el_freddo

With the age of the vehicle and/or if it’s sat around for a long time with old fuel in it the fuel pump will be cactus. It might move fuel, but it won’t pressurise it enough for the injectors to properly squirt it into the intake as a fine mist. If you just want to determine if you have voltage at the pump you could hook up a light to come on that you can watch when you turn the key. With the hatch and all the carpet removed you will probably hear the pump make noise if it’s working. It should be a constant noise, not a wavering one. How many miles on your Legacy, and does it look like someone pulled the fuel pump out previously? Be careful with any plastic tabs - electrical or fuel. I’ve read about ppl snapping a plastic fuel line into the pump but I’m not 100% sure which one this is or if it’s an internal item. Cheers Bennie

Good find @heartless! I never knew that. So you’ve got a real odd ball variant there @carfreak85… I thought the L series was the black sheep of the family but this model is out there! So this EJ253 - does it have the variable valve timing and the idle butterfly setup just above the inlet ports on the head? I’ve heard these can give trouble if you have them. Can you do a smoke test for vacuum leaks? Cheers Bennie

Is this a conversion or an EJ251? I didn’t think the EJ253 came in until c2004/5 Actually thinking about it this is DOHC if it’s got a MAF, meaning it’s an EJ25D. My initial thoughts (being for an EJ253 with the variable valve timing) was those little idle butterfly things being the issue if the NA models had them fitted. If it is an EJ251 I’d be looking into its crappy IACV that’s a plunger plug design. It could be gummy or the rubber on the plunger cracked/worn, effecting the air fuel ratio enough to upset the ignition in the cylinder momentarily as the ECU sorts out the mixture from idle to load throttle. The IACV could also be having issues if it’s the EJ25D, but from memory this IACV design is the same or ver similar to the phase EJ22 rotating valve design. Either of these IACVs not operating properly may not throw a CEL or store a code. I know this post is a bit all over the shop, I’m trying to cover all bases to save time at your end as I’m sure you don’t have an EJ253 unless it’s a conversion. Cheers Bennie

If you don’t think it’s a wheel bearing I’d be dropping the rear diff oil and inspecting its condition and how much comes out - and check to see if there are any obvious leaks occurring. Fresh oil in there will only be a good thing if the seals are still holding up well. The EJ wheel bearings are quite robust and will go the distance and then some to get you out of trouble. But keep running on it could lead to other issues. I recently had to replace the front hub that the wheel bolts to and the bearing mounts to on its internal surface. The hub snout had worn its chrome like finish off from the bearing inner wiggling away as the tyre rotated. This didn’t give a good tight fit with any of the old bearings so I wasn’t going to run the new bearings on it either. The other thing they can do is pack it in completely at the most inconvenient time for you. Get on to it while it suits you Cheers Bennie

Unless it’s a known performance branded fuel pump. Don’t go overboard with higher rated fuel pumps either, they can be noisy! There’s a lot of god advice about removing the pump and those little nuts that hold it in place on the tank. Luckily where I’m from (down under) we don’t see rust issues like you guys state side do in the salt belt! I recommend cleaning the top of the tank area around the fuel pump plate as much as possible to avoid fine dust and small rocks from falling into the tank. Hopefully you won’t need a replacement tank as I can attest to @jonathan909‘s account that removing and replacing a fuel tank is a right royal PITA and should be avoided at almost any cost (unless absolutely necessary)! Cheers Bennie

Can the front O2 sensor be replaced with a resistor to replicate one being there for testing purposes? Cheers Bennie

Yeah mate I’m down under! That pic is of our Liberty, our equivalent to your Legacy over there. Great car and yes, essentially the same as the outback without the lift or larger tyres or two tone paint work. I didn’t know they were doing the stop start feature in the Gen3 back then, is this legit or an aftermarket option? I too prefer older cars where the driver actually needs to drive properly. My thoughts are too many ppl become reliant on their safety systems rather than practicing proper driving techniques. Anyway, congrats on your daughter’s purchase @Ravenwoods! Cheers Bennie

Jack up your front wheels and check for bearing play or noise. Also rotate wheel left then right and vice vests to load up CV joints and listen for any creaking or odd sensations as you do this. Do this on the rear wheels too. Cheers Bennie

