el_freddo

Are you hinting at bookface there?? That’s one of the reasons why I’m on it anymore. Cheers Bennie

Hey Tod, are you willing to post international? I know a guy that’s after a set, somewhere in Europe. Cheers Bennie

Series 1 or 2? I didn’t think there was any difference between the NA and the turbo grille. At least I’m sure this is the case in Oz. All the best with the sale. Cheers Bennie

Lastest video of a bit of fun out bush earlier this year: Need more trips! Cheers Bennie

Title of the thread updated to reflect this. Cheers Bennie

That’s what I’ve always done. No issue. GD might have something to say about my method though. I’m keen to know more about this white bristle disc use... Cheers Bennie

Cool video @Numbchux - how'd you get it to embed like that? Cheers Bennie

The difference is mainly in wiring and compression ratio. You’ll find this EJ22 is a lower compression ratio than that of your ‘96 unit. So you might expect a small drop in performance. If you snap cam belt with this EJ22 it’s happy days for the valves - this engine is the last non interference engine that Subaru produced. Cheers Bennie

You won’t get that off without machining. Block deck needs to be cleaned so there’s no old head gasket material left. I use a flat blade to do this. Once you’ve done the blade work and are satisfied that you’ve got all the gasket off, I then wipe down with a white spirit like metho. Then assemble. Cheers Bennie

"Bugger!" At least there was a positive in it! Upgrades are always good! Cheers Bennie

For all of those out there contemplating an EJ conversion, this is one of the reasons why buying a donor vehicle can be easier - especially for the first timer. But with that said, this is how I've gone about it twice now - building a conversion from parts of several cars - why? Mainly because I've been given parts from some good mates which only require me to get the main bits like the engine and some supporting pieces that are needed for all conversions. Space constraints of renting can be prohibitive to having a donor vehicle on the property too. So this is how I "bench" test my engine and cutdown loom (plus it's good fun). Loom was cut down last week and the test done this weekend gone. Everything wiring wise checks out. Engine wise I have a code 35 (purge control solenoid valve) and no knocking on start up Now it'll get some preventative maintenance such as head gaskets while it remains out of the vehicle. https://youtu.be/vBXrmIzWiZY I reckon @sparkyboy will wet his pants at this and I kind of hope a few more of you will too (and be inspired to do your own conversions!). I've since fitted a radiator and run it for a longer period of time. I'm hoping to do this again later in the week, not that I have to, but I would like to see the light for the fan trigger to come on... This will end up in my Brumby once both engine and vehicle are ready. Cheers Bennie

When I do my brumby valve clearances I have that cylinder at top dead centre. Since your headsare off the vehicle, when there is no load on the valves, this would be the best spot to do them in. Cheers Bennie

What I don’t understand about this issue (the 2009 one) is that the fans were NOT running and a new coolant temp sensor “fixed” it. If there’s an issue with the coolant temp sensor, or the circuit, the ECU runs the fans full time and the check engine light will illuminate. @1997reduxe - the best way to see the coolant temp sensor is from behind the intake manifold on the RHS of the engine. Cheers Bennie

The cam will become very easy to rotate, no friction compared to when trying to push a valve. It’s very obvious! Cheers Bennie

I should add this is for the state of Victoria. Other states differ. I believe ours used to be very strict - to/from mechanics or club events. It was very difficult to take a Sunday drive for yourself from what I understand. But that’s all changed now and for the better. Over here in all states our plates don’t change. We used to have windscreen stickers but now we just pay our rego and it’s done. Police can check rego on their systems now rather than relying on the sticker - but it’s easy to miss your rego payment. Club rego is good because regular use rego is over $700 per vehicle annually. Club rego I think is about $70 a year! But your vehicle has to be a minimum of 25 years old. Dad argues with me all the time that my subi’s aren’t a true classic... Anyway, I can’t wait to get my subi on club rego. My other ones need to be engineered to transfer to club rego. Cheers Bennie

I should add that NA clutches are interchangeable with each other. Turbo ones are not interchangeable. If you want the NA push clutch, you must also swap to the NA gearbox as the clutch pivot point is completely different. Cheers Bennie

