jelly man Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I just got a 96 Outback with an EJ25. I picked it up cheap because of serious mechanical problems. It has either something loose in the top or bottom end that sounds as bad as a thrown rod. I can't pin the noise down to either side or the center. My question is if it is easier to work on or replace a head with the engine in or out of the car. That's considering total labor including pulling the engine. If it's close to a tossup then I'll just pull the engine anyway cause it will need replacing if the problem is in the crankcase. Any advice from somebody who's tried head work on an engine in and out of the car would be much appreciated. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I would pull it and properly inspect the engine. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I second what Nipper says 100% If you find major toast the EJ22 swap if you choose this route is about half done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 X3- Pull the engine it's not hard to get it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 i'm confused? why put new headgaskets on a motor with rod knock? yank it and give it a good look over, sounds like it needs a new motor anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 simple. yank the engine put in ej22 never pull the engine again for some stupid "ej25" problem once you got the ej22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 the EJ22 swap if you choose this route is about half done. Is the other half putting it back in? Will- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aircraft engineer Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 It's always easier to work on the engine when it is out of the car (lots easier access) - now just how easy is it to GET it out of car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Getting the engine out is easy with a proper crane (note: equalizer and electric winch make doing it "one man band" style much nicer) And a few tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merkatroid Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Ive done it both ways and pulling the engine is way easier. The ej25 is really easy to pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frag Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Getting the engine out is easy witha proper crane (note: equalizer and electric winch make doing it "one man band" style much nicer) And a few tools. Skip, the shade-tree and side-of-the-street mechanic I am is looking at your pics like a poor child at a candy store. I need an icon for «drooling». What's that hanging from the rafters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnwolftrack Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 The EJ25 is the easiest engine I've ever pulled. The last one took me about 1 hour 50 minutes to yank out. Way easier to work on outside the car. Subi sure screwed up the headgaskets on this engine, but they must of put some thought into making it easy to remove the engine. If I was doing this frequently, I bet I could get the engine out in an hour. P.S. I also have a cherry picker hoist which helps a lot (available typically for about $129-169 from tool houses like Northern Tool). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelly man Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Thanks to all who replied to this thread. I pulled the engine, heads and oil pan. I can't see where the problem is but it sure is hard (near impossible) to see the crank and rods. The heads look ok. I'm just going to replace the engine with a jdm engine and keep the heads, manifold and accessories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 You going to take it apart and see what's wrong with it? Kinda curious now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelly man Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 I pushed each lifter down when the camshafts were off. They all pushed down uniformly and smooth. The crank spins freely but causes a slight knocking sound when pistons 3 and 4 top out and 1 and 2 bottom out. I turned the crank with my hand pushing in on each piston. Piston 3 has a slight click or knock when it passes both top and bottom. The others move smoothly. It seems like too much work to fix the rod knock when I can get a jdm engine shipped to my door for $910 and they'll throw in a tranny for another $250. I'll probably wind up junking the block and keeping the heads and intake manifold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 I pushed each lifter down when the camshafts were off. They all pushed down uniformly and smooth. The crank spins freely but causes a slight knocking sound when pistons 3 and 4 top out and 1 and 2 bottom out. I turned the crank with my hand pushing in on each piston. Piston 3 has a slight click or knock when it passes both top and bottom. The others move smoothly. It seems like too much work to fix the rod knock when I can get a jdm engine shipped to my door for $910 and they'll throw in a tranny for another $250. I'll probably wind up junking the block and keeping the heads and intake manifold. Be careful with the JDM EJ25's they don't have an EGR valve or any provisions to mount one, if you need one. The places that sell them won't tell you that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 I pushed each lifter down when the camshafts were off. They all pushed down uniformly and smooth. The crank spins freely but causes a slight knocking sound when pistons 3 and 4 top out and 1 and 2 bottom out. I turned the crank with my hand pushing in on each piston. Piston 3 has a slight click or knock when it passes both top and bottom. The others move smoothly. It seems like too much work to fix the rod knock when I can get a jdm engine shipped to my door for $910 and they'll throw in a tranny for another $250. I'll probably wind up junking the block and keeping the heads and intake manifold. That's a very good price, especially for the trans. Where or who is selling these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 That's a very good price, especially for the trans. Where or who is selling these? There are plenty of them on ebay at that price. But the JDM EJ25's have no egr if you need one, which is a big issue if you live somewhere that has emissions inspection. You will have a CEL on if you use one of these in a car that had egr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 There are plenty of them on ebay at that price. But the JDM EJ25's have no egr if you need one, which is a big issue if you live somewhere that has emissions inspection. You will have a CEL on if you use one of these in a car that had egr. That's important to know, thanks. I think that if I ever had to replace my EJ25 I might look into using a 2.2 instead, because I like the non-interference engines. I guess the time to learn about doing something like that is now, before I need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Pin Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 If you go with a JDM with no instake, Couldn't you just swap intakes from the current motor and get the EGR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 If you go with a JDM with no instake, Couldn't you just swap intakes from the current motor and get the EGR? No, there is no hole on the JDM head to connect the egr pipe to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelly man Posted March 16, 2008 Author Share Posted March 16, 2008 I replaced an carbureted EA82 with a fuel injected one. I had to drill the head to put the pipe in for the egr. There was a indent in the casting that just needed to be drilled. Does the JDM EJ25 have a similar indent in the casting that I could drill and tap? I was quoting a price from tiger japanese before but after doing some quick searches online I decided not to go with that company. Does any one have any experience with JDM engine suppliers they'd like to recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I replaced an carbureted EA82 with a fuel injected one. I had to drill the head to put the pipe in for the egr. There was a indent in the casting that just needed to be drilled. What size hole was that? (Approx) Did you tap it to a standard pipe thread, or what's it take? ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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