Was the donor vehicle an auto? I’m wondering if it is an auto ECU where the pin to tell the ECU it’s in front of a manual was not correctly fitted/removed/grounded - I can’t remember off the top of my head without looking up the wiring diagrams. If this engine ran perfect in the donor vehicle there must be an issue somewhere in the conversion and cutdown of the wiring loom. I’d be looking at any joints made in your loom to ensure they’re good and to rule them out. Cheers Bennie

Wow that’s a lot of stuff you’ve done and probably reflects the maintenance afforded to it by the previous owner. I must say I agree with things like the suspension. We replaced all the suspension bushes about 18 months after getting it on the road along with the front struts. But you expect that with hundreds of thousands of kms on the clock already. That was a $AU1500ish. The original gearbox was replaced due to a dodgy bearing from I think being run low on oil. Second hand one sourced and is still going well. I think we’ve replaced one or two CV boots in six years and I’ve done the front wheel bearings as preventative maintenance. Only real issue ours has is an intermittent issue with the IACV stalling the engine sometimes when between gears at low speeds (typically downshifting). The new IACV is too expensive so we just live with it. We swapped the headlights too - but only because the opportunity for a clearer set came up for a steal. They’ve gone the same way because the vehicle lives outside. The cut and polish kits can take care of this easily enough. The vehicle went through a period of smashing tyres and rims (17 inch aftermarket rims) on our “ultra smooth” Victorian roads, and completely obliterated a rim on a Queensland road while up north. A set of 16 inch factory Subaru rims seem to have sorted the issue so far. We’ve not had the interior issues mentioned. The driver’s seat is still firm and comfortable to use on long distance trips. A side view mirror was replaced after the lib was rolled on its side one time. Dropped back on its wheels, fluid check and off she went again as if nothing happened. Same for the driver who was fine other than a little shaken up. Paint now tells that story and some others mishaps (not ours!) but is otherwise good without any real cosmetic issues from time outside and our baking sun. It’s a metallic green in colour We added some driving lights for many hours of night driving and to upgrade the crap high beam. I reckon the low beam on the Gen3 is one of the best from the Subaru line up of the earlier models. If you DIY any work on the vehicle it’s a no-brainer to me. If you know what you’re getting and what it could cost to replace it’s the same deal to me. Here’s the last uploaded whole vehicle pic from 2017 that I could find with the 17 inch rims before they were destroyed: A minty-off-the-show-room-floor-fresh looking Gen3 Outback passed me in my Brumby last weekend. It was a beauty and had me thinking I’d have one if I was in the market. Haven’t seen one in that condition in a very long time! Cheers Bennie

We have a 2000 RX model Liberty/Legacy in our family. Picked it up cheap because of a fried clutch. While the engine was out I replaced the head gaskets not knowing the genuine replacement items would do the same thing as mentioned by idosubaru. Ours made these weird bubble looking things where the coolant was leaking from. Almost looked like a fungus. Replaced the HGs with the STi multi layered steel units and haven’t looked back. The car now has 480,000km and is going strong. If you do the HGs I’d recommend replacing the valve stem seals and reselling the cam retainer plate. I’ve found this seam between the cam retainer plate and the head is where oil typically seeps from rather than the cam cover seals. Adjust the tappets too while you’re there You’ll have a solid car there. They’re built very well. Cheers Bennie

It’s an interesting one @1980ea71Brat! Dunno that I’ll be of much use from here on. The only good thing I can see is that the issue is consistent and not an intermittent issue that can be super painful to pinpoint. To add some confusion - @heartless- I thought closed loop was programmed into the ECU for cold running until warmed up. Open loop then reads the various sensors to run the fuel maps for the given parameters. I haven’t read up on this stuff in ages so I could have it wrong! Hence the confusion comment. See if you can test the temp sensor for the ECU @1980ea71Brat, it could be out of spec but not enough to throw a code. What’s your knock sensor look like too? If cracked, replace it! Double check those O2 sensors and ensure you’ve got them the right way around. When cutting down the loom, anything in there to do with the fuel tank in terms of pressure or temp sensors? If so, I’m wondering if these could be causing issues. Cheers Bennie

