AdventureSubaru

Getting around to this a bit more now that summer is winding down. A pair of good craigslist finds have this thing looking way better as it awaits the lift. The stock rims are getting tarnished looking and not too bad, but the Michelin tires were getting pretty bald on the front and the rears weren't much better. So I searched for good tire sets and rim sets. Nabbed a set of 2014 Forester 17 inch rims for $100. Found a full size 17 inch spare from a 2009 about a half hours drive from me. With 5 good rims I found a good used tire shop that was worth driving 4 hours round trip. For $200. I got a set of Goodyear Eagle RSAs at about 80-90% tread and a full size spare mounted and balanced. Swapped the wheel set as soon as I got home. Before... After...

Plug wires can do that. sputters and trips all over itself until it gets above 2500 rpm or so and then acts like nothing happened. Are the wires new? Anything but NGK and Subaru can cause problems right out of the gate. Good starting point if the wires are questionable as it's good routine tune up maintenance anyway.

If it's moving normally and you didn't hear a big cracking/crunching sound then you're just fine. Not uncommon for the torque converter to slide out with the motor and if it's not seated all the way, the pressure of bolting the engine to the transmission crushes the pump in the trans and it wont move anymore. Glad it worked out! You've really got the ideal setup now. Outback ground clearance and extra options with the simplicity and reliability of the EJ22 motor (And an ideal year of the motor at that!) Enjoy the many more miles you'll get from the car now.

Also - be sure to swap the flex plate from the EJ25 onto the Ej22. The diameter of the 2.2s was smaller and wont match up to the torque converter of the trans. Made that mistake once. If you aren't yet familiar, do a search on here on seating the torque converter. It can kill your trans if it isn't fully seated. On the reinstall, look through the starter hole on the trans. there should be only about 1/8 of an inch between the bellhousing and the back of the torque converter. The flex plate bolts should pull the torque converter forward as they tighten.

YES! 1995 was OBDII so you you can use everything from the 1995 motor. Only thing that may be different would be the evap canister ports on the front. You can just run them together with some extra tubing and not get a code. 1990-1994 motors require a 1995-1998 2.2 intake manifold and wiring. And yes, in the 1990s the intake manifolds were not compatible between 2.2 and 2.5s. 95 ej22 is the perfect plug and play motor as it is OBDII wiring, dual port exhaust and non interference motor.

Came to the right place. Welcome! 1996 Legacy would come with the EJ22 motor. (Arguably the best motor subaru ever made) It's usually good for 300,000 miles and more if well maintained. What's the mileage on the car? 1996 is an interference motor so timing belt & component changes are critical. Are there any records of when it may have been done previously? Otherwise, let us know and runability/driving issues it may have. This site is a great resource on how to make these cars run forever on a very low budget.

You'll spend as much $$$ turning the forester into a piece of crap as it would cost to buy a decent RWD project car. I have a low opinion of burnouts as it's thrashing perfectly good drivetrain and tires just for noise and smoke. Firecrackers and smoke bombs are cheap. Subarus deserve better. But to each his own... Even in RWD a forester is not going to have a lot of power to be good at such things. Retired police crown vics etc. are dirt cheap and carry a big honkin' V8 with RWD. You can find an ugly one anywhere for under $1000. and every pick n pull I've seen has about a dozen of them for whatever parts you destroy. Don't thrash a perfectly good Subaru just to make smoke. Unless you're a stunt man or make $$$ off performing at car shows etc. Most of us cringe and shake our heads when we see kids destroying and abusing cars that way.

How new are the plug wires? These are a common fail point if they are old or anything but Subaru or NGK brand. Will result in bogging down and misfires as they get worse. Generally worse at lower RPMs and will smooth out around 2500-3500 but then bog down again. injectors are a distant possibility. Stick with it. It should be something simple

Done. Purrs like a kitten. Good thing too as it's going on a road trip to Colorado in 2 days.

If they aren't making any noise on turns (clicking) just reboot them. OEM subaru axles will last a long time. Given that yours is only 6 years old, unless they have been driven a long time like that, you're likely to get a long time out of a simple reboot. Far longer than most aftermarket axles would last.

