdo4 and tmic run a stock 2.2na ecu or yours if it will work.

 

check out blankdeluxe on here, youtube, and instagram and his 22t build. very very useful

 

depending on your wiring/ecu its a real easy swap.

[Kdubsteezey]

Thanks guys, definitely helped! From what I've gathered my stock ECU should work just fine. So I wont be doing the stand alone for now, maybe once i get into higher boost pressures, bigger turbo, and if I actually build the motor.

 

Ive considered doing the head swap but my concern is that i would have to put money down on a stand alone if i swap my heads, and the EJ25d heads flow better, but the DOHC design in those motors is fairly brittle, the cams spin on bushings instead of a bearing which isnt as strong under boost from what I've read.

 

I talked to the guys at iWire and they say that they could totally do a harness for me, which is probably what ill do, itll be more tidy and I know it will work. but its damn expensive for my conversion!!! $900....

 

I think I'm just gonna pony up and to a FMIC unless i can find an 06 WRX/Forester XT TMIC easily.

 

Hopefully this thing will come together soon!!

[96legacyls]

personally i would put 20g heads on 22t block. and people will argue w me on this but its my opinion. all i'll say is 22b. its based of the 22t and its pretty much just a 2.0 stroked to a 2.2, 20g heads made for boost as well. i have learned that if its na engine stock keep it na cuz its just gonna be problems or constantly emptying your pockets.

 

ill wire your car for less then $900 lol when u go stand alone it will control engine and gauges basically. and your stock ecu is pretty much there to pass inspection and control the bs that your fuel management system isnt. its not as hard as you would think just time consuming. keep a service manual handy for wiring schematics and a roll of painters tape and few different colored markers n mark every wire

[fahr_side]

personally i would put 20g heads on 22t block. and people will argue w me on this but its my opinion. all i'll say is 22b. its based of the 22t and its pretty much just a 2.0 stroked to a 2.2, 20g heads made for boost as well. i have learned that if its na engine stock keep it na cuz its just gonna be problems or constantly emptying your pockets.

 

 

That is incorrect. All factory 2.2 engines, including the fabled 22B, use the same 75mm stroke as the 2.0 engines. Bore size is larger.

The EJ25D heads work very well on the 2.2 bore, have a very good squish area, valves are not shrouded and so on. I suggest you do more research.

[monkeyposeur]

20g heads are a great option but require more than just the heads to work properly. For more info check out this thread: http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=38247&sid=5839dbcb94dd0986e2467b8d30b3a9e0

 

If I didn't have to worry about safety and emissions I would swap in the 22t longblock and run it with the stock ecu and basically do what blankdeluxe did. But I want my swap to be legal and worry free with the ability to tune so I am opting for a wrx wiring harness merge using the wrx ecu for em. Ultimately I'll be able to get a lot more power out of the swap but it isn't exactly cheap. In a nutshell my build is 205 heads, intake mani, 205 sensors, crossover pipe, coolant lines, 22t with STi rods and Wiseco .020 ots pistons, stock 22t crank, Etc. Still deciding on the turbo, probably a vf39 or dom 1.5.

 

You can squeeze quite a bit of power out of the 22t heads if you go standalone even though they aren't the greatest heads available. But they are non interference which is nice. But at that point I would just use 25d heads as they are cheap, plentiful, and flow great. You could easily get up to 300 hp with the stock crank and supporting mods.

 

All that aside, the 22t in stock form is a lot of fun and pretty reliable running 8-10 psi. I would replace the head gaskets at the very least. My Hgs blew on my 22t at 167k and I only had the car for a day or two.

 

An xt tmic is easy to source and is way easier to install than a fmic but if you feel like tackling that then go for it! I picked up one locally for $60.

 

If you are balking at the cost of a wiring harness merge I have to respectfully remind you that you have to pay to play. Most budget builds planned on the cheap end up costing a lot more than anticipated. I'm into my swap a few years and a ton of money and all I have to show for it is a shed full of parts, lol. Fortunately I'm patient.

 

Don't forget to incorporate extra money for suspension upgrades, better brakes, and possibly a better transmission. I have jdm 4 pots, an ss transmission with vlsd, sitting pretty in my shed as well ha ha. Good thing I am patient. Also I have a wife that thinks we should have stuff like a functional kitchen and a remodeled bathroom instead of a fast wagon so that slows things down a bit, lol.

 

Be patient and do a ton of research and you'll be a lot happier in the long run. My 02 cents.

[96legacyls]

That is incorrect. All factory 2.2 engines, including the fabled 22B, use the same 75mm stroke as the 2.0 engines. Bore size is larger.

The EJ25D heads work very well on the 2.2 bore, have a very good squish area, valves are not shrouded and so on. I suggest you do more research.

 

 

Well according to Subaru the 22b block is a v3 ej20g w increased displacement from 1.994 to 2.212. So I'm not sure what I'm wrong about. And yes stock the 20g heads are stronger then the 25d and I never said the 25d heads wouldn't work well. Not to be a dick but maybe u should do more research as well.

[fahr_side]

Well according to Subaru the 22b block is a v3 ej20g w increased displacement from 1.994 to 2.212. So I'm not sure what I'm wrong about. And yes stock the 20g heads are stronger then the 25d and I never said the 25d heads wouldn't work well. Not to be a dick but maybe u should do more research as well.

 

 

They did use an EJ20 block but it is bored to 96.2mm, not stroked.

 

25D heads are based on EJ20G or K castings (I forget which) and are just as 'strong'. What you've read about n/a motors not being up to turbo use really just applies to the pistons, being both weaker, cast items and the stock compression ratios being unsuitably high. Add to that the issues with engine management on n/a cars not being able to deal with much positive manifold pressure or adjust fueling or timing properly for boost and you see a lot of failures on DIY turbo setups.

The n/a blocks and heads themselves are perfectly capable of standing up to quite high boost. EJ18 and EJ20 n/a cranks and rods are actually the exact same parts as on the older turbo EJ20s. Plenty of EJ25D motors have been boosted reliably with appropriate pistons and engine management. At least one that I know of stood up to 400whp long-term.