[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

Well the SVX left the yard today in a 5x5' cube at one with an 01 Buick Century

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

The guy I talked to on Wednesday had no clue what it was. I asked and he said they dont hold cars, but because of where it is it shouldnt be going anywhere.

And unfortunately in a northeastern ex-steel plant area, "japanese performance" doesnt exist.

I threw a big enough fit as I was lugging my tools and equipment out and they said I could call the owner first thing monday to see if it could be saved. They only really crush the cars so the roof is level with the hood. If there is damage I expect it to be throttle body, intake, maybe oil pan and stuff. I dont intend on paying much for it if I can still get it, if anything, so we'll see...

Any hopes for harness and ecu is gone though.

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

well apparently the guy working there on wednesday was clueless... he told me the SVX wasnt going anywhere soon and would be there today (sunday) so I got everything together and drove up there only to see that it got crushed friday 

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

My 95' Legacy is readable with Auto Zone's OBDII scanner. Every time I go to one and ask for a code to be read, I've heard "can't do it, it's 95' and OBDI" or "I'm not sure our scanner can do that". 

 

If you can find the OBD port on the car, it'll be fairly clear what it is.

 

Also, if you want to go the super easy route, just carb the damn thing and scrap the fuel injection. Biggest issue would be where to set it, but since the engine sits low, hood clearance shouldn't be an issue.

 

I saw a guy on the Saab forums cut a hole into the intake manifold up top on I think Saab's 6 cyl, near the center of the intake, and mill the surface down to resemble a carb mating surface (giant hole with 4 studs). He then plopped a small Weber carb on it, adapted the throttle cable so it'd open it, then put a fuel regulator on to get it the 5-7 psi range. I thought for certain it wouldn't work..... but it did Can't remember if the engine had the distributor or not. The way Subaru's intake exits at the back, you could remove the TB and make an "L" adapter so it connected to where the TB was and angled up, which would allow the carb to sit there. There's obviously a little work there and you'd need the ignition sorted, but it's doable

 

Also, with the radiator. If you aren't worried about AC, you could get a slightly shorter radiator and mount it further forward. Run aftermarket slim fans if extra space is needed.

Ive considered that too, a friend of mine has a 95 Legacy that Ive scanned with my OBDII scanner before. I have no idea if they implimented OBDII early for SVXs. Being that it was raining and the drivers door didnt open and everything inside was soaked, I hadent even considered it until I got home. Guess we'll find out sunday. Going to start it then, too with any luck.

Ive also considered carbs. My main concern is not only space, but how to mount them since the intake on the EG33 has dual throttle bodies pressed against the firewall as it is. Ive seen guys run simple ignition setups, such as MSD and Megasquirt too.

Besides, carbs scare me. This will still be driven daily, and it gets below zero regularly during the winters here.

So, wiring nightmare it is!

Ill start a new thread on sunday, once I have the motor and know more about what I have. Until then I guess we're stuck in this off-topic thing...

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

Not to throw cold water again, BUT...

An SVX (EG33) engine won't fit into a Legacy without significant modifications. For instance, where and how to mount the radiator. Since the engine alone weighs ~75 lbs. more, you also need to beef up the front suspension.

 

I hope you're good with wiring. Merging the wiring is not for the faint of heart. You'll be mixing OBDI and OBDII. Incidentally, the EG33 is more like an EJ22 than an EJ25...just FYI.

 

Here's a couple of links that talk about the issues:

http://www.rs25.com/forums/f128/t105010-official-eg33-swap-information-q-thread.html

 

http://www.rs25.com/forums/f128/t84339-best-ever-h6-swap-thread.html

 

As for your unsolved misfire: You have a '98 EJ25 with a manual transmission. It is a known fact that those (and the '97) had that issue. It's a non-issue. You can run around town all day and it won't set a code, right? But as soon as you do at least 65mph for a few minutes, the code sets. The car runs fine, right? Just that you've got that annoying CEL. Well, shops and dealers across the country have made boat loads of money clearing that code, but nobody, not even SOA, knows what's been causing it. There's a gremlin in every last one of these cars, but all it does is taunt you with a light. If that's all, don't worry about it. The high mileage: yeah, that's an old engine just waiting for something to happen.

