el_freddo

Never heard that term before. Always a grease nipple over here. We love nipples Cheers Bennie

I’ve read up on knurling pistons but that’s way outside my skill set and tools available to me! Great idea though! Cheers Bennie

Al - get the SF forestry box and shove that in. 1.447:1 low range from factory, and 26 inch tyres from factory. All your ratios will be pulled back to where they should be and you’ll be loving life again! As for the gearbox: - phase 1 EJ box fits inside the L series casing - but it must be dual range to dual range and single range to single range swap. The AWD centre diff housing will bolt on the back of the L series EA front cases. - if you find the L series AWD locking centre diff gearbox (XT4/XT6/RXII coupes/GT wagons) you can swap in EJ diff ratios with a cut and shut on the pinion shaft. You can also fit the L series 1.59:1 low range - if going with the above: the 1.59:1 low range will clear the 4.111:1 and 4.44:1 diff ring gear once it’s shaved down appropriately. @Al Zhiemer - if going the foz box (phase two would be better as it’s stronger) you can fit the L series 1.59:1 low range with a few mods and the shaving of the ring gear. See here: https://ausubaru.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=13511 You will also be able to run the EJ clutch setup etc. makes it very easy for parts. You could even put the 4.44 diff ratio in if you wanted too. But as you say, sourcing one isn’t easy! ISSUES: - EJ dual range boxes don’t exist in the US like they do in oz. - L series AWD boxes aren’t easy to find either! @rallybru310 - 27 is probably the best tyre option to avoid body bashing to make tyres fit. Also make/get the strut lift built with the camber adjustment built into it. This will straighten up the eye and reduce that positive camber which typically becomes exaggerated with a poorly made lift kit. In my L series I’m running an EJ22 with SG phase 2 front cases and drive gears, 1.59:1 L series low range, custom 4.111:1 diff ratio (pinion shaft is the custom bit for ->), L series locking centre AWD diff, oil “feeders” over the low range gears for cooling and it’s about to cop a rear torq locker. It’s running 27 inch tyres and a 3 inch lift kit. I’m also using factory EJ solid flywheel and clutch setup. It’s got factory engine management that’s more than I need. Apart from some machining for the low range hub, an interference bush on the input shaft, shaving of the crown wheel and the custom work on the pinion shaft it’s essentially all DIY’d. A series 1 L series PT4wd box with 3.9 diff ratios could be a good way to go too. The series 2 L series PT4wd box over here are all 3.7 diff ratio. Cheers Bennie

Take them back and demand a refund. The bearings should be an interference fit fit and need quite a bit of persuasion to get them in. The inner CV falling apart doesn’t make sense why it’s happening. Cheers Bennie

Late reply, but generally any factory dump pipe will work. Build your exhaust from the end of that. Cheers Bennie

Maybe you’ll be the first for a remote mount electric oil pump? Cheers Bennie

You will need to have your tailshaft machined to fit the replaceable uni joints. I’ve not done this work, only heard about others doing it. I don’t know if the machining is to get rid of the stakes that hold the factory uni’s in or if it includes machining a flat spot for the C clips to sit on properly. I might get around to doing this one day... Cheers Bennie

^ Post two by GD. He suggests leaving vertical scoring as its typical for an older engine - any bore work will result in oil burning. ^ Read the whole thread! Very informative about engine work. I’ll leave it off here for now. Cheers Bennie

A mate called “Subarino” in Perth, WA has one of less than a hand full of Hatches in Oz, he’s running an EJ22 with the SC14 supercharger on 5 or 6 pounds. It went well before he sold it. Then he bought it back in rough condition and it’s been parked up in his shed for a resto between everything else he does. For him, body parts are the problem to repair rust... All that aside, the supercharger went very well on the EJ22! Cheers Bennie

Put your money into an EJ22 conversion. By the time you buy a Weber, fit it and an exhaust, you’re the best part in on an EJ22 conversion. Cheers Bennie

Engine pulled from a parts yard (DIY yard). Re-ring being done as a matter of course to know the engine is in good condition. I’ve already run it on the ground and there’s no knocks or piston slapping etc. I know many may flog this idea, but I’m going to see how long it lasts as a “NA-t” or high compression turbo build with low boost. I won’t be putting custom pistons in - that drives the cost up too far and kind of defeats the purpose of this exercise. @idosubaru - I’ll do some research on GD’s posts and drop links in here. The bores will not be touched as per what I’ve read from GD’s recommendations. Cheers all! Bennie

