kaltree

Well, I thought I would drop a quick update. It's been nearly a year now since the swap, and things have been great. The new EJ22 has roughly 15,000 miles on it. On a recent road trip, I recorded 29.6 MPG on the highway. No issues that I can think of. I am told there may be a slight seepage of oil around the left-hand valve covers, but that is the only issue (and quite minor, in my opinion). The engine is quiet, and plenty powerfull - granted the EJ25 may have had more power, but was not running at full potential with all the issues I had with it. With gas prices where they are, I am glad I went with the EJ22. Kevin

I believe the engine was specific to '95. Can anyone else verify this?

Thanks for the clarification on the intake manifold Emily! I updated the original post to reflect this as to not mislead anyone... And as far as hassle factor goes, this '95 EJ22 was amazingly easy to install (from what I heard from my mechanic). I think the hardest part was taking the time to build the custom bracket, and getting to the bolts that connect to the transmission... All of which are very minor in my opinion. - Kevin

Not sure. I went off the recommendation from CCR. If I remember right, the big issue is making sure the EGR system and exhaust match up. I'm sure there's lots more, but will have to yield to the experts on this site for more details. Anybody know for sure if this will work? Fat Tire is good beer... And after all the issues with the EJ25 - a beer sounds really good.

Sounds like you got a great deal. Can't beat that!! Sounds like a great deal on the Fat Tire too!

The existing computer (as far as I know) is a direct match with the 2.2L. Others who know this for sure - please chime in...

That's true. A headgasket job tends to run around $1200. That's the low-end price, assuming the heads are in good shape. Being the heads are aluminum - they are prone to warp and crack. Each head costs around $600. Total cost for heads and a gasket are around $2400. That comes with a 90-day warranty and the chance the gasket could blow again. I opted for a more reliable solution with a good warranty.

Engine was $2105.00 (including shipping) Installation was $600.00 (including extra parts, fluids, etc) Total: $2700.00 (and now has a 3 year warranty on the engine!!)

Well, it's finally done. For some who have been waiting for this, I apologize as I am lazy. For the last year, I had been struggling with the EJ25 that came with my '97 Outback. I came to the conclusion that I too suffered the infamous head gasket failures. The engine had overheated so many times I honestly lost count. The EJ25 never overheated to the point of boil-over, but came very close. Since these engine have aluminum heads, there was a good chance the heads were either warped or cracked or possibly both. I absulutely loved everything about the car, except the engine. Since I still owe on the vehicle, it was not a good choice to sell the car and hope to find a used car for less than the cost of a new engine. So, I came here looking for solutions. It came with high recommendation to contact an engine builder called "Colorado Component Rebuilders, Inc". Their website is http://www.ccrengines.com/. I worked specifically with Emily, who happens to know everything imaginable about Subaru engines. After talking with a local mechanic and setting up the project, I then saved pennies. Went ahead and ordered a 1995 EJ22 with a 1995 Intake Manifold. CCR installed the manifold for me to save time later. They did a great job. It was a little difficult to locate this part, but being a custom job like this I didn't mind. Everything matched up perfectly except for the bracket to support the power steering lines. My mechanic made a custom bracket to support these lines. It took about 8 days or so for the mechanic to do the installation, but he did an excellent job. If you are reading this from the Boise, Idaho area - Ken at Oasis Auto is the man. There were some issues getting things going. Turned out the 4 of the intake lifters did not want to pump up. After trying lots of things, we contacted Emily again at CCR, and the overnighted a new rocker-arm assembly complete with new lifters to fix the issue. Worked like a charm. Now that the engine has a wopping 600 miles on it (as of 11/8/04) - I can give a little progress report. From a power standpoint, the EJ22 is just as good as the EJ25. The ONLY time I notice any difference in power is being on the freeway and flooring it. I'm still breaking in the engine, so I expect things to tighten up just a little. The engine is SO tight as it is. Runs so smooth and is SO quiet when comared to my old EJ25. The EJ25 had roughly 130k on it when it was retired. I have some pictures of the before and after results. You can see those here: http://www.altreephotography.net/subaru. Feel free to post questions here. I'll be checking back as often as I can. If you couldn't tell, I am VERY pleased with the results. No more overheating. Quiet engine. Runs great. Big thanks to Emily at CCR for her patience and time, and to Ken at Oasis Auto in Boise. Great work guys!! - Kevin Altree

I had this problem when my engine ('97 EJ25) severly overheated once due to bad head gaskets. The problem only happened that one time and never since. Course, since then I've also replaced the engine with an EJ22. I connected my ODB2 code reader just to see if anything was listed, but it was clear... Does anyone know if the transmission fluid gets pumped through part of the radiator for cooling? Had a mitsubishi that did this. My thinking is that if the radiator got really hot, this might cause the fluid to run too hot, which could cause the sensor to trip. Just a random guess though...

