Mad Mechanic Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Greetings everyone! So! I don't technically own a Subaru yet (working on it) but I do own a junkyard used EJ251 pulled from a California spec 2003 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon. I have plans for this engine and I have lots of questions to go along with it regarding Subaru drivetrain and suspension. I've heard these cars are like playing with Legos, LOTS of interchangeable factory parts, so that's where I'm hoping this community can help me out. A little about me, I'm a Mechanical Engineer by day and a tinkerer by night. I love daydreaming about custom car creations or modifications I can do to existing designs (hence the 'Mad' Mechanic). Anyway, take care and good wrenching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakedpotatoechips99 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Hey good luck with that motor. Maybe you can build a go cart frame, or mount it in an old Volkswagen.All the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mechanic Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 Thanks BakedPotatoeChips! I know that the EJ251 isn't a very popular engine to start with but I purposely chose this engine because of the simplicity of the SOHC heads and because the spark plugs and timing set are easier to service. Plus, even though it's not nearly as popular as the DOHC flavors, there are still companies out there making things like performance cams for these engines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 That motor should be mostly drop in for 2000-2004 legacies and outbacks and 1999-2004 Imprezas and Foresters that are non turbo and didn't come with the EZ30 motor (H6) Imprezas would mostly have come with a 2.2 motor so you would need a matching dual port exhaust pipe. You also want to keep the drivers side cam pulley and crank pulley original to the car so the marks on them match what the computer is expecting. Some will require swapping the original intake manifold and associated sensors. Some will be a perfect match. For the most part though, the long block goes all over in those years. Short block can interchange as far back as 1990 and I'm not sure how far forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mechanic Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Hey there AdventureSubaru, Thanks for the info, I think I remember reading somewhere that this is the same motor that was used in the 99 through 2003/4 Impreza RS, which would coincide with your information. I'm not sure what I'm going to use the motor for exactly, but I have some custom built car ideas that I'm playing with that utilize off the shelf Subaru drivetrain and suspension components. The biggest design "headache" I have right now has to do with the suspension actually, and this might warrant a dedicated post to the correct sub-forum but it has to do with parts interchange. So from my research using parts.subaru.com I've found that the Impreza from '93 through 2007 had press in front wheel bearings and hubs, but in 2008 they went to a bolt-on style wheel bearing and hub. From a maintenance engineering perspective I really like this, but I also like the front lower control arms on the '93-2007 Impreza as opposed to the 2008. So the question that has been going through my mind is can I put front steering knuckles from a 2008 Impreza onto the lower control arms of a '93-2007 Impreza. I think the answer is yes because as I discovered ALL Subarus from 1987 - 2016 use the same front ball joint (part 20206AJ000). Again, this might be opening up a discussion better suited for a dedicated post on a different sub-forum rather than an introduction thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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