Natedoc808

I came across a similar dilemma with my 99obs with an ej22 in it. I added a short throw shifter to it which made the car much more fun to drive and led to performance gains as no more granny shifts. the 99 also go suspension upgrades in white line anti-sway bars with solid end links, and front and rear strut tower braces with Bilstein B8's and the car really came alive even with it's meager HP output. Put Brembo's from a friend's totalled WRX on it also and the little 99OBS is now nothing but fun to drive especially up into the foothills and mountain roads of the Sierras. Which brings me to the real question: are you wanting to add HP or add performance? Adding performance is specific to what kind of performing you want it to do. If you want to go fast in a straight line then adding HP and performance are the same thing. If you are wanting the car to be able to negotiate something other than a straight line better and in a quicker time, then HP may not be what you are after. Overall performance wise I would start with suspension and braking anyway considering that if you do squeak out a few extra horsepower you are going to want to be able to control it.

Fairtax has it pretty nailed down per how to make sure you aren't giving yourself a false positive due to improperly adjusted cables. If you are concerned about timing to that degree I would break out the timing light (you have a VW so you have plenty of experience with one of these) and double check it as it is simple enough. Timing is rarely an issue with these more modern engines compared to what your twinkie was running before so try not to want to go there as soon as there is rough running; i use dto drive a 64 dart so I know the urge. THis is more likely an air/fuel mixture issue from the sound of it. Plus with regard to timing, remember that spark advance is determined by the ECM and not a distributor so unless you skipped a notch then if the timing is off it's due to compensation by the ECM for inaccurate input from the sensors (MAF, MAP, TPS, CPS, etc).

Clean MAF? No misfire code? MAP sensor good? Is the IACV housing clean/clear?

So, results in: monkeys at the smog station must check that both filters are in place prior to checking emissions, didn't properly secure/close the airbox on the tabbed/hinged side (blind side) on either so it was pulling a ton of air in and thus the MAF told the ECM to rich up the mixture because so much air was coming in!!! SO will be fun to have the conversation with this shop in the coming week!

WAIT a second, Do you live in CA?! If you do then you need a CA compliant Catalytic converter because it is stamped with a specific govt agency (CARB) number that they check for. If you do not live in CA then buy and bolt on a 49 state legal catalytic converter as functionally they are exactly the same, they are even exactly the same on the outside minus the huge fee the companies pay to have it stamped by Commiefornia. Next if you need to, get a couple O2 sensors from the local store for about 200$ total. clear the codes and go pass the smog check. If you are planning on working on any OBD2 car get a reader of some sort as it will make your life much easier. If you're in CA like me then we are F-ed!!!

Any FSMs for 97-99 imprezas?

Scanned for codes- no codes present.

Hey Subie forum members, thankfully it has been a long time since I've needed your help, however this is serious. I took my car in for a smog check (in CA) two days ago, no she will not run. Need help. Full sequence of events below. 2 days prior to smog check: attempted to pass with aftermarket intake on car which did not pass component check but emissions were beautiful, 10-15% of allowed limits. Removed aftermarket intake and replaced with stock dual filter setup and all PCV hoses routed accordingly, didn't remember to disconnect battery to reset ECM. Drove for two days, minus a few HP, with no CEL or performance issues. I have a A/F ratio gauge in the center of dash (removed dash compartment) which showed typical readouts with needle bobbing in optimal range during cruising throttle positions, rich when I stepped on it and lean if i cut throttle until idle stable then bobbed optimal again. Smog Check: take it into local full service shop (reputable both by report of others and historically as they have aligned many of my cars and done exhaust work). it took about twice as long as usual but I believe they ran it twice just to make sure of the result. It failed emissions as gross polluter with excess hydrocarbon (unburned fuel) at idle only, 2500rpm test was still clean as a whistle. I get back in my car and fire it up and let it idle and low and behold the A/F gauge is nearly pinned rich. Nearly pinned as in way higher than I can get it to go by stomping the throttle under full load up a steep hill. But no CEL. I plugged in my code reader and cleared the DTCs just as a precaution, checked live data for any clear signs of sensor failure but all looked good. I opened intake and checked to make sure no obstruction was lodged in the intake, checked MAF connections, checked PCV system, checked intake for leaks, checked injectors for leaks- all were clear. I pulled out the primary filter without resetting the ECM to attempt to trick it into leaning out a little, took it for a test drive with no luck. Pulled the secondary filter right near the throttle body and it wouldn't run. Reinstalled the secondary filter and it ran but still rich at idle like before. Cleaned MAF with MAF cleaner, let dry 5 min, reinstalled. CURRENT BEHAVIOR: Now car will not idle, can start it fires up to 1500 for about 2 sec then stalls out like but i can keep it going by pummping the gas and rev it up to 3-4k rpm, then if I hold the throttle at that position it will hold for roughly 5-10 seconds then drop off to stall unless I pump it back up, and repeat the dropoff to stall in 5-10 seconds. Thought I may have fried the MAF by not letting it dry, replaced, reset ECM, same status as above. My first thought is- WTF did these guys do to my car?! What are the next steps I should take? Check fuel pressure? (where is the valve?) Electronics? Any help is appreciated. Thanks

No wonder I haven't found this build thread, nobody wants to do it because of the full harness swap. So need to take the full dash and all. Guess I'll save up for a WRX

Gloyale, thanks as always!!!

I'm taking the the entire engine from a car, injectors, manifold, intake components and all. I was more wondering if the connections to the harness are plug and play status where I can swap the ECM into the system and plug the complete EJ20T in and haver her run. The exhaust setup will be pretty cake with some welding and bracket fabrication and the 5MT is direct fit. Like I mentioned, I cannot find a solid thread on this swap. I may have to be the guy that does the write up. Thanks DJCOmmie

I have my flame suit on so here goes... I've searched for the past 4 hours on here for EJ22 to EJ20T swap threads and came up empty handed. I'm looking to swap an EJ20T from a WRX 02-05 into my 99 OBS with an EJ22 to bring her up to spec with how she was supposed to be imported here into the states before the bureaucraps got in the way! Need to find a build thread which outlines which components I need to grab from the other car. It's my understanding I would only need the Engine (duh), the exhaust components for turbo operation, and the ECM. Does the 99 OBS harness plug directly into the WRX ECM/Engine Harness or do i need to do a harness swap? I have a good line on an EJ20T longblock with a TD0520g turbo, but has rod knock which I can rebuild no problem, have a shop with lift and cherry picker and am not in a hurry so I can build the engine/exhaust etc off the car until ready for install. I am just trying to avoid making a big mistake from a technical oversight with compatibility or missing something obvious. Thanks for the help, and yes I'm sure there is a thread buried out there somewhere.