el_freddo

That thing really IS mint! EJ swap it with a manual gearbox and keep it! Cheers Bennie

The EJ22 will be just fine. You’ll break things if you’re being stupid in it. The EJ253 will be fine too - if you take it easy. Spinning wheels generally isn’t an issue, it’s when you go to doing them and they have more traction that you first thought. Of course constant purposeful wheel spinning (as opposed to breaking traction once rolling or when in the wet) will end up killing the gearbox. You WILL want AWD with the EJ253! Front LSD can be fitted with the 1.59:1. Some shaving of the LSD housing may be needed. I have an OBX in the front diff of my L - I run factory MPFI/turbo L series driveshafts to mate to the EJ style 25 spline diff stubs. Works a treat. As mentioned, the wiring cut down for the EJ253 will be the issue if it has the immobiliser or CANBUS. I’m sure the immobiliser can be worked around. A mate just put a 2001 EJ251 into his EA81 hatch, drops in as its SOHC and it goes mint from what he tells me. Cheers Bennie

True, thanks for point that out to me. I was adding to your comment as to why this may be: Cheers Bennie

The EJ18 would be even more bullet proof than the EJ22 - same bottom end, different bore diameter essentially, less power. Cheers Bennie

Ease of finding parts. Slightly more sophisticated engine management with the use of the knock sensor. EJ22’s are very common compared to the EJ18. Over here it’s much easier to find an EJ22 compared to an EJ18! Cheers Bennie

This will now mean your subaru can be hotwired and off it goes. To do it properly, if it’s possible in the first place, is to tap and mess with the security wiring to the ECU and possibly other components so the security is effectively bypassed by the remote start - and is the only thing that can bypass it. Chances of being stolen via hotwiring? Pretty low. Thieves will steal your car keys to steal your car these days. Security in the vehicle is a zero issue with this method. Cheers Bennie

Ditched it and made up a smaller bottle of about 1L capacity from a juice bottle that fitted the pump in the neck of the bottle. Retained factory filler neck and plumbed into bottom of the bottle. Then cable tied upside down into place. Works well. Cheers Bennie

That’s stock ride height. If the 2wd struts were fitted it would sit like it was a door slammer drag car... Plush suspension ride, it’s an EA82 running on a platform that is very similar to a VW beetle, it is far from luxurious! Nice looking L too. Very similar to mine before the mods began! If GD finds this thread, expect a harsh reality check the way he sees it - “dead platform, many nla parts, get a Chevy truck etc etc”. Maybe you guys in the US need to look further afield for aftermarket replacement parts as we seem to not have any issues with that over here - and I hope I haven’t just jinxed our parts supplies in saying that! Cheers Bennie

GD will tell you what’s worth your coin and what’s not. Personally, anything with canbus is not worth buying - my opinion is you’re buying a ticking time bomb that may not be resolved with anything other than scrapping it and getting a new car ;( And hang in there guys. These are very different times and everyone’s mental health will be taking a dive more than a normal year. And we haven’t found our “covid normal” yet. Time will tell whether it’s like a zombie apocalypse that lingers around picking ppl off randomly or if it fades into another regular flu like the Spanish influenza 100 years ago. Kudos to those looking after their aging parents. 102yo ey @brus brother!! I don’t think I could handle that with my mum, she’s about to hit 70 next year. Good thing is a celebratory cruise ship venture is off the cards for us (we didn’t want to go anyway). Mask up, stay safe and keep calm hand hygiene is paramount in these times too. I think I’ve met all the hand sanitiser I’ve ever used in my life before this year over the last six to nine months! Should’ve got shares in these companies last year... hindsight is a bitch. All the best with future employment opportunities for those out of work, hang in there because this shall pass. Cheers Bennie

That’s how my first conversion started. Got an EJ20 for $100, then ended up getting an EJ22 engine, loom and ECU. Haven’t looked back. That EJ20 is now going towards another project. Cheers Bennie

Rotor pin has nothing to do with cam timing as it can be pulled out and incorrectly installed - throwing a red herring into the mix. Cheers Bennie

