vermont22gt Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 What makes a 97-99 2.2 an interferance engine. Is it the shape of the piston, or the shape of the combustion chamber & valves. Is there a way to identify this engine just by looking at it, or will a serial # identify it. I figure I could pull the heads to find out, but i'd rather not.I have'nt had a catastrophe, I'm just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 an interference engine by definition, Suby or not is if the timing chain (or belt) breaks, the open valves will be hit by the pistons as the engine continues to turn. A matter of head location for the valves, opening length, shape of piston dome and stroke. O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonklein611 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 *thanks god that he had a 96 legacy when his timing belt broke* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reuben Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 2.2 interference engine!? Really? I thought all the SOHC's were non interference, did they change the SOHC heads did they, or did they shift to DOHC? ...Yeah i don't know a whole lot on the subject Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 2.2 interference engine!? Really? I thought all the SOHC's were non interference, did they change the SOHC heads did they, or did they shift to DOHC? ...Yeah i don't know a whole lot on the subject With as many engine swaps as you've done, who better to know. I responded too quickly and not thoroughly enough. The 2.2 piston dome is specifically designed to not hit the valves when the timing belt breaks and as such is NOT an interference engine. BTW Reuben, how's your car running with the transplant? O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonklein611 Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Thats what I thought, I know the 96 GT engine is an interference engine, which is why my family didn't get it.... grrrrrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reuben Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Well, i've only been cruising the fourms for about 2 years - but i've NEVER heard of a timing belt snapping. Sure it happens, but you have to be pretty damn un-lucky to have it happen to you! Back to the interference subject... As i said i hardly know anything on the subject - But do the heads play a part in it, or was it just the pistons? And Osei, the engine is running fantastically, thanks for asking - I still haven't had a single CEL! (Yay for OBD-I). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonklein611 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Well, i've only been cruising the fourms for about 2 years - but i've NEVER heard of a timing belt snapping. Sure it happens, but you have to be pretty damn un-lucky to have it happen to you! Back to the interference subject... As i said i hardly know anything on the subject - But do the heads play a part in it, or was it just the pistons? And Osei, the engine is running fantastically, thanks for asking - I still haven't had a single CEL! (Yay for OBD-I). Well when you don't change the hydraulic tensioner when you change your timing belt, the bolt holding the tensioner in place might eventually snap. Leaving you stranded at college, forcing you to do a starter change in the middle of the parking lot. Then eventually have AAA tow it to a shop to find out why it won't start.... When we looked @ the belt it was about ohh .25" wide when it broke. Interference engines happen when the valve and the piston go into the same point in space (at different times of course) but if you lose a timing belt / chain, then there is a chance the valve will get smacked by the piston. And that's never good..... So it's a combination of the head and piston @ TDC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reuben Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 This is why we do things right, first time! I hate finding nasty surprises like that on a used car. When i was rebuilding my engine, it had done 115,000k's, cambelts get done at 100,000K. We did not know for sure if it had been done - there was no service history with the car. So i biffed it and did everything, water pump, idlers, tensioner, serviced the oil pump etc. Small price to pay for peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonklein611 Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 well we did the water pump n stuff, but forgot the tensioner.... :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reuben Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 That sucks I bet you were really glad you had a non-interference eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonklein611 Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Reuben, you have no idea. Keep in mind my dad did the timing belt, i made mention about the tensioner, and he goes "i guess we should have changed that..." Thanks a lot dad. Anywho, easy enough fix for the shop, but I had a bit of fun finding a flatbed to tow my car, thank god for AAA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 was doing other research and ran into this. page 12 of endwrench 2.2 overhaul (wasn't able to separate pages to attach) states, that the 97-99 2.2 pistons were redesigned, to increase compression ratio to 9.7:1, by eliminating the clearance that was previously available between the piston at TDC and a fully opened valve. So, in effect the 97-99 is an interference engine. So, hitting the valves is probable if the belt breaks while the car is running. It really depends on what part of the valve opening or closing the engine is at when it happens. I've only had 2 experiences with snapped belts, both on the same car. 85' Geo Spectrum. One time, just a replacement belt, the other a $600 bill in Triangle,Va, with bent valves. O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Hi I recently purchased a 99 legacy GT and wondered if I had an Interference engine? The engine type taken from the VIN plate is EJ251AXAWL The car was built in Oct of 99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Are you guys sure? I think the phase II EJ22 is an interference engine. They reshaped the piston crown for the Phase II engine which bumped compression up a tad making the engine an interference engine. The 99 GT is the 2.5 DOHC engine, thus making it an interference engine through and through..... Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 The 99 GT is the 2.5 DOHC engine, thus making it an interference engine through and through..... Sorry. Thanks for the reply So how difficult is it to change the belt (or are there two)? I assume they would be pretty tired at 10 years old? