I just bought a 96 Legacy Outback LS for $800 and the sixth digit in my vin# is a 4. It's an automatic but I read in "The Outback Story" that the automatic's were all 2.5's and the manual's were 2.2's. Anybody out there know how I can find out what I've got? Got your ear's-on Fox?

Should be a 2.5.

 

2 easy wells to tell.

 

On the black plastic timing belt covers. Is there indentations on boths sides for one cam - or two - one above the other?

 

Look around the PS pump/middle of the engine. Cast into the top of the block it'll say EJ22 or EJ25 IIR.

 

Also I think other than 95 the Outback manuals are all 2.5's as well as the auto's. I've redone a few 97 & 98's that were manual and they were definately 2.5's when I got them.

No such thing as an Outback LS. Outback and LS are two separate trim levels. You get either/or, but not both.

 

Legacy Outback has two tone paint. The bumpers and below the trim strips on the doors are gold or grey colored. It has 15" aluminum wheels with 205/70/15 tires, and will likely have a scoop on the hood. Large 6.5" round fog lights in the front bumper.

Legacy LS model typically has 15" aluminum wheels, 195/60/15 size tires, body colored trim and mirrors. Fog lights, if equipped are small projector type, only about 3" around.

 

Outback automatic trans will be a 2.5, unless a 2.2 was swapped in by someone after the 2.5 bit the dust.

LS will have a 2.2

 

Look straight down behind the left corner of the alternator. There will be a big casting with "EJ2 X" in the top of the block.

EJ25 also has a bowtie shape to the timing cover on the front of the engine. DOHC, 2 cams per head, which makes 4 cam sprockets to cover up and they take up some real estate under the hood. 2 indents/ bumps on each side.

Ej22 only has one cam per head. Timing covers are much smaller. and will have one indent/bump on each side.

Edited May 16, 201213 yr by Fairtax4me

'96 Outback with an auto is an EJ25D (2.5).

 

One-year engine also - large combustion chamber heads, composite head gaskets, non-dished pistons, hydraulic lifter buckets.... requires premium fuel.

 

GD

what happens if you put 97 ej25 heads on a 96 ej25 block?

 

still premium fuel?

slight compression increase?

any HP increase?

The rear hatch is green and say's Outback on it but the rest of the car is red. I'll check the cover's and the casting mark's on the block when I get home from work. And yes, it does have the small foglight's in front. Thank's for your time.

Edited November 29, 201312 yr by darsdoug

from the pics it looks like it COULD be a GT (ej25), or maybe LSi (ej25), but it is probably an LS (ej22).

 

power antenna, sun roof, roof rack,....

what size tires?

do the rocker panels have a plastic, bumper-like, material covering them?

any leather in side, steering wheel, shift knob?

 

it is definitely NOT an outback. (paint isn't two tone, roof rack is wrong, no step roof.) they just used outback parts to repair a rear collision.

 

check the engine , if there are 4 cams, 2 round ''lobes'' on each side of the engine in the front is is an ej25. if there are 2 total, one on each side, it is an ej22.

It's a EJ22. Apparently it has a green Outback rear hatch on it. The odometer say's 270K and the paperwork/receipts that came with it say the belt's were replaced at 145K. OMG! Jeez.....! The cat's were replaced in 2005 and the front CV axle's were replaced in May of 2011. The electric cooling fan's aren't kicking on, so now I need to find the location of the thermo switch. I'm quite sure it's a 96 LS wagon. sigh.

I bet its just the wiring harness on one of the fan plug ins. I see that once a month.

Update; I happened to find a sticker on the door jam that say's new quality Gate's timing belt's were put on about 20K mile's ago. It run's like a new engine. My wife drive's it regularly and love's it.

... I'll check the cover's and the casting mark's on the block when I get home from work...

 

Did you Check 'em?

they just used outback parts to repair a rear collision.

 

possible, but not the only reason. several years ago, a truck threw a large hunk of asphalt through my rear window. prices for just the glass were quoted at over $1000, nevermind installation. instead of doing that, i replaced the entire hatch with a complete junkyard hatch for $300, including a working defroster and wiper unit (both of which had failed on the original).

Did you Check 'em?

 

Yes I did. It's clearly stamped EJ22. The young couple I bought the 96 Legacy from thought it had a combustion leak as it would go thru substantial amounts of coolant and they would have to top off the system about every four hundred miles or so. I found the problem as soon as I got it home. The black plastic bleeder screw on top of the radiator was missing and needed replacement. Someone had put a stainless steel bolt there with a piece of duct tape over it in an attempt to stop it from leaking. Ha Ha.

from the pics it looks like it COULD be a GT (ej25), or maybe LSi (ej25), but it is probably an LS (ej22).

 

power antenna, sun roof, roof rack,....

what size tires?

do the rocker panels have a plastic, bumper-like, material covering them?

any leather in side, steering wheel, shift knob?

 

it is definitely NOT an outback. (paint isn't two tone, roof rack is wrong, no step roof.) they just used outback parts to repair a rear collision.

 

check the engine , if there are 4 cams, 2 round ''lobes'' on each side of the engine in the front is is an ej25. if there are 2 total, one on each side, it is an ej22.

 

Yup. Found evidence of a past rear end impact in the basement while roughing out the right rear panel which was messed up. The previous owner said he had bounced off a guard rail during a Montana blizzard. I bought a RF fender and headlamp assembly at the bone yard and got er done. Total out of pocket expense's were less than a hundred bucks.

Edited October 27, 201213 yr by darsdoug