tricked919

ONCE AGAIN!!! you guys rock. Thanks. I had a c-clamp. Never thought to use it. Worked like a charm. Just ned to get hardware for my separator plate, throw the flexplate on and she's ready to go in! THANK YOU!!!

Still wrapped up in my EJ22 swap ... First off, I don't have a vice. I was trying to use a screw driver for leverage to push the tensioner back in and no dice. I then unbolted it and tried putting all my weight on it (200lbs) to get it back in - no dice. I then thought, "OK, its bad - I know my EJ25 had a knew one". So I took IT off and same thing. I thought I heard these things were easier to compress than that. Do I have 2 bad tensioners or are they that stubborn?

that's the advise I was looking for - Thanks!!

I picked up my new stamped metal plate yesterday and I asked the parts guy where the hardware was. He said "there is no hardware - use the screws from the plastic one". I don't buy it - those are for countersinks - is this legit?

I have my "new" EJ 22 sitting on a stand waiting to go in my 97 OBW. Before I put it in, I wanted to replace the oil separator plate, oil pan gasket and timing belt covers (mentioned in previous posts). The dealer did not have the new plates or belt covers in stock and the wife and I went out of town for the weekend - leaving the motor on the stand with the oil pan and sep.plate off the block. It looks like while we were gone, a freakin dust storm blew in my shop and there's a tad bit of fine dirt and dust inside the case. Its not a lot, but I know it doesn't take much to cause a catastrophe. Can I spray engine degreaser or Carb cleaner all inside the block to rinse anything out that's made its way inside over the past week while I've had the block opened up?

I think you nailed it. John - I didn't even notice that 3rd vac line on top of the intake. On the 25, theres a cap in the same spot. It does go to the solenoid buried under the runner. However, the same solenoid on my 25 solenoid appears to have another line (#4) that goes to the switch on the strut tower. I found a pic I took of my 22 in its donor car and there looks to be only one vac line going to the switch on the tower. On the EJ25 pic, the side shot that has the brass nipple with no line on it - thats where the line was that had that inline yellow plastic round thing. I moved that line to the 22 motor because its in much better condition (hence not in photo). From what I'm deducting, it looks like I'm just going to steal the solenoid off the 25 so I get that #4 line going to the switch

time out ...is that the original oil pump or a new replacement? How on God's earth is it so clean? My EJ22 parts I'm re-sealing now look like antiques. Sorry to hijack - you know me ...I'm the guy you're bailing out:) Wish I could help

both sides? does it work?

As part of my EJ22 swap, the motor is getting completely re-sealed. The oil pan gasket was cheap silicone - I'm talking clear low-temp garbage. The flange and everything around the bottom of the motor was caked with oil (could barely see the screws). I ordered a gasket from Advance - it never occurred to me that it might be cork ...it is. I hate cork. If anyone on here can vouch that it works, I'll stick with it. Otherwise returning it and going with ultra black. I don't want to have to do another OPG any time soon.

That makes far more sense. My initial concern was that the part on the fender (or under the manifold on the EJ25) monitored vacuum or were only supposed to get vacuum at certain times. If I can run a T-fitting from another vac line to the fender, I'm all over it.

I'd like to use my EJ25 throttle body if I can ...its MUCH cleaner. Is this possible? If so, can I just run the vacuum line (going away from the BPT) to the solenoid on the fender. This sucks - I can turn a wrench, but I don't know jack about vacuum systems

The pics pretty much spell it all out. The part on the fender I'm pointing out is also on the EJ22 cars, but it comes from a different place than my EJ25 did - I don't know where. Will not having that solenoid where #1 and #4 meet (under the manifold) on the EJ22 screw things up? The vac line is one thing, but on the EJ25 its also plugged into something that the ECU expects to be there. It won't be there once the EJ22 is in. I'm concerned.