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slickfast Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 GAHD DAMNIT. I totally thought my car was a non-interference engine, and hence was just going to drive it through the winter. ;lakjdshgakjh this is so frustrating! Anyway, anyone have a list handy of the belt, tensioner, and any other parts i should be getting for this job? Also, is this possible to do with just normal tools, jackstands, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 The belt isn't that hard. There is only one belt on the GT model. The only special tool you would need are a crank wrench to remove the bolt on the crank pulley, and a cam wrench if you want to remove the cam pulley's to check the cam oil seals. If you think the oil seals are alright then you don't need the cam wrench. If you don't have a crank wrench to remove the crank pulley Advance Autoparts can rent you one. You just put down a deposit, they give you the wrench, and you get the deposit back in full when you return their tool. If the crank pulley gives you trouble it's best to remove the radiator and use an impact wrench on the bolt. Here is a how to for the EJ22. This is a single cam motor and it is a tiny bit different, but the essential information for doing any Subaru timing belt is there, so it's worth a quick read through... http://www.endwrench.com/pdf/engine/FtCamBeltReplaceW01.pdf As far as parts, you can buy kits on Ebay and some other perhaps more reputable sites that sell the entire kit, including the belt, tensioners, idler pulleys with new bearings, even a new water pump. The bare minimum you'd want to replace is the water pump, but considering how cheap the entire kit is, it's worth it just for the piece of mind alone to replace the whole kit-n-kaboodle. It's a good idea to jack the car off the ground and set it on jackstands, or you could remove the grill and the radiator and leave the car on the ground. Depends on how much time you want to spend laying on your back having rust particles fall in your eyes... I hate that more than anything in this world..... The kits are generally under $150 for the entire set of parts, oftentimes even less than that. All you really need to get under the car for anyway is for the timing cover bolts I believe, but I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slickfast Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 The belt isn't that hard. There is only one belt on the GT model. The only special tool you would need are a crank wrench to remove the bolt on the crank pulley, and a cam wrench if you want to remove the cam pulley's to check the cam oil seals. If you think the oil seals are alright then you don't need the cam wrench. If you don't have a crank wrench to remove the crank pulley Advance Autoparts can rent you one. You just put down a deposit, they give you the wrench, and you get the deposit back in full when you return their tool. If the crank pulley gives you trouble it's best to remove the radiator and use an impact wrench on the bolt. Here is a how to for the EJ22. This is a single cam motor and it is a tiny bit different, but the essential information for doing any Subaru timing belt is there, so it's worth a quick read through... http://www.endwrench.com/pdf/engine/FtCamBeltReplaceW01.pdf As far as parts, you can buy kits on Ebay and some other perhaps more reputable sites that sell the entire kit, including the belt, tensioners, idler pulleys with new bearings, even a new water pump. The bare minimum you'd want to replace is the water pump, but considering how cheap the entire kit is, it's worth it just for the piece of mind alone to replace the whole kit-n-kaboodle. It's a good idea to jack the car off the ground and set it on jackstands, or you could remove the grill and the radiator and leave the car on the ground. Depends on how much time you want to spend laying on your back having rust particles fall in your eyes... I hate that more than anything in this world..... The kits are generally under $150 for the entire set of parts, oftentimes even less than that. All you really need to get under the car for anyway is for the timing cover bolts I believe, but I could be wrong. Awesome, thanks for the info. I got the impression from your post that you thought i had a GT; I don't, i've just got a 97 2.2L which I was totally under the impression was non-interference, but I didn't know they changed the cylinder geometry in 97. Oh well. At least I'll be able to get in there and see whats what... I've never done a timing belt change. EDIT: upon reading through that DIY, I'm so confused. Not about how to do the job; it looks pretty intuitive. But is the 97-99 2.2L engine interference or not?! This manual just said all 2.2L's are non-interference, but then there's this thread about them bumping up compression on the 2.2 to squeeze some more power/efficiency out of the engine (by removing the clearance between the pistons TDC and the valves' fully open position). What gives?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tailgatewagon Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 in short yes your 97 22 is an interferance engine. a short history sorry if this is a repeat.. 90-94 2.2L Non interferance. 95-96 2.2 non interferance. 97 98 Interferance, (these pistons had very short skirts hence there tendancy to have piston slap.... good engines my last one went 278k befor brakeing and the last 15k were at redline.... 99 2.2L looked just like sohc 2.5 but was a 2.2 very rare and Interferance as well. just as a side note. 96 2.5 was NON interferance...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I think you are mistaken. The SOHC EJ25 engines were non-interferance until 1996. The 1996 GT model had the DOHC version, which was an interferance engine. All Subaru DOHC engines are interference engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I think you are mistaken. The SOHC EJ25 engines were non-interferance until 1996. The 1996 GT model had the DOHC version, which was an interferance engine. All Subaru DOHC engines are interference engines, regardless of year. I know some people think Wikipedia is full of lies and deception, but I think it is a great tool. The SOHC EJ Subaru boxer engines were non-interference engines through 1996, run by a single timing belt driving both cams (both sides of the engine) and the water pump. Because they are non-interference engines, if the timing belt fails, the engine of the models up to 1996 will not be destroyed. The oil pump is driven directly from the crank shaft and the waterpump by the timing belt. All DOHC and 1997-up SOHC EJ engines are interference engines, if the timing belt fails the engine will likely be destroyed or the valves & piston will be heavily damaged. This article also lets us know that the 1997-up EJ22 is an interferance engine. Whether or not you choose to believe Wikipedia or not is a matter of personal preferance. I know there are some people out there who don't trust it which is fine, but I do... For most things anyway. Additionally, in the Second Generation Subaru Legacy article Wikipedia notes that one of the engines offered in the second generation Legacy is the 165 HP 2.5L DOHC EJ25 engine. They do not say what trim level this engine is in, but it is common Subaru knowledge that this is the North American GT models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tailgatewagon Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 there were no sohc ej25s in 95 or 96. they also had a differnt head on them and were non interferance. didnt have the quite as bad head gasket problems(although they still sucked for this) and were roller rockers. not bucket shim style...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DN1911 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 i would have to agree that some of the later 2.2 are interference engines. i'm just thankful my 95 is not when we screwed up the timing belt during a 3am install one time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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