el_freddo

And it saves heaps on fuel and energy used for driving! I'm saving about 1L per hundred km on cruise compared to using the foot... Cheers Bennie

PM taza on ausubi for his foz VIN, but I think that's a 2001 model, still the 2L that you're after though. What I think they mean by "they do not interchange" is "We're just covering our arses so nothing gets put back on us" as we all know the subarus are like lego. You just have to know what bits you need and what bits you need to swap out to match the first bits you need Clear as mud?? Cheers Bennie

Yeah if you don't have the proper equipment or a mate that's got the gear, then it'll be a difficult process. I'll get on to a mate who's done it before, I've only read about it and know that it needs to be done for these final ratios with the L series low range. When you drop it all in it's pretty apparent what needs work done... Yes it would - case internals are pretty much the exact same for the front cases. There's a couple of differences such as the low range light which I forgot to mention The EJ use the selector fork to trigger the low range light via a switch that is mounted directly above the fork - the fork has a tab on it to push the button. The other real difference is the bellhousing design for the different stud pattern. The only real downer about this is that you have to use the adaptor plate and worst of all the EA clutch setup - which should probably be beefed up = more $$$s needed... Cheers Bennie

Thanks GD, that's great to know! Cheers Bennie

Yes but if it is outside the adjustable area then it won't work... everything has a limit, I want to be within the limiting area, not outside it! Cheers Bennie

Oh-o... What have I started now?? :D Very true as the engine is worked in its torque range meaning less revs for the same momentum build compared to an NA that would rev higher to get the same momentum built up... That's the raw basic idea anyway. You just need to drive it with a light foot - once you plant it you can kiss your fuel economy goodbye! Cheers Bennie

Another thing I should have asked is can I still run with regular (91RON) or do I need to run premium (98RON)? Cheers Bennie

Propane aside - what have people found to be the best ECU to run the frankenmotor with cams - the 2.5 litre ECU and wiring or the OBDII 2.2 litre ECU and wiring? This thing sounds like it's going to be off its tits once its going! Will be watching this thread Cheers Bennie

I'm just throwing this out there as you're looking at going for FI. Do what you want with this idea: Ever thought about a supercharger? A toyota SC12 or SC14 would be a great upgrade to the EA81 especially if you're going with FI! Advantages are boost off the line, you can set it up so that the supercharger is on or off via a toggle switch on the dash if you get the unit with the clutched pulley. Not meaning to throw a spanner in the works for you. It does seem like an interesting build. I'd be keen to see some pics! Cheers Bennie

Watched and commented Cheers Bennie

Or reverse is dead... Drain the tranny oil and see what comes out with it. Any metal bits will tell you that something's not 100% internally. I hope for you that it's a dodgy linkage, but if you can get 5th no problems I doubt its a shifter linkage. Cheers Bennie

You don't need to do that. It's all about learning here Cheers Bennie

Yeah mate!! The only thing I can tell is different is the front of the weber that's poking out to say a quiet "hello, I am under here!" Good stuff. Also, I'm not sure that the air intake will change much of the note from the engine, you might notice less intake noise though... Cheers Bennie

Anything with the push button on the gearstick is SINGLE RANGE ONLY as Vegablade has already said. Over here these were only available in pre '87 L series wagons and were 3.9 ratio I believe. The dual range gearboxes from the same era were also 3.9 ratio. Post '87 I've never seen a single range 4wd and the dual range gearboxes are all 3.7 ratio. So make sure you match the rear diff to that of the gearbox or your subi will do weird things/break stuff when you engage 4wd. You still haven't told us if you have an auto 4wd or a manual 2wd. I say the manual 2wd as you'll need the rear subframe, diff, drive shaft, swing-arms with 4wd hubs (should be on the subframe already), moustache bar and mounts to make it all work. If you had a 4wd manual you would already have the single range if you're looking to go to dual range... The auto 4wd will already have the rear end you need, but probably not the matching diff ratio of the manual gearbox. Cheers Bennie

Love your attitude! Sounds like a good way to be headed, if not for the tyres certainly for the choice in bigger brakes you'll have open in your options! Yeah I'm pretty sure that the SVX didn't last long around here - maybe 3 or 4 years if lucky! I'll keep an eye out for the OBDII - any easy way to work out if it is OBDI or OBDII? Cheers mate! Bennie

