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Any engine I can swap with a 90 loyale?


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The loyale can fit any ej engine physically with no modification. You will need the engine control parts of the wiring harness and ecu of the engine of your choice.

If you want to keep the 4wd trans, you need an adapter plate, otherwise you can use the ej trans, but that will make your car awd and has to match the rear diff ratio. Plus the axle spline count is probably different, so you'll need to modify the axles or do the five lug swap. And you will need a custom length driveshaft and possibly light modifications to the crossmember.

I have a 95 ej22 in my 86gl and it's perfect for her. I think a turbo might be a bit much. She burns out through second and chirps 3rd haha! I used the adapter plate to keep the dual range. :P

You're talking about 2.0 so you have a rx or sti swap planned? Awesome! Lol 

And to answer your question, no it wasn't a lot of trouble, and I learned efi as I went! I would say the radiators goofy inlet was the most troublesome, so overall easy! :lol: I never even hooked up the vss, lol!

Have fun wrenching!

Edited by sparkyboy
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4 hours ago, Meatboi said:

I got a 90 loyale and I want to put a newer engine in my rig.  Any of the 2.0l turbo engines or any engines for that matter fit in this thing without a lot of trouble

Short answer... No. Even moreso if you know nothing of spinning spanners or reading/following wiring diagrams.

Either the EJ NAs or the turbo engines will require a wiring loom cut down and an adaptor plate. Go the turbo route and you’ll have to notch the engine crossmember (or find an EA turbo crossmember) and think about gearbox upgrade thoughts too. 

Once you’ve done one it’s pretty easy ;) 

Cheers 

Bennie

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Point in fact - it's absolutely too much trouble. For the same amount of work you could do something that's actually FUN. Like swap an LS into an older F body or even a C/K truck/blazer.

And yeah - it's quite a bit of trouble. Very few people out there that can do this in a weekend and have it running (I'm saying this AS ONE OF THEM). For most that attempt it - they spend a month or more (sometimes years) getting them operational. The end result isn't that worthwhile. The rest of the car is mechanically unable to support the power of something like a 20G turbo. That would tear the Loyale in half like Jesse Ventura with a phone book. 

GD

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My answer was easily the most light hearted...lol!

My swap took me 8 months to complete, and cost about $1000 due to a running car for $500, which i sold everything else. I also drilled the flywheel myself, a custom is $200. Your wiring harness can be cut for you for $200, you pay for shipping back and forth usually. 

So there are different approaches. If you want to do this, but don't want to learn electronics, be ready to pay more, but it's plug and play.

But it's almost a must to have an ej in an L body these days. I highly recommend a phase one ej22. 

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On 2/16/2019 at 11:42 AM, GeneralDisorder said:

Point in fact - it's absolutely too much trouble. For the same amount of work you could do something that's actually FUN. Like swap an LS into an older F body or even a C/K truck/blazer.

GD

This is also a matter of opinion, the spfi ea82 is kinda fun to drive if you mat it all the time, they are light enough to really whip around and respond well to the Scandinavian flick. 

For me, the ej22 swap makes the gl an absolute pleasure to drive. All the little things add up, bashing off in 4hi in the rain. The perfect placement of the pedals for heel and toe, (better than e30 bmw, cause you can adjust the cable clutch. I like very little freeplay), the little always fresh vent, crank windows, creeping in 4lo to pull a ford f350 diesel out of snow...haha! I love my GL!

 I know the unique fun an even mildly upgraded car provides, and no two are the same...my camaro is a piece of perfect engineering (hear me out, lol) on smooth gravel roads. Absolute perfection to slide in just a hint, and a tap on the gas if things get hairy. Manual steering, like a dream. 53/47 weight balance is slide, NO fishtailing.

Bmws best awd has not come close to that experience, much less a Subaru or ford.

She's slammed so all the drawbacks with that! 

@MeatboiI guess my point is listen to, and understand as best you can the drawbacks. A pile of wires, parts etc..and build her the way you want. Buy a cheap daily or a scooter or something if you need. It's worth it in the end. First gen leggo? That's what I got while swapping my GL, those cars DON'T flick ha

I showed my family this swap in a picture and i got the third degree for sure, they don't know subes and how much ea82 sucks. But i never retrofitted, so i can see the skepticism. I showed them though, my GLs engine made 135 go at one point in her life, haha! Prolly 115 now.

