IT'S DONE! Swapped EJ22 for EJ25 in '97 Outback

kaltree · #1 11-08-2004, 11:40 AM

Well, it's finally done.

For some who have been waiting for this, I apologize as I am lazy.

For the last year, I had been struggling with the EJ25 that came with my '97 Outback. I came to the conclusion that I too suffered the infamous head gasket failures. The engine had overheated so many times I honestly lost count. The EJ25 never overheated to the point of boil-over, but came very close. Since these engine have aluminum heads, there was a good chance the heads were either warped or cracked or possibly both.

I absulutely loved everything about the car, except the engine. Since I still owe on the vehicle, it was not a good choice to sell the car and hope to find a used car for less than the cost of a new engine. So, I came here looking for solutions. It came with high recommendation to contact an engine builder called "Colorado Component Rebuilders, Inc". Their website is http://www.ccrengines.com/. I worked specifically with Emily, who happens to know everything imaginable about Subaru engines. After talking with a local mechanic and setting up the project, I then saved pennies.

Went ahead and ordered a 1995 EJ22 with a 1995 Intake Manifold. CCR installed the manifold for me to save time later. They did a great job. It was a little difficult to locate this part, but being a custom job like this I didn't mind. Everything matched up perfectly except for the bracket to support the power steering lines. My mechanic made a custom bracket to support these lines. It took about 8 days or so for the mechanic to do the installation, but he did an excellent job. If you are reading this from the Boise, Idaho area - Ken at Oasis Auto is the man.

There were some issues getting things going. Turned out the 4 of the intake lifters did not want to pump up. After trying lots of things, we contacted Emily again at CCR, and the overnighted a new rocker-arm assembly complete with new lifters to fix the issue. Worked like a charm.

Now that the engine has a wopping 600 miles on it (as of 11/8/04) - I can give a little progress report. From a power standpoint, the EJ22 is just as good as the EJ25. The ONLY time I notice any difference in power is being on the freeway and flooring it. I'm still breaking in the engine, so I expect things to tighten up just a little. The engine is SO tight as it is. Runs so smooth and is SO quiet when comared to my old EJ25. The EJ25 had roughly 130k on it when it was retired.

I have some pictures of the before and after results. You can see those here: http://www.altreephotography.net/subaru.

Feel free to post questions here. I'll be checking back as often as I can.

If you couldn't tell, I am VERY pleased with the results. No more overheating. Quiet engine. Runs great.

Big thanks to Emily at CCR for her patience and time, and to Ken at Oasis Auto in Boise. Great work guys!!

- Kevin Altree

outback_97 · #2 11-08-2004, 11:47 AM

So... what did it cost ? Engine? Installation labor? I'm not sure what path I would take if my engine went bad... probably just headgasket replacement but I've considered doing what you've done with yours as another option.

Steve

kaltree · #3 11-08-2004, 11:55 AM

Engine was $2105.00 (including shipping)
Installation was $600.00 (including extra parts, fluids, etc)

Total: $2700.00

(and now has a 3 year warranty on the engine!!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by outback_97

So... what did it cost ? Engine? Installation labor? I'm not sure what path I would take if my engine went bad... probably just headgasket replacement but I've considered doing what you've done with yours as another option.

Steve

Sweet82 · #4 11-08-2004, 02:44 PM

What does a head gasket replacement typically cost?

Setright · #5 11-08-2004, 02:59 PM

Half that amount, if what we read here on the site is true. However, the EJ25 might just blow the HG again....!

WAWalker · #6 11-08-2004, 03:10 PM

8 days to install

but labor was only $600?

The total cost is about right for replacing a 2.2L and about 1k cheeper that replacing the 2.5L. And now you have a reliable engine.

kaltree · #7 11-08-2004, 03:20 PM

That's true. A headgasket job tends to run around $1200. That's the low-end price, assuming the heads are in good shape. Being the heads are aluminum - they are prone to warp and crack. Each head costs around $600.

Total cost for heads and a gasket are around $2400. That comes with a 90-day warranty and the chance the gasket could blow again.

I opted for a more reliable solution with a good warranty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setright

Half that amount, if what we read here on the site is true. However, the EJ25 might just blow the HG again....!

cookie · #8 11-08-2004, 03:21 PM

This would give you the engine most of us would prefer with a three year warranty.

subeman90 · #9 11-08-2004, 07:24 PM

what did you do for the computer? are you using the 2.2 computer or the 2.5 comp? wireing? details details details......

Matt

lmdew · #10 11-08-2004, 07:41 PM

No computer changes required.

I did the same in my 98 Outback, used 96 2.2 motor 50K miles $125
14 hours of work (one 12 pack of Fat Tire) $13
Fluids $25
Total $163 and it runs great.

CCR is Great, they were my next option, if I hadn't found this great used engine.

Nice Job!