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@lmdew- That's not too bad on the shipping, probably 1000 bucks in the end? I'll get those covers off tomorrow and see if there's anything to see under there. Boy would that be an amazing surprise! @Stevo- It's definitely something I'm considering. And with the low compression, it would be a perfect candidate for the eaton m90 setup that I have a line on right now. @grossgary- I'm talking pretty steep incline, from 7500 feet up to about 10k over the course of two or three miles. Even in the heavy outback that's odd? I can definitely look into her engine further if that still seems to be off. But it appears to run just fine any other time, if anything just a bit slower on acceleration than she would like. She keeps hinting at me with one word, "Turbo??"

Yeah yeah.. Haha I'm really leaning that way. I don't have any options for u-pull around here though. Here's a vid of the current engine:

That's CCR right? I've definitely heard good things about them. How much did you pay when all was said and done if you don't mind me asking? I'm still a bit leery of getting another 2.5, this will be the car's third.. That warranty definitely helps sweeten the deal, but I don't know.

Here's a picture of it: And our pile of subies:

I'll have to check it out a bit closer today, but sure seems internal to me. My wife's car goes just fine. On large hills, like on the way to the ski mountain, it struggles and stays at about 40mph. But yes I may just listen to the voice of reason and find myself a 2.2. It is an auto though, which sounds more convenient, but I would prefer a 5 spd. Anyone think it would be worth building a frankenmotor? I heard Shawn at retroroo sells them. I was doing some research on a turbo swap last night, and it sounds like a nightmare. But one other option occurred to me. I could put the 2.5 heads on a 2.2 block for a low compression engine, and add a supercharger . There's a setup for an eaton m90 on my local craigslist that will bolt right onto the ej. Just not sure if it's worth it, or if the stock ecu would handle that very well.

Hey folks, I've graduated from the old school forum up to this one. Today I brought home this little beauty for 600 bucks! (Insert Photo Here, tomorrow) Got it from an aquiantance who didn't wanna deal with the "hassle" of getting a new engine. Score for me! So a rebuilt 2.5 was put in it at 167k, and it currently has 186k. It was done by a place in Portland. Unfortunately their warranty is based on months not miles. So the engine is not officially blown, but I suspect a spun bearing. It has a horrifying knock/clicking sound, very loud. Sure sounds like she's broken. I'll get a vid tomorrow too. I'm now faced with a decision. I'm fairly certain I don't want a 2.5 because of all the horror stories I've heard about them, between blown headgaskets and spun bearings and thrown rods... My wife has the exact same car, like same color and everything, with the 2.2 swapped into it. The reliability is appealing, but the 2.2 makes it a bit sluggish. Especially after having just put an ej in my GL. I'm considering a frankenmotor, will need to do some research on that to check compatibility. But I've also been playing with the idea of a WRX swap. I'm posting this because I'm open to suggestions. So let em rip people! Thanks ahead of time.

Got a lot done today. Got the PS pump bracket from czny and put in my new/used pump that actually works. It's great to have power steering again. I received my replacement IACV today, and put that in. While I had that out, there was access to the coolant temp sensor, so I got a new one from the dealer. I'm hoping one or both of these were causing the intermittent very high idle issue. We'll find out in the next week or so. I also replaced my passenger side steering knuckle, tie rod end, and ball joint. The bearings were on their way out, so I just decided to swap out the whole knuckle. Getting idlers and pulleys sometime next week. I think I've replaced just about everything on this car. One of these days the repairs will end! Right?

Any legacy 90-94, first gen. Wagon or sedan will work just fine AFAIK. I used outback spacers on my crossmember which are 1 1/4". The difference is negligible, that coupler will work. My car has power steering too. I loosened the existing coupler and then did my xmember drop just to see if it would work, no cigar.

That is incorrect. Spline count is exactly the same as the EA82 body style. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have a legacy coupler on my 87 GL... The only differences I am aware of on the EA82 itself is that the steering linkage for a car with power steering is different from a car with a manual rack. Spline count is the same, the difference is length/number of u-joints.

The lift is pretty straightforward. You'll want to make sure to spin the strut tops on the rear 180 degrees then install the lift blocks. Not sure if this is obvious or not, but dropping the crossmember first will make it easier to get the front struts back into the steering knuckle once they're installed. You'll want to get the front strut blocks attached to the strut, then bolt the struts back in, then work the knuckle onto the strut. Should be very doable with two people. As far as the steering coupler goes, it's much safer to grab the steering linkage off a first gen legacy from a scrap yard. I thought about extending and welding mine, but didn't trust my welding skills.

Soo, my buddy's outback is making the same exact noise as the donor car's stock engine. What is that sound? Thrown rod?

Oh yeah, here's the pics of the power steering pump frankenstein. Funny thing though, turns out it wasn't my power steering pump making those squealing noises. The pump was on it's way out, but the noises are actually coming from the timing belt pulleys or idler. Good thing I left those covers off! Another thing added to the list.. More progress tomorrow probably.