Don't let anyone discourage you or tell you that your car is not worth building. I heard that same nonsense.

Subaru is the current budget build here, my $450 gl is worth every penny of $1800 now, no joke. (Or joke to some) But that's not the sube love price, she'll go for a thouski once I swap my other pieces of rusty garbage. The old American and German crap are still out there, but not much for less than a thousand. Japanese was best in the 80s imho

 

Edited by sparkyboy
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On 2/16/2019 at 3:02 PM, sparkyboy said:

 

 

My answer was easily the most light hearted...lol!

My swap took me 8 months to complete, and cost about $1000 due to a running car for $500, which i sold everything else. I also drilled the flywheel myself, a custom is $200. Your wiring harness can be cut for you for $200, you pay for shipping back and forth usually. 

So there are different approaches. If you want to do this, but don't want to learn electronics, be ready to pay more, but it's plug and play.

But it's almost a must to have an ej in an L body these days. I highly recommend a phase one ej22. 

 Do you have a link for someone that will cut a wiring harness? I plan to do it myself but it’s always good to have a backup plan.

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2 hours ago, Meatboi said:

 Do you have a link for someone that will cut a wiring harness? I plan to do it myself but it’s always good to have a backup plan.

A back up plan would be a second harness :P 

Don’t take what GD says to heart. He plays with the new stuff and seems to have little time for others starting to play with the older stuff... and seriously GD?  More fun LS swapping an f150?? Where’s the Subi in that equation??! It’s not even part of the initial question!!!!  Argh!! :horse:

Do your research, learn along the way and take your time with the wiring cut down job.  If you get a donor vehicle, pull the wiring, do the cut down then test run the wiring on the engine while it’s still in the vehicle. Once that checks out without any check engine lights etc, then proceed with the engine removal and the rest of the conversion. 

Cheers 

Bennie

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10 hours ago, Meatboi said:

 Do you have a link for someone that will cut a wiring harness? I plan to do it myself but it’s always good to have a backup plan.

Here you go, bro.  https://youtu.be/Ppl6HyfmNSs

^^ Look in the description and there is a link to "help with harness" for cutting services. There are also pdf files to pinouts if you want to try cutting it yourself. 

https://youtu.be/TKvBzl19Jdw

 ^^ The start of an 8 part video series step by step: (pinouts in the description as well)

This swap guide by Numbchux is very good and what initially gave me the ej swap bug: https://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/67098-please-read-ej-swap-write-up-ver-20-now-in-pdf-form/

Cheers man, the wiring is the most "complicated" part but it but can be done by someone whose electrical experience was only wiring a stereo. 

Edited by sparkyboy
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@Meatboi

I would like to add something...a wiring harness is close to impossible to screw up and I'll tell you why...say you cut a very important power or sensor wire off right at the harness, cause you thought it was a/c or cruise control, so you can't splice a new wire? Just push the pin out of the harness and replace. Just make sure to know the ecu pins well so you don't accidentally give something 12v that isn't supposed to.

You can in theory use pins to hardwire the ecu directly to the intake manifold connectors, and eliminate the connector (as well as ALL the original wiring) completely, it just happens that the factory wiring is very nice. Plus the ecu fits nice in the glove box.

Repinning the harness will allow you to mix and match ecus and harnesses when using obd2.

Just food for thought, or in case you can't find a running donor car right away...plieadies tends to line these things up for those with patience, and who help others.

Subaru swap life hack: buy a daily with ej whatever if you can for cheap. For while the loyale is under the knife.

I got a 92 leggo in addition to the donor. How else would I know you can Scandinavian flick an L body, but the awd leggo won't? Not even with the e brake! Plus a future engine after finding awd weaknesses lol! Don't use the handbrake for flicking the loyale, especially to the left, so flicking right. I'm sure you already know why. I flick my xt on the street :P cuz turbo...have fun with the ea82 But don't break it if you can help it...someone will want that engine and might even pay you believe it or not. I got $125 for my old carby ea82, that was the asking price too.

