Stang70Fastback Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 So, considering how loud that stupid cylinder-head slap has gotten in recent weeks, and also considering the hint of white smoke that comes out the exhaust when I floor it, I can't help but think that maybe 250k miles is as far as I'm going to take this engine. I know NOTHING about this sort of thing, but I was just curious, and I would likely not be doing this myself, but what options are there in terms of easy engine swaps to something a bit more potent. I'm NOT talking about an LS6 swap, but maybe a WRX motor or something? Ideally something that would just bolt right in with minimal work? Or is nothing other than a rebuilt, stock 2.5L going to be easy? Just curious if I had any other options or not. I thought it might be interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 well, what are you looking for? you can pretty much sway anything subaru in ther with relative ease. you want cheap or you want fun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stang70Fastback Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 I don't really know. I've always thought it would be interesting to turn an Outback wagon into a sleeper. That's as far as I've gotten. I don't even know what to expect. All I know is that when we had the head gaskets replaced on the car, it cost us $2500. And I know that meant disassembling and reassembling a large portion of the engine. That's quite literally all I know. I don't want to spend a fortune (I am in college, and don't really have that much to spend) but I know it's not something I can do without looking at a couple k, especially since I woudn't be able to do it without help. Beyond that I have no idea. I'd also hope to swap the transmission with a manual, and the one criteria would be not loosing any functions on the car that it has now... and I can't see much being affected by an engine swap other than maybe ABS and... cruise control? Just curious what options are available, how difficult they'd be to install, and a ballpark of what it would cost, at least for the parts. Anything with 200+ HP would be fair game. Even that would be a significant bump in power. Or is this all far over-reaching what would be possible without a LOT of work and a LOT of money? I'm kind of hoping for the kind of a swap that's easy enough that I could ask my neighbor mechanic to do it for me while I watch and learn and help sort-of-thing. I kinda figure if the engine has to be rebuilt/replaced, I might as well scout for other possible options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmb2485 Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Is this your only mode of transportation? If not, I say run it until it self destructs, just for the fun of it and to see how far the motor will actually go. If so, do it anyway and then just be 'that guy' on campus who rollerblades to class. As for the motor swap, the new motor generally needs to be newer than the car in order to be legal (meaning if your car is a 98, you need a motor from a 98 or newer car) and the electronics are usually the biggest headache in a swap. So, find a 98 or newer WRX that some idiot kid's parents bought him and he wrapped around a telephone pole for cheap in a junk yard. Swap the motor, trans, ECU and wiring into your car and be prepared to deal with lots of little problems like gauges, driveshaft, ect. You'd be amazed what can be done in your driveway with hand tools and a floor jack. Add a welder and some power and air tools and you can do just about anything in your garage. I will say that if you're a broke college student, this may not be the best use of your money. Buying an early nineties Honda for a couple grand and storing the Subaru for a few years until you have some money to waste on it may be a better decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stang70Fastback Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Also, what SHOULD I be expecting to spend to rebuild/replace the engine with a new one, assuming I'd just be going with the same thing the car has. From what I've seen on these forums, we could have paid a lot less than the $2500 we did to have the headgaskets replaced on the car a few years back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmb2485 Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Depends on exactly what needs to be done, but I'd guess you could completely rebuild your motor for about $1,500 worth of parts and machining time. You could also avoid downtime on your car by picking up a junkyard motor for maybe $300 and rebuilding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01rs25 Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Depends on exactly what needs to be done, but I'd guess you could completely rebuild your motor for about $1,500 worth of parts and machining time. You could also avoid downtime on your car by picking up a junkyard motor for maybe $300 and rebuilding it. This your probably looking at 1500 or so for a rebuild, and junkyard motors are going to be significantly less although there condition is questionable. As far as the motor swap, its going to be significantly more difficult then made out to be in this thread. The WRX didn't arrive stateside until '02 so to stay USDM compliant you would have to stick with these engines to retain your OBDII compatibility. The majority of these motors complete are going to run you 2500-3k and you'll still need to have the harnesses merged (another 800 or so) and pay for labor. Broken Motorsports ECS Garage Tuning Are all shops that do these types of things. You may also want to check out RS25 as motor swaps are quite common on that forum. Slammed more than your girlfriend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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