Thanks @nvu! I hadn’t thought about removing the sump to manipulate the conrod! It’s been well over a decade since my last full Subaru engine rebuild (EA82 - that was a mistake!). The sump needs to come off anyway so I’ll line this up at the same time as putting the pistons back in. Cheers Bennie

There’s a low range gear before the drive gears (1st to 5th) - it’s opposite to traditional 4wd gearbox setups and is done like this mainly for tidy packaging. Your current low range ratio is 1.19:1 (19% reduction). The L series has a 1.59:1 low range (60% reduction) - the best one subaru ever made. With some manipulation of the hub in the middle of the whole thing and an interference bush on the input shaft (bearing size difference), the L series low range will drop in place of your legacy low range. Do some searching on it. There’s a good thread on Ausubaru.com.au but the pics are blurred thanks to photophucket. https://ausubaru.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=13511 Hopefully that explains what needs to be done. Gearboxes aren’t as scary as ppl make them out to be. Cheers Bennie

“Looking” @GeneralDisorder for this: I’m wanting to do this to the EJ22 I pulled down recently. I’ve got some questions since it’s my first time diving into this (not the first time having an engine striped down this far). 1) minor scuff marks or scoring on the piston skirts are ok to just “throw back in” or should I gently sandpaper the effected area? 2) the odd line in the bore is ok? 3) best method to sort the ring end gap? 4) best method to get the gudgeon pins/wrist pins back in? I see issues with lining up the con rod to make it all “just go back in” 5) anything else I should know about doing this? 6) any bedding in procedure that should be followed? Any tips or advice is very welcomed and appreciated! I find myself a bit nervous about this because a) I’ve not done this before and b) if it doesn’t work I’ve just blown some decent money on a very big learning curve! This engine will go into my brumby once the work is done Cheers Bennie

Needs bigger! Serious note: I’m not good on tyre size readings but going an inch taller won’t really be noticeable or have any real benefits. I do know what you need to ensure is that the tyre clears the spring perch/seat on the strut when going larger. Cheers Bennie

Reading over this thread and with little auto experience, my question for you @CityLights: where did the replacement trans come from? I’m wondering if it’s from a crashed car or a parts car. And are speed sensors not like manual gearboxes where you can remove them from the side of the box and swap them around etc? Cheers Bennie

Does the engine oil smell like fuel? You could have a leaking injector. If your engine oil doesn’t smell like fuel then learn to let the fuel line pressurise before rolling into the start position with with key. Treat it like a diesel where you have to wait for the glow plugs to warm up when it hasn’t been driven for an hr or longer. Cheers Bennie

Factory bash plate typically protects the sump, the exhaust is still exposed. Custom is the way to go there. Even a bent up street sign is generally better than nothing. Just don’t get caught with the street sign! Cheers Bennie

Welcome STPC! That’s a clean looking liberty/legacy you have there. A mild lift and maybe a low range swap would be two very worth while mods to do. The low range swap isn’t for the faint hearted as it involves opening up the gearbox - and sourcing a non turbo dual range gearbox from an L series for 1.59:1 low range. Much better than the standard 1.19:1 in your wagon. Good cars though! Look after it and it’ll look after you! Cheers Bennie

Welcome to the forum Bryan! Loads of help here if you need it! Enjoy the highs and lows of self vehicle maintenance! Cheers Bennie

Check your timing belts to make sure they’re still both in one piece. If you’re not getting spark you won’t get fuel. Also check your fuses and fusible links Cheers Bennie

Makes sense @Rafavidmess - you will find that it won’t work though. I’m very happy to be proven wrong though. This method didn’t work on my L series - I had to source the 4wd rear disc setup from a turbo L series to get rear discs. Cheers Bennie

I found a factory unit on a Gen1 - this should crossover to the Gen2 without issue. Back in the day ppl used to modify the L series bash plate to fit the liberty/legacy models. Cheers Bennie

Pull the reservoir, remove pump, half fill with course sand, shake vigorously until the tank is clean of any scale. Flush out sand ensuring there’s no remaining particles in there. Check pump to make sure it’s not clogged. Replace, test. Cheers Bennie

Cut out the access hole that the harness passes through from the donor vehicle. Use this piece on the MY to help seal the hole - weld the plate into place where you want it. From memory it’s very tight as to where you can pull the harness through from the interior to under the front guard. Cheers Bennie