Just an update on the engine swap in my 98 OBW. I had my mechanic do the 2.5 to 2.2 engine swap. Donor engine is a 95, so pretty much plug and play.

 

The swap went okay, it is the residuals that are time consuming and frustrating.

 

Upon getting the car back, my mechanic said the spring flange on the exhaust at the cat now leaks. It did not do that prior to the engine swap. I just got that fixed at a muffler shop for $140. Also, had most of the exhaust pipe shrouds torched off to get rid of the vibration buzzy noise.

 

The A/C didn't work........mechanic said they opened the system to make engine easier to remove. Well, I have heard that wasn't necessary, but anyway, he failed to sufficiently recharge the A/C system. I had to take the car back to get the A/C recharged.

 

A day out of the shop, the coolant system sprang a small hose leak on top of the engine, under one of the air intake rams.....blew coolant out, I had to have the car towed back to the shop. He fixed that, then told me I needed to replace the radiator as it now has a crack on the neck where the top hose attaches to the radiator, also a leak on side of radiator. Maybe this is a result of the original 2.5 over heating, or shop screwing it up, I don't know. I will do the rad replacement on my own.

 

Got the car back last night, only to realize that the buttons on the climate control no longer work. No matter what button is pushed, air flow continues to come through dash vents only. However, the heat control slide lever works well. I will seek advise on how to fix this issue with a new post. If something simple, I will fix, if not, then I will return the car to the shop for the third time.

 

The bottom line is that the 2.2 runs good, but swapping out for a different motor brings on a whole new set of issues to fix. Nothing is life is ever simple, or easy to remedy these days, Subarus included.

I have those "flex joints" in the exhaust fixed regularly at a local INDEPENDENT shop for 40.00.

 

Don't know about the rad.

 

AC was somewhere between laziness and not knowing that it didn't need to be undone.

 

I've done a lot of these swaps. I'd think the HVAC thing is mechanical (as opposed to a fuse) an dunrelated. I jsut say that after pulling a lot of those to fix the HVAC bulbs.

 

Actually usually it's minor issues with vacuum lines and valve cocver breatehr hoses usually.

 

I've never had one with an issue really.

The hvac unit on the 2nd gen legacy is not vacuum operated, there are a few plugs with a lot of wires. The only mechanical thing is the temperature, which operates a cable.

The vent doors are controlled by servo motors, if you listen, you hear a whiiir noise when you change the setting.

The hvac unit on the 2nd gen legacy is not vacuum operated, there are a few plugs with a lot of wires. The only mechanical thing is the temperature, which operates a cable.

The vent doors are controlled by servo motors, if you listen, you hear a whiiir noise when you change the setting.

 

Guess I will check for a bad fuse, since the servo motors are electrically operated. I can't see how changing engines affects the servo motor operation. Go figure. All worked well before motor swap.

It shouldn't have stopped working with the swap... when I swapped my motor nothing stopped working... quite the contrary, for the first time since I owned the car it worked properly..