Potential wiring issue. Also check the alignment of your timing belt. Ensure the crank aligns with both cam wheels correctly. What’s the fuel return pressure looking like? Cheers Bennie

Ah the pitch stopper rod! That makes sense! So long as it works! Cheers Bennie

What torsion bar did you weld? There’s only front and rear sway bars on this, the rest of the suspension is coil on strut/shock. Cheers Bennie

If he’s not, it’s not a difficult exercise to make your own with some plate, drill bits, some paint, and a jigsaw with some metal cutting blades. The first step is to drill the two holes for the lower studs. These are the reference points that don’t change between the two items being adapted together. Fit the plate to the engine and get an outside line, mark the upper holes for the engine. Fit the plate to the gearbox (will need to drill/cut a hole for the gearbox input shaft to pass through), mark the inside of the gearbox bellhousing (can paint the mating face of the gearbox, push the adaptor plate onto this with the lower holes lined up, everything will be marked for you - same trick will work on the engine too, just do them on opposite sides!). Two ways to do the bolts, one that relies on the adaptor plate for strength (drill and tap holes), the other relies on two bolts being welded together and the plate slotted between the EJ and EA upper mount holes. Screw the welded bolts into the engine bellhousing, then fit the adaptor plate to the engine and you’re set to go. You’ll need to slot the crank bolts for the flywheel to mount too. That’s a quick run down, I’m sure there are other more detailed write ups on how to do this. Cheers Bennie

Hey Rafa, Sorry I missed the acid joke! That EJ20 is the phase two engine, heads are different. But since you’re doing head gaskets anyway, the heads from your original donor engine will bolt on. Just make sure the cooling fluid passages are clear between the block, heads and head gaskets. If your phase 1 heads are corroded on the firing ring, you’ll need to find another set of heads. Cheers Bennie

Why are we diagnosing a spark issue when Heater states the engine will run when fuel is poured down the throttle body? To me this is a fuel delivery problem, and since Heater says the injector can be manually fired with a bypass I’d say there’s an issue with a wire or two between the injector and ECU so the ECU is unable to send the signal to fire the injector, or the ECU injector output/circuit is fried. Not new electrical additions to your L series @Heater such as a head unit or keyless entry? No rodents in your vehicle recently? Might be time to do a continuality check on the wiring from ECU to the injector, only one broken wire is needed to stop the injector firing. If the wiring checks out correctly and you’re getting the correct resistance from the injector, it then points at your ECU. Cheers Bennie

A legacy wiring diagram for the model and year your EJ22 came from helps with the loom cut down. Numbchux’s write up is great to use beside the above diagrams Cheers Bennie

@Rafavidmess- all you really need is the block. Use the intake manifold from your conversion, swap the crank and cam sensors (shouldn’t be needed) and off you go. It would be a good time to do the head gaskets before putting the engine into service, it’ll pay off in the long term. What makes you say the previous owner of your donor vehicle used acid as coolant? If the engine sat for a long time without coolant the passages will form corrosion, that’s normal. I’ve not heard of this causing an issue, just keep an eye out for a blocked radiator if you don’t clean it out the best you can, even then the radiator could block up still. The original donor engine could just be due for its head gaskets to be changed. If it’s been severely overheated the other EJ22 you’re looking at could be the better option. But second hand is always a guess… It’s a difficult situation to be in knowing how hard you’ve worked to get so close to your end goal! Cheers Bennie

Is the gasket also squashed on an angle like you suggest with the ruler? I reckon the installation played a part in the gasket breaking, or possibly the handling of the gasket prior to installing (possibly before you got them). Hopefully the new gaskets will sort out the issue and it’ll be happy days again! The dealership looked after you on the gaskets too! Cheers Bennie

By “They’re” you mean the dealership? Best of luck, I really hope they come to the table to help you out there. Probably the best thing you’ve done is had them do their oil consumption test recently. Fingers crossed! Cheers Bennie

Nice one! I’m pretty sure I did the same actuator setup in my L series. Remote central locking is awesome. Mine was part of an immobiliser kit so it does more than just lock and unlock my doors Anything that adds a bit of luxury to these old rides is mint in my book! Cheers Bennie

Fingers crossed you’ll have this licked! Cheers Bennie