BE5A48T EJ20 to EJ20x

[Khalil_784]

Hello, my name is Lee. I’m seeking guidance as it relates to making modifications to my 1998 Subaru Legacy B4 (BE5A48T).  Here’s my dilemma, I bought it four years ago as my first car. The seller didn’t notify me of all the issues it had so out of those four years I was only able to drive it for four months. In the first two months the engine knocked, two months later the transmission died. I couldn’t get it repaired then due to parts being extremely difficult to source and very expensive to import in my country. In addition, the mechanic that was given the job was unreliable and dishonest. My goal is to replace the engine and transmission with an EJ20x & 6 speed manual transmission. This entire project will be DIY. I would like to ask for guidance as it relates to the parts, what to look out for and what not to do. I’m not a mechanic, however I am mechanically inclined. I won’t be trying out another mechanic as my luck so far has been met with unreliability and dishonesty.

[doublechaz]

That is very nice looking.  I'm sorry to hear of all the difficulties you've had with it.

I've so far not been a big engine swap person so I might be wrong, but it seems that if you are just getting started working on cars it may be a lot easier to replace engine and trans with the same it has currently.  Of course it's your car and your dream so if you are ready to jump in then by all means do so.

First would be to find a copy of the Factory Service Manual for your model and year.  From that you can start looking at the parts differences between the options you want to swap.

If you have junk yards in your country I would get in them and find wrecked cars with the options you want and pull the parts you need.  I can't tell for sure from your post, but it sounds like you are swapping an auto trans to a manual?  You can get the pedal box, trans wiring harness and the shifter stuff from a wreck and the FSM will help figure out other parts you need.

I hope you hang around and keep working with us on this project, but I have to admit that there are not a lot of people left in here and that sucks because FB is pretty close to useless for any substantive help.

[Khalil_784]

Unfortunately there are no Subarus in the junk yard in my country and little to no auto shops sells Subaru parts.  So sadly, all parts must be imported.

While researching I read and saw the EJ20X being viewed as being quite reliable. This is my reasoning behind changing the engine as opposed to purchasing an engine like what I have currently. You mentioned you’re not a big engine swap person, but I would like your honest opinion on the venture.  

My reasoning behind changing from automatic to manual is I find it to be more reliable in terms of longevity and being easier to repair compared to automatic….and it feels better while driving more control and all that good stuff, lol. What are your thoughts on this venture as well?

I will be looking for a copy of the FSM to ensure I get it done right. Sourcing parts on the other hand may be a bit challenging based on my location. Do you have a site(s) where I can source parts, like pedals shifters, wiring harness, etc.  

All help is welcome, I want to ensure that I do this right and not butcher the entire project, lol.

[doublechaz]

As to the engine swap I would have to know a lot more from the FSM for your car and a donor car and parts catalogs to understand how much difference there is between them.  If the engine sensors and the crank and cam sprockets are similar enough the ECU might just work.  If there are big differences in sensors then you would probably have to do an engine wiring harness and ECU swap as well.  That might then require a complicated wiring harness merge.  That is the part I don't know much about, is it a simple swap or a major rebuild.

 

I sure get you on the trans swap, mine is manual and I wouldn't have it any other way.  But without junk yards to scrounge parts from getting all the parts... I have no idea how you would get that done using only foreign vendors on a 20 year old car.

 

While you are looking for the FSM for the donor car and your car you should take a little time and search this forum for my friend's  "vacation pics".  Many people have found them helpful getting through their car projects.  He has posted pics that include many different models and years.

 

I hope we are able to get this figured out.  I relaly like the look of your car and would love to see it ripping around again.

[Khalil_784]

I would say it’s a swap. In a sense I’ll say what I have is the shell for the vehicle and I’m looking to fill that shell. My intention is to remove the existing components, engine, and auto transmission. Install a different engine (EJ20X) and 6-speed gear box. There are some additional parts that I’m guessing must be changed as well to match with what I’m planning. Axles, rotors, bearings etc.

For now I’ll look for the FSM while continuing my research on what will be needed.

So far, I’ve browsed different sites for parts. Here’s what I found:
EJ20X engine and 6 speed manual transmission combined (includes the rear diff)
Sensors
Manifolds (Intake and Exhaust)
Timing Belt Kit
Mounts
Wiring Harness- This I’m not 100% sure about. Is the harness specific to the engine or is it all EJ20s use the same harness regardless of version? 
Axles and wheel bearings- I’m not 100% sure about this either. Are axles and wheels bearings specific to a manual transmission or is it one size fits all?

I know that there's a bunch of stuff I'll still need in that list. Can you let me know what else will be needed and if I'm on the right path?

I'm still researching. I've learnt the hard way that seeking help and extensive research is a must when doing these projects. Especially for a beginner.


 

[doublechaz]

The engine and trans wiring is a tough one to answer.  At one point I doubted mine on my 95 ej22.  I got one from the junkyard for a 96 or 97 ej22.  The harness was a direct swap except that the connector for the water temp was totally different.  The sensor was the same enough for me to depin the connector on each and put my shell on the donor harness.  There were some bigger changes somewhere in the 98 or 99 range for the 2.2 and 2.5, but I'm not an expert on that.  I don't think we even got ej20x in USDM in second gen cars.  So that is where I get the idea that there may be big or little differences in the wiring and ECU between an ej206D and some other ej20x.  The other option, if it is legal where you are and in budget would be to go standalone ECU.  In that case the ECU maker may have a direct wire harness to match your donor motor, or they may be able to help with a harness merge.

 

You'll definitely want to bring the rear diff over with the trans to make sure the final drive in the front and rear diff match.  I don't know if your current axles will carry over, or if you will have to swap those.  If you do have to swap those you may end up having to swap the spindles to get the outer end of those axles to play nice.  I've also heard of taking apart axles and keeping the inner end from one set and the outer end from the other to get things to match up, but I don't expect that in a Subaru.  Subaru do have a lot of common parts between options and even between models.  It is a huge research project that I've never done before so I don't even have advice on how to do the research.  All the engine and trans swap I've done on mine has been like for like.