GeneralDisorder

If you are using an EJ engine then you should just go to the EJ transmission as well. Dual-range is unimportant with the EJ turbo's power.... and the RX low is worthless. GD

Probably the rockers, etc. You should do a valve adjustment anyway and after steam cleaning they will be left with little lube so you should apply assembly lube to the rockers, cams, etc. GD

Correct - only in the 22B. GD

There is a PCV filter in the airbox - check that and the vacuum break line going from there to the driver's side PCV "F" fitting. Burning oil, lots of oil in the airbox and PCV system..... you have massive blow-by from the sounds of it. Time to do a leak-down check and find out which cylinder has broken/stuck rings. My guess is that you have some really carboned up rings and the carbon was doing a good percentage of the sealing. Your seafoam probably dislodged it and now there's nothing sealing up the rings anymore. Also possible that the seafoam knocked some carbon loose from the combustion chamber and that has fouled the rings. Typically things like seafoam should be used as a last resort to try and fix a specific problem. If it's not broken - don't try to fix it with some bottle of solvent. You stand a good chance of just creating bigger problems. GD

As noted if it's from an SVX it will not work. But as for putting (any) LSD into your 3.9 - you just remove the LSD carrier from the diff that has it and you install it into your 3.9 case using the (3.9) ring gear from your old carrier. To do it correctly you then have to set the R&P lash and then do a contact pattern check.... most people don't do that but it should be done. I have found that I usually have to use the carrier bearing shims from the LSD diff to get as close as possible on the first try with setting the R&P. GD

The stock EJ22T runs about 8.5 psi of boost. You can't safely run more than about 5 psi on the EJ22E (even 5 is good for like 60 HP with the high-comp. bottom end). The VF7 that was on the EA82 isn't really big enough for a "real" turbo on a 2.2 but for a low-pressure application it would probably do alright and it would spool very fast. You would have to run the EJ22T ECU, modify the harness to work with it and add the boost control system. And then you would need to modify the wastegate diaphram and spring to open at a lower pressure than stock so you could regulate the boost to no more than 5 psi. You would also need 22T injectors, MAF, and any other sensors that are different so as not to confuse the ECU and to insure you have the right amount of fuel.... you might need to do some enrichment beyond what the ECU does under boost to mitigate the potential for pre-det on the high compression 22E..... if you haven't messed with anything that's got a turbo before it might be best if you don't start with trying to design your own first..... GD

When doing an automatic (for the first time) I have taken to just ordering the factory ATF hoses and having them on-hand for the job. If I don't use them I can return them.... but I almost always do. The high temps of the ATF and the age usually means they don't seal well which means more clamp pressure is needed..... at that point it's like over-tightening a hardened accesory belt to make it not slip - you are just asking for problems. GD

It entirely depends on where the mileage was done and what kind of driver was doing it. I just replaced a clutch on a 2003 S10 with 85k on it. The friction surface was getting thin but not gone - it had been a paper delivery vehicle and owned by a kid - the pressure plate was overheated and lost it's spring tension. And I have done Subaru clutches (first one) that lasted 255k miles. When you are on the freeway the miles rack up with no use of the clutch. Mileage is a bad indicator of clutch life. It's basically meaningless. The quality of the replacement is a big issue as well - who did the job and what parts were used. Was the flywheel resurfaced... etc. I've had to swap out clutches that were poorly done with cheap parts after only a 10k or so. GD

You may as well remove the radiator - you get a lot more room to work and you will lose the coolant anyway when you pull the water pump. It's going to give you another 4" or so to work with. Which is very valuable. GD

You can use it still - just swap over the stuff from the intake of the SUS and drill/tap the EGR port into the head - or run a tube down to the exhaust and weld a JIC fitting to the header. GD

It does matter as the stuff may not mix well and/or you can cause seal failures if the correct fluid for that type of seal is not used. GD

NO! The SOHC EJ222 (that's right - three 2's) will not work with the older belt. The cam sprockets are farther away from the crank and it requires a different belt. You MUST buy a kit for a '99 to '01 EJ22. I beleive it's basically the same kit as the 251/253 though..... I beleive you can use the older tensioner if you swap the bracket..... but you will have to mix/match a kit to make that work. GD