I realise you guys didn't get the EJ dual range AWD. ***I would like to note that I have NOT built this gearbox before*** But it would be doable as subarus work like lego, you just have to nut it out. What you'll need: A press suitable for pressing off gears. L series dual range gearbox, flywheel and clutch EJ single range gearbox with the desired gear ratios, diff ratio can be swapped out for the one you're after same as what superu has done in this thread. EJ/EA adaptor plate, EA start motor. What you need to do is split both gearboxes so that they look like this: L series PT4wd Dual Range gearbox: The idea here is to use the L series' input shaft to gain the use of the dual range gearing that is located above the front diff. To get your EJ gearing for your model of vehicle you will need to press off the gears from the top gearsets - keep track of what goes where as you'll need the EJ gearset to press back onto the L series' input/top gearset shaft. Bascially once you've got this step complete you remove the L series lower gearset, reverse gear and front diff, drop in the EJ lower gearset, reverse gear and front diff. MAKE SURE you have the 25 spline output stubs on the diff, otherwise you'll have to stuff around with your drive shafts! They're a simply circlip to deal with IF you will be running 4.11 or 4.44 ratio diffs these will foul on the L series low range. You WILL NEED to shave the crown wheel to gain the necessary clearance to make it all work without interference. Once you've got this done you can then re-assemble. Make sure you correctly adjust your preload and backlash on the diff for correct installation. The rear housing that has the centre diff will simply bolt back on to the EA front casings. Once you have it all back together you have an EA cased EJ dual range gearbox - as close as you'll get to a factory unit like we have over here. To bolt it to your EJ engine you will need to us the EA flywheel with the elongated crank bolt holes as well as the EJ/EA adaptor plate. Bolt in the EA starter motor to get your EJ started. The gearbox will bolt in using the stock EJ gear shifter. You will have to get creative with the low range lever as you cannot use the EA unit. The factory EJ low range selector uses a cable and a small lever mounted near the coin tray in the console. A solenoid could solve the problem with a button on the dash - this will be trial and error I'm sorry! Hope this helps you out, not only do you get AWD advantages, you also get the best low range that subaru offered. The RX AWD dual range gearbox will do the same but you will need a custom gearbox crossmember, prop shaft and most likely shifter linkages again. Any Q's fire away! Cheers Bennie

Is this a swap from an auto or a single range 5 spd? If from a single range five speed this is what you'll need: 5 speed dual range gearbox. Gear selector with the hi/lo range selector + console to match. Your prop shaft will slot straight in and the gearbox will bolt straight to the gearbox crossmember. The clutch should be the same. If you've got an auto you'll need that ^^^ plus clutch pedal box, flywheel/clutch disc, clutch pressure plate, throw out bearing, clutch fork (if it doesn't come on the gearbox), gearbox crossmember and probably the prop shaft, at the very least the front section unless the centre bearing is in a different location for the auto, but I doubt it. Cheers Bennie

I'm looking forward to it! I was just wondering if they may have played around with valve timing too much in relation to injector pulse - apparently not which is a good thing. The cam re-grind changes the timing of the valves opening, their duration of being open can be changed and I believe the depth that they're opened to can be changed as well. By playing around with different durations and times of opening/closing you can set up an engine mechanically for torque, power, high revs etc. Hence why a "stage 3" cam or something of the like will be very lumpy at idle up to a certain rev range where it will then pur like a kitten - this is where the cam has the engine at its most efficient/powerful depending on the setup... What I'm getting at is that the 2.5 litre block is a larger capacity to a 2.2 litre block - my theory goes on that the ECU can't adjust the injector pulse at idle enough or the built in map at idle speeds doesn't have enough in it to compensate for the extra space needed to create an explosion enough to idle properly. Or the injectors could be dirty allowing for a poor idle... That makes sense, thanks! I think we had the crossover here at the same time too - that would be between the Gen1 and Gen2 lib/legacy right? Depending on the final ratio, when you had the box open you could have matched a speedo gear in the gearbox to your given application. If you run the same tyre diametre as what that box ran originally I think you'll find that your speedo *should* correct itself - but this will change your gear ratios in relation to speed and acceleration... Thanks for your reply! Cheers Bennie

Thanks everyone, I think I've got what I wanted to know. Cheers Bennie

That's awesome - I've just been reading up on the frankenmotor myself, I hope to one day see the need to do it, I've certainly got the urge! With the harness have you thought about running an electronic dizzy to eliminate the need for an ECU that would most likely only be there for spark anyway? Check out TOONGA's Brumby/brat that's running a weber fed EJ22 with dizzy over in Perth, WA, Australia I'll be watching your build with interest! Cheers Bennie

