GatorIsaac

I posed the question because, while I'm a good 'do it your self' guy, I only knew of the EA having dual range. This Baja is my first Subaru and I've found this gearbox to be the weak link. In 270k miles I've had to replace the center diff, the clutch, then the entire gearbox, and now another clutch. I use the thing off road for hunting and find 1st to be too fast requiring too much clutch. The lower split would be more desirable. Can you point me to the right terms with which to begin my learning and hunt for a dual range EJ? Thanks a bunch!

GD: Being in the middle of a clutch replacement on my Baja I have to say you are spot on re: not driving a Subaru beyond slippage. I thought I might get another couple thousand out of mine but it disintegrated on the highway last week. Slippage = high heat = failure of the bonding media holding woven clutch material together. I WAS running a lightweight flywheel which heated more rapidly.

I've found the Subaru A/C clutches wear out and can be adjusted without discharging refrigerant or even removing the belt. Use feeler gage to check gap between plate and clutch. Should run around 0.017". Mine failed to engage at 0.045". Remove the center bolt. Thread long screws into holes in the clutch plate. (Mine had three) These screws will press the clutch off the front of the compressor. From back side of center bore in clutch plate, remove spacer washers. Measure thickness (not all the same) and remove such as to reduce the gap measured earlier to a more appropriate width. (0.010"-0.020" should do) You will need a longer center bolt to begin pressing the clutch plate back on. Install original center bolt, tighten and re measure gap. Test system. I learned from a better thread with all required info but cannot recall the source. BTW: after 18 months without A/C, it's now cold again!

Will an EA gearbox swap into a vehicle made with an EJ? I'm interested in the split gearing. Vehicle is a 2003 Baja with 2.5. Currently running a 5 speed out of a 2003 WRX.

When that bearing went at 170k miles in my Baja the shelled out pieces ate much more of the gearbox. Parts list was $1,700. Replaced with a complete new driveline from a salvage yard for less. Replacement now has 162k miles. (100k from me). We'll see if it holds up longer than the original. BTW: that bearing gets nothing for lube when engine is idling in neutral. Long warm-ups are not good. Especially after sitting for long. The 6 speeds have oilers, not the 5's.

That's a relief since I didn't mark it. Thanks!

Swapped tranny and rear diff in my 2003 Baja (EJ25) a couple years back. Installed a 5 speed from a 2003 WRX (EJ20). Also installed a lightweight flywheel. Clutch disintegrated on the highway thus week so the tranny is out again. Found the flywheel and pressure plate badly roasted. Flywheel was blue and warped like a potato chip. I'm ditching the flywheel and replacing with one from a 2003 Impreza (EJ25). Removed that flywheel without checking position of a timing mark. How do I time this replacement? What, if anything, is the correct alignment?

I've swapped a 5 speed from a 2003 turbo WRX (EJ20) with pull type clutch into a 2003 Baja (EJ25). Original equipment was 5 speed with push type clutch. I had to also change the flywheel and clutch master cylinder to match. As I recall, the bolt pattern and size of the pressure plates were different. FYI: I used a lightweight flywheel and the entire experience sucked. Low RPM operation became horribly rough and inclined starts were tough. This resulted in failure of the replacement clutch after only 100k miles. I have it torn down now and will be replacing the flywheel with an OEM version (heavy) from an Impreza (EJ25). The only difference I have noted seems to relate to the clutch type, push or pull. Will get this together and see where it goes from the current 270,000 miles.

I'm pinging this thread because my 2003 Baja is also throwing the P0420 code. It frequently resets itself after a few hundred miles. Easy for me, I commute at least 150/day. My scanner shows the pre-Cat sensor voltage between 2.1 and 2.9 V. I cannot verify the reading for the instant the code is thrown. The voltage mentioned above was measured when no code was active. 2003 Baja No turbo 5 speed (from 2007 WRX) 230,000+ miles