pginter96

oil pan- cork gasket or RTV? pretty sure I over-torqued the cork gasket, don't really want to take the chance. will RTV alone be enough?

The swap has begun! just noticed yesterday that my EJ22 doesn't have evap lines on it. The car's a 97 so the canister is in the front of the engine bay. Can I just take the lines off the 25 and put them on the 22 or is it a bigger problem than I know of? Also, any tips for how to disconnect throttle cables?

There's a small coolant line that goes from the water pump to a coolant pipe. the hose is about 4 inches long and bends at a 90 degree angle. the original got damaged when I replaced the water pump. I've tried using heater hose but it kinks because its such an awkward position for it. the original is pre-formed. does anyone know what this hose is called and/or where I can find one? or does anyone have any idea of some other type of hose that wont kink? EDIT I bought a "bypass hose" from RockAuto a week or so ago thinking it was that but the bypass hose is apparently for the radiator.

Here, straight from Subaru service info. This is for a 97 EJ25D, Tensioners SHOULD be the same, but Im not 100% positive. Procedure should still work.

What condition were lifters/rockers/rest of the valvetrain? Because that's a lot of miles... especially on an EJ25D. They can make it there, but parts get worn and s**t breaks. As you've stated before, if the timing belt jumped due to a bad tensioner, it would most likely throw a CEL. best way to check a tensioner is to remove it and put it in a vice to re-compress it. It should take at least three minutes to compress, as long as you don't force it. If it compresses too fast/easily, its bad. personally, I would replace the tensioner and idlers whenever I do the timing belt, as they are the most common failure points. I can try to find the service info on it. I just glanced at it because I simply replaced my tensioner, however I know theres a procedure. Have you checked engine oil pressure with a gauge? EDIT: FORGET WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE 3 MINUTE THING, I FOUND SERVICE INFO

Could just be a worn lifter. ticking-type knocks usually mean valvetrain, while harsher, louder, knocking means rods/crank/wrist pins. Ive driven with lifter knock for over a year, no adverse effects. You could drive with piston slap as well. Of course its not recommended, but it wont severely damage anything. failed lifters simply wont open valves, and might beat up rocker shafts but if its to that point I would replace those anyways. Piston slap is... well, piston slap. not much can be done about it apart from a major overhaul. How many miles?

Does it knock on idle? Make any difference on cold starts?

that's a shame, it will be missed. With the refinement of the Legacy and Outback, a MT would seem kind of out of place. besides, theres another car that isn't the size of a bus and has a more rugged feel. and a six speed... *cough*crosstrek!*cough*

+1 to everything mentioned above, especially cold weather and slushboxes. also consider if brakes are hanging up, extra wind resistance such as roof racks, etc. UPSTREAM O2 SENSOR and/or exhaust leaks. may not throw codes, but O2 sensors can become restricted with age and make a less-than-optimal data point for the ecu to tune the engine to. As I will (hopefully) be joining you in the EJ22 swap club soon, keep in mind that this car was set up for a 2.5. Not entirely sure, but this could mean different gearing and such. If its an outback limited, its worse as you'll have heavy heated leather seats and maybe heavy sunroofs to add to the weight you're hauling around. While the 2.2 is smaller and more efficient, it is also less powerful so the mpg's may suffer. overall, I have heard that mpg of the 2.5 and 2.2 swap should equal out. With any luck, Ill find out for myself soon.

Thank you. If not, Ill add that to the list of things to get from the parts dept at the Subaru dealer. The list isnt long now, but Im sure it will be after I start taking things apart and breaking them... At work today, I installed (and watched the rebuild of) a caravan transmission with my mentor. He knows my current situation, and he let me seat the torque coverter so I could know what it should feel like.

Is the harmonic dampener interchangable between the 22 and the 25?

Thanks, Ill let you know if I cant track one down in the next couple days. Dont know the exact milage, supposably around 140k. Its an automatic. I know to swap the flexplate from the 2.5 to the 2.2, and I got a new metal oil seperator cover that I'll replace while I can get to it. The part Im really worried about is seperating and re-mounting to the drivetrain. Ive never seated a torque converter before. Ive taken a few transmissions out at work, but as an apprentice its pretty rare that I stay with a big job all the way through. What should I be aware of?

Slide pins and/or piston(s) seized, and bad square cut seals. time for new calipers or a caliper rebuild.

Interesting. What are the differences between the 95 and 97, as far as I know its a different manifold and brackets are moved around, and its a non-interference motor. Is it single port or dual port? Haha thank you, its just my garage but I'm sooo OCD about everything. All of my bolts and small parts are in small ziplock bags individually labled... But its a whole different story at work! Haha

I too run an eBay knock-off. from what I've noticed, a lot of people who run headers have problems blowing the gasket between the headers and the upstream cat because the headers collect in a size larger than the cat pipe. Let me say this though- there is ABSOLUTELY NO performance gain. None. I don't care, it sounds really good. I turn STi drivers' heads in my bondo'd 97 Legacy. The headers add that nice Subie rumble, however you will not notice it until you put a muffler on. Im running a Magnaflow 14832, and it sounds great. So again, these headers have no purpose other than noise.

