We just bought a 1999 Outback limited with a bad number 3 rod bearing.  I'm baffled at this motor.  You know previous owners, they like to leave stuff out, or maybe they just straight up dont know, but i would have thought this should be the reworked 2.5 with shim-over-bucket heads.  Its not, its got hydrolic lifters, the 96 low comp heads and 96 high comp pistons.  maybe someone swapped a 96 2.5 into it?  or did Subaru go backwards with their engines?

 

Also, i've got another engine.  got it for free.  it is the reworked 2.5 with shim-over-bucket valvetrain, high comp heads and low comp pistons.  They guy told me it was out of a 1997 Outback, but the bearing have me scratching my head.  Of all the 2.5's i've worked on so far (only 4, lol) the thrust bearing was the 3rd one.  on my free engine, the thrust bearing is the 5th one, furthest one back.  Also, comparing it the other three 2.5's we have, the connecting rod journals are bigger in diameter.  what engine is this?  its driving me nuts not knowing what year this block is cause i dont what bearings to get.

Your free engine sounds like it has a phase II bottom end. The thrust position is # 5 and they went back to the 52mm rod bearings instead of the 48 mm one's they used on the EJ25D. (I think I've got the rod journal diameters correct)

99 Outbacks came with a phase 2, 2.5 block, and the DOHC heads from the factory.

Like cap'n said, the free one has a phase 2 block. 99 Legacy Outback and GT had that block with DOHC shim/bucket heads.

 

Find the vin stamp on the lower corner of the bellhousing. Check the 10th digit and that will tell you exactly what model year that engine came from.

T=96, V=97, W=98, X=99, Y=00.

In 01 it went back to numeric, starting with 1=01, 2=02, etc.