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ive got impreza on the brain. i found the car i want, only problem, it has the motor that i really dont want... the ej18 (:mad: gutless turd bucket:mad: )... so, heres the question. is a 95 ej18 an obdII motor? because i would really love to just swap over the motor from my 90 legacy, but if i cant, then i'll just have to save even more money to go for a 2.5......... thanks for any and all info......:)

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ive got impreza on the brain. i found the car i want, only problem, it has the motor that i really dont want... the ej18 (:mad: gutless turd bucket:mad: )... so, heres the question. is a 95 ej18 an obdII motor? because i would really love to just swap over the motor from my 90 legacy, but if i cant, then i'll just have to save even more money to go for a 2.5......... thanks for any and all info......:)

 

maybe. Thats when the switch over happaned. Look for a daignostic pin connector in the dash, i think that would tell you.

 

nipper

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Yeah. Look for a diagnostic port. It's in the little storage pocket in the dash to the left of the driver. I think '95 is OBDII, but the switchover may have happened mid-year.

 

BTW...Is the car AWD? The ej18 is pretty peppy when matched with FWD, but I don't think it would fare so well with AWD. Too much extra weight. I have a FWD '93 Impreza. It does pretty well above about 3.5k RPM:brow:. The power doesn't really start coming on until then. In other words...don't try stopping on a steep hill.:rolleyes:

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OBDII didn't happen until '96. That being what it is, the EJ18 is not gutless. I have a '94 sedan that I use entirely for rallycross and backup car for when my daily driver is not available. The car originally came with low profile 16" tires and it was a stone....just what I wanted in a rallycross car!:rolleyes: Anyway, when I switched back to 14" wheels and tires the car suddenly had lots of go. Night and day difference with only slightly smaller tires. In my rallycross class I run against 2.2's and 2.5's all the time and I beat most of them. I have a 2.2 engine I was planning on rebuilding and installing this winter, but am really ambivalent since the EJ18 is so strong. I notice the difference in low end torque, but once you're in the power band the car really goes.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showgallery.php?cat=856

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So it seems that the '95 Legacy was OBDII, but the '95 Impreza was OBDI. Ditto on the powerband. Low revs = gutless turd. High revs = Vroom Vroom, Gone!:grin: Kind of interesting with my 4EAT. That 1-2 upshift is HARD when you really goose it. It shifts smoothe as silk if you drive like Grandma...stupid slushbox.:rolleyes:

 

Two more words: gas mileage. With gas priced like gold, I'm glad to have the ej18. The 2.2's gas mileage is usually pretty sucky.

 

Back to the original question. You can do the swap if you want, but I'd at least drive the car for a while and see how you like it. You might be surprised.

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My 95 Impreza 2.2 AWD is OBD2

My 95 Impreza 1.8 FWD is OBD1

My 95 Legacy LS 2.2 AWD is OBD2

 

My 1.8 impreza is an early 95, so maybe the switch was midyear, or is related to the 2.2 engine being present.

 

My 1.8 Impreza is a little weaker than the 2.2, but it's minimal. It gets 29 mpg in mixed driving vs 23 on the 2.2 AWD. Highway I get 36 on the 1.8 vs 29-30 with the 2.2

 

Todd

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well, thank you all for your input, i will keep in mund what everyone has said...... now i just need to find a second job so i can afford to buy the car without going broke......
I'll second the gas mileage difference with the 1.8; my wife gets a full 5 mpg lower mileage with her '97 Impreza (EJ22) than I get with the '94 (EJ18). I easily get 30+ on the highway with mine; never seen close to that with hers. Also, you might find the purchase price of the 1.8 is lower since it is "less desirable."
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ive got impreza on the brain. i found the car i want, only problem, it has the motor that i really dont want... the ej18 (:mad: gutless turd bucket:mad: )... so, heres the question. is a 95 ej18 an obdII motor? because i would really love to just swap over the motor from my 90 legacy, but if i cant, then i'll just have to save even more money to go for a 2.5......... thanks for any and all info......:)
Getting back to the swap question...the swap shouldn't be difficult. Just keep the manifold, ECU and wiring harness from your EJ18 and drop the EJ22 in underneath it. I'm pretty sure that's been done before and I'm contemplating it for my '94.
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Shouldn't even have to keep the EJ18 manifold. Just the engine harness and whatever sensors aren't on the EJ22 you put in.

 

I'll echo the gutless turd comments in anything but the higher rpm range. I took a bus 750 miles to get my 96 Brighton. On the way home it took me a good 300mi. to finally figure out how to drive it.....:-\ That said, the 98 EJ22 that's in it now is a major improvement....even after having an EJ25D in it for a couple years.

 

You shouldn't have to give more than $5000 for a 95 or earlier in excellent to great condition.

 

Jay Storm

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well the car is imaculate... super clean inside and out and it has 117,000 on it, hes asking $4,800 for it, which seems reasonable to me since my parents paid more than that for their legacys of the same year...... if i do get it i will swap out the motor just for the simple fact that i like having the 2.2 in the impreza, and maybe someday, i'll have a 2.2 turbo. but i need to find a second job so i can buy the car and pay it off super quick so i can then start to modify it...... any sugestions as what to change first? i was thinking stiffer struts with some lowering springs, then some 16's or 17's to improve the handling of it....

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First (cheap) mod would probably be a stock 2.5RS suspension. Slightly lower, slightly stiffer. Instead of the stock RS stuff, you can find KYB AGX's fairly cheap and a set of Eibach or ProDrive springs. Next would probably be a set of rear lateral links to add a rear swaybar (stock WRX is 20mm). That will transform the way the car handles, making it more fun to toss around.

 

EJ22s can be had for well under $1k....a weekend of wrenching and you can complete the swap and stay under that $1k mark if all your stuff is in good shape.

 

If you find some 15" wheels, you can upgrade the brakes to 2.5RS. If you find some 16" wheels you can go with WRX brakes. Sourcing the rear disc setup and e-brake cables will be more involved but still pretty cheap to do (yourself). I haven't found it necessary to do the rear disc swap with RS fronts....but probably would want to keep the balance if I went with WRX front brakes.

 

Any size wheels over stock is gonna hurt the already anemic EJ18....keep that in mind.

 

Jay Storm

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