I heard the same thing. If you buy a 97+ Outback 2.5 with over 100K or so, make sure you get records that the head gaskets have been done. Usually when this is repaired, all the other goodies come with it (new timing belt, seals, etc.). We found a '97 Outback with 150K that just recovered from blown head gaskets. It had new belts, tensioners, seals, radiator and a ton of other parts. The car is nearly mint, ice cold air, everything works like new, and you could eat off the motor ($3000 OTD) ...WHAT A DEAL!! - right?? .....WRONG!!! 3 weeks after we signed the title, we noticed a little tap. 2 weeks later, the tap turned into a major knock. Long story short, we have a totally tuned up, beautiful EJ25 in a "new" car that has a rod knock and is junk. The previous owner must have run it so hot that the internals took a beating and it just now came apparent. We've had the car for just over a month now and I'm putting a new motor in it (swapping for an EJ22). The car is on jack stands in the garage at this very moment with the donor motor sitting in front of it.

Fairtax... the problem is that my EJ22 only has 2 lines going straight to the BPT. There is no brass noodle coming out for the 3rd one that goes to the purge. Even your diagram shows 3 lines coming off the throttle body - confusing me more :-\

picked up my 22 today to start resealing and prepping for my swap on Thursday. I'm really only noticing 3 major concerns. 1.) the EJ22 Throttle Body has only 2 vac lines coming off of it going to the BPT. The EJ25 coming out has 3 vac lines coming off the throttle body - 2 lines to the BPT and 1 line going under the left intake runners to a sensor (not on the 22) and then on to a sensor or solenid on the passenger fender. The way I se it, there's going to be a vac line somewhere not getting hooked up :-\ 2.) My EJ22 motor did not come with the lower AC compressor bracket. The EJ25 bracket I have allows me to use the 4 horizontal studs, but the short vertical stud doesn't line up with the hole on the block. Am I OK just using the 4 main sideways studs that go thru the compressor? 3.) The timing belt cover bolts were rusted CRAZY bad. BAd design in having the nut formed into the plastic. I broke about 4 of them. I doubt I'll be able to reuse the timing belt cover and I have no clue where I'll find one. This is bad - right? That's all I have for now Thanks in advance

I'm putting a 96 EJ22 in my 97 OBW tomorrow. Donor motor has 161K on it - supposedly runs good. I know it takes 4.2 quarts, but of what? ...am I wasting coin on synthetic at 160K? Is this a 10-30 motor or is it time for 20-50 ...or something in between? I've never had a car with more than 100K in my life i'm having fun wrenching on this and would love to see how long I can keep it on the road. Any additives suggested? I had a neighbor who had to be 90yrs old and swore by MMO in his old cars since the 50's.

Here's to showing how little I know about this and that I probably shouldn't mess with this... If the crank is OK, can I just get new OEM main and rod inserts (bearings), or do I need to spec exact sizes for each and buy them specific? For example, might they all be a few thousandths off from each other? What about rings?

Not sure if you guys saw my latest post, but I landed an EJ22 out of a 96 Legacy Sedan today. Its got 161K and runs good. I got the motor for $650 and I paid $200 for all new seals and belts (all OEM stuff). I'm dropping in myself. So $850 for a sealed EJ22 vs rebuilding a proven P.O.S. EJ25 seemed like a no-brainer. Barring that the bad rod doesn't get spit out of the block on the way to the shop, I plan on taking the EJ25 apart to see if I can get it back in useable condition. Along with yanking this EJ25 out to check the flexplate, my wrenching background has consisted of bolt-on stuff (like timing belts, brakes, radiators, VC and OP gaskets, and a couple VW and Jeep clutches). I did headers on my 350Z which was probably the hardest thing I've ever done (effort-wise). I've never broken down a motor - which is clearly requires more skill than muscle and dexterity. Its a little intimidating but I'm curious to see if I can get anywhere with it. Gotta start somewhere. The killer for me is not having more than standard bench tools. I don't want to dump the EJ25 - but am I biting off more than I can chew?

I did not get the o-ring for the oil pump, but I plan on re-sealing it. Am I S.O.L if I pull it and don't have a new o-ring to go back in? "cam caps" are the same thing as valve covers? Yes I have those o-rings Here's the dumbest question of the week. This EJ22 is a SOHC motor. The ECU won't know the difference? The "new" motor has 161K on it. What oil should I run in it? And last question... The EJ22 looks rough. It's definitely leaked oil over the past 14 years and a lot of the alum on the intake runners and block has the white oxidization. What will clean that? I'm getting the motor tomorrow night and its going in on Thursday. I've got 2 days to prep and clean it. Can't thank you enough for the help. We owe you one.

