im having to rebuild my ej22 after it got oil starvation. was wondering what all can be done to gain more power out of this engine. like larger valves, bigger cam, bored out, porting, injectors? im new to the subaru engine but have done lots of other work on other cars. im open to doing most any work to this engine except for a turbo i want to keep it N/A

is an EJ25 short block an option? bolt your EJ22 heads up to it. nice thing about that combo is you get the larger displacement of the EJ25 but retain lots of positive things about the EJ22 - cheaper cams (only 2 instead of 4), cheaper timing components, etc.

 

porting.....a few hp, valves....a few hp

EJ25 short block - 30 hp increase out of the box.

 

porting, valves, cams would be a ton of work and costs.....and not get the 30hp increase that would come with the larger block.

 

deltacams is a member here and does cam grinds for the EJ22, check with them and they might have some recommendations about valve sizing. this applies to EJ22 and EJ25, either way you go.

Toss it in the scrap metal bin and drop in a 2.5 under your existing heads. We call this the frankenmotor - makes about 180 - 190 HP.

 

No point rebuilding a 2.2. They are cheap to buy used. If you are going to rebuild one get a 2.5 in need of a rebuild for $100 and spend your money on that.

 

GD

what year EJ25? how much are shortblocks? is it all bolt on? do coolant and oil passages line up?

Best bang for your buck is a set of reground cams from Delta Camshaft.

Other than that, there really isn't much for the 2.2 other than intake stuff and headers for the dual port heads.

Not sure about porting/valve work, not many around here mess with all that. Some of the more performance oriented subaru boards would have some tips/info about that though.

Wait a second...

 

You guys mean to tell me that a standard EJ25 block is a direct bolt in? Like all the accessories and heads bolt right up? Motor mounts all the same?

 

I hope there's more to it. Otherwise I'll be pissed about passing on a $20 EJ25 short block...

Wait a second...

 

You guys mean to tell me that a standard EJ25 block is a direct bolt in? Like all the accessories and heads bolt right up? Motor mounts all the same?

 

I hope there's more to it. Otherwise I'll be pissed about passing on a $20 EJ25 short block...

 

Better to be pissed off than pissed on. Sorry. :/

I hope there's more to it.

 

Sorry.

 

It is 100% bolt-in. You use the EJ25 head gaskets (must have the correct diameter fire ring).

 

Instant 50 HP increase.

 

GD

Just out of curiosity, using an ED25 block (I'm assuming the EJ25D is the most commonly used) plus EJ25 gaskets, does that make Frankenmotor susceptible to HG failures? Or has anyone run one long enough to find out?

So you are saying that the deisign (daimeters, spacing, etc.) of all of the cam drive related components (idlers, water pump, sprockets, etc.) are identical on the 2.2 and the 2.5 so all you have to do is use a 2.2 timing belt?

Bump to see if anyone answers the last couple questions that were asked.

So you are saying that the deisign (daimeters, spacing, etc.) of all of the cam drive related components (idlers, water pump, sprockets, etc.) are identical on the 2.2 and the 2.5 so all you have to do is use a 2.2 timing belt?

 

Yes you can use the 2.2 timing belt on the SOHC frankenmotor.

The placement and design of timing components are the same between 2.2 and 2.5 blocks The 2.2 and 2.5 are essentially the same block with the exception of the piston bore size.

 

The timing tensioner design changed after 1996, but the block has a removeable bracket that can be swapped with the tensioner to allow changing from old style to new or vice versa.

well ive got my dad picking up a rebuilt ej25 block with 30,000 on it out of a 98 forester. now i can start pulling my engine and getting my heads rebuilt when i get back in town next weekend.

 

so now i just need head gaskets for the 2.5 and just bolt it all up or is there something else im missing

I have heard about this build and I think I will do this as well. I have a 95 Leggy wagon that is getting a new slushbox but the 2.2 has 403K KM on it. It runs great (as most 2.2's do) but i envy the Torque and HP that my wife's Forester has.

 

The cool thing is that I can reuse the timing belt as I just changed it last month. Luckily I found a JDM twin cam EJ25 at a JDM shop that has head issues and was just returned. I think they are going to junkit so I am going to try him on for $50 to take it off his hands.

 

I will keep you updated if i go for this. 190 hp in a leggy wagon..... hmmmm this is going to be fun!!!

 

BTW.... I hear the compression ratio gets bumped to 11:1 !!!wow.... My GSR would have been jealous!

 

Jeff

Compression depends on block, piston, and HG combo. Can be anywhere from 10.4 to 12.

 

GD

hey guys new to the forums but im a bit confused, i have a 1990 loyale, and was planning on getting a ej22 and rebuilding it and swapping it into the car then rebuilding that engine , but it looks like it would just fine to drop a ej25 into it straight bolt on? what about electrics and such?

That is very different from what this thread is about. Loyale is the older generation. It is not a drop in bolt on at all. It has been done, it's a big project. Loyale stock engine is ea82. You need an adapter plate, and wiring harness from the newer legacy donor car. Most who have done this swap used a 2.2. Better reliability than 2.5. The EJ22 is already something like a 40% HP increase over an EA82.

oh alright, thank you for the answer. the block in my loyale says EJ22 on it though. and my other friend also has the EJ22, he has the sedan version..

Maybe a previous owner swapped an EJ22 into your Loyale?  Does it run okay?  If so, maybe the re-wiring has already been done!

yeah maybe it runs good i replaced the entire cooling system except the heater core, and i need to clean the idle control valve thing... it idles kinda funny... but other than that its pretty mint for 268000 ish miles

When it comes to engine questions, make sure you mention it's an EJ22. They are quite different in details than EA82.

Hi all! I have an 85 VW Vanagon camper with a slowly dying oem engine with much less than it's original 70 hp and now live in California. CA only allows the Ej22 swap officially and I've been eyeing these as an easy reliable engine with few fitment issues. I was reading recommendations on this forum, and thought you're the people to reach out to.

 

Can any of you source a good 2.2 in a vehicle for me and then ship what I need with the engine? I need the exact harness from that vehicle, the ECU and some specific mounting hardware for the swap kit I'm planning to use. 

 

I see cars pop up on facebook and CL but only high mile vehicles...300k or so and I read you don't recommend rebuilding high mile ej2.2 engines when you can cheaply buy a good working one with 120k to 200k. I think that's a decent point. What have you got?

 

Thanks,

Scott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

use car-part.com to search for potential engines in your area. or where ever you like really..

junkyards can probably get you whatever you need, and most have contact info included in the listings.

 

4 hours ago, heartless said:

use car-part.com to search for potential engines in your area. or where ever you like really..

junkyards can probably get you whatever you need, and most have contact info included in the listings.

 

Hi, thanks for that recommendation. I've used that salvage yard sit for many years. LA however is very quickly picked over. I've been to the yards here. It seems that there are many scavengers. Subaru engines are gone the same day, wires cut. 

I saw General Disorder mentioning to just find a lower mile engine rather than try to rebuild a high mile 2.2 because they seem to run forever. I was Hoping they or someone else had one laying around or was in business who could get me what I need. The idea of going to a yard and pulling a mystery motor is no longer in the cards for me.

like i said, search outside your area. use the contact info to reach out to them..