idosubaru

i assume you're talking about paying someone to do it, which would definitely be a terrible financial move! if you do it yourself you can make money. EJ25's are worth quite a bit. EJ18's and EJ22's are a dime a dozen. i did the swap and i got a 100,000 miles EJ18 with 3 month warranty for $150. not hard to sell an EJ25 for $1,000.

awesome - new headgaskets! AH!!!! you need to remind people of the years of the stuff you're working with. there are significant changes through they years and when doing a swap it's not enough to say "EJ22" or "EJ25". as long as SOHC and DOHC EJ25 intake manifolds are interchangeable that's good (and i think they are). the bellhousing changed around 1999 - so you'll be putting a 4 bolt to an 8 bolt i believe. but that can be worked around if that's the case. most significantly because this is a 2000 you're going to have "special considerations" that don't apply to earlier EJ22's...hence my remark about verifying what you're doing earlier. i think you'll need to retain the EJ22 cam pulleys, or at least the one with the sensor triggers on it. normally you'd swap all the pulleys over if it was SOHC to SOHC...but being DOHC i'm not sure.

probably not worth it to you. i can post back my mpg once mine is finished, right now it's only mid 20's...even after converting it to FWD trans too! i still have to swap the ECU, get new O2 sensors (picked up today), fix noisy brakes, remove the rear 4WD driveline stuff, and fix a noisey rear wheel bearing. are you looking for easy or some work is okay... i mean any engine swap is a big job but wiring and experimenting may be needed for your 1999. if it was a 1998 it would be much simpler, you might want to double check...do you have the SOCH or DOHC engine (should be SOHC). you can tell by looking at the front of the engine, or just post a picture for us. if it is SOHC (which it should be), it's going to either have to be a phase II EJ22 (which can be hard to find for a good price) or you'll have to be doing some intake/wiring harness swapping playing around with not much information to go on. pushing a forester with an AWD auto trans might not make it a stellar ride. do you have many mountains to drive? mine does okay but i don't know how the extra size/weight and worse aero of the forester would treat it. any chance of getting a manual trans, they do much better for gas mileage?

that's what i was thinking. i meant to ask if it was a 3.9, since none of the EJ's are 3.7 and the EA 3.9's are nearly extinct.

enjoy!

so i'm hosed on 1995+ 4EAT codes? dealer only here? this is a 1995 TCU so i'll need those procedures.

what kind of VLSD was in a hatch - is that a retrofitted legacy EJ rear diff? wouldn't the clutch type do better?

i have little to offer about how the TCU performs what it does and how it controls things. the 4EAT performs okay without even having the TCU plugged in. i've been driving for quite a while with some lengthy road trips thrown in there as well without even having a TCU on my 4EAT. i tossed in a duty C switch so i can control DC and 4WD. so i'm sure you could start small and work your way up just fine by controlling shifting, then lock up, then overrunning. if you wanted a controls type EE project wouldn't the engine be more fun and useful? you could actually have some gains there in performance, gas mileage, and you could keep it since you're plans are to ditch the 4EAT anyway. then you could build one and sell it to me too!

so is this a good item to replace as preventative maintenance or not? i'm replacing my front O2's on my legacy and impreza but i'll hold off on the rears if it doesn't do anything to fuel consumption.

O2 sensors - probably needs replaced, it's probably the front one and best to get this part from Subaru. i posted part numbers of the 1996 legacy EJ25 O2 sensors today if you want to look them up. $101 from subaru. you can get them much cheaper online or from parts stores but the consensus seems to be that Subaru is best on this part. if you have questions about that then search and read all the debates/discussions about it, it's been hashed out multiple times in the past. these items should all be addressed - this EJ25 is an interference engine and you'll want to make sure the timing belt is in good condition or replace it. at this age i'd replace the timing belt and water pump and the leaking seals. all the seals previously mentioned lie behind the timing belt, so best to do it all at one time. as for the oil spot - find out what it is first and it should be obvious where it's coming from. cam seals, cam orings and crank or oil pump seals are the usual culprits if it's up front. if it's loosing fluid then something has to be decreasing in quantity and showing marks. sounds like one of the seals i mentioned, probably a cam seal/oring.

