This EJ20G is the one I brought back with me from Japan in 2003. It has been sitting around since then, and I just put it in my Legacy last week. No turbo or anything, I simply bolted the stock 2.5NA manifold to it.

 

Problem is, it's not firing on all 4. When I pulled the plugs, cyl 1 was wet. So I put a leakdown tester on it, and I can hear air escaping out the exhaust. If I remove the cam, the cylinder holds pressure.

 

So there seems to be an issue with the HLAs then? Or is there something else I am missing? The engine was torn down, and put back together by me. But I never removed the valves (had about 100k km on it when I pulled it from my working Legacy in Japan).

Yeah the HLAs can hold the valves open. Is this one of the dohc engines? I don't know much about those, especially the ones they never brought to the US, butis there any way an intake lifter and exhaust lifter (if theres a difference) could be switched on installation?

Yes, DOHC.

 

I think I may have found the problem. One of the oil passage plugs was loose before, and I think I somehow tightened it too much. I backed it out tonight, and I was getting good leakdown results after that. I'll button it up tomorrow, and see if I'm correct.

 

I also pulled a few HLAs, and didn't see any difference between them. So I think they are universal to this engine.

Well, problem solved. Turns out the oil passage plug, when turned in too much, will cause the HLAs to not compress enough, and keep the valves open.