GeneralDisorder

Just something I recently noticed that might help your search - the '96 Legacy GT (EJ25D Automatic) I recently bought has an all-metal radiator unlike all the other stuff from that generation with the plastic tank's...... GD

1. The head gaskets are blown. Just assume that. 2. If the oil wasn't changed after each overheat - you have probably baked the bottom end. Just assume the engine is a total loss. It's "parts" now or soon will be. 3. These engines are notorious for this and chemical tests are often wrong for a variety of reasons. 4. Even if you fix the head gaskets there is a higher-than-normal probability of internal block failure within the next 10k to 50k miles. Again - engine is toast - find another one. Aditionally: 1. The first shops is a pile of morons - you don't EVER replace a water pump and *not* a thermostat on a Subaru. The thermostat is IN the water pump and once removed there is a high probability of failure because they are thin gauge sheet metal and prone to binding (sticking closed). They are also about $12 so there's not reason to use the old one. 2. They also ripped you off - the engine does not have to be removed for the valve cover gasket replacement. That's absolutely silly. 3. The best recourse for you is to find a reputable Subaru shop and have them install a good used '95 to '98 EJ22 w/EGR (from an automatic). The engine you have IS a money pit at this point and is questionable from lots of cooks in the kitchen and too much overheating. It is also an expensive engine to maintain and repair. Dump it and get the vastly more reliable and cheaper to maintain EJ22. You will lose about 30 HP but it's worth it for the reliable engine. If you want to take another trip to Oregon - I can put an EJ22 in it for about $1200 - that's complete with all new seals, gaskets, hoses, etc and with a warantee on the work and on the motor. . I've done quite a few of these. GD

I have three or four of those distributor splash guards in my shed - both for EA81 and EA82 applications. I usually toss them off when I install a Weber. A rubber glove and vaseline works well to seal the distributor. That's my version anyway. GD

I've been ordering all my kits from mizumoauto and haven't had a single issue other than one time I got an incorrect idler (wasn't for a Subaru I don't think - part number mixup) and it was PROMPTLY corrected though I did incur return shipping on the incorrect idler. Otherwise I've been getting quality bearings in all the idlers, and belts that will surely do the job required of them if changed at the reccomended interval. The water pumps included have been good also - better than the GMB water pump I took a look at a couple weeks ago - I wouldn't consider using something of that low quality. The casting and machining looked like it was done by an 8 year old school girl from Pakistan. I also recently did a job where my customer bought all his parts from Dayco - their timing belt components were great - the lower right idler had the lip and everything. Their hoses on the other hand were terrible - incorrect fit and "cut to fit" stuff - wouldn't touch their hoses again. Be glad it's just that lower right idler - you can easily change that later without disturbing the timing belt or any of the other idlers. GD

If you are running the defrost setting on the heat then that will kick on the AC compressor and also the fans. They will run as long as the AC is running to dry the defrost air. GD

Unlikely unless the GL-10 is a carb or very early turbo ('85/'86). It's probably grounding issues with the digi-dash. The bushing wear on the earlier designs causes issues with the reluctor gap and makes the coil fire more rapidly even though the engine is not spinning that fast - this makes the tach signal (which is just the ground signal from the negative side of the coil) more rapid and thus the faster tach reading. When they get real bad it will read many thousands of RPM faster than the engine is spinning and will cause preigntion issues and may even make it undriveable. GD

It's the shared exhaust port (less cooling time between exhaust pulse exposure), and the two-valve design. Good designs from the '80's were running multiple intake and exhaust valves like the EJ's. The EJ18 has the same heads as the EJ22 - 4 valves per cylinder. That's good flow for a 1.8. Even the Justy engine had two intake valves making it a 9 valve engine. To some extent flow is less of a problem with forced induction - but since the EA82T can't really handle much in that respect either due to its other issues...... High compression and turbo's don't mix - you can't easily remove the heat of compression (which rises exponentially with compression increase but linearly with pounds of boost). You can easily cool the air from a turbo. That is why the engineers lower the compression of these engines. You can add fuel to cool it or do some exotic stuff like alcohol injection but they aren't good choices for a daily. GD

The shaft bushings in your distributor have too much play. Either replace them, replace the distributor, or have it rebuilt. GD

2.2 manifold with EGR if you don't want a CEL. 2.5 manifold will not fit the 2.2 heads. You can use a 2.5 EGR setup and drill/tap the head/manifold for the pipe but you will either have to order the pipe or make one since the 2.5 egr pipe will not be the right length. GD

I agree that anything you do without cams first is very stupid, yes. Matt doesn't say whether the frankenmotor he built had cams or not. Nor is there any cost comparison on the cam pricing or "bolt ons" for the 25D. Obviously there are twice as many cams and what bolt-ons? wouldn't most of them be applicable to the frankenmotor as well? Good points but more data is needed. I still highly doubt you could get the performance from the 25D as cheaply by using the DOHC heads. A rebuild on the DOHC heads runs me about $500 vs. $160 for the SOHC heads........ at least double the price for cams - you are near $1000 right there. GD

The compression increase is what gives the power gain (HP but especially torque) as it improves the thermal efficiency of the engine. The head change is what does this - to increase the compression using the stock heads would take a piston replacement which would drive up the cost significantly and destroy the whole "cheap power" concept. The whole idea of the frankenmotor is that it can make close to 200 HP without spending more than about $800 in parts and machine work. You can't even buy a replacement (used, stock) EJ25D for that little. I agree that if cost is no object then the 25D heads are the better choice but my experience is that you aren't going to build a 25D with the same grunt as the Frankenmotor for less than a couple thousand $. That is a large difference. GD

