Snowman

Ditto...I do the specified three steps, then do one more at 55 ft-lbs. No retorque.

I've moved on to a Legacy now, but I do miss my EJ22-powered EA82 car. My first trip after the swap (which was the next day after getting it running), I went 850 miles from Skagway to Anchorage in 14 hours. With the EA82, my usual time from Haines to Anchorage, which is 750 miles, was 14 hours. The pass coming out of Skagway is also a lot steeper. Running the EJ22, I never had to use more than 2/3 throttle, so I got better fuel economy while going faster...what else do you need?!

Glad to hear some sound analysis supporting the Fel-Pros. I think I'll go buy a set and have a look at them. I'm pretty much the most skeptical person I know when it comes to stuff like this, but I'm willing to give them a shot.

Go to 1stsubaruparts.com, but don't order from their website. Instead, get their phone number and ask to talk to Jason. He's very knowledgeable and helpful, and makes sure you get all the parts you need for a job. I also have yet to see better prices.

Don't the EJ cars have a two-piece driveshaft like the EA's? If so, you can just remove the rear piece and tow it with a dolley. I do that all the time with EA-series Subes. It takes five minutes tops to take the shaft out or install it.

Interesting to hear so many votes for aftermarket HG's. I am definitely open to the idea...i've just always stuck with the factory stuff, mostly after hearing about WJM's high-compression EA82 adventures and his stories about NAPA headgaskets. My experience is limited by the fact that I've only been doing this professionally for a couple of years, so the HG's I've replaced haven't had a chance to get that many miles on them. I don't mean to steer this thread into anything like the synthetic oil arguments, but I'd like to hear more opinions, stories, etc supporting either the use of OEM or Fel-Pro HG's. (And no offense to those who have given this argument, but I don't buy the "because the OEM gaskets are a 20 year old design" claim without some sort of analysis beyond that. My entire car is a 20 year old design...does that mean it's bad?)

Sorry, but to the best of my knowledge they're different...turbo ones have some different material in parts of the gasket...not sure what for. I usually try to use EA82T gaskets on any EA82.

Don't use any sealant on the oil pump. Just coat the O-ring type seals with oil. I usually use the water pump gasket with some spray-on copper stuff on there to fill any little voids.

Like Noah said, this is not a swap for the faint of heart. It's doable, but there really is a lot of work involved in the electrical part of it. The basic concept of how the electrical system will work when it's all hooked up is this: -All of the EA82 body wiring is left untouched so it can run the other systems in the car (lights, heater, etc.). -The EJ22 ECM and its entire engine control harness must be swapped into the car. All of the "other stuff" that's not needed to run the engine is stripped off before installation. The EJ22 harness's contstant power, run/start power, starter signal, fuel pump control, alternator connections, and any others I may have forgotten are then spliced into the EA82 wiring harness. Aside from those connections, the two harnesses are separate entities. Whatever you do, make sure you fully understand the swap before getting started. I had done a FI swap onto a carbed engine before my EJ22 swap, so I was pretty familiar with what had to happen, but I still had several issues come up that I had not expected. Good luck!

What exactly do you mean by spark plug seals? The DOHC motors have an O-ring like seal around between the valve cover and the head around the spark plug...is that what you're talking about? Your engine shouldn't have anything like that, as the spark plug hole is above the valve cover.

Keith is right on. I just did HG's on a 97 DOHC EJ25, and was confused by the torquing procedure as well (which is basically the same as what you listed). The torque is different for the inner and outer bolts, and there is no final "torque value", just turning the bolts 90 degrees in sequence then turning them 90 degrees in sequence again. At least I hope that's right, because that's what I did!

I had a similar situation in which a well-meaning friend had gotten the axle 180-degrees out of proper alignment when installing it and tried to get the roll pin through anyway. I spent three hours beating on it with various implements of destruction until I finally gave up and got out the big grinder. Using that, I ground away the better part of the DOJ housing surrounding the pin on BOTH sides...that took a while, but it was the only way to remove the pieces that were stuck in there. With the pieces of the pin actually holding the axle on out of the picture, I slipped the axle off and the remaining bits of the pin fell right out. Hope this helps.

Gotta love that EJ22! In reality though, as long as the engine is designed well (i.e. NOT a phase I EJ25), nothing "bad" happens to an engine, such as getting overheated multiple times or severely, and the coolant is changed on time, the heads and head gaskets should last that long.