Save the rubber grommet cause it fits perfect on the firewall. And if obd1 (90-94 legacy, 96 and older impreza) do not remove the brown double diode on the alternator pigtail. It's critical.

Edited by sparkyboy
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On 2/16/2019 at 3:07 AM, sparkyboy said:

 

If you want to keep the 4wd trans, you need an adapter plate, otherwise you can use the ej trans, but that will make your car awd and has to match the rear diff ratio. Plus the axle spline count is probably different, so you'll need to modify the axles or do the five lug swap. And you will need a custom length driveshaft and possibly light modifications to the crossmember.

 

2 notes here.

1) EA82 TURBO axles are 25 spline and will fit any EA82 car with any 25 spine trans (EA82 turbo or EJ AWD)

 

2) No adapter plate, and no shifter/driveline/crossmember mods needed if you do one simple, complex thing.  Swap the Loyale S/R 4wd trans guts and tailsection into Early EJ AWD 5spd cases.    All you need is a dead EJ box (preferably not spun bearing)  and some time and the Right Stuff sealant.  good time to install 4 new seals in the trans.  Use EJ flywheel and Clutch.

 

 

And last note, yeah a turbo is really too much trouble........unless you got time and money a plenty and don't care about spending.  EJ18 or 22 swap from 90's Legs and Imps cars are plenty for the EA body.

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7 hours ago, FerGloyale said:

2 notes here.

1) EA82 TURBO axles are 25 spline and will fit any EA82 car with any 25 spine trans (EA82 turbo or EJ AWD)

Same for series 2 MPFI NA ;)

7 hours ago, FerGloyale said:

2) No adapter plate, and no shifter/driveline/crossmember mods needed if you do one simple, complex thing.  Swap the Loyale S/R 4wd trans guts and tailsection into Early EJ AWD 5spd cases.    All you need is a dead EJ box (preferably not spun bearing)  and some time and the Right Stuff sealant.  good time to install 4 new seals in the trans.  Use EJ flywheel and Clutch.

I can vouch for this mod. Best of both worlds. No adaptor, uses factory EJ clutch setup yet it all bolts right in as per the L series box ;) 

Cheers 

Bennie

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I regret selling my EJ22 swapped Loyale. Especially because I think the dude sent it to the crusher... I built it in a place where there were no emission standards... and sold it in Colorado...  I did an ugly looking harness reduction, put the ecu in a cheap lockbox and put it where the spare tire went... Lifted it with the tempo and accord springs, and put 14" pugs with BFGs on it. If they weren't just tin kleenex boxes waiting to be squished in an auto accident I would do it again, and again, and again. The EJ swap probably took me a month worth of weekends to accomplish. I remember head scratchers as I would peel out from stop lights the first day I had it swapped, with the 13" wheels still. There was an exhaust leak so the subaru rumble was thunderous... I would definitely love to mate it with a dual range box, and also do an AWD swap to boot as well. There's just something about those old Loyales and GL/DLs. Good luck!

Greg

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On 2/16/2019 at 3:02 PM, sparkyboy said:

My answer was easily the most light hearted...lol!

My swap took me 8 months to complete, and cost about $1000 due to a running car for $500, which i sold everything else. I also drilled the flywheel myself, a custom is $200. Your wiring harness can be cut for you for $200, you pay for shipping back and forth usually. 

So there are different approaches. If you want to do this, but don't want to learn electronics, be ready to pay more, but it's plug and play.

But it's almost a must to have an ej in an L body these days. I highly recommend a phase one ej22. 

Would a 2001 impreza with the 2.2 NA motor be suitable for this swap? What is considered a phase one EJ22?

Edited by Cyama
forgot one question
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7 hours ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

what about a JDM ej20 SOHC ? to much engine management issues?

JDM SOHC 2.0 is essentially the same as a 2.2.  Will run on same management.  just need a physically matching manifold to bolt to which ever head type.

Still may be differences in Phase I (small heads)  and phase II (large SOHC heads, shared with 2.5 SOHC)

2001 Imp harness will work, but you will be missing Fuel temp, fuel pressure, Vent control etc.....

Earlier management is easier to make a complete "no CEL" swap.

96 OBW management is pretty much the sweet spot.

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