edrach

Interesting, we've been having the interference/non-interference fight here for the last few days. Apparently, '97 was the model year (not manufacture date) that the EJ22 became interference; and there's no apparent way to tell from the outside.....altho I suspect the BB in the serial number might be a clue.

I received the following answer from Smart Service: 1997 was the model year that the 2.2 engine went to short skirt pistons and roller rockers. The only way I know to identify them is looking at the rocker arms or pistons. The engine, including spark plug holes, looks identical to the predecessor. Thanks Mike, I appreciate the clarification.

Lots of ways to skin a cat as the old expression goes. I've found the pivot bolt easier to do than the ball-joint. AND the pivot bolt always goes back in with lots of never-seeze to prevent it from rusting to the bushing before the next time I do the axle. Lots of good suggestions here on the Board.

I recently got a used '97 Impreza wagon for my wife this past spring. It is more enjoyable to drive than my '91 Legacy wagon altho I am more than happy with both cars. I'm partial to manual gearboxes for both the control of the car in the winter and the increased gas mileage over the automatic. My wife's Imp has over 113K now and is still on the original cluctch. I can image the cost of two clutch replacements in the first 250K would be less than repairing/replacing an automatic which I personally doubt would last that long (personal opinion only, no data to back up that last statement). The reason there are so few Imprezas availble for re-sale is that people keep them longer and when one hits the market they disappear very quickly. It took me 4 months of ACTIVE looking before I found our car; even the over-priced Imps were sold before I got to look at them. Good luck in your search. You might also note that in '97 Subaru changed the 2.2L engine to an interference type which would mandate paying more attention to replacing the timing belt in a timely manner.

Actually I didn't; I was real pleased with myself since I was making fine progress. Then I placed the manifold which was all cleaned up and preprepped on the engine block! I was ticked to say the least; I really smarter than that.

I love this! The thread that will not die. TTTWND!

Definitely make sure your new diff is the same ratio as the old one. A lot less grief if you do that.

Let me be the first to RSVP!

Emily, to keep another long debate going, is there any way to tell the interference status of the EJ22 engine from the outside (serial number, visible mechanical differences, etc.)? This debate has been going on longer than the EGR debate this weekend. See http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40824. If probably wouldn't hurt to start a new thread on that topic since I shouldn't be hi-jacking this thread.

I have a fine EA82 manifold (thanks Jerry) but am saving it for MY car. This Brat is an interim ride for me until my Brat migrates back from Bozeman (thanks tailgatewagon) and my son plans on selling it before the end of the year.

Too late; got another from PAP. But thanks anyway.

Emily, you of all people don't have to apologize to anyone. However, you certainly kept a small group of us from getting bored this weekend! I hope all is well with you and yours. ---ed---

Ask Zapar about it; I think he suggests Kendall LSD gearoil. That's what I put into my Brat and I never had any problems with the diff. Unfortunately, it was so long ago that I don't remember anything but the brand.

Were you sleeping through WCSS7?

I rechecked the s/n on our '97 Imp and it's 65 BB 22222. I checked the s/n on my son's '96 Imp and it's 15 AB 11111. Now I'm really puzzled. What are the chances of 5 of kind on one car, much less two?

The ratio can be converted by installing the LSD kernal into any of the open diffs (look for info in the repair manual...I think it's there). EA82 diff will fit on the EA81 cars without any trouble. If the label is gone, or too greasy to want to read it, spin one rear wheel....if the other wheel turns in the same direction it's either an LSD or welded diff; if the other wheel turns in the opposite direction it's an open diff. Of course your yard will have to have the cars up in the air to do this. RXs have LSDs; it was an option on the turbos and GL-10 models; check all.....I recently pulled an LSD off an '85 BMW just for grins (I need to clean it up a bit before it goes on ebay).

I started to replace the carter-weber on my son's brat with a real weber today. I had picked up a manifold months ago to use for that. I pulled the old manifold off and prepared the replacement and it's about 1-1/2" shorter than the original! Anyone want a 1400 manifold? Free if you pick it up or I can deliver in Portland next weekend. A quick trip to PAP and we'll have the replacement on shortly.

No, my s/n on the Imp is 22222. Try doing your search under "interference" or "non-interference." I got lots of stuff to look at yesterday but didn't find what I wanted. I did send a note off to Smart Service and I'll see what they tell me; I'd trust them before any dealer in the country. Also, there's more digits (letters?) before the "BB" and "CC" on both my engines but I can't tell what it is. I re-checked the s/n on my '91 Legacy and it's 76 CC 22112. I'll recheck the Imp again when my wife comes home. And yes, I suspect I'll be re-doing the timing belt soon.

I've never changed the master cylinder on any swap.

Frankly I don't see much of a braking effectiveness difference other than no tendency to lock up the rears. As to the brake lines, I just used the original lines from the donor car and carefully bent the excess line out of the way without kinking it.

I'm with Ed on the previous post. I've done over a half dozen conversions and was never concerned with the proportioning issue and have never noticed a difference to be concerned with. That being said, the primary reason I convert over is the ease and symplicity of changing pads compared to changing brake shoes; also, the fact that you never have to readjust the rear brakes or any of the problems associated with rear drum brakes. Other than occasionally replacing the rear pads, I've never had a problem with any rear disk conversion I've done.

I took a photo of my '97 Impreza as well as my '91 Legacy and I can't really tell any difference from where the sparkplugs protrude. Photos can be seen at http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showgallery.php?cat=735 in my photo gallery. When I get my son over here, I'll photograph his '96 EJ22 for comparison. I did look at the serial numbers on both engines and I'm beginning to draw the conclusion that I have an interference engine. Prior to the s/n is a "CC" on our legacy engine; prior to the s/n on our Impreza is a "BB". Oddly enough our Impreza engine's s/n is 22222! Anyone else want to play s/n poker?:cool:

I'm with northwet, check the castle nut to see if things had loosened up there. Re-torque it to 145 ft-lbs if it has. Odd, I've always found that the CVJ will click or clunk under hard lock turns and the DOJ will cause excessive vibration in the car under certain conditions and not click or clunk. If you've got a torn boot at either location, I'd replace the axle and be done with it. Without the torn boot, the noise you describe could be a number of things. A bad wheel bearing usually "growls" and the sound will go away when you make turns in one direction or the other (and you "unload" the bearing). I recently found that an occasional clunk when turning with my brat was caused by the clamping bolt that secures the strut within the wheel hub casting had come loose. Too much play in the steering wheel is not usually a sign of a bad wheel bearing in our Subarus. Bad inner or outer ball joints in the steering rack would cause that.

There were two left on the ground this morning; leftovers from the XT6 that has since gone to the crusher. Do you need me to pick them up for you or are you going up there? If so, call me and I'll try to describe where they are. --ed--

The fourth rallycross of the ORG RallyX series will be held August 14th at the Hillsboro Fairplex. Details below: Date : 14 August 2005 Category : RallyCross Event details: Morning Session: G2, G5, Production and Truck/SUV classes. Tech Inspection/Registration: 8:00-9:00. Driver’s Meeting: 09:15. First Car out: 09:30. Afternoon Session: Production GT and Open classes. Tech Inspection/Registration: 12:30-1:00. Driver’s Meeting: 1:45. First Car out: 2 PM Cost: $25 for SCCA Members, $30 for non-SCCA members. To be held at the Washington County Fairgrounds (across from the Hillsboro Airport.) Email: rallycross@oregonrally.com