Dlonc Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 So I have been all over trying to find, learn about, research a motor for my 1997 Legacy GT. I am leaning toward getting one from JDM, but have found a low mileage 2.2 from a 1996 Legacy L for a really good price..and its local! So if it will fit, I will buy it, put it in, and then take some time going through my 2.5. BUT I cant find out for sure if it will fit or not..please advise! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wish Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Need to swap your ecu and maybe some wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 the detail on the 96 ej22 you need to know is, ''does it have EGR?'', which is defined by the trans. if the 96 ej22 comes from an AUTO TRANS car it has EGR and is a GREAT candidate for a swap into a 96 - 99 ej25 car. ALL 96 - 99 ej25 engines have / need EGR. however the exhaust ports on the heads are different than the 96 - 99 ej25 so you will need the matching exhaust y-pipe for the 96 ej22. so if you can get the y-pipe from the same car as the engine you are good to go. (also nice to get the power steering lines from the 95 car but not necessary, it will work fine with the GT power steering lines.) use as many of the parts off of the ej25 as possible, AC bracket and compressor, trans flex plate if it is an auto trans, (i don't know about flywheels or clutches) and plastic air intake / snorkus. it is a direct swap as long as you have the matching y-pipe. i have done this, see my list of cars under my name. it is easy. there will be a power loss due to the smaller engine but unless you are racing or doing rally-cross it will not be noticeable. PLUS the 96 ej22 is a non-interference engine. lose the timing belt or a pulley, no problem. AND the ej22 will take a lot of abuse and keep running. a much more forgiving engine than the ej25. no need to change the computer or any wiring. if you do not do this swap you have lost your mind, just my opinion. good luck and keep us informed. if the 96 ej22 is from a manual trans car you will end up with a CEL that you can never get to go out, never. unless you add the EGR, which can be done but easier to find an engine from an auto trans car. how much $$$ for the engine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 in case this ej22 does not work out, you can use any ej22 engine 95 - 98 from an AUTO TRANS car. different years have slightly different needs, mostly related the y-pipe, but those are the ej22s to pick from. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlonc Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 The EJ22 is from an automatic car so it does have an egr. Also it should be no trouble to get the y pipe and even the ps hoses....The yard is asking $500 for the whole thing with 100k on it. I was planning on using the ac compressor and ps pump from my 2.5 to avoid loss of ac charge and ps fluid as I am going to be doing this in my driveway...will it still work? Is $500 too much?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlonc Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 Also Johnegg, in your opinion would you do a JDM 2.5, or a salvage yard 2.2?? :-) AND being neighbors...I am in nc, wanna help?? Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 $500 used to be little high, but they are more scarce now and 100k is really low miles. this engine will go 300k with care, probably more. but you will be long done with the chassis before you get that far. yes to not disconnecting the AC, but not so much for the steering pump. there isn't a lot of fluid in it, ATF by the way, and when you ''flop'' it out of the way the fluid spills out the cap. it isn't a sealed system. so i would ''turkey baster'' the fluid out of the reservoir and remove it. plus if you get the ps lines you will have to disconnect it anyway. yes, used local ej22 over ANY ej25 unless completely rebuilt with 3/36 warranty. any used , ANY, used ej25 could come down with bad head gaskets. probably not right away, but in time ...... plus the JDM may not have EGR. you have to really work at killing the gaskets on an ej22. yes they can go bad, but usually the car is wrecked before they do. but anything is possible. the ej22, 90 - 96 is the best engine suabru has ever built. things you must do before installing the ej22: 1/ replace the plastic ''oil separator plate'' and screws on the rear of the block. if it isn't leaking now it will eventually. the metal replacement plate is about $35 from the dealer. things you should do: 1/ new timing belt, water pump and pulleys, ~$130 on ebay frpm ''theimportexperts'' . 2/ front oil seals, 2 cam seals, 2 cam cap o-rings, 1 crank seal, 1 oil pump o-ring, and re-seal the oil pump to the block. (check the screws on the back side og the oil pump.) dealer ~$40, plus a tube of RTV ultra gray or anaerobic sealant. do this and your car will go 60k miles till the next t-belt service. but since it is a non-interference engine, the t-belt (and seals, if not leaking,) COULD wait. but do it and get it over with. thing to NOT do: do not replace the rear main seal UNLESS it is really leaking. and i mean leaking, dripping on the ground, not just a small bit of ooze. of course plugs and wires would be advised. wires should be subaru ($40) or really good quality. cheap wires can be a headache on these engines. NGK plugs. valve cover gaskets and bolt grommets are about $28 from your local parts store. exhaust manifold gaskets can come from almost any where. intake manifold gaskets will not be needed unless you remove the intake. but they can be generic as well. tips on the R&R. 1/ when you jack up the trans so the engine will clear the cross member, DO NOT jack on the trans oil pan with out a large board to spread the load. if you dent the pan you will have trans issues. not deadly but a pain. 2/ flex plate to trans torque converter bolts, these can be done with the right wrench from above at the access hole under the throttle body, passenger side. but it is WAY WAY easier if you remove the intake from the ej25. then you can use socket with a long extention, easy peasy. when installing the ej22 you can do the same thing, remove the intake, but there are a couple of hoses that connect the intake to the cooling system under the throttle body. they are old and a bit of a pain to disconnect but easier since the engine will be out. but not too bad to re-connect. pull the rad with the fans attached, and protect the AC condenser. i remove the axles from the trans so i can reach the lower trans / engine nuts. where in NC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Might as well reseal the oil pan and oil pick up o-ring while you are at it. Check your valve clearances too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 it is pretty rare for oil pan seals to leak unless they have been re-done badly. but maybe. and 96 ej22s have HLAs, hydraulic lash adjusters. no adjustment necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Mine was redone badly, so there you go. Check your HLAs then. You can press on the rocker arms and see if they move. If so, then bleed the ones that need it. However, I recommend taking the rocker arm assembly off. Then you can really see if you can squish them. I forgot to do this when I rebuilt my engine and had to take the valve covers off later to do so. One of the HLAs was completely collapsed. Thought I had a rock knock, lol. Since I had spares I replaced it and a few others that wouldn't lock. They are easy to remove and bleed. If they don't come out by hand, use pliers with a rag wrapped around the end to wiggle it out. Take a quart of oil and pour it into a cup. Submerge the HLA in the oil and use a small pin to poke the ball valve. Squish the little piston up and down until no more air bubbles come out and it locks in place. If it doesn't lock properly, replace it. Hey john, I have a 95 ej22e. I also have a couple sets of HLA assemblies from EJ22Ts. I was curious if you can install them on EJ22E heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 i am not familiar with turbo engines, i have never seen one. but i bet you can. the 90s subarus are like ''leggos'', they all just snap together. remove and compare the setups on both and the oil galleys. EDIT: warning, very low torque spec on 2 of the rocker shaft bolts. