Scarab13 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 First time to these boards but a long time Subaru owner. I am sure that this question has been beaten to death but here i go. I purchased my daughter a 2000 Subaru Outback/Legacy EJ251 with the 2.5l engine with automatic transmission. The car is loaded and real clean. has 251,000 miles on her. The only real issue I have is the oil leaking. not a lot but enough to leave little spots on the driveway and the horrid burning oil smell after shut down from it dripping on the exhaust. Looks to be leaking from around the passenger side head gasket as well as the rear bell housing area. I believe that one is the plastic plate concealed inside. Love the car and I don't have the time for a rebuild. was thinking of a used engine swap but am noticing that the 2.5 is difficult to find. is there another engine option I can easily use? Even if its just a long block swap? Thanks in advance for your help. I keep finding conflicting info on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 are you sure it's not the valve cover leaking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 It could be a valve cover or a rear main seal throwing oil around too. I've heard/read of people installing the 2.2 motor with no trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 yeah but you loose HP on a already slow car. You will hate yourself. Valve covers are stupid easy to replace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 Rear mains rarely leak a lot. The car already has the metal plate, though it could still be a possible leak point. Clean accessible areas with brake clean and see if oil shows up. O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarab13 Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 Valve cover gaskets are good. Head gaskets have a slight leak. Not to concerned about power loss. My 16 year old is learning to drive with it and really loves this car. So I don't think she will notice the power difference. Just wanted something that was reliable and i don't want to worry about the oil on the exhaust catching fire. What type of 2.2 can I use? Will I need to swap out the cam gears and intake? not that i mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setnev Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 Valve cover gaskets are good. Head gaskets have a slight leak. Not to concerned about power loss. My 16 year old is learning to drive with it and really loves this car. So I don't think she will notice the power difference. Just wanted something that was reliable and i don't want to worry about the oil on the exhaust catching fire. What type of 2.2 can I use? Will I need to swap out the cam gears and intake? not that i mind. JDM EJ202 or EJ203 will work, but you're going from 165 HP to about 138 HP. They're stupid cheap and stupid easy to find through most importers and they're plug and play without changing the ECU or harness. You can gamble on a used EJ221/2/3 from a 99-01 Impreza or 99 Legacy. Again, those years are plug and play. Both options are reliable options. No swapping of gears or intakes necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarab13 Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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