Thanks Levi. Yeah power steering is nice, I generally like the better feeling of control that you get from a manual rack though. Feels like you're more in touch with the road. Ha funny story about that song actually. So I went to go buy the wheels and tires, and checked them out for a bit. Then I gave the guy the money. Then he asked me what I do for a living, so I told him I was an evangelist. But not like christian church evangelist, like, speaking the truth, that I didn't get from any man or church in this world. Long story short, I have knowledge of things that people in this world don't know. Like huge, amazing, mind-blowing things that everyone really needs to know, if they want to. And just to be clear, this isn't coming from a place of pride, it's just the way it is. So back to the point, I told him all this amazing stuff like I tell everyone, and when it starts, it doesn't stop it just flows out of me like the most beautiful song you ever heard. After about an hour of that, the dude was really excited and thankful, and tried to give my money back. And I said "hey man, I don't do this for filthy lucre's sake(money/worldly gain) I just want you to have this information because it belongs to you." Then while I was loading the wheels up on the roof rack, he must have slipped the cash through my window, cause I found it between the pass seat and door when I got home. So that was pretty cool.

Well only got one thing done today. I went to put in the replacement PS pump and the diameter of the bearing/shaft assembly was too large to fit in my existing PS bracket, why they did that I don't know. AFAIK the pump that czny got me was off a 94? leggy, shouldn't be different, same reservoir and everything. Luckily I have my EA82 sitting here still. I took the ea82 reservoir off, and the ej22 one fits perfectly. Same size shaft and everything. Only difference was the two side bolts that attached it to the bracket. So I removed the bracket and drilled out the holes, and voila. She's on. Will get pics later. I did have an afterthought. Now if I have to replace this PS pump, it either has to be an ea82, or I have to fill the holes, to take up the slack. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it though!

Working on the car again today, my "disability" has been preventing me from taking care of business on it, but the snow is coming so I gotta get to it. Got some barely used 195/65/15 Hankook iPikes for a song, as well as some Toyota wheels for dirt cheap as well. This size tire is perfect in every way, no more rubbing on turns, my gearing corresponds with the engines powerband almost perfectly now. Much more torque where I need it. I liked the look of the stance, but the handling was a bit sloppy compared to what it is now. And to top it off, I think it looks like the car came that way now! Will be replacing my power steering pump today, current one is making all sorts of horrible noises. Got a new PS knuckle with 150K on the bearings, cheaper and easier than doing the bearings(I know they aren't that difficult to do) but it sure saves me some pain in my shoulders. I'll also be replacing the PS outer tie rod finally, and if I get to it, still gotta do the IACV and throttle body work. Oh yeah and my old mags and tires are for sale in the "Stuff for sale on craigslist" section. Will offer a USMB discount to anyone interested.

There's plenty of threads around the board concerning the frankenmotors. GD is still around I believe, as well as Pooparu, ShawnW of course, umm forgot who else posted, but yeah. You can check their profiles for recent posts as well.

Even if I don't get the outback, I am tempted to do it to my GL. Just got done with the ej swap, you'd think I would have learned my lesson!

ya know.. there is an eaton m90 for sale on my local craigslist.. coincidence? I think not!

Hmm, well the remanufactured axles are known to clunk right out of the box, so that may be a contributing factor if you used a remanned. Another way to check bearing health is simply by touching the outer hub after driving. My front right bearing is going, and if I touch my left front hub compared to my right front hub, the right is much hotter. The other thought I've got on the subject is that if it is making the most noise on right turns, you would want to inspect the left c/v as the vehicle's weight shifts to the left while turning right. If it's a bearing, the same concept goes, would most likely be driver's side.

If that doesn't work, you might try and find a set of spring compressing clamps that fit up inside the wheel well, if there is such a thing. Or try the opposite of what Mykeys Toy said. Jack the car up on that side, remove the caliper and rotor, remove the radius rod and sway bar linkage, this should lower the control arm as much as possible. Then loosen the top nuts on the strut and see if it drops. You might want to remove that axle first to get enough wiggle room. If that doesn't work, I guess as a last resort you could try to pop the control arm bolt out while everything else above is removed. That sounds a bit dangerous though.

Which axle did you replace? And was it a reman?

Really nice looking wagon, especially for the Midwest. Watched the progress on this one as Mechanical Misfit was building it. Very unique color. The RX body kit suggests street use, so it looks a bit strange in the woods, but I'm sure it gets there no problem. What sort of upgrades do you have in mind?

So a friend's car just threw a rod. It's a 98 Outback ej25, and I'm thinking about buying it. I'm not coming up with many ej22s or 25s locally. Have a line on an ej22t though. I've been reading up on various forums, and haven't found a definitive answer to the difficulty or remote possibility of the swap. The OBD1 to OBD2 thought seems tricky, as well as the ecu question, do I replace the outback one or piggyback it somehow? Outback has an auto trans. Before I give it too much thought somebody stop me! (Or encourage me if it's not too far out there)

Have you looked into the IAC at all? Not sure if you are throwing any codes, but this thought occurred to me from back when I read this thread: http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=136053 Code 24 - Idle Control Senenoid - Air control Valve inoperative (feedback circuit detects fault) - Fail safe is to prevent over-rev by using engine speed and throttle position to cut the fuel deivery - might run rough. Have you checked the TPS sensor? Just throwing out ideas based on what you haven't mentioned already. Good news is, you're running out of possibilities, so hopefully the fix is right around the corner!

^^ Yeah I've been told the same thing, not the most accurate of tests. Seems like it would only bounce a lot when the shock is completely shot. If they're just tired, the test wouldn't be very conclusive.