According to most of the parts suppliers I deal with, the EA82T with the 4EAT came with a two-row rad from the factory. Whenever I need a radiator in an EA82, I just order one for a hypothetical 89 turbowagon with an automatic, and I get a two-row radiator.

"The single row radiator ea82 seems to be a better fit than the twin row. Of course cooling is sacrificed." If you want to make sure you've got plenty of cooling capacity, the 90-92 Legacy rad fits in the EA82 body with some modification to the radiator support. The lower mounts are the same. Depending on how it's set up, clearance between the engine and the rad might be tight...I ended up running a fan in front of the radiator since there wasn't room, but I could have move the radiator forward more by messing around with the radiator support.

Permatex makes the Ultra Grey sealant as well as anaerobic sealant. People have had good luck with either. I personally prefer the anaerobic stuff because it's never let me down...haven't really tried the ultra grey.

I put dual 750 CCA optima-knockoff (made by NAPA) blue tops in my Legacy, with way oversized cables. Most of the time, I plan to have the engine running when there's a big load, but I've got plenty of reserve capacity if the need arises. I had my alternator die a while back, and I drove around with the headlights and stereo on for the better part of two days and it didn't even crank any slower by the end of it. Here's a pic...don't mind the shoes being dried out;) .

He's not kidding...I've done three of them like that, and it was THE worst Subaru wrenching experience of my life. I had to sit there with a drill for like half an hour.

Another vote for doing something! I've done HG's on a couple of these, but never with bad coolant in the oil. In both cases, I put in fresh oil, drove the car for 10-40 miles, and changed the oil and filter. In your case, I'd at least drain everything out until you do the job. Maybe, as has been mentioned, you should go so far as to change the oil and run it for a short while, then drain the oil again in order to avoid any damage.

Very nice:headbang:.

Seal it with fast-cure 5200 marine adhesive sealant. That stuff is the bomb. It will not leak, and it will keep the wires from rubbing.

Way to go! Looks like a pretty clean EJ install. How fast is it?

I definitely agree that component lifespan is tied to the vehicle's environment. That's why manufacturers publish different maintenance schedules for different environments. You have to look at how YOUR car is getting used and then determine a maintenance schedule from there. Let's use timing belt life as an example. If you live somewhere where the temperature stays between 50 and 80 degrees, there is very little dust or precipitation, and you don't shift at 6 grand very often, your timing belts are likely going to last 100k or more. In that case, you could have a standard service interval of, say, 90k, and never be stranded. If you live in a hot or cold environment (EA82s EAT timing belts in Fairbanks during the winter), or have lots of dust, or drive through deep water and mud, your timing belts may not last past 30 or 40k. In that case, if you want to avoid being stranded, I'd carry a set of belts with you, and shorten the interval accordingly. You also have to consider exactly what would happen if a component fails. Most Subaru engines (mainly the EJ25 and EA82) are prone to major damage from overheating. Therefore, I see it as worth the time and money to replace the coolant hoses and change the coolant every couple of years. That, coupled with keeping an eye out for leaks, means that my engine is likely to never get severely overheated and is therefore probably going to last a lot longer. Of course, your environment also plays a big role in deciding what might happen in the case of a catastrophic failure. If you break down in Seattle, you might have to catch a ride from a friend or get a tow. No biggie. If you break down 60 miles outside of Tok in the middle of the night during the winter, you might not see another car for 8 hours, and at 40 or 50 below, things could get serious pretty quickly. I guess the bottom line is that you should base your maintenance schedule on how your car is used, because that determines both how long parts will last, as well as how serious it is if your car breaks down.

I haven't seen anything bigger than the stock 90-amp alternator on an EJ car, but I'm sure somebody's done it. Mine is new as of a month ago, so between that and my dual optima blue-tops, it should be able to keep up. Emphasis on should:rolleyes: . These are the same lights I ran on my 86 wagon, and they made the difference between going 20 mph and going 65 mph through the snow many times last year. The ones on the bottom are disposable...mounting them that low means less reflection in fog/snow, but I know I'll be replacing them several times. But at $15 each, that's ok. I put the Lightforce ones higher up, because at over $120 each, they're NOT disposable. The D-ring on the front is welded to the stock pull-point that pokes out from the bumper. I know that the stock point is the weak link for sure...I was more concerned about getting a place I could fit a decent tow-strap through, and there isn't anything on the stock legacy, so I put on a huge-a$$ D-ring. Next up on the list: Rear-facing floodlights and a tranny cooler:headbang: .

Got my lights mounted on the new car last night. They are sooooooooooooo bright. At least now I'll be able to see what I'm about to run into.