Bushwick

If you want more power, swap in an NA EZ36. It's a direct-fit despite having 2 extra pistons. Will need the donor's fuel pump. Some work is involved, but it's doable. They make 250+ hp and similar tq, which in a lighter Legacy or WRX should be good for a 14 second or slightly quicker ride depending on how lazy the tq converter on an auto is. Manual trans with a steep gearing should be fairly quick. Also, a straight-up franken motor should give decent power, but running the 25d heads on ej22 block, will loose the higher compression advantage and probably feel sluggish off the line, though it should make OK power in the higher revs. If strictly a highway car, it'd = better passing, but pulling hills from a stop you might have your foot into it. It's hard to say exactly w/o the compression bump if it'd be "fun" or not. Having a really lazy compression ratio with higher flow can hurt everything from performance to vacuum the engine is making. Street engines should have a focus on vacuum as directly relates to a better running motor, down to how well your power assisted brakes work.

This was a big issue on my 95' ej22. I actually used it as a bargaining point when buying the car they were so noisy. IIRC, almost all were collapsed or were collapsing. Driving the car made no difference. It had around 170k miles at the time. The "best" method is to actually pull them out. It's very easy. Then manually pump each lifter in fresh oil until ALL the black oil exits. I used a plastic cap from the oil bottle to hold the oil (enough oil to submerge it and prime fresh oil through it) and used synthetic oil. Once clean oil exits, you prime/bleed it and drop in fresh oil (I cut an oil bottle in half and filled 1/8 of the way up and would drop the lifters in after they were bled) then move on to the next one. I had quite a few that would NOT pump back up regardless of how much effort went into it. Ended up going to a yard and pulling a set off of another ej22 which only had really good condition ones that after pumping out the garbage black residue, were solid when primed, so used those. Think 2 of mine were used and the rest were from the donor. Anyways, car has around 182k now and they've yet to make noise. If yours are THAT noisy (like mine were), you should consider pulling them, then try and manually prime them in fresh oil and see if they can be restored. If not, you'll need to replace them. To save the effort, go on Rock Auto (or similar) and just buy a full set. Also, it's worth mentioning that the rocker's oil feed can get sludged up. If that happens, I think it can restrict flow to the lifter directly, which is bad. The rocker assembly needs pulled anyways (talking very easy to do with these engines) to lift the lifters out. Just remember orientation on the rocker shaft and keep spring metal where it needs for reassembly. What I did was pour FRESH oil into the lifter cavity on the rocker. Then pushed the lifter in. Tolerances are fairly tight, so the oil poured in (talking like a couple teaspoons worth) will get FORCED out the rocker oil feed once you push the lifter in. Pushing the lifter in, actually acts like a plunger. Once FRESH oil (no black gunk swirling out) is being ejected through the rocker's oil feed hole, you can move on the next one. This is one of those things you should just do right. Adding thinner oils or additives won't fix it permanently, especially if they most/all are collapsing despite being driven regularly. People that say an additive "cured" their lifters is a temporary "fix" and their lifters most likely weren't that bad, or they only had one or a couple being stubborn. Do NOT use sea foam. I know people "swear" by it, but you should NEVER add anything to the oil other than fresh oil. Plenty of horror stories out there from people ruining their engine with that junk. It ranks up there with old timers dumping saw dust and honey in to stop an oil leak and limit smoking long enough to sell it. Just do it it right and pull them.

Hopefully it's the issue as I'm betting your frustration with car and the small military you could have funded with all the parts you've already replaced has to be discouraging. Normally caps fail open, which is an emissions issue as it allows the fumes to escape rather than getting pulled through the charcoal canister and burned off. But they can also fail in the closed position which actually affects the engine being able to run. If you look closely at lawnmowers, weed wackers, chainsaws, etc. they typically have a small hole in the cap to allow air to get pulled. Old cars had the hole too, but once it was discovered the fumes were "bad", they put the springs in and made a flapper style valve. I worked at an emissions place in my late teens (Ohio actually checks the caps ability to seal fumes as part of it's e-check) and we'd fail around 10% of the cars because their caps were faulty. When they fail OPEN, most aren't even aware.

Dexron III is hard to find. Dexron IV, V, etc. supersede III, so you can use that instead. Look on the bottle of whatever you buy as it'll state what it's certified for. Also, don't be cheap with it. Get the better branded fluid and change at recommended intervals. If you aren't pulling the torque converter, keep in mind it's raunchy fluid will mix with the new AND will account for some volume, so be SURE to add fluid, start car, put it in D then R, then N, then repeat several times of different gears (stationary in your driveway, do NOT drive it) THEN check the stick while it's still running. If low, add some more and repeat the D-R-N so it circulates correctly. I suggest using the cheap brand for the first fill up, drive it 30-50 kilometers, drain that, then refill with the better brand IF you don't pull the torque converter as it'll allow that old fluid to dilute with the first fluid, and by the time you do the 2nd fill it'll be minute and the fresh stuff will be in the converter.

