idosubaru

junk yards have the engine harness available - these are new enough that some yards are still holding the car. keep calling until you find one that will pull the harness for you or at least cut the plug ends off the harness in the engine bay and at the ECU. these guys have one: 303-731-7994

I just swapped a 1995 FWD transmission from an EJ22 into a 1997 Legacy that was originally equipped with an EJ25 and 4.44 gear ratio AWD automatic....and the test drive was stellar, but only a few miles. shifted fine...but i didn't hit any hills or do any freeway driving either. 1995 FWD EJ22 swapped into a 97 AWD 4.44 (originally an EJ25) Legacy sedan...not sure what the transmission came out of unfortunately but the TCU seems to operate it just fine.

they can be quite low at idle. make sure your terminal connections are in great condition, in other words clean or replace the battery terminal end links...or as you said, the entire cable. the ends are certainly cheaper and the rest of it should be in great shape - i've yet to see one deteriorated except at the battery connectors. did you replace the plastic connector at the alternator? that's probably in poor shape too. your belt isn't slipping is it? also - check your crank pulley. it has a very thin black rubber ring in the middle. the metal parts of the pulley can slip around this ring and cause the belt to not spin as fast as it should. easiest way to check it is to draw a line across the face of the pulley and check it a day or week later - if the line is broken your pulley is separating and needs replaced (or welded).

Got the car running and shifting great today, so that's good news. We'll see how it does later on, if no issues present itself then I won't bother swapping TCU's. not sure how it will perform entirely since i just drove a few miles down the street, but the 5 mile test run was golden. so yes - you can install a FWD transmission in an OBDII AWD vehicle without issues and without swapping the TCU and the car will run and shift fine.

The swap is finished, so I'll report details in case anyone else ever runs into this. I yanked the EJ25 and installed a Non-EGR EJ22 intake manifold into an EJ25 vehicle (1997 Legacy LSi). It also has no charcoal canister lines on it, but the original EJ25 did. Without the EGR and charcoal lines all under it, it's a nice and clean looking intake manifold. Engine runs fine and transmission shifts fine, we shall see what check engine codes it starts throwing. It didn't throw anything on the 5 mile run down the street. Guess it needs to reach operating temps or run for a few miles/minutes to set the CEL for not having an EGR?

Replacement items: Ignition wires - they need to be Subaru or Magnecor only for this engine. PCV valve (very easy and cheap), I would stick with Subaru on this one as well. The small filter in line with the vacuum hose from the solenoid on the passengers side strut tower to the engine. About the size of a quarter with a piece of foam wrapped around the edge - about a $7 item. Clean out the EGR valve and passages. Most other items will give you fair warning before leaving you stranded. They don't fail very often, but occasionally, so it's hard to recommend a new coil but throwing an extra in the glove compartment or spare tire compartment might satisfy some people. Other considerations: Timing belt is a 105,000 mile interval item. It's typical to replace the water pump and at the very least any seals that are wet - oil pump and cam seals/o-rings since all of that resides right behind the timing belt. Also replace any noisy timing pulleys while you're in there. The pump and seals aren't likely to cause issues any time soon, but with 105,000 miles timing intervals you won't "be in there" again for any reason until the next timing belt which is 200,000. So you're expecting your original pump and seals to make it that long, which is a bit risky. With such long timing belt intervals it's just easier to replace everything at once - and cheaper so you're not paying "timing belt labor = $500" to go back in to replace a $6 seal or $70 water pump. With the older 60,000 mile timing belts it's easier to skip and recommend replacing every 2nd or third timing belt. Keeping in mind yours is an interference engine too - if the belt breaks (due to leaking seals or failed water pump) you'll likely incur substantial engine damage. If you're doing the labor yourself and don't mind doing it again sometime down the road then you could just spring for the timing belt and necessary items now and recheck things at 50,000 miles. This is a good option to keep an eye on seals and timing pulleys. Knock sensors are rubber and crack and give you a knock sensor code. Won't cause any issue like getting stranded, but it's only one bolt you can pull it out and check it. Lot's of posts and pictures on here about that.

someone mentioned in one of my threads that switching between "sedan" and "wagon" made an annoying difference - still worked but had different shift points and wanted to hang in 3rd sometimes when it shouldn't. he speculated it was the wagon/sedan difference. you can search for my EJ TCU thread to read more about it. any 90-94 TCU should "work".

exactly, that's what i was saying: with the VIN, they look up the code and cut you a new key. since they have to look it up anyway, it's a good idea to jot it down yourself. but that doesn't always work - they told me it only works if the original sales person records the key code properly which they are supposed to do. this happened to me once and they couldn't cut it from the VIN - the other 2 or 3 times it worked fine with just the VIN.