 

Emily

Thanks for the links Emily.

I was actually reading through those the other day. Bear with me, Im only a few pages in, but so far it seems like the radiator fitment and wiring is the only issue (for legacies anyways). We'll get to the radiator, but wiring us my main concern. Since I work at a chrysler shop, I have a fair amount of experience with wiring diagrams, soldering, splicing, and repair. Im far from an expert but diagram interpretation is the most important thing.

The junkyard has the SVX marked as a 95, which was a wierd year in terms of OBDII from what Ive seen.

At the end of the day, electricity is electricity, wire is wire, and motors are just hunks of dumb metal. With a little bit of knowhow, time, and money, anything can run.

We'll see how long that attitude lasts

 

As for the misfire, that happens under moderate acceleration in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th usually. Any speed, any condition.

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

Thanks, will do. At the time I last saw it, I was unable to tell if it was a FWD or AWD model. Impact was in the left rear. Right rear is still intact and the rear hatch actually still opens. Drivers door does not.

I hope to get the motor, harness, ecu, fuel pump, and whatever else I think would be useful. Unfortunately this place only keeps the cars for a month or so before scrapping them unless its an oddball. This is, but they dont know it and its already been there 2 weeks. They countdown has begun. Im not sure if anyone even knows what it is, much less wants to harvest the engine so I hopefully wont have competition...

[98 Legacy Outback 5MT- "Gertrude"]

What she looks like now! After a bit of maintenance (brakes, spark plugs, wires, and a coil),

replaced 3 doors, a fender, and a little bit of bondo. 16' Forester steelies painted black, WRX seats, a muffler, Outback Limited leather door inserts and backseat. JDM projector headlights with LED running light/low beam conversion.

A paint job and maybe a swap is in the plans.

current mileage: 237,546

 

 

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

Thanks Bushwick!

I hope to go back and look at that SVX tomorrow as Im off work. The only thing I know for sure is that it was violently rear-ended and that the engine is still there. Ill make sure it still turns over by hand, and get some more details about their policy with buying engines. As a pick-a-part style place Im a little wary, but if its good this wouldnt be the only diamond in the rough Ive gotten from there.

Ive been doing a little research in my free time and have found a number of successful EG33 swaps out there, however mostly in Imprezas. Seems much more simple than anything turbo-related

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

If you want more power, swap in an NA EZ36. It's a direct-fit despite having 2 extra pistons. Will need the donor's fuel pump. Some work is involved, but it's doable. They make 250+ hp and similar tq, which in a lighter Legacy or WRX should be good for a 14 second or slightly quicker ride depending on how lazy the tq converter on an auto is. Manual trans with a steep gearing should be fairly quick.

 

 

Also, a straight-up franken motor should give decent power, but running the 25d heads on ej22 block, will loose the higher compression advantage and probably feel sluggish off the line, though it should make OK power in the higher revs. If strictly a highway car, it'd = better passing, but pulling hills from a stop you might have your foot into it. It's hard to say exactly w/o the compression bump if it'd be "fun" or not. Having a really lazy compression ratio with higher flow can hurt everything from performance to vacuum the engine is making. Street engines should have a focus on vacuum as directly relates to a better running motor, down to how well your power assisted brakes work.

Gramps! (Kinda)

Id love to, but those engines are hard to come by and expensive when you do.

Theres a wrecked SVX at my local junkyard with a visibly good engine. Apparently the EG33 is just an EJ25D with more cylinders, that could be interesting...

 

An EJ205 swap would make the most sense I guess. Motors are just as much as EJ25Ds and plenty out there (depending on your trust of ebay). That way I dont have to worry about making the engine parts work, just the horror of electronics...

