I have a 98 forester that has a blown head gasket and I a have a 1993 Legacy turbo wagon all rusted out. What would need to be done to make this swap a success. I cant find anything in the forums like this. Has anbody done this? Any help or links would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

problem you will find is the wiring. the engine will bolt in with the turbo from suspension X-member. but you will have to convert the EJ22T to OBD2 to get it to work. then get it tuned because you will not find a computer to plug in and run it properly.

 

basically i recommend you just find a 96+ EJ22 and put it in if you are locked in on getting rid of the EJ25. it will be a good bit slower because it (EJ22) has 30 less HP and 40 less TQ.

 

but good luck on your decision.

The way that kind of swap is done is to use many newer turbo parts (WRX, etc) along with the EJ22T block. The block is very good and desireable - but you would want to swap over to 2.5 liter heads and many folks also go with 2.5 litre rotating assemblies - the result is a 2.35 litre turbo "stroker" that's easily capable of 800+ HP.

 

The engine is desireable and even valuable to some - but as noted to make it work in a 96+ you are going to have to do a TON of wireing or use a lot of newer turbo parts with the 2.2 short block under them all to interface with the car's electrical.

 

GD

hey you guys, I might be able to come into a '99 Forester on the cheap, with engine problems. What do you think about just finding a cheap 2.2 block that is good, and swappin that over with the '99 2.5 heads? Or can the 2.5 intake work with the 2.2?

 

Wondering if this will help alleviate some wiring issues and make the swap alittle quicker?

can you replace blown headgaskets?

 

intake won't bolt onto an EJ22 unless it's a 99+ EJ22 which then needs the cam sprockets swapped to work usually.

 

not sure about swapping the heads to an EJ22.

Ok im dumb to all this, just stumbled upon something on craigslist, that if its a 5spd may work out real well.

 

then its just a matter of finding a good engine or block or assemble something good. Plan would be to try to keep the wiring as stock as possible. Not opposed to a 2.5 i guess, just want something bulletproof.

 

Possible wheeler, and cant have any trouble in the middle of nowhere

the good thing is Phase II Ej25's don't strand you, they start leaking but don't overheat until the coolant is low. so 99+ forester or 00+ anything else is much better than the older DOHC stuff, those leave you stranded as soon as they start to go.

Really, i am not affraid to do head gaskets. Is there an update kit or something available to make the '99 EJ25 as bulletproof as the good ole EJ22's?

Really, i am not affraid to do head gaskets. Is there an update kit or something available to make the '99 EJ25 as bulletproof as the good ole EJ22's?

 

There are no update's as far as I know. I recently bought a '99 Forester with the Phase II 2.5 - it's got 234k on it and runs just great. It's got a tiny bit of oil leakage from the head gaskets - not even enough to cause a drip. When they blow I'll just swap in an EJ22.

 

The problems people are seeing with the phase II's are external head gasket leaks (coolant, and more rarely oil), and rod bearing failure. There is some speculation that poor cooling system maintenance leads to head gasket failure and the resulting overheating, etc can result in rod bearing failure. It's hard to say what all the factors are.

 

There are probably threads around here about swapping in the EJ22's in place of the Phase II EJ25's.... can't imagine it would be that difficult if you used a '96+ EJ22 with the OBD-II setup.

 

The '99 Forester is a nice ride overall. They have some annoying rear wheel bearing issues from what I've seen - our's has had them replaced twice on one side and three times on the other according to the reccords and one or both are on the way out again.

 

As for putting the EJ25 heads on the EJ22 block - I think that results in some stupenously high compression. I doubt that is the way to go but I haven't investigated it closely.

 

GD

done right he head gaskets should be a once and done deal, particularly on these newer ones. use Subaru only head gasket and do it right - heads machined, etc. Subaru requires their additive and either they or other suggest a year coolant change with the additive.

 

the EJ25's are not as reliable as the EJ22, but pretty close once the head gasket issue is taken care of. the rod bearing issue is the strangest, i'd like to know what causes that.

 

There are probably threads around here about swapping in the EJ22's in place of the Phase II EJ25's.... can't imagine it would be that difficult if you used a '96+ EJ22 with the OBD-II setup.

it's harder than that. needs to be 99+ EJ22 and requires some parts swapping.

it's harder than that. needs to be 99+ EJ22 and requires some parts swapping.

 

Could you do it if you rewired the manifold on the 96-98 Phase II's to match the 99+ vehicle harness? Or are there major differences in sensor outputs etc? I guess what I'm asking is are the differences largely a matter of wireing or actual incompatibilities with components?

 

GD

not sure about swapping the harness. wouldn't surprise me either way if it's a pain or easy work around.

 

i heard (have not looked into it), that the MAF to MAP change and something else complicates things.

 

and i saw somewhere the injector connectors were different (not verified but not a big deal anyway)

Well the forester I was lookin at sold. Oh well... thanks for the info guys. I think this will be my next ride.