through my searches for O2 sensor info i've seen a number of comments about how the rear O2 isn't as important and the front affects gas mileage more, don't replace the rear unless you get a code...etc. why is that? what does the rear do?

check all your signs and see what fluids you're loosing - should be oil or coolant. could just be from sitting. how old is the gas - a year or more?

good job JCE!!! I checked with the local dealer and sure enough the connectors are different. so for most simple EJ swaps you want to match the O2 to the vehicle - not the ECU. good to know - nice job JCE. Subaru shows different part numbers for 95 EJ22 and 96 EJ25 front O2 sensors. the 1995 Legacy EJ22 - 22690AA220 the 1996 Legacy EJ25 - 22690AA290 Auto parts stores show the same universal part number for both years.

no i haven't checked the codes - i've never had luck getting the codes to come out. actually i've never seen the procedure for doing it on an EJ vehicle, but never got it to work on the first generation of 4EAT's in the EA/ER stuff. if there's a way i'll do it. i'm just assuming it's because of the FWD trans...but it's "looking" for an AWD. i'll try and pull the codes to be sure.

i don't think they were recalled, but they did extend the HG warranty to 100,000 on some vehicles. either way, good to check if they were ever replaced or not. i've bought two Legacy's that had already had the head gaskets replaced on their EJ25's. if your experience is anything like mine, the newer EJ transmissions are lame compared to the older gen stuff (if your GL is a manual trans and has 4WD). the older gen with locking center diffs and rear clutch type LSD are much better trail riders, in the mud, snow and stuff like that than the newer stuff. but like me you'll have more than one soob and i assume you won't need your 2000 Legacy for that! good luck, hope you like it!

be sure to join us on the XT6 forum if you have more interest: http://subaruxt.com/forum/ $1,200 is reasonable if it runs and drives and doesn't need something major - like an engine, transmission, headgaskets or clutch. as with any car that's 20 years old you have to expect lots of things are in need of maintenance. every little hose is 20 years old and probably dry rotted or marred by rusted hose clamps. so i'm not going to talk about how many 20 year old maintenance items there are on every car...that's just general information. i will mention the cooling system based on the costs of the radiator, which is a reason some people sell. locally you can't get an XT6 radiator for under $500 probably. the cooling systems are usually in dire need of attention...radiators (subaru only $300), hoses, and water pumps are sometimes still original. not good and a sub-par cooling system means engine running hot....20 year old seals and gaskets don't last long when they start overheating. so make sure you check for signs of cooling issues and the condition of the radiator. power steering system is a goofball on the XT6 - it's an electric pump. it *requires* special fluid that's very rare and expensive ($20-$40 a quart). not much of it left in the world either, i ended up buying like 5 quarts when there were only 20 or so left in the US i think. but there has been some success in just converting to ATF...although that's not recommended either. but in general the power steering system is very reliable - if it doesn't work it's usually just that the motor needs new brushes which are less than $20. if it's an AWD - it will have air suspension, not conventional spring struts. this is also another common reason people sell them. the air suspension can be a real flake. they are very hard to diagnose and parts are $$$$$. air struts are $300+ each and i think that's the discount subaru prices. they are actually very reliable but once they have issues can be a bear. but the good news is that they are completely swappable to coil over suspension parts and all that information is over on the XT forums. that's really the best way to go unless you have some strange reason for keeping the air suspension...i like to keep mine.

very similar info to what i just posted for JCE. your 95, because it's a manual, will not have an EGR system on it (SWEET!!!!). the 94 engine should have an EGR port in the rear of the drivers side head where the EGR pipe would normally thread into. so yes you can use the 1994 - you'll just need to buy a plug at the hardware store (take the old EGR pipe with you to get the right threads). put sealant on the threads and install it in the 1994 EGR pipe hole. i just did this, but can't recall what size the plug was. can't believe i didn't post that...maybe i did? the only minor issues you *could* have...but i don't even think you will. are the 94 may not have knock sensor (but i think it does - i think it's just the EJ18's that don't have them). even still, the hole and threads are there...so you just bolt your 95 knock sensor right into it. and the exhaust headers...i'm forgetting if 94 and earlier EJ22's are single or dual port exhaust. i think it's dual...but if it is single, that's not big deal since the single and dual port exhausts are entirely interchangeable - just match the engine.