UPDATE: Its been a while since the swap, I added an interesting discovery about the EJ25 in a reply on the second page if anyone is interested. Hey everyone! As swap time moves nearer, I decided to move the thread from "EJ22 Build- Discussion, Suggestions, and Advice for a First-Timer" to here, in hopes to neaten things up and confirm that I'm not building some crazy turbo-frankenmotor-stroker, just a plain old EJ22E with fancy painted valve covers. Im still putting the finishing touches on the motor itself, I still need to find an intact center timing belt cover and a harmonic balancer, along with a small collection of nuts, bolts, coolant hoses, and vacuum lines. Not to mention the UEL headers... (Its a race car! ) The swap is still a week out, maybe more depending on parts. the EJ25D is starting to overheat pretty regularly now. Ill add coolant to the radiator and burp it later today, as if that'll make a difference. -EDIT- took maybe a quart, so its not leaking from anywhere, just air caveating in the water pump... So until then, Ill pester you with my questions! -In terms of registration and insurance, what should I say, if anything? I seriously doubt anyone from the DMV or USAA is going to be able to look under the hood and tell the two engines apart, or even really know what a boxer is! -Anyone know where I can find timing belt covers? every one in the junkyard is smashed, apart from a phase II EJ222, but, ya know why that wont work... I threw the original one out, and if it had a part number on it, either I'm blind or it was destroyed. -EDIT- apparently the EJ25 one will work -What sort of break-in procedures should I be aware of? I plan on running Mobile 1 synthetic (SEE EDIT), however I've heard that its best to break-in with conventional to help things seat, and change it after the first 50-100 miles. The engine hasn't run in at least a year. -EDIT- I'll just be running CONVENTIONAL OIL. My Chrysler teacher works for a local Subaru dealer (yep, he quit a dodge dealer to work for Subaru) and has told me horror stories about what happens to these engines if you use zinc-free oil, such as Mobile 1. And apparently since this is a roller motor, there really isn't a "break in" other than cooking the moisture out of it. He said the best thing I could do is start it and let it idle for about an hour, then change the oil and filter. (obviously if it starts clacking away shut 'er down and throw an oil pressure gauge on). He's also said that of all the motor pulls he's done, Subarus are the easiest. the worst part is the two studs/bolts that must be removed on the top of the engine. Surprised to see its only like 3 pages in the service info... -Coolant passages... they're all crusty. Should I be concerned and run a garden hose through there to clean them out or will they self clean when coolant starts to move? Thanks! Sorry if my questions are pretty basic and annoying, but I'm 18 and don't have many other financially viable options and need this car to get to college and work. I paid $4,000 for this car and its practically worthless as it sits, so I cant sell it for a better car 'cause no one will buy a car with bad head gaskets for $4,000.

Anything I should be aware of in terms of registration and insurance? Or should I just continue saying that its a 2.5L, since I seriously doubt anyone from the DMV or USAA can look under the hood and tell me that it's not a 2.5L... THE THREAD IS MOVING! look for "1997 EJ25D to EJ22E first timer swap" Thank you!

Again, the laws may be different there. in New York the exhaust must be supported and exit away from the passenger compartment, but Ive seen manifold leaks, failed muffler patches, and sketchy flanges pass. It depends on where you go for inspection and how lenient they are, because some shops will pass it just to get it on the road, while others will fail it so they can get the inevitable exhaust job. Youre on the fence, I would do some research on inspection laws before you dump tons of money into repairs. if the leak isn't major, it should pass no problem. The inspection book is public domain, under some obscure article number with the DMV. You can usually view it as a .PDF from their website if you can either find or google it.

I would recommend finding a kit with a replacement water pump, tensioner, and idlers. Its a fairly easy job to do. I'm assuming the car is a 2.2L? I just did one on a 97 2.2 a little over a week ago. I used a Dayco kit. The dayco kit was nice as it had timing marks on the belt itself, which is something the OEM does NOT have. EDIT: almost forgot... Welcome to Ultimate Subaru!

I don't know what the book says in New Hampshire, but you can usually pass inspection with an exhaust leak. the book here in new York states that exhaust parts must be "secure." pretty ambiguous and it may be different there, but I cant imagine there being too many differences state to state.

believe it or not, this held together very well. my car has taught me to do some very redneck repairs that work. (Its also taught me when to give up). I wouldn't recommend this, if you can afford to go for stainless steel flanges, or do what I ended up doing and cut out the flange all together and weld a small stainless steel pipe in the gap, eliminating the new flanges/redneck repairs that have a much higher possibility of failing than a weld. Or just slap 2 pounds of exhaust putty on there. that works. not for long, but it works!

I absolutely have, it broke off cutting off my muffler. Ill upload a picture of my... "Fix" later

Ok, good. Everything's all lined up and back together now.Thank you!

Also might be worth mentioning that I removed the spark plugs on the left bank before starting

was doing the timing belt on my 97 EJ22E. Didn't even think to put a cam gear holder on and as I removed the belt the left can gear spun about 20 degrees. As anyone knows who's done these before the left bank is on compression in that position, so it forces the cam either way about 20 degrees. What worries me is that 97 is (arguably) the first year for interference motors. Does that amount of movement have the potential to bend valves? After it moved the first time I put a socket with a breaker bar on the cam gear bolt and zip-tied the breaker bar to the AC compressor bracket to prevent further movement. Engine is on a stand. Can spin it with a breaker bar on harmonic dampener bolt, but don't want to now in case there's damage.