el_freddo

Put your money into an EJ22 conversion. By the time you buy a Weber, fit it and an exhaust, you’re the best part in on an EJ22 conversion. Cheers Bennie

Engine pulled from a parts yard (DIY yard). Re-ring being done as a matter of course to know the engine is in good condition. I’ve already run it on the ground and there’s no knocks or piston slapping etc. I know many may flog this idea, but I’m going to see how long it lasts as a “NA-t” or high compression turbo build with low boost. I won’t be putting custom pistons in - that drives the cost up too far and kind of defeats the purpose of this exercise. @idosubaru - I’ll do some research on GD’s posts and drop links in here. The bores will not be touched as per what I’ve read from GD’s recommendations. Cheers all! Bennie

Thanks @nvu! I hadn’t thought about removing the sump to manipulate the conrod! It’s been well over a decade since my last full Subaru engine rebuild (EA82 - that was a mistake!). The sump needs to come off anyway so I’ll line this up at the same time as putting the pistons back in. Cheers Bennie

There’s a low range gear before the drive gears (1st to 5th) - it’s opposite to traditional 4wd gearbox setups and is done like this mainly for tidy packaging. Your current low range ratio is 1.19:1 (19% reduction). The L series has a 1.59:1 low range (60% reduction) - the best one subaru ever made. With some manipulation of the hub in the middle of the whole thing and an interference bush on the input shaft (bearing size difference), the L series low range will drop in place of your legacy low range. Do some searching on it. There’s a good thread on Ausubaru.com.au but the pics are blurred thanks to photophucket. https://ausubaru.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=13511 Hopefully that explains what needs to be done. Gearboxes aren’t as scary as ppl make them out to be. Cheers Bennie

“Looking” @GeneralDisorder for this: I’m wanting to do this to the EJ22 I pulled down recently. I’ve got some questions since it’s my first time diving into this (not the first time having an engine striped down this far). 1) minor scuff marks or scoring on the piston skirts are ok to just “throw back in” or should I gently sandpaper the effected area? 2) the odd line in the bore is ok? 3) best method to sort the ring end gap? 4) best method to get the gudgeon pins/wrist pins back in? I see issues with lining up the con rod to make it all “just go back in” 5) anything else I should know about doing this? 6) any bedding in procedure that should be followed? Any tips or advice is very welcomed and appreciated! I find myself a bit nervous about this because a) I’ve not done this before and b) if it doesn’t work I’ve just blown some decent money on a very big learning curve! This engine will go into my brumby once the work is done Cheers Bennie

Needs bigger! Serious note: I’m not good on tyre size readings but going an inch taller won’t really be noticeable or have any real benefits. I do know what you need to ensure is that the tyre clears the spring perch/seat on the strut when going larger. Cheers Bennie

Reading over this thread and with little auto experience, my question for you @CityLights: where did the replacement trans come from? I’m wondering if it’s from a crashed car or a parts car. And are speed sensors not like manual gearboxes where you can remove them from the side of the box and swap them around etc? Cheers Bennie

Does the engine oil smell like fuel? You could have a leaking injector. If your engine oil doesn’t smell like fuel then learn to let the fuel line pressurise before rolling into the start position with with key. Treat it like a diesel where you have to wait for the glow plugs to warm up when it hasn’t been driven for an hr or longer. Cheers Bennie

Factory bash plate typically protects the sump, the exhaust is still exposed. Custom is the way to go there. Even a bent up street sign is generally better than nothing. Just don’t get caught with the street sign! Cheers Bennie

Welcome STPC! That’s a clean looking liberty/legacy you have there. A mild lift and maybe a low range swap would be two very worth while mods to do. The low range swap isn’t for the faint hearted as it involves opening up the gearbox - and sourcing a non turbo dual range gearbox from an L series for 1.59:1 low range. Much better than the standard 1.19:1 in your wagon. Good cars though! Look after it and it’ll look after you! Cheers Bennie

Welcome to the forum Bryan! Loads of help here if you need it! Enjoy the highs and lows of self vehicle maintenance! Cheers Bennie

Check your timing belts to make sure they’re still both in one piece. If you’re not getting spark you won’t get fuel. Also check your fuses and fusible links Cheers Bennie

Makes sense @Rafavidmess - you will find that it won’t work though. I’m very happy to be proven wrong though. This method didn’t work on my L series - I had to source the 4wd rear disc setup from a turbo L series to get rear discs. Cheers Bennie

I found a factory unit on a Gen1 - this should crossover to the Gen2 without issue. Back in the day ppl used to modify the L series bash plate to fit the liberty/legacy models. Cheers Bennie

Pull the reservoir, remove pump, half fill with course sand, shake vigorously until the tank is clean of any scale. Flush out sand ensuring there’s no remaining particles in there. Check pump to make sure it’s not clogged. Replace, test. Cheers Bennie

Cut out the access hole that the harness passes through from the donor vehicle. Use this piece on the MY to help seal the hole - weld the plate into place where you want it. From memory it’s very tight as to where you can pull the harness through from the interior to under the front guard. Cheers Bennie

I stand corrected - I counted both belt types (phase 1 and phase 2 SOHC) as I just pulled an EJ22 down yesterday. I was very surprised to see the size difference. And I got the same tooth count as you. Above post edited to stop miss information. Cheers Bennie

Not keyboard, auto correct @Rafavidmess - why are you swapping discs from the wagon to the brat? The vented discs are WAY BETTER!! Cheers Bennie

Welcome DarkstaR! Plenty of info on the forum. Cheers Bennie

Welcome @deezel05 - start you own thread. I too am from Oz. I’m a “backyarder” and have worked on a hand full of EJ engines in terms of head gaskets. I don’t agree with your EJ251 oil consumption comment, I find they usually drop more oil than what they consume - but that’s my experience. For your questions, start a new thread to get attention and replies. My question to you is why you want to close deck the block? It’s really not needed, if you’re chasing massive power then yes, but at that point you’d be doing a crank swap etc too. Cheers Bennie

You sounds like the boys from a “Night at the Roxbury” “WE GOT A NUMBER!!” Cheers Bennie

Repco might list a separate part under the turbo L series. This will cover the MPFI NA EA82 as well. But you’ve got the carby 23 spline shafts. Now you know that you should be sorted. Cheers Bennie

Not tried this. Be very careful cutting open and working on used fuel tanks. Boom boom if not done correctly! Cheers Bennie

Sorry, a 1.5 litre EJ? Power?? Sorry, couldn’t help myself. On a serious note, have you checked for codes from the ecu (if it has one)? Or looked into the coolant temp sensor? If it’s running a dizzy, is there an issue in there? Cheers Bennie

So your conversion uses the coil wiring from the brat or the donor loom? Is the fuel pump powered through the beat loom or the donor loom? It should be powered by the ECU which takes its triggers from the optical dizzy from the donor vehicle. If this is kaput, you need another dizzy. I have no idea how to check these things Cheers Bennie