I wouldn't bother "testing" the oil warning light, and if you did want to I'd probably just try earthing it as I'm pretty sure this is what the sender unit does... If there's no light it's probably dead if all fuses are good. If you do a head gasket you won't get oil in the radiator but you will get coolant in the oil. If you drained your oil just after warming up the engine (to get best drain off of the oil) the oil will appear milky to some degree. Are you sure that you haven't contaminated your oil drain with some residual coolant that was left hanging somewhere on the bottom of the engine/chassis rail etc? AFAIK your tranny fluid should be red/pink. If it's brown you're definitely due for a change - either new fluid or a manual Cheers Bennie

Yeah I've just been reading up on recob123's thread, left a post there too. After reading that I'm guessing that the delta cam grind - what ever the specs are will run without idle issues on the otherwise stock ODBI EJ22. But if I decide to go for a frankenmotor like recob123 has done I'd probably be best to look for an ODBII ECU from a post '96 Liberty or Outback correct? I might have to investigate the cost of getting a set of those cams shipped out, unless I could find out the grind specs and have it done over here - saves me on shipping that's all. Cheers Bennie

Sorry to dig up an old thread - But AWESOME!!! And I'm also not happy that I've been directed to this thread, too many ideas that I don't have time/money for But I am looking into a set of cams on my ~91 EJ22 for some low down torque. I'm just hoping there won't be an idle hunt like what you've been experiencing renob123. My theory on your issue here is that the factory EJ22 ECU is running in a pre programmed loop mode when at idle, so it's only giving the engine enough fuel to idle a stock EJ22, thus the hunting as it ups the fuel to keep it running. Bigger injectors may fix the problem but what will it do to the rest of the rev range? Fuel pressure might be the trick, I think this could only be a good think when heading further up the revs too. Did you manage to find a fix to this idle issue? I'm hoping my EA82 5spd holds up longer than this... otherwise I'd better be getting a replacement sorted!! I don't understand what the ODB stands for - and I'm not really a noob either, just never come across this term on the aussie forums (ausubaru.com). I'm guessing being a ~91 it would be a ODBI ECU... ^ This is what I want to avoid on my DD stock EJ22 if I go with a set of delta cams. I don't know about the 2.5 ECU, but my opinion on what might fix this idling issue is in the top paragraphs. I'm keen to know if you have any updates on how this thing is running? I've also read your gearbox thread, sounds like a real animal even more so now! I'm also keen to know the rev count at 60 mph I think I've just found a new dream Cheers Bennie

Also include some argument in there about how america missed out on the dual range AWD gearbox from the EJ series making note of how this would have benefitted many subaru fans as found on this site. Here's a pic of an EA82's dual range 5 speed gearbox (85-94 model run) front section, the rear housing has to be removed to get to the front casings to split them like this: And here is a '94 model liberty/legacy AWD dual range gearbox, rear housing removed again to get to the front cases to split the gearbox: What are the differences you ask? Apart from some slight changes to the front casing design for bolt stud patterns, the rear housings changed to accommodate the centre diff (but retained the same rear bolting pattern ) The top image is the PT4wd gearbox derived from the L series. On the other end of the pinion shaft from the diff is the gear that powers the rear end once the engaging mechanism locks the gearbox to the rear drive. The lower image has several splined shafts that are stubby compared to the length of the shaft with the gear on the end of the L series' gearbox. This is because the lower gearset is effectively mounted on a tube that has the pinion shaft pass through it to the front diff. This allows the pinion shaft and the lower gearsets to spin at different speeds independently of eachother. The splined ends opposite the diff is where the center diff mounts - the spline on the far left is the pinion shaft and the spline just to the right of that is the lower gearset that drives the centre diff before power goes to the front and rear as derived by the centre diff. Ultimately the the overall design of the gearbox remains unchanged until you get to the six speed gearbox. The US market didn't get the low range gearing that you can see mounted above the front diff, so there's only a straight shaft in there. As you've already mentioned the gear ratios do change - this will be determined by which model the gearbox was destined to be in and what power plant was mounted in front of it as well as the market demographic it was aimed at. Probably all the things you're looking at in your paper I would imagine. I hope I haven't wasted your time with this essay on what we've got over here in comparison to what you received over in the US, but I thought it might have been useful/interesting. Cheers Bennie

Thanks Scott. No issues of the factory ECU running these cams - no idle issues and the engine still revs out ok? These are the little things that I'm keen to know - if there's going to be an issue with idle etc and there's not an easy fix for it I'd probably look at something else... Cheers Bennie