Victor8021 Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I have an 09 legacy 2.5i. I brleive its an EJ20 I want to know if I would be able to swap it out for the FA20. Would bolt up with minor modification. Thanks for any advice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 If you have a 2.5i it has a ej25 in it. Why do you want to swap it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor8021 Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 I will be honest im not much of a subaru wizz. This is my first Subaru, and I was told the EJ25 has to high compresion to add a bolt on turbo with out having to rebuild the engine. I can get a FA20 motor for $400 out of a wrecked BRZ and was reading that the FA20 has more room for upgrading. The main goal is that im not satisfied with acceleration in my legacy. I feel the 2.5 is not big enough for the weight of the legacy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 have you looked for a WRX or STi engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 (edited) That engine has something in the neighborhood of 12.5:1 compression. That's way too high for forced induction. It only makes 200 hp as-is (low torque with 7k rpm redline = OK for light car; NOT OK for heavier car) which isn't very much. Honestly, if it were me, I'd get the guts of a turbo install for a turbo'd Subaru (preferably a Legacy GT for less hassle) and compare the costs of swapping out the engine with a GT or WRX as you could easily sell your 2.5L and recoupe a large amount of the cost. The $400 for the BRZ engine seems like a steal though. Considering that engine is still very new; if it runs good, I'd buy it for $400, sell it on Craigslist for $1500, and just wait for a serious buyer. Ebay would get the best hits with less of the "Yo, you take $150 4 that?" CL gets but obviously there are fees involved. I gotta think it's a hot engine to sell off for a profit right now (could ask more for it, but you lower the odds of a quick turn around). I'm guessing that yard is more interested in selling and moving in bulk, rather than top $$$$ and waiting a year or more to sell. Edited February 3, 2014 by Bushwick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Sell your car and buy one with the performance you want. The Swap will cost you more and you will have a car that's special to you but you will have a hard time selling it in the modified condition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 if you want a project, maybe check into a frankenmotor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Not to mention creating a nightmare to get running on the canbus system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor8021 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 What about swapping to an EJ257 I can pick one of them up at the same place as the FA20. I really dont want to trade the car in. I was really hoping that I could do an easy engine swap. I also have available to me both wiring harnesses and computers for both motors. The EJ257 is in an 05 wrx still and the FA20 is in a 13 BRZ. Both totaled with low miles. The still has 45k and brz has less then 1k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you have access to everything needed, I say go for it. It increases the cool factor of the car and if you ever go to sell it, you'll definitely get interest from people wanting a Legacy (or sleeper) with a WRX power level/engine. What you'd need to do is take EVERYTHING from the WRX that allows that engine to run. So, ECM, wiring, etc. Some stuff might be interchangeable, some obviously not. Stuff that you might have to make work arounds for are things like getting the tach to work, etc. Grab the fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, etc. and install on yours. The swap should be straight forward. If guys can put LSX engines in WRX and make all the dash stuff i.e. tach work, then staying within the same family should be rather easy. Buy a LOT of solder, heat shrink wrap, and electrical tape and start researching the swap. 1k miles on the BRZ engine and they want $400??? Buy that thing and flip it for a quick profit. 45k on the ej engine sounds like a good deal too. See if the yard will let you get it running before committing. If the accident was bad enough, it could say put enough pressure on the exhaust to crack the turbine housing for the turbo or damage a head, etc. You'll need to look it over VERY carefully. I strongly suggest spending 15 minutes and doing a compression test as well as checking the turbo out for play. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 An 05 WRX did not come with an EJ257. And it will be a lot of work, and a lot of money to do the swap regardless. Everything will bolt in for the most part, but it's not that straight forward, regardless of what he ^ assumes. It's been done A LOT, and you can find lots of info on a site like NASIOC, but don't expect people to be nice and answer many questions on there, but the answers are all there if you search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 ^ Um, I'm not afraid of actually getting dirty, and I know my way around turbos and what not. If you have the money and want it done, it's doable. I say straight forward as he won't have to weld up a custom k member or weld in motor mounts, etc. The engine is a direct swap. Cutting wires and adapting them is easy, just takes time and nobody likes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 As I said before, any swap is going to be a pain in the a.s.s due to the canbus system. If you don't know what that is read up. This is not as simple as a you think it is, even with a whole donor car at your disposal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you are trying to cross-mate 2 different cars by reusing much of the car that's getting the upgrade, then you gotta goof with the wires, so what. You stated before "A LOT" of people have done the swap, so there should be plenty of DIY stuff out there. Honestly, I'd rather just take ALL the wiring from donor and swap out i.e. not try and splice by mix and matching stuff. Why bother splicing up the CAN bus stuff if you can just pull everything from a donor? Use new or make your own ground points (very easy to do with self tapping screws and cordless) and run power to the fuse block. If all the wiring from the donor is used along with it's ECM, etc., just need to get it wired to ignition, tach, etc. etc. The guy wants to upgrade, not buy a different car or be told to buy a different car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presslab Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 The CANbus is not just a wiring problem. There's CAN connecting to everything, like the instrument cluster. So now you need to swap the instrument cluster, good luck getting that to fit right. It's tied into the ABS so now you need to swap the whole brake system. You get the idea... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you are trying to cross-mate 2 different cars by reusing much of the car that's getting the upgrade, then you gotta goof with the wires, so what. You stated before "A LOT" of people have done the swap, so there should be plenty of DIY stuff out there. Honestly, I'd rather just take ALL the wiring from donor and swap out i.e. not try and splice by mix and matching stuff. Why bother splicing up the CAN bus stuff if you can just pull everything from a donor? Use new or make your own ground points (very easy to do with self tapping screws and cordless) and run power to the fuse block. If all the wiring from the donor is used along with it's ECM, etc., just need to get it wired to ignition, tach, etc. etc. The guy wants to upgrade, not buy a different car or be told to buy a different car. You can't just swap in all the wiring and everything. We're talking 2 different platforms completely. The body style changed in 08, so things won't just swap in. And yes A LOT of people have done swaps, but most of them have professionals do it because it's not easy to do, and not just a matter of getting your hands dirty. Your turbo experience doesn't mean a whole lot honestly. These are Subarus, and while some things do cross over from one brand to another, there is A LOT that does not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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