Thank you so much for your input!! I've put this off for a few weeks, but riding the bus is NOT cutting it ~ I need my scooby-doo back! I'm thinking of taking your advice and putting a used 2.2l in it. To refresh, mine's a '98 outback, manual, 2.5l, and a piston just blew a hole through the top of my engine. I'd like to get 150,000K more miles on this car, and I've got a few questions for you.
When you put the 2.2l in your '98, did you have any trouble with the check engine light coming on? Did you replace the intake manifold? Do the EJ22's have an EGR valve? Did you have to replace the computer or the wire harness?
I've never done any auto mech stuff, so i'll be hiring out this labor. If I need a bunch of parts, should I trust a mechanic's pricing, or should I go out and buy the parts myself? I don't know who to trust, man!
If you would like, please email me back at briankuhlman@earthlink.net . I appreciate you're help so much!!
-brian kuhlman
denver, co