Hello everyone, new subaru owner over here. I picked up a 1997 Legacy Outback for $300 from a buddy of mine. The car is in great shape cosmetically; especially since it has 174k miles on it. It came stock with a 2.5l that apparently developed a problem, so the car lot he bought it from swapped in a 2.2l. He says it hasn't ran right since; hence the reason he sold it. My buddy is a great guy, but doesn't seem to be working with a few deck and I believe he got himself ripped off. The car turns over and runs, but the power steering leaks and the car seems to hesitate during takeoff. I haven't checked/changed any fluids yet though. Since I'm new and all, I was hoping some of the more experienced folks out there would let me in on tips and tricks, performance modifications or basically any information you're willing to share. A good place to start is by determining if the engine I have is indeed a 2.2. How could I find that out? Thanks in advance!

identify subaru 2.2 engine stamp - top of engine pass side. For hesitation, try a can of Seafoam Transtune added to trann. Fluid. P/S leak will have to be located, then addressed.

2.2 is single cam, that Gen 2.5 is dual cam. Might be 1 tooth out of time. That swap is as common as sliced bread and has no ill effects

post a picture of the engine and we can identify which engine and maybe more.   here's the order I would proceed:

 

1.  CHECK ENGINE LIGHT - is it on?

2.  if it is go to advance or other and have it read for free - post the exact codes here (not employee's interpretation of the code). 

 

3.  if there's no light and it's running terribly then the timing should be checked.  you can remove the side timing covers (they're just three 10mm bolts each side) to view each cam timing mark. 

line up both cam pulley marks with the notch at 12 noon in the plastic timing cover just above it and see if both cams are lined up at the same time. 

if they are then you check the crank mark and see if it's lined up when those two are - google it or we can tell you later if you do this. 

 

4.  knock sensor is by far the most common sensor failure on those engines - they're $8 on ebay and one bolt (just a 12mm socket and long extension) and 8 minutes to replace.  SUPER CAKE. 

 

5.  NGK plugs and wires are necessary - how old and what brand are the plugs and wires?

 

6.  check for wiring issues - look around for any signs of something compromised or non-stock.  

if they got a good engine from a yard (as opposed to some questionable craigslist special) - those EJ22's are one of the best engines Subaru ever made. 

 

assumign it was reasonably maintained and went to the junk yard due to a wreck or rust or normal situation like that - those engines run forever with very minor maintenance.   they're about the cheapest more reliable 100,000 miles you can get out of a subaru.

 

if it's a1997-1998 EJ22 then it has an interference timing belt and the belt, pulleys, and tensioner should be replaced once you fix the drivability issues.  and the timing (mentioned in my step #3 above) should be checked immediately to avoid valve damage.