Last week I had a '97 2.5L AT Ouback. Usually saw 21 city / 30 highway. Next week I will have a '97 2.2L AT Outback. I will be interested to see the changes... Yes - it's a blast to drive. Just wish she was a WRX.

I have a 1997 Outback with 130,000 and it *had* a 2.5L Phase 1 engine. I had the exact same symtoms as you mention, but also had the bubbles. I tried every approach you did. Swapped thermostats twice, flushed the entire system too. Without a doubt, I know it's the head gaskets. If there are hydrocarbons, it's a head gasket. The local subaru dealers in Boise really suck. They totally missed the diagnosis. Infact, they said that to diagnose the issue - the car had to be overheating while they were looking at it. Funny thing is - if it were overheating, I wouldn't be driving it. Something else to check... In my car, if I reved the engine to 2500 rpm, it would typically reduce the temperature. My guess is air bubbles from the gasket were building up and blocking the cooling system. By reving the engine, this was forcing the water pump to increase the pressure and would eventually push the air-lock through. Just a guess though. At this point, my engine has severly overheated so many times that I know the heads are probably shot. It's $600 per head and another good chunk of change for whatever else is needed. I decided to replace the engine with the EJ22, a 2.2 Liter engine provided from a company called "Colorado Component Rebuilders". My outback is currently in the shop this week getting the new engine installed. Total cost will be around $2800 or so for the new engine. The issue I ran into is I love the car. Gets better fuel economy than an SUV, and still drives like a car. The car just fits me great - but had a crappy engine. So, I decided to replace the engine with what most Subaru mechanics describe as Subaru's "bullet-proof" engine, the EJ22. Hopefully, this will give me another 100k... Best of luck in your delima. I feel as though I am nearing the end of this major pain in the ... Kevin

That's exactly what I'm doing. I did however replace the factory head unit with an Alpine CDA-7830 (?). The unit has a rear line-level input that I simply plug my iPod into. This was way before Apple and Alpine signed a deal. It would be really nice to control the MP3 player from the head unit though. Also wired in a power adapter for my iPod from the back of the cigarette lighter. Removed the ash tray (as I don't smoke) and the MP3 player, along with power and audio sit right there perfectly. This is in a 1997 Subaru Outback... There are several other makers who sell head units with aux. audio connectors. I know JVC has one anyway... I'm sure Kenwood probably has something too. Have fun! Kevin Altree

I too have put more than what a person ought to into their car (outside of repairs). Upgraded brake system, stereo/speaker system, street tires and winter tires. Overall I've had the car for 3 years and have put roughly $1000 into the car each year. Most of that was to get the next best part - but a majority was from unexpected part failures. Not sure where your going about this board being super negative. I guess each person has their own idea of what a good car is. I personally love the car I have - and it actually troubles me and keeps me up at night thinking about replacing her. Hence the reason I can't bring myself to do it and will be giving her a new engine - one that will hopefully last a lifetime. Overall, I find the people and their information here on USMB to be extremely helpful. I used to own a Mitsubishi Galant. Just try to find a board like this for that car... Kevin

I feel your pain! For me, this is my first Subaru and I purchased the car knowing or at least thinking that by spending the extra cash for a Subaru that the car would last nearly forever. I certainly didn't expect happening to purchase probably the worst engine Subaru ever made. On the up side, once I can put away an extra $2500 or so, the car will be getting a new engine. I too have highly considered selling my Outback and purchasing something small such as a Honda accord. I mostly commute between school, work and home. It's those weekends when I go camping and hiking that the Outback is perfect. This is the main reason I am thinking about replacing the engine. - Kevin