Look for rust. Typical places: - windscreen surround/corners - under rear fixed side windows, followed by the wheel arches - rocker/sill panels - body work behind the front guards in the section behind front wheels - good place to trap dirt, road grime and moisture - generally under the vehicle, especially if in salt country - at which stage this will rust out super quick anyway if not treated properly. Engine will leak oil like a sieve unless pulled apart, cleaned, cleaned and cleaned before reassembly. If the EA82 blows a head gasket, replace it with an EJ22. You will thank me later Hoard parts! Cheers Bennie

EJ22 engine management is the go. It’ll give you the option of upgrading the block later down the track. You will probably have to fit a cam angle sensor as I don’t think the EJ18 uses one - another reason to avoid this setup. Cheers Bennie

Not necessarily. If they just set and forget there could be many underlying issues that come into play once you drive off and things start moving as the suspension does its thing. Cheers Bennie

Doing a factory efi EJ22 install is much easier than fabricating parts for dizzy and Weber in my book. Cheers Bennie

It doesn’t matter which cam is at 12 and 6 o’clock, so long as both aren’t at the same and the crank lines up each revolution. Cheers Bennie

@89Ru - the centre diff will make the clunk noise in either direction and no noise in a straight line. It sounds like a dull knocking sound that’s speed and load related. I don’t recall any skipping or real binding sensations when a gearbox I put in my sister’s Gen3 had a shot centre diff. Good to see it was only a drive shaft though! Easy fix if not frustrating at the least. All the best! Cheers Bennie

Are you sure it’s not a centre diff clunk noise when turning? Cheers Bennie

Looks good mate! I hope mine is that good one day!! Cheers Bennie

It can and has been done many times before - the wrx engine into an L series. Not for the those who don’t know their way around an engine bay or how to read a diagram - unless you’re paying someone to do it, at which point get a good wrx with a dud engine and swap engines. There are loads of threads on the net about these sorts of conversions. Have a read of those and go from there. Cheers Bennie

PS - that unit in the side of the radiator is only a temperature switch. It’ll do diddly squat for your gauge reading until it “turns on”, then your gauge will go sky high. Cheers Bennie

EA temp sender unit is in the intake manifold just under the thermostat. Two things you can do: 1) fit the EA temp sender unit to the EJ coolant crossover pipe - might need to have a plate welded on to allow appropriate thickness to seal properly. 2) plumb into the heater hoses (the one coming from the coolant crossover pipe) in a metal T piece that’s got a wire to an earth point. Both are effective. T piece is easier when it comes to engine swaps etc. or you can fit a mechanical/electric aftermarket gauge for ultimate definitive temp reading. Same trick with the T piece. Mechanical doesn’t need an earth wire. Your shroud looks good. I presume the fans fit around everything on the front of the EJ? Cheers Bennie

Welcome to the forum @Wilco88 Looks like you’ve covered all bases with getting this question out there! What idosubaru said Cheers Bennie

Go OEM. Might cost a bit more but it’s cheaper than another HG job in the next year or two. In saying that I have no experience with those aftermarket gaskets. Cheers Bennie

Stop confusing things @Ionstorm66!! If you follow the procedure properly you can’t stuff it up. Line up the cam timing marks on the flywheel, pistons are mid cylinder. So it doesn’t matter as long as the dizzy cam wheel is aligned with its mark when the belt is put on. What DOES REALLY MATTER is the one crank rotation between fitting the second belt. Without this rotation the engine will only ever run on one bank or the other when messing with the dizzy position (rotating 180 degrees). Correct. The 2:1 confusion is from crank rotations. ^this!!* Pfft, more of an option mention than a plug! As @idosubaru said about the EJs - early ‘90s. The real trick is looking at the cam followers/rocker arms. If they’re HLA, non interference. If they’re solid with adjusters, they’re interference. Only time you’ll snap an EJ belt through poor maintenance with an idler bearing seizing. Or copping a stick through the cam cover, I almost did that job once! Cheers Bennie *unless the question is “should I just EJ this?”