First off - you guys are a blessing beyond description. In 3 days I went from wanting to drive this car off a cliff, to getting some reassurance via EJ22 swap, and actually landing an EJ22 out of a 96 auto (THANK YOU JOHN!!) The EJ22 that johnceggleton found runs good and has a warranty. I went and looked at it today and I'm picking it up tomorrow. I bought cam seals, F&R mains, VC gaskets and a timing belt. The JY can't sell catalytic converters. They said they need to cut off the exhaust before the cats. I get whatever is in between. Doesn't the Y-pipe have pre-cats in them? I hope this isn't an issue. I completely forgot about the plate behind the flywheel. I was told there's a modified OEM replacement (metal). I'm almost 2hrs from a Subie dealer and don't believe I can get one in time. Can the plate be re-sealed with silicone? My EJ25 has brand new drive belts, plugs, and wires. Can I use any of them on the 22? What about the water pump and thermostat?

Killer advice - Thank You! As for "re-seating the torque converter" what do you mean? Are you talking about a method for bolting the flexplate to it once the engine/tranny are mated up? I wasn't aware of any reseating procedures if the torque converter stayed put. I plan on using my new flexplate on the 2.2 motor and leaving the torque converter in the tranny during the swap. I just pulled the motor out of mine last week to see if the knock was the flexplate - so I'm already experienced We got it out and back in the car in about 7 hours.

I owe you BIG TIME!!! I just called on this motor and am having it held. Going to check it out this afternoon (it fires up). SOOO ...one last confirmation. Its out of a 96 Outback with an auto - other than getting the Y-pipe, there is NOTHING else I need to modify? I don't want any CEL's. The ECU will be OK with this motor and all the electronic connections jive - right? No extra vacuum lines or bolts that don't match up?

I had the 97 OBW with the rod knock after replacing HG's. Everyone and their uncle said swap it with an EJ22. So here's the questions... 1.) If I understand correctly - I need an EJ22 from a 95-99 with an EGR valve to truly be a "plug-n-play"? ...meaning no mods needed. I'm good with a wrench, I can pull a motor and put it back in, but I hate electronics and jerry-rigging. 2.) Everyone says its cheap. That's great, but I can't find one anywhere. Any suggestions? I'm in far western NC. 3.) Isn't the EJ22 under-powered for this car? Either way - if its reliable, I'll take it. You gys have been a huge help since I bought this lemon a month ago

I needed this - and you're right - to d@mn the brand is ignorant ...its just frustrating on this end. We did homework before buying this one. The fact that this had just been repaired by a Subie tech before we bough it, I thought I killed the elephant in the room. Everyhting I saw said "if you find a 97 that has new HG's, TB, etc., you might have a winer ... not so much. We got burned. OK, so after a day of mulling this over and reading posts, we have decided to keep the car. The EJ22 swap can't be ignored, so we'll look at that route. Thanks for the input.

yanked the motor out yesterday to hopefully find a cracked flexplate. No sush luck - its an internal knock. Its actually gotten a tad bit worse in the past week. Its now heard at idle - hot or cold. So here's my dilemna... I have a 97 OBW in AWESOME condition (149K) with a knocking motor. Everything on the car works perfect, no rust, no body damage, interior is impeccable. We have $3300 in the car as it is. The previous owner just put new HG's, belts and radiator in it. The knock started about 800 miles after we bought it - so apparently the previous owner ran the p!ss out of it hot and did internal damage. Of course I'm now paranoid to buy another junkyard motor. Do I... A.) take my chances on a junkyard motor B.) buy an ebay JDM engine C.) buy a $3000 complete reman motor and drive it for another 100K (optimistically) D.) dump the car with a knock - take my losses and go pack to new car payments. I really liked the idea of having a paid for car, but if I'm dumping this much cash into one... what's the point. I'm starting to wonder what's so great about these cars if they can't go 150K without blowing head gaskets. ...oh, it needs a steering rack too.