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

Thanks for the input, guys. I'll try not to "vaporSTI" this one and actually listen to forum suggestions. I'd love to find a cheap WRX, I love the bugeyes. Unfortunately around here any cheap ones (~4,000) have half a million miles on them and are rot boxes. Just wondering since the frankenmotor would cost roughly less than an EJ205. But being said, the straight swap would probably end up being cheaper and easier in the long run with less surprises and a wider aftermarket selection.

Thanks!

[Turbo frankenmotor questions!]

Hi all, just a few questions for those more experienced than I. How would a frankenmotor with the combination of a EJ22 short block, EJ25D heads and a Td04 turbo work? I've done small amounts of research here and on other forums, but all those threads seem to end in cliffhangers several years old. I was wondering if anyone here has first hand experience with this frankenmotor in particular, or can give frankenmotor advice in general.

I've got a 98 Legacy with an EJ25D (original) that has just over 237K on it. It has a yet to be solved misfire, and if it turns out to be something big I'm open to a swap. I did an EJ22E swap in my 97 Legacy, but it's pretty lacking on the hills and I'm looking for a little more power. Seems to be roughly as pricy as a full WRX swap but easier since I have a pair of EJ25D heads already. Just wondering. Thanks!

[JDM projector headlights]

And what about the harness? Is it plug-and-play?

[JDM projector headlights]

What bulbs do they take? Just want to order some while the lights are being shipped

[JDM projector headlights]

From the little research I've done, some people say the headlights are adjustable/able to be aimed and others say they're not... Are they?

[JDM projector headlights]

hi all,

Just wondering how simple a JDM projector headlight installation would be on a 98 Legacy. Different wiring harness? Aiming?

Thanks!

[Almost done my engine swap.. running into problems now.]

About the different ECU's, and to answer Bushwick as well;

I have about 9,000 (hard) miles on my EJ22 swap with an EJ25D ECU on EJ22E... well, everything else. Runs fine, although fuel economy (which might have to do with the automatic and more so the driver) has had a noticeable drop. It hasn't yet fouled out the plugs or O2 sensors, but I cant say for cats since it would throw codes with the old engine. I have yet to get a P0420 with the EJ22 yet, surprisingly. It sets monitors fine, or at least well enough to pass emissions in New York, which is basically a California emissions test without the sniffer. It wouldn't mis-fire and even straight-piped for a while there wasn't excessive afterfire caused by timing advancing or retarding when it shouldn't. No pings or spark knock, running on 89 or 87 or whatever the cheap button is. The ECU handles it just fine, you'd have no idea its for a different motor. The MAF sensor and O2 sensors measure what the ECU needs to know and therefore adjust, and it runs it no problem at all.

I wish I could be more helpful and provide maps as proof, but all I got is firsthand real-world experience that you wont have an issue unless you're really, REALLY looking for one, and that would be fuel economy. Ive had no uneven idle, or "hunting." Redlines at 6500 thereabouts. MPG wise, it gets high teens or low to mid 20s if you really try. My EJ25 5 speed 98 Legacy OBW gets 25 everywhere even driven by me, an 18 year old male no less cussing at worn synchros. Let me know what kind of mileage you get, or if you change ECUs! Just keep in mind, a different ECU may send up a red flag come inspection time unless you amend the VIN (unless it works differently in not-New York).

[98 Legacy Outback 5MT- "Gertrude"]

Its always hard to move on from your first car, be it financially or emotionally, or in my case both. However, there is always that time. That time came for me last week with a tempting ad on craigslist for a 98 Outback. My (at the time) current car was a 97 that I had put an EJ22E in, and had grown very attached to. Lots of fun in high school, many lessons on fixing cars, and great memories with my girlfriend of two and a half years, who, being part of an army family, recently moved from out part of western New York to Fairbanks, Alaska.

sentimental value always conflicts with finances, so it seems. With the New York state inspection quickly approaching, I wasn't ready to put $800 of state mandated 50 state catalytic converters and an evap canister into something that had a pretty decent wrist pin noise/piston slap. 