Figured I'd chime in as it'll be helpful in the future and might as well do it anyways, is replace the power steering fluid if it's original. Mine was around 180k miles and I noticed the steering was getting more difficult at slower speeds about a day or 2 after having an alignment and the new tie-rods installed. My 1st reaction was the mechanic did something wrong, but figured I'd check the PS pump fluid before making a jerk out of myself. It was at the line where it was supposed to be, but was REALLY dark. Since I couldn't do a full tear down and the "Subaru" method of draining the pump reservoir, I used a turkey baster and sucked the old fluid out, topped off with fresh fluid, drove around 20 miles to get it circulated with whatever was still in the lines, then suctioned that out and refilled again. Amazingly, the steering was better than when I'd gotten the car 2 years prior and immediately eased up with effort. While you most likely have torque bind, putting the car into FWD changes the handling fairly drastically in my opinion; car oversteers heavily in FWD, and understeers greatly when in AWD to the point I can instantly tell just by driving. It also acts like a traditional FWD car in turns when on. Doesn't hurt the car to have fresh fluid and for $8 it's a simple rule-out of the more expensive TB.

Did you try and remove the fuel cap yet? Or at the very least, loosen it? If the fuel system is under TOO much vacuum, it can cause an engine to stall. Caps have a breather on them that's spring activated and supposed to prevent that w/o letting fumes in the tank escape. If that's stuck in the closed position, as the fuel pump runs, it'll create a vacuum and the engine won't run. I'm near certain this is what caused the issue on my Mark VIII. The 1st time it happened, was same as you. It ran, shut it off. And 5 minutes later it wouldn't start. About 30 minutes after that it fired right up. 2nd time it occurred, same scenario. I removed the cap and it started right up. Thinking it was fluke, I still decided to leave it loose and it quit doing it, so bought a proper cap and it never happened again.

You should be hand turning the engine over w/o the plugs in so it'll turn easier and checking for piston to valve interference BEFORE ever cranking it. Like Fairtax stated, it's probably not aligned correctly. But it's also possible you bent more valves again. Get the belt on correctly (google "Subaru timing belt removal/installation" for visuals on how to line it up; DOHC is a little more involved than SOHC if that's what you have) then do a compression test of each cylinder to make sure you don't have a valve stuck.

Yeah, just go a local auto parts store and in the battery section, you'll see replacement terminals with 2 extra bolts that clamp a metal plate. You'll cut the old wire as close to the factory terminal as possible (go too short and the cable will be too tight on the battery which is bad) which might be hard considering how thick the copper is, then insert into the clamp area and tighten. I suggest getting a packet of terminal corrosion inhibitor (should conduct electricity/allow current) and coat the exposed wire so it lasts awhile. You'll need a RED and BLACK terminal and be SURE to observe polarities (red is + and black is -). Can get a universal battery hold down kit. It'll have 2 long "J" bolts and a bar. The J bolt hooks will insert into opposing sides of the battery tray (front and rear) and the bar will sit over the top of the battery. You'll need to look closely on the tray area for a hole that resembles a "slit". The J hook goes there. The kits have wing nuts to tighten. Don't need to go crazy tight with them. Just tight enough the battery doesn't move around. IF the battery cable(s) are too short or really rough, you can replace the entire cable which typically already has a terminal attached. Just make sure it's a tad longer. If they don't have anything within a couple inches, going longer won't hurt. I suggest zip tying about 8" away from battery terminal in a few places so it's secure. Leave a little slack at both ends i.e. enough slack so it can be lifted off battery and enough slack engine movement won't be pulling on it near the starter. Securing the cable will help avoid chaffing issues or it melting the rubber coating from direct contact, etc. Also, probably a good idea to add a few drops of anti-seize to the bolt threads the wing nuts attach to as the bolt material isn't the greatest and it'll be easier to remove in the future w/o snapping the ends off.

Lift wheel off the ground then grab it with both hands at 9 and 3 o'clock. Try moving it. Try again at 12 and 6 o'clock. Any movement and it's bad. If you end up replacing it, go with oem as you'll most likely get another 160k+. Safe bet would be to do both rear wheel bearings at the same time. Typically when one wheel bearing goes bad, it's counterpart isn't far behind. Grinding could actually be brakes though. If the bearing is grinding, there should be a little movement, whether in/out, or side to side.

