Snowman

Huh? Isn't this going into a 92 Loyale? The "desirable" SOHC EJ22 with the pre-OBDII computer was produced through 94.

Have you changed the belt? If the alternator is cranking out some major amps, it takes a lot of power to turn it, and a faulty belt may begin to slip and make noise.

You are correct. The idler doesn't go bad as often as the tensioners, but it should always be checked when doing a belt change, which is often overlooked.

The camshaft seal has probably blown out or is severely damaged. Could also be crank seal or one of the oil pump seals. I would fix it ASAP, as oil is probably getting on the timing belts, and that may cause them to fall apart and break.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Oh man that sucks! Time for an EJ22T swap...

Did you get a new OEM valve, or aftermarket? My experience is that the aftermarket ones are crap and will cause oil burning.

You may also be able to get a seal thats shallower or deeper, but otherwise identical. If you've got a good parts person, they can find one.

Detonation can also be caused by excessive carbon building up the combustion chambers.

Are you positive it wasn't just a really bad lifter clack? You might be able to narrow down the noise a bit more...did it change with engine temperature? How about under load? Normally a rod knock will sound different when under load than not, and it often sounds worse once the engine warms up and the oil thins out. It really wouldn't hurt anything to remove the pistons and split the block. If you're already this far, it won't take much more to go the rest of the way, and then you can be sure that everything is fine. If all the bearings look brand new, you could even reuse them. It depends on what you want out of this engine. If you need it to run for another 100k, then I'd tear it apart and replace everything. If it's just a fun project and you can be pretty sure that everything inside the block is fine, then you could just run it.

Okay, I'm done vomitting now! The 1949 Desoto Woody I mess with at work: very, very cool Subaru woody: not cool

The wiring should not be any more difficult than an EJ22 n/a swap. You will probably have to fab some exhaust pieces and stuff. You'll have to check and see if the turbo cars ran higher fuel pressure...an SPFI pump is sufficient for the n/a EJ22, but if the EJ22T needs more pressure, you'll have to grab a pump from an EA82T. Also, if you were running an EJ22T, I doubt you could get away with running the stock EA82 radiator. At minimum, I would run a 2-row EA82T rad, but I would recommend an EJ radiator like I got for my EJ22 swap, which has way more cooling capacity.

The 98 only came with interference engines to my knowledge. The EJ25 has always been one, and if they offered the EJ22 in that car, it's interference after 96.

And if the light wiring arced....

Brake lines usually aren't too bad to replace, unless the fittings are really rusted, in which case some good penetrating oil helps. Not sure about prebent lines, but I kind of doubt it. Maybe from the dealer? It could also be something else leaking, like a caliper or the hillholder valve (I hear that's common on these cars).

I think it's probably the coolant temp sensor.

Thanks for the awesome link. Thank you to everybody else too.

Somebody on the board has one. I can't remember if it's Moosens or Skip, but I think it's one of those two guys.

I've never had to replace the reeds, so I have no clue what they cost. You may be able to get some from a junkyard for a couple bucks (or just pocket them and leave).

Very possible. The SPFI engine doesn't have a knock sensor like the other injected soobs. It also may have had excessive carbon buildup or the timing was advanced too far.

Do I count?:-p

Austin told me a simple method for determining this: If the spark plugs are oriented at an angle to the heads, it is non-interference. If the plugs come straight out from the top of the head, it is interference.

I would advise against milling because it changes the cam timing (I believe retarding it), and if you removed enough material to give a noticable increase in compression, the timing change would negate any power gain. If your car is carbureted, you can put in pistons from an SPFI engine to raise the compression ratio from 9:1 to 9.5:1.

Andyjo, you could try bolting some lights to the bottom of your roof rack so they're not in the way of stuff.

The thermostat may very well be stuck open, or it could be a colder thermostat than the car is designed for. Are you getting much heat out of the defrost?