I went to go check out this 98, which actually turned out to be pretty clean despite the rust and mileage.

so, for $1,000, this bucket of magnificence was mine.

my parents ended up buying the Action Wagon from me, since they had to use it a few times over the winters and fell in love with it. Glad its staying in the family!

 

After putting the new car up on a lift, I was pleasantly surprised to see it didn't need much. An axle shaft and ball joint on the left front, and rear brakes/parking brakes. Not to mention some serious bondo and maybe a few doors...

Not bad for 234,460 miles!

[The Action Wagon]

 

Well the Action Wagon met its replacement the other day, a 98 Legacy Outback 5-speed. My parents ended up buying the 97 from me, they love it and wanted a better winter car. 

A lot of rust and a lot of miles (234,000), but it was cheap and runs great! Its my first manual car, and its a lot of fun.

[The Action Wagon]

And now the latest modification...

Have you ever seen a Subaru with dual side exit exhaust?

cold morning steam

A little problem caused me to have to run turndowns from a backwards glasspack (baffles dont do anything, its straightpiped) with metal hangars. That sucked for me and everyone in about a 2 mile radius. 

Again, if you live in the WNY area and have to put up with my noise, I really am sorry. its a little on the loud side... 

If it sounds like Im tring to blow up the motor by driving flat out everywhere, I am. I love this car but its time to move on to something newer.

and quieter.

much much quieter...

 

[The Action Wagon]

That motors been chugging along just fine, despite some scary noises (excessive valve lash and a wrist pin) its lasted over 6K by now. 

during teardown on the EJ25D, I discovered the lower oil ring on piston #4 had spun, pushed out the ringland and heavily scoring the cylinder wall. What surprised me is that there was no noticeable lack of compression, and damage like that happens fast. It must have happened as I was pulling it in the garage for the swap! 

[The Action Wagon]

I bought that motor in July (or some time around there) 2014

By december, my car was to the point of overheating every time I drove it. it was swap time.

Never having seen that motor run and just going off word of mouth made me nervous, but I had no other options. as a cashier at the local Tops supermarket and a shop intern at a Dodge dealer, I wasnt exactly raking in the cash.

so, with the extra manpower from a friend and the help of the wonderful people here on USMB, out came the 25 and in went the 22. 

have to unseat the dowels somehow...

ready to rip!

Maiden voyage in a snowstorm. yep, still goes sideways!

[The Action Wagon]

Bought an EJ22E from, of all people, the Bishop at my girlfriends church.

original intentions were to just tear it down and see how it works, being a gearhead and such

pans for it quicky changed as my temp gauge started dancing in typical EJ25D fashion

[The Action Wagon]

show off them knock-off Hella Supertones

Magnafow 14832 and UEL headers, and probably my most favorite picture Ive ever taken

[The Action Wagon]

First night I was really thankful I bought a Subaru and not a 2wd 88 Dodge Dakota

 

Things quickly changed however, as I soon discovered the joys of car ownership and the cost of my freedom. 

Didnt stop me from the typical Subaru accessories, though 

"I can Jeep too!" East Aurora, NY

Wal-mart roof rack and a Subaru decal

#subiesandsunsets

[The Action Wagon]

Hey everyone! This is the biography of my first car. Well, This is part biography, part pre-death obituary. By now, my Legacy Outback has carried me 18,000 miles. Its on its second engine as far as I know, and will always have a pace in my heart.

If you live in or around the Wales, (western) New York area, youve probably seen or heard me. I apologize for that, the new exhaust is kinda obnoxious. 

I bought the car out of an ad in the Buffalo News in December of 2013, from a lady around Derby, NY. At the time, it only had 72,4xx miles on it!

Checked it out on a saturday, picked it up the next tuesday. 

I found a receipt in the glove box for the inspection of the previous year, with 72,076 miles. She only drove it about 300 miles in an entire year! Low mileage Subarus are near impossible to find, so I thought I had the best 97 ever!