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'91 EJ 22 - Not smooth

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I have a '91 EJ 22 installed in a VW vanagon. The motor was rebuilt by the shop that did the conversion and has ~8k miles on it. It starts easily, idle is consistent, and it pulls strong. My issue is it seems to have a noticeable growl to it, particularly at lower revs - not the smooth sewing machine hum I am used to. I have seen and driven other EJ22 converted vans, and they just seem to be smoother over all rpms, w/out the strong growl that my van has.

 

So my question is - what could be causing this roughness? O2 sensor was new with the motor, not sure about crank and cam angle sensors. IAC is clean and smooth. Plug wires are NGK - I've read a few posts suggesting this could cause roughness? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The motor, in general, is fantastic, I just want to make sure it's living up to it's smooth potential. TIA

Please elaborate on the "growl" Is it coming from the intake, the motor....?

 

Does it feel like it has similar power to other converted vans?

 

Any other details will help in diagnosing.

  • Author

It could be coming from the intake - but it seems more motor related. Power seems comparable to other converted vans, no complaints on power.

 

It almost sounds like a cylinder isn't firing. Rough at all rpms, but most noticeable at 1200-2000. Almost sounds like an old subaru with lots of miles on it - not the smooth, even purr I would expect from a fresh motor. I poked around last night and confirmed all four cylinders are firing, no vacuum leaks that I could find, pcv valve is clean. Swapping plug wires with a friend is my next step, but the NGK wires that I have are new and seem to be seating well?

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

Please elaborate on the "growl" Is it coming from the intake, the motor....?

 

Does it feel like it has similar power to other converted vans?

 

Any other details will help in diagnosing.

  • Author

Yes..the wiring harness, electronics, and ECU came with the motor and I do have the select monitor connector. Just haven't had the time or motivation to put together the scan tool. Assuming I can get it together, what would I be looking for?

 

Did you swap all the electronics & ECU over for the EJ22?

 

If so, and you have the yellow select monitor connector, and a laptop, you can watch some of the sensors to see if you notice anything out of the ordinary.

 

http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~v/b10scan/

  • Author

Cool - I'm going to go to the local dealer and ask real nice - hoping they can hook up my motor to their scan tool.

 

 

Check out this thread

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=24376

 

I'd start by seeing how your info compares to mine, and/or the word document I've put together.

 

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru/techinfo/select_monitor_dsht.doc

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