Sounds like a definite timing belt tensioner. Fix it quick or stop driving it before the belt breaks and you crash the valves. The knocking you are hearing is the tensioner slapping against it's stop as the belt has added friction on it from one of the idlers dieing...... To manually disable the alarm - turn the key on and off rapidly 5 or 6 times.... should stop it. GD

If it's from a '91 as he says he will not have that problem. Your's may have already been swapped over to the later ('95+?) larger flange pattern. At the worst all he has to do is swap the pinion shaft flange from his old diff. It will bolt right on. No drilling is involved. GD

Valve adjustment is required every 105k on the 25D. Compression test will show if an exhaust valve is burned. GD

That's a bad investment. $2k is WAY too high. More like $1k. I would buy it for 1k, do a 2.2 swap and sell it for $5k (and I would get it). GD

+1 - that's a real possibility. GD

There is nothing inside the ECU to make a "click" sound. It could still be the ECU but failures in that respect are very uncommon. I would lean toward the ignition relay or the fuel-pump relay..... one of them may have a weak driver coil or something. I would get my hand up there on the relay's and figure out which one is clicking.... try a replacement used one. If that doesn't cure it then the ECU could be at fault for not keeping the relay pulled in. Might be a grounding issue also as the relays are ground controlled by the ECU.... GD

How many miles and have the valves ever been adjusted? How about plugs? Sounds like gapped-out plugs to me..... The shaking over 20 mph could be a bad wheel balance.... bad axle.... etc. Hard to say - you seem to have symptoms of multiple problems in there. GD

No - that's not a good price for a VLSD. They are more or less worthless for your application.... and that's top dollar for one. They typically go for around $150 in that ratio. It will be the same as an open diff for you which you can get for $50. They are pretty much worthless for any application that's not on tarmac. They depend on heat/friction to engage and that will never occur at slow speeds. What you want is a clutch type LSD or a welded diff. And you don't need a new diff to replace the rear cover where the fill plug is located. Hell a pipe nipple extractor will take it out and then you can just replace the plug. You are going after a fly with a tank...... If you don't want to go welded the best thing you can do is swap to rear discs and use 200SX calipers - then you can have parking brakes on each rear wheel. When one spins in the air just lock it down with the parking brake handle. GD

Agreed. That's a good check and should always be performed anyway along with plasti-gauge. Yes - or just take the crank to a machine shop and have it ground. 3 tenths will be corrected by the undersizing process. GD

It should be clarified that this post is dealing with the EJ25D only. EJ251/253 is a different world and the 22 swap doesn't typically apply. I agree to a point. I will tell someone to repair their 2.5 if that's warranted. There was a recent thread from a member with 99k on an Outback and my advice was to replace the head gaskets. But it's often a big gamble. I have done plenty of HG's on 2.5's and haven't had a single issue with one yet. But depending on mileage and treatment it's OFTEN more economical to put in a used 2.2. The basic problem we are dealing with here is bottom-end failure due to lack of changing the headgaskets at the first signs of leakage. The 25D also has a propensity for burning large amounts of oil and thus running dry and throwing a rod that way.... when rebuilt and properly maintained they are a great engine.... As for availibility - I can often buy low mileage (150k or less) used EJ22's in my area for under $500. Availibility really depends on where you are located. ALSO - people don't even talk about JDM EJ20's - those have about 150 HP and can be swapped into the EJ22/EJ25D cars with about the same amount of work and can be had cheap from the importers. Another point to consider - the EJ22 has inexpensive or no required valve adjustment, timing belt kits are about $100 less..... etc. It's a cheaper engine to run, replace, and maintain. With the price of gas going nuts it's a no brainer which one I would choose. And power loss/mileage can be mitigated to some extent just by dropping a couple tire sizes on the Outback for street duty. I have 2.2'd a Legacy GT and the power loss wasn't a problem at all - in fact it was surprisingly peppy. The problem is that most of these swaps occur on taller geared Outbacks with tall tires. Thus the power loss.... GD

Quite frankly - .0003" is such a small amount that I would be questioning what methods you are using to check the straightness of the shaft. How is it being done? That could easily be testing error...... GD

No competition. The EJ22 is a far superior engine. You won't regret that choice. GD

YES! Put the 2.2 in. More power and WAY superior reliability. The RX is the perfect platform for it actually. You would be way ahead of the game by installing the 2.2. Do some searches for EA82T and you will understand. The majority of members here will not own one. We consider it the low-point in Subaru's engine line up. GD