I know this topic has been beat to death, but I can't seem to find the answer to my question. I have a 2004 Subaru outback with an ej251 that lost a rod bearing this weekend. I am tossing around the idea of swapping the 2.5 for a more reliable 2.2. I do understand that i need a phase 2 motor for a plug and play installation. My question is, what year and make of Subaru have the donor motor I would need. If I choose to stick with the 2.5, I understand that any 2.5 block from 2000-2005 will work? Is this correct? Thank you to anyone who can help!

Phase II EJ22 are only found in:

1999-2001 Impreza

1999 Legacy

 

If it's not those - you don't need to ask.  "Will a 1998..."....No. 

 

You also need a single port exhaust manifold for those as well.

 

JDM suppliers have 2.0 stuff too that can work.

 

Yes any 00-05 block will work.

 

For that matter nearly any EJ block from 1990-2009 I think can work if you make appropriate decisions. 

I've used 1996-1999 DOHC blocks in your car but the pistons stick out and need to use thick headgaskets to compensate for valve interference.

 

www.car-part.com

Thanks for the quick reply! I am really leaning toward the 2.2 as a replacement, and this information is exactly what i have been looking for. 

In these phase 2 motors the head gaskets were the same style. The EJ22 is NOT more reliable in the 1999 and up motors. The 90-98 2.2s were vastly more reliable than the troublesome 96-99 DOHC 2.5s.

 

reliability of the phase 2 2.2s and 2.5s were the same and somewhere in between the earlier EJ motors.

 

A 2.2 swap is fine if you source a cheap phase 2. Otherwise there is no advantage to having one. JDM Ej20 SOHC motors are a good option as they are cheap and still dual port while only sacrificing 10 HP.

 

Or there are way more phase 2 2.5s out there than phase 2 2.2s. Explore all options, but don't hunt specifically for a 2.2. There's nothing in it for you.

I am honestly looking for a cheap option to get this thing back on the road. Having a couple of engine choices opens up alot more possibilities. I have already dumped a bunch of money into this car over the last year and a half already..... Thanks for all of the knowledge everybody!

good day all. I am wondering if anyone knows what it takes to put my 96-98 ej22 single port into my 2004 outback wagon. I have the ej22 full wire harness, y-pipe, tranny mount. everything i thought would might be needed to swap over. i would like to get away with using the existing 2004 wire harness and doing a little merging. has anyone done this before ?