Okay I finally finished the swap - I installed a FWD auto into an AWD 96 Legacy LSi. Runs and drives but isn't quite right. It goes, bogs down, goes, bogs down...very rhythmically and predictably. I also installed an intake with no EGR on it - could that affect anything, I know the cars will run strange with EGR issues. No CEL The AT Light blinks at start up so I know it has some code. I'll try and figure out how to check the codes - i never could pull the codes on an XT6 - hope this goes better!?

awesome, thanks guys!

1996 Legacy LSI Automatic EJ25 I pulled the engine and transmission out and can't recall if there was anything originally plugged into these plugs. My other Legacy has them both too but also doesn't have an engine in it! Plug1 - is located behind the battery and close to the windshield washer fluid tank. Plug2 - is located behind the drivers side headlight. The one behind the drivers side head light "Plug2" I believe is always open. But still curious what it is.

With some vehicle details we can help even more than that, for free! year, vehicle, mileage? what is the actual code you're getting? Advanced Auto Parts, Autozone, and other place will check your codes for free. Let us know what the code is (not what the person tells you they think it is) and we can probably tell you what you need to do to fix it. most common codes are cylinder misfire and knock sensor with EGR and O2 sensors being high on the list too. they are all very easy fixes (usually!).

like they said, a 4EAT swap is a bad solution. easier just to buy something with a 4EAT in it. there are older soobs out there that can get 30, 35 and even 40+ mpg. my buddy had a jeep getting about 12-15 mpg and i bought him a subaru last year - he's already saved $1,500 just in gas! if this is mostly for gas mileage - what kind of driving are you doing? in town, mountains, towing, short trips, letting it warm up every morning for 10 minutes, heavy foot? it might be the driving, not the car? change the trans fluid and start looking into tune up options. how many miles when was the last time these things were changed: plugs, wires, cap, rotor, PCV valve, air filter, fuel filter...to start with. getting larger wheels will help lower the RPM's for a given highway speed and give you better highway gas mileage (in general). i've done it, but your speedometer then isn't accurate so you have to be mindful that it's "10% off". but i guess with 4 lugs your availability for larger wheels/tires is small to nonexistent.

there's still a number of possibilities but there's also clutch related parts - throw out or pilot bearing. has the clutch ever been replaced and were those replaced with it? adjusting the clutch cable may help.

i don't think so. due to all the parts needed you should probably read up on the drum swap threads. it's more complicated than just "removing drums" and bolting on a rotor and caliper. more than likely he is just swapping to larger calipers, but for the disc swap you will need more than just calipers to do that swap. if he's swapping the entire rear hub assembly then you could use those.

another great tip is to key the 4 digit key code for your car. with that number any locksmith or dealer can cut a new key for you. often the dealer will give it to you if you give them the VIN - they can look it up if the original salesperson recorded it. i've done this a number of times for subaru's that i bought that didn't have keys. search the original paper work - owners manual or other included paper work. or the code is printed on the door lock cylinders, visible by removing the interior door panel.

Any recent work done on the car? Battery/alternator ever been replaced? Trunk leaks? I would check the fusible links under the hood - they are short strands of material, not like typical fuses. They'll be in a box somewhere under the hood. Physically remove and reinstall each one paying attention to whether any crumble, fall apart, or have bad connections. Aside from that I would check the integrity of the tail light cluster that keeps going out. See if it's got any bad connections, corrosion, rust around it, cracks, or leakage points. If it does - replace it. Inspect it from the outside and inside the trunk area. If there is a short the most likely candidate is something like the rear lens assembly - wires being corroded or being wet inside, etc.

