86BRATMAN

Bottom end is the same between the 251, 253, and 99 25d sans pistons. The benefit of the full phase 2 shortblock is being able to use the thinner phase 2 head gaskets which are not as likely to blow as the overly thick phase 1's. A 25d of any flavor making it to 167k miles on original head gaskets just isn't a thing. They were most likely replaced before you took ownership of the vehicle.

That is definitely what the ej25d should have been. I've built several of that particular combo over the years and they're a great engine.

Felpro gaskets for the ej22e are repackaged oem gaskets. So go with whichever you can get cheaper.

Should be a sticker on the transmission with a code. You can search that code to find the final drive. Shouldn't be too hard to find a rear diff to match if it doesn't already.

I've not had any issue using just one bolt, if you wanted you could drill out the bottom bolt hole on the starter and tap threads into the transmission case.

Works just fine, I've done phase 1 (4 bolt) engine with phase 2 (8 bolt) trans and vice versa a dozen times. As long as the electronics are compatible it doesn't make any difference.

Yes. any ej engine will bolt to any ej trans.

After the swap you'll need to buy plug wires for a 97 outback or legacy gt for them to fit properly.

That's the same combobulation that is on my ej cables, my ea82 cable isn't like that. Interesting.

If the you're working on a power steering equipped ea81 or ea81t you can do away with the rag joint coupler altogether. The ea82 p/s coupler will work perfectly in its place. Been running my hardtop that way since last summer. You'll have to spin the shaft 180° for the detents to line up and then move the steering wheel accordingly.

That's how the ea81 and ea82 cables are. The ej cables have the other assembly you're thinking of. It will fit on the ea cable, but isn't needed.

Was there oil of the end of the plug wires when you changed the plugs?

721047060 is the Subaru part number for the bushing you're looking for. I can't find the number to the bracket at the moment.

An impact is the most effective way get it off.

All the subaru r160 pinion flanges will swap. I've done it a few times over the years in similar situations.

I've seen a handful of 97/98 sus models between VA, TN, and NC. The 99s were sold everywhere, there are at least 5 in my small town. In general the sus is less desirable than the outback wagon.

Common practice on ej swapped vehicles, there isn't enough room to mount them between the engine and radiator so they end up going with pushers.

Does sound like grounding issues. There is a ground for the front section of cabin wiring under the driver's side of the dash. It ground through one of the screws that holds the hood release. The engine bay harness has a ground near the battery, and the rear section of cabin harness has grounds under the passenger seat and in the trunk. Those are the ones that I can remember off hand. There may be a few others as well. Overall these things weren't grounded as well as they should have been. Check and clean every ground you can find.

I've seen them in the "HELP" section of advance auto out here. Not poly, but the standard reinforced rubber kind.

With a few mods to the sensor itself, mainly the bolt hole and shaving the side slightly so it clears the casting of the head and sit flush they will read perfectly fine with the stock ej25 cams.

There are some good 5 lug write ups on the forum. Look for the Retrofitting FAQ thread for links to the better ones. The hardest part to find is going to be the xt6 rear hubs.

You'd be better off swapping the outer joint. The 05+ legacy is a couple inches wider than the 04 back cars. I think by this point that in production all the axle shafts had gone to the 30 spline style instead of the older 22 spline. So swapping them shouldn't be an issue. Febest is the company I got my cv parts from for my 5 lug swap, seem to be high quality parts, would just recommend using oem boots over the ones they ship with.

That's correct Gary. One modification I had to do was remove the abs tone ring, my knuckles were from an abs equipped impreza. The small rotor hat wouldn't clear the tone ring. The end of the axle is different on the 05+ legacys, you'd need to swap the outer cv to be able to do that knuckle swap. I've looked into it before on one of my 2nd gens. Ruined a couple bearings before I figured out what the problem was.

Just for an update. I'm now running 93 fwd impreza 242mm rotors and matching caliper brackets with xt6 calipers and pads on my 5 lug swapped hardtop. The cable is a tight fit around the bottom of the strut but it works well after adjusting the lever.

I honestly don't know about the ea82 cars and their carrier bearing location. I'll dig up one of my fsms and see if we can figure it out from there.