Putting a newer motor in for a friend. We are 98% done on the install and plugging everything in and I've noticed the wiring harness is different. Original motor has the wire running to a sensor on the intake (MAF I presume) and the new motor has a sensor on the top center of the intake manifold that is absent on the other motor. Check engine light will not be an issue on this car, but am I assuming correctly that it wont run well if it's expecting MAF but has a MAP sensor? Can I get away with swapping the wiring harness and throttle body or do I need to swap intake manifolds to get this thing ready to run?

Good clarification. didn't know there was a tapered spring option.

Yep. All bolts in. WRX springs are probably a bit stiffer but it all fits.

A number of folks on here have GLs and brats with brush guards. Got a pic of what you're looking for?

Varies a little bit state by state. General rule is that if it doesn't look like a death trap, you're good to go. Seen a number of sports cars with truck frames under them as unique street legal 4x4s and a number of "chop top" convertibles. No worries about the legality as long as it's done to be safe. (Which I would do)

I have a notice set in Row52.com to notify me when an impreza comes into one of the local pick n pulls. Then I'll be borrowing a cordless sawzall and hunting for a roof, windshield and rear window. Or... I am giving some thought to an Impreza UTE. It already has baja seats. What if I cut the rear roof out, move the rear windshield forward, seal the holes and go crazy with some rhino liner.... trim it into a two seater pickup. It could be the missing link between the Brat and the Baja. These are thoughts I'll roll around in my head while I'm on vacation next week.

Nice trick! I'll have to give it a try next time. Never used the starter bump. I put manuals in 5th gear and shove a pry bar through the opening at the top into the flex plate to keep it from rotating.

Sounds the same as the one I did on my wifes 2000 Outback which was a Wisconsin car. Ended up drilling it all the way out an putting a new bolt through with lock washers. Enough salt will eventually destroy anything metal. I've gotten good at working through rusty stuff, but north midwest winters are brutal on cars. Seen quarter panels starting to show rust on 2011 and 2012 model cars already. For that reason, I'm glad to be in California.

Yeah. Looks like I may have crunched things with the trans pan. It's bowed in through the center. After vacation, I guess I'll drop the pan and see if anything got crunched. At least I have 3 pick n pulls within a 30 mile radius to replace whatever I destroyed.

96 2.2 should be the combo of single port but non interference unless my info is off. To the prior question - yes, Gates brand kits are well recommended. They are usually a little cheaper on amazon than ebay so worth checking out.

Got it. Good advice. I did shove a scissor jack and a 2x4 down there and help jack things up so the motor wouldn't drag the TC out with it. Where do I hunt for pinched wires? Or should I grab a new wire harness from a junkyard car?

Did the head gaskets on a 97 Legacy L wagon with 4eat and 261k and now have the 16 flashes of the AT temp light going off. This did not happen before I did the job, so I'm sure the "issue" was self caused. I pulled the wire connectors off again and made sure they are properly connected. Which connector is trans specific? In wrenching on one of the bellhousing bolts to pull the motor, I tugged on the wiring running to a sensor sitting just about 4 inches in front of the dipstick for the front diff. On inspection everything is unharmed, but maybe I stretched a wire or something. Google searches have not been able to tell me what that sensor is. Anyone know? It sits above the torque converter. Saw how to get trans codes for 90-94 and 2000+ but how do I get codes off a 97?

A 5MT is roughly 130 pounds. I would expect that you'd be in the same ballpark. Probably a little lighter.

greyhound ships all kinds of stuff. We just picked up a few huge duffel bags for some friends and I saw all kinds of furniture etc. awaiting pickup. Would be worth a shot.

A good used motor will be from $300-$1000 depending on mileage, warranty etc. I got one for $150 a couple months ago. There is no advantage to swapping an EJ22 into a 2000+ car as there was no longer a difference in the reliability. Both are solid motors - the EJ22 has single port exhaust and less power. The EJ22 swap is popular for 95-99 cars since those DOHC EJ25s had lots of head gasket issues in the higher miles and the early EJ22s were about as bullet proof as Subaru ever made. I'd mostly search for a good 2000-2004 EJ25 as they have better power, will be more plentiful and wont require modification to install