I assume it's the 92 Loyale in your sig (remember, many people on here have multiple soobs). What's the mileage? In general I would not assume that high vibration in the stick means much of anything. Actually it sounds like your whining might be the alternator dying but you need to check some things. As for the alternator, have it tested. Autozone, Advanced and other places test your charging system for free. 17 sounds high but the gauges aren't that accurate. Your alternator could be causing the whining so start there since your seeing voltage fluctuations. Can you hear anything in neutral when revving the engine? This doesn't necessarily mean anything since nothing is really loaded, but i'm curious. There are other things that can cause a whining noise - like the timing pulley bearings. They are almost always noisy because they're 15-20 years old and don't have any grease left in them. It is a matter of time before they fail. I always replace them when I get one in because I've never seen anything but the originals in there. Once they get bad they'll seize and the belt will just slide over the pulley, which eventually breaks the belt. The belts can last at least 1,500 miles in the "sliding" phase though - i drove one like that once. I've seen a number of seized pulleys and a number of broken belts due to this. I agree - check your transmission oil and it should be changed if it never has been before.

i think that's a 3AT transmission - those transmissions suck...IMO. that's a decent vehicle and they can rack up the miles. actually the EA82 engine if kept from overheating and running out of oil are very reliable. but...you are more than likely going to have multiple things to address in the near future. radiator, hoses, timing belt, brakes, oil leaks, IAC, axles, and wheel bearings etc. not because they're bad cars but because time does these things. if you're wanting to replace your current vehicle due to many minor issues i don't know that this would be a good fit for you. a 17 year old car is going to have things that need addressed. i don't know your situation....can you afford to have it fixed, can you fix things yourself...etc.

yeah that's a good point - they always have fork trucks there. take a knife or unbolt the seat belts to use as a strap for the fork lift dude - they will easily support the engine/trans. you also have the option if you get hung up on anything to drop the engine from underneath too. the main hold up you'll have to dropping is rust, but you're not in the northeast so that's a good start! rusted bolts with limited tools does not equal a fun time. i'd have a torch, sawzall (or hack saw if that's all you have), and some Deep Creep/PB Blaster/Liquid Wrench handy just in case.

try one from a junk yard - find one from a wrecked vehicle - then there's little question as to why the unit is on the market. the problem is that stereo's are a bad item to buy off ebay due to the way they fail. they often have intermittent problems or problems that only show up when it's hot or really cold...etc. those are easy items to pass off on someone else by dorks feeling okay doing that sort of things. there's also a company in maryland that repairs subaru stereo's. i know nothing about them, but they charge $200-$250 last i saw to repair them. i'd be interested in talking to a place that does that - they likely know the common failure areas, can address them and may offer a warranty.

great car and that's a good price. like lost in the 202 said i'd be interested in knowing if the water pump was changed too. not because 100,000 miles is much for a water pump....but 160,000 or 200,000 (the next belt change?) is a lot for a water pump. the only immediate issues you'll see in the next couple years are probably oil leaks and clutch (depending what shape it's in now and how you drive). not major oil leaks, just seaping from seals - and those can be fixed at the next timing belt change. clutch jobs are rather expensive so be sure to check the clutch. there's not much more on the market that can give you the reliability of this car and ease of making 200,000+ miles for that cheap.

easy fix - the control arm or strut (or both) are bent. easy fix - could probably fix it for $50 or less. do NOT swap the engines, they are not interchangeable easily. besides the legacy should be easy to fix and be a fantastic vehicle for you.

will depend a lot on how the vehicle is set up and what conditions/tools you have to work with. without lifts and such i'd be tempted to drop it underneath and drag it out from under the car. but the car will have to be up off the ground high enough to do that - jack it up? and yes if you have an engine lift you can pull the engine and transmission as a lump, they'll come out if you get the angle right and it can lift high enough.

if it comes to it - just buy a used one (or two if you're worried about it), they don't fail enough to warrant $400 for a new one. you could probably get two used ones ofr $50 or less. there's a parts wanted forum - try that.