Over here we have to be a member of an approved car club, and keep a log book of days driven. You can get a 45 or 90 day registration. After 90 days you can’t drive the vehicle any more. And if you crash without the log book filled in for that day your vehicle is effectively not registered - and thus, you’re not covered by the compulsory road authority insurance. I’m hoping to get my first car registered on these club plates later this year. Just need some shed time! Cheers Bennie

Good effort Nico! Will all the glass be removed before the respray? And any spray work happening under the vehicle? Mid love to do the same to my L series but time, money and space are at a premium these days ;( Keep up the good work! Cheers Bennie

Cabin fan turned on? If not then try that. Otherwise it could be a wiring issue behind the dashboard or an issue with the relays (RHS strut tower). Or as Naru2 said - not gassed enough. Cheers Bennie

No, definitely without AC. @carfreak85 - The turbo one won’t fit as that is based on the EA82 setup. The EA81 doesn’t have the ability to bolt anything to the water pump pulley. I’m starting to think this fan was an Australian only thing - but I find that hard to believe. ^ This is what I’m talking about. Mover here, if you’ve got AC fitted this fan is removed for a second electric fan that’s run by the AC wiring loom. Here’s a pic of the stock electric fan with the AC (top unit): If you can’t find a mechanical fan, I’d be using all of that available space for a larger thermo fan or two smaller units. I’ve got 2x 12 inch on my L series from memory - these cool the EJ just fine, so cooling the little EA81 would be a breeze. Cheers Bennie

Clutch/flywheel/forks - all interchangeable. I’ve got an EJ22 (4 bolt) bolted to an SG (8 bolt) cased L series dual range AWD locking centre diff gearbox with a Gen1 flywheel, pressure plate and cable clutch fork - in an L series Gearboxes, externally, the phase two boxes all look the same, but internally they have different gear ratios, diff ratio and speed sensor drive gear. Same goes for the phase1 gearboxes but externally they’re different to the phase two box. Internals are not interchangeable due to a change in the reverse gear setup/size. If a legacy box was put into the forester and the rear diff wasn’t swapped to the matching diff ratio you could have other issues with the gearbox. Keep us posted Cheers Bennie

That’s blasphemy!! And having the hawk grille of the hawk eye is where the “good” looks stop there for the original model. The updated facelift is the one to have if you’re going for the tribeca in my opinion - or get something else. Cheers Bennie

I really really don’t think you’ve done this in an EA81 platform either - unless the US versions got the hill holder function. Over here we did not. The EJ251/EJ253 will fit. A mate of mine did one years ago and it passed engineering easily. And it was stupid quick! The EJ25D and any other dual cam variant does not fit without frame/chassis rail mods for a clean install. The SOHC with the valve thingy black-magic stuff could be a different kettle of fish, but I don’t know for sure as I’ve never done or seen one of those in the EA81 engine bay... Cheers Bennie

@sparkyboy - you’re correct. I originally had the EA82 AWD gearbox internals in the front cases of the liberty/legacy gearbox. And I got to keep my low range I’ve now got a real “hybrid box” - SG Foz gearset and front cases, L series AWD centre diff and its matching rear housing, L series 1.59:1 low range and 4.111:1 diff ratio. Goes very well both on and offroad! @Giles, with your time on Ausubaru back in the day I’m surprised you don’t know about this conversion! The best in the L series. @sparkyboy (again) - you guys got the impreza in ‘88?? We didn’t get the impreza until ‘93 I think. The Gen1 Liberty/Legacy series1 came out in ‘89 over here! Ruby Scoo is an ‘88 model... with an EJ since 2009 from memory - it’s still going strong! Cheers Bennie

Who fits the wheel bearings? Are they lubing the bearing properly by packing the bearing with grease? If they’re fitting them with only the packaging grease, they probably won’t last long. How are the seals holding up? Are they also lubed with some rubber grease to avoid “burning” the oil seal out? Bearings wear out for many reasons - how do you use the vehicle? I was regularly replacing my rear bearings due to water crossings when regularly off-roading. Bog holes could do the same too if you played around in the mud long enough. What sort of signs of wear do you have to indicate the bearing is dead and what do they look like when they come out? As others have said, proper torque is key. And you have to retain the bearing spacer between the bearings on the front end. Cheers Bennie