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlonc Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 I am in Durham...as for the 2.2 it is still in the car and I am going this weekend( if I can) to hear it run and inspect it. I really appreciate all of the advise that I have gotten and am confident that this will go pretty easy, or if I get stuck, I know where to get good advice. Speaking off....do you know if the flywheel has to be lined up in any certain orientation? I have heard one person who had some balance issues and had to rotate it 180d. Also I will contact the dealer about picking up an oil separator plate. Thnx! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I didn't line up my flexplate in any particular way so I don't know if it makes a difference, but I wouldn't think so. If that person had balance issues then maybe it was a quirk of their subie. Just don't drop your torque convertor belts into the bell housing. If you are careful you won't have a problem. If you are having a hard time lining up the bolts with the flex plate you can always crawl underneath to get a good look and line it up from there. The bottom of the bellhousing has a cutaway so you can see what is going on. Sometimes it is hard to see it from the access hole. Another good trick that I did was to just tape the bolt to the socket. When it was tight I just pulled the socket loose and tape loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricearu Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 If it were me, I would find a 1990-1995 ej22 with dual port heads. Bolt a 1995-1999 intake to it, and just hook it all up. It will drop and bolt. YOUR exhaust will not bolt to 96 up ej22's. They are single port. I went through this with my 96 LSi. I had single port flanges made up and had them spliced to my manifold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 if you have an auto trans you do not have a flywheel, as such. you have a ''flex plate'' that bolts to the crank and the torque converter. i know the ej22 car is an auto trans, what about your ej25 car? re the exhaust: if you have the complete donor car to pick from, as in this case, the exhaust is a non issue. just get the engine matching exhaust y-pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUIAAE Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 JDM engine + USDM fuel = expensive learning experience. Don't do it unless you're going to tune it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricearu Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 JDM engine + USDM fuel = expensive learning experience. Don't do it unless you're going to tune it. JDM ECU + USDM fuel MAY cause "some" issues, but the engine's compression isn't much higher on the jdm engines, if any at all. if you use your stock computer, then it is already tuned for usdm fuel and the knock sensor will take care of the rest. If you buy the JDM engine, just run higher test fuel. an yeah, if you get the exhaust it will bolt up, but also know that a 1996 and up ej22 is INTERFERANCE, which kindof kills the ej22 experience altogether. the PERFECT ej22 swap for your car is from a 1995 with auto trans. It really is drop in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 the ej22 didn't go interference until the 97 model year., even though the exhaust ports changed in 96. they went interfernce when they squeezed a little more hp out of the engine in 97 which is the same time they changed from HLAs to solid lash adjusters. i hear the pistons changed in 97 making it interference. EJ22s - new in 1990 MY 90 - 96 MY are NON-interference . 90 - 96 have HLAs. 90 - 95 have dual port exhaust heads. 95 - 98 have EGR on the auto trans cars. 96 - 98 have single port exhaust heads. 97 - 98 are interference and have SLAs. 99 - 00 are phase 2 engines and i'm not sure. EJ22s - ended in 00 MY. there have been a few situations, or at least i have heard there are, where a late 96 may have SLAs and be interference, or an early 96 might have dual port exhaust heads, but that is just a case of them ''using what you have''. i don't believe there are enough of these car / engine out there to justify a discussion. unless you happen to have one in need of repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlonc Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share Posted April 25, 2012 JDM engine + USDM fuel = expensive learning experience. Don't do it unless you're going to tune it. This is confusing as I have the understanding that on newer cars the ECU controls the tune and timing of the car, so I am not sure what in a motor from Japan would cause it to blow up on american gas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 I will be so stoked if my 95 EJ22E has HLAs! I am hearing a lifter click and fixing it will be a breeze since I have a bunch of spare HLAs. I hope you are right johnegg, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 i don't do much with 90 - 94 cars / engines so i'm not sure, but i think, I THINK, 90 - 94 should have HLAs as well. i hear that JDMs are not really ''drop-in'' engines. they will of course ''bolt'' in not problem. but the emmissions differences between the US and the asian market create problems. but some one who has done one would know better. but why swap in a JDM if you have plenty of US engines to pick from. but given enough time and money you can put any engine into any car. i just like sticking to the EASY swaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUIAAE Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 This is confusing as I have the understanding that on newer cars the ECU controls the tune and timing of the car, so I am not sure what in a motor from Japan would cause it to blow up on american gas... Seems to be an issue with 90+ turbo JDM engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baddog Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 90-94 Legacys have HLA's. Monkey your 95 has HLA's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Cool! I'll have to pull them off and bleed them one of these days then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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