Noise when the pedal is pressed is typically clutch bearings - noise when released is often teansmission bearings. Sounds like something is coming apart inside the tranny. Try shifting in/out of 4WD - that will tell you if its a front or rear input shaft issue. What car? What transmission? GD

There is a good reason to ditch the EJ25D heads even if you already have them - basically it comes down to cost and ease of maintenance. It is orders of magnitude cheaper to rebuild, add cams, and maintain (valve adjust, spark plugs, etc) the SOHC heads. For that reason alone it os a great option for some of us who dont want to spend $1500 on *just* head work to get the same low-end grunt as the 22E heads and maybea little better top-end...... which a lot of us don't care about anyway. GD

You want butyl rubber - it comes in rolls at any good auto parts / auto body supply, etc. The lights don't have to be cleaned of all the old rubber - just remove dirt, debris, etc. I would not use silicone personally. GD

The power difference isn't that great - especially coming from a worn out 2.5 to a good condition 2.2. Remember the 96 outback 5 speeds were factory 2.2 cars. I'm in Portland Oregon unfortunately - wish you were closer. The power steering bracket issue is easily solved with some 2.2 lines - simple to install with the engine. When I do this swap it looks 100% stock. No one has complained about the power difference - a good running 2.2 is still pretty peppy. GD

Too bad you arent closer - I can easily swap in a used 2.2 with waranty (6 month, 6k miles) for about $1000 with all new belts/tensioners, water pump, hoses, etc. Just did one for a board member for $970 out the door. Ask for help in the wanted section - might be theres a member in your area that does this kind of work. In any case look for a 95 to 98 2.2 from an automatic with EGR. Any of those will bolt right in either directly (95's) or by swapping the front exhaust section (96+). They are also a lot cheaper - abouta third to half the price of the 2.5's. GD

I would say that a very high percentage of axle failures on EA's is due to people not really understanding the mechanical lock system being used here. Very often the "clicking" is not from the joint but rather from the cone washer not being properly seated or being worn and no longer locking to the axle shaft. Personally I've never had a problem with an EMPI other than a boot failure after a couple years. NAPA reman's are junk and I've seen them fail on rhe DOJ side. GD

In a pinch you could use a two-wire pickup disty but you will lose knock control by doing it. The only thing i know of that you can use for sure is another 85/86 turbo distributor if you want to retain knock control. Alternatively you could switch over to something like an MSD ignition controller with the ability to retard timing under boost - then use the standard two-wire carbed dirty. Or you could swap over to a complete 87+ fuel/ignition system and its associated optical disty. You can have a place like philbin rebuild your current unit with new bushings..... GD

18mm non fouler. Yeah - just do all three. And yes you are making this way too complicated. 1. Drill through the non-fouler with a 1/2" bit. 2. Unscrew sensor(s) using an open-end wrench, Ford wrench, crescent, etc 3. Thread sensor into non-fouler. 4. Thread the assembly back into the exhaust and tighten. Done. Takes about 15 minutes. GD

The big deal is the cheap power they make. 1. The compression increase is the biggest reason. Increases thermal efficiency and that is effective for making power. 2. 25D heads are about $500 to have rebuilt. Then cams are about $450 or so on top of that. Port/polish work can runs hundreds more - without increasing the comp. You might gain as much as the 22 heads if you have about $1500 to drop on just your heads. 3. You use the 25D gaskets. Gasket must match the cylinder bore. 4. You continue to use the cheap 22 timing belt setup. 5. You must run 91 octane or better. Same as a turbo. The goal of the frankenmotor is cheap power - rebuilding the 25D block is not typically done as it will increase the cost. Often you can find cast-off blocks from people building EJ257 turbos using the EJ25D heads. I just got a nice short block for $100. I paid another $100 for a 97 EJ22 with a rod knock. I will do a light hone, new rings and bearings plus the torque cams..... probably be into it about $500. See how this works? You can't build an EJ25D for anything comparable. Plus I like the simplicity of the EJ22 heads with their easily adjusted valves, etc. It's just a great combo all around. GD

I just get used ones personally. There are plenty of suppliers that sell just the pump - some of them come with the pickup/bag. And yes theres nothing keeping it from sucking debris without the pickup. GD

If you don't want a reground cam (why not?) then there aren't any performance cams available. Unless you want to do something like the frankenmotor you are very limited. Reground cams are the best option but if you don't want those then you are prett much stuck. GD

Rectifier failure in the alt. The indicator lamp circuits are on a common 12v bus and the AC current from the alt causes them to light up. GD

It's just that specific engine - others are not like that at all. The early EJ engines especially are super reliable and simple to work on. The EA82 and especially the turbo version was a low-point for Subaru. Get a 90 to 94 legacy - much better than a corrolla - same reliability but awd. GD

I'll put my 4lb hammer up against any breaker bar. This is why really big impacts were invented - sharp blows applied repeatedly do the trick. I havent met my match yet and do not own any 3/4" drive tools. It's all about how you use the force. People that have been to my shop know of what I speak. I laid aside all that big cumbersome stuff when I left the army. There's good reasons I don't drive big trucks - the dang parts are too heavy and the fasteners are too tight! These are Subaru's not tanks! GD