sorry - i never saw this thread until it got bumped today. no, that's not what i was referring too (i was talking about EJ22-EJ25 swaps). you're talking about an EJ22 only swap. the 94 and 95 EJ22 blocks should be entirely interchangeable. for this EJ22 swap - keep the intake manifold with the car and just swap long blocks underneath. the intake manifolds will bolt right up to either one. if your 1995 is a manual trans it won't have an EGR valve, but the 94 will. so your 1994 EJ22 will have a hole in the head for the EGR pipe. not a big deal, just buy a plug for it. i found one at the hardware store, put sealant on the threads and installed. but if your 1995 is an auto it will have EGR anyway and you can use it. some early EJ's (like EJ18) don't have a knock sensor, but the boss, hole and even the threads are there for it. so if the 94 doesn't have a knock sensor, just pull the one off your EJ25 and bolt it on. your 1995 will have dual port exhaust headers, make sure the 94 does as well. i bet it does since the EJ18's i think all have dual ports. if the 94 ended up being a single port exhaust, no problem just get a single port exhaust header. they are entirely swappable and bolt right up to your existing exhaust.

i just finished up swapping an EJ18 into an EJ25 Legacy. i've got 2,000 miles on it. can't say much about gas mileage, it drives great but still have a few issues to work out. automatic or manual trans forester? AWD, automatic, roof rack, boxy car...are you driving mountains too. probably more effort than it's worth to slap an EJ18 in it. the main issue you may have is that your forester is probably a SOHC Phase II EJ25. if that's the case it's probably not worth considering because there's a number of work arounds and issues to deal with. but you could swap a Phase II EJ22 in it's place fairly easily. don't know that you'd gain much there, probably not enough to justify the swap. don't know that EJ engines really differ much in gas mileage. gas mileage seems much more dependent on transmission and weight/aerodynamics. the early impreza's do well (okay aero and the lightest EJ vehicle).

yes that will be noticeable under the center timing cover.

subaru transmissions are complete assemblies, there's really no replacing *just* the front diff or transfer case. any of that stuff requires pulling the trans apart and going through it. personally i'd source another transmission. by the time you pull it apart and then need to find internal trans parts you're probably looking at not much cost difference but lots more work rebuilding. maybe someone knows a simple suggestion?

96 also has a bracket above the timing belt at the crank that was installed just for delivery purposes...which means it could be removed to, but if you have it that's a 1996 only deal.

how does the ECU or TCU determine if the vehicle is FWD or AWD? the wiring diagrams/FSM's don't seem to shed light on this. i swapped a FWD trans and TCU into a 1996 AWD Legacy EJ25 and it runs great. i believe it still "thinks" it's an AWD as the trans light does the blink on start up thing. wiring diagram doesn't really show much of anything here. Duty C wiring and FWD switch...both of which aren't working so it shouldn't "see" those anyway. i see the ECU and TCU are talking through some wiring but the FSM doesn't say what those wires are for. i can live with the blinking since there are no issues...but if there's a simple identifier pin that i can deal with to make it all right that would be nice.

sweet - that is a turbo exhaust. don't know what that means about the engine.

the 2002's still have head gasket issues, but you won't see it as bubbles in the tank (or it's very, very unlikely). they are different since the engine was changed in 99/00 (depending on model), to the Phase II EJ25. these have an external head gasket leak, come with an extended 100,000 mile warranty by Subaru (only certain ones are covered) and Subaru puts in their special additive with every coolant change to mitigate this as well. the Phase II head gasket issues are much nicer than the earlier models. no worries about getting stranded or whatever. the earlier EJ25's can essentially be un-drivable at any given time, they can overheat instantly and there's nothing you can do about it. the phase II's, like this 2002 will only seap externally. as long as you don't let it run low on coolant it won't even overheat, just keep adding coolant and you can actually drive them for a very long time like that.