You didn't refill the radiator with tap water, did you? i.e. 50 % tap / 50% coolant or 70/30, etc.? House water will build up minerals within the radiator, eventually choking it, but it typically takes time. If you have a long, dusty drive way or rural roads, the dust will cake up in the fins and can cause overheating too. Failing waterpumps can be culprit (never buy any with plastic impellers like what VW installed factory as those break over time and are a hassle). I'd do the head gaskets (get the heads inspected for warpage or the entire repair will be worthless) while obviously flushing the system and adding distilled water and fresh coolant. Purge any air as that can cause overheating. Inspect that the fans are working (turn AC on and both should work) and check the sensor is in spec.

Turboing an engine in general won't grenade it IF it's done correctly. Biggest mistake would be NOT getting it tuned, running low power fuel pump, undersized injectors, leaning it out, etc. I'm not a fan of Chinese turbos at all. They use inferior metals from bearings to exhaust housings, and their balancing of the CHRA is very questionable. I've had good luck with Garrett turbos and have rebuilt my own, even upgrading the entire cold housing a GT28 style and upgrading from a tiny 52mm to a 64mm you typically find on the GT2860 turbos, to adding a 360 degree thrust plate which prevent the weak factory thrust washer failure like I experienced on my high mileage factory unit. ONLY thing I didn't do myself was the balancing. I think I had $500 into it (new GT28 style cold housing, new exhaust wheel/shaft, new cold wheel, new bearings and c-clips,balancing, etc.) after the factory turbo cracked the lip on the thrust bearing, allowing the shaft to walk laterally and ultimately clip itself into the housing. Talking my Saab here which was factory turbo'd to begin with, so it was just a matter of getting it to physically FIT w/o getting an expensive aftermarket exhaust manifold that angled the turbo outward more, plus reflashing a second ECM (which isn't an option with Subaru so you need a piggy back unit or aftermarket unit). If you want more power, go the NA EZ36 route. They make around 256 hp (IIRC) and are a direct fit to the Subaru trans. That's a 120hp+ more than a standard EJ22 AND you don't have to mess with turbo BS like intake ducting, FMIC, custom exhaust with at LEAST a 4" race cat (for a 6 cyl with a single turbo) or you'll experience extreme lag as it won't spool up as quickly as it needs to; your EGT will be higher, and ultimate flow will get restricted limiting hp. What people often don't realize is "peak" hp means absolutely ZERO. For a daily driver with pep, you want as much torque as you can get, as early as possible and hope it holds it to redline and try and at least have as much, if not more hp. With that said, I'd take 44 hp hit with an EZ36 over a 300 hp STi engine any day of the week. Mighty Car Mods (google "Gramps" from Youtube) 1st did a mid 90's Legacy Wagon with an EZ36 then turbo'd it, before transferring the drivetrain over to a newer body style after the car got rained out when the windows were out (they were prepping it for a repaint) and the new variant is called "Super Gramps". Watch the earlier "Gramps" videos to get an idea of what's involved with JUST the EZ36 transplant and ignore the turboing aspect. If you kept it NA and aren't constantly racing it or beating the spoob out of it, you could probably leave the factory trans and rear alone until you have the $$$/time to upgrade to say STi trans/rear. If your car has an auto, it's a MUST to add a trans cooler with a small 8" - 10" electric fan (preferably thermostat controlled) as it'll help the trans cope and last longer. Fresh fluid every 30k-60k miles depending on age and abuse would be smart too. When the engine is out, DRAIN the torque converter and refill will best Subaru fluid you can afford. I think if you want more power and early pep, the EZ36 is a great option. You'd the ecm, the fuel pump, and some effort to get it working with your car, but it's 100% doable. I'm seriously considering this with my 95' Legacy at some point (minus a turbo) and getting fresh paint with nicer rims just to have a different, clean, and quicker daily driver.

Not many parts left that quit when hot then. Fuel pump could be suspect. Is it making any extra noises? i.e. can you hear whining now when before there was none? Fuel pressure regulator might be faulty. A really clogged fuel filter (like one with a ton of dirt in it) could choke the engine out, as would a heavily clogged air filter. Do you smell raw gas at all? EVAP systems can be issues in newer cars. Dunno how sensitive those earlier engines are. Most cars will still run though, albeit roughly. I had 96' Mark VIII and it was around the 80k mile mark and a couple times it went from running fine, to not running and just cranking. Replaced the fuel cap and it went another 35k miles w/o issue. While never able to "prove" it was the cap, it seemed to be the issue in that case. I think I removed the cap when the car wouldn't start (it just cranked) and it fired right up so I replaced it and the problem never returned. Is this your issue? Probably not, but it takes 5 seconds to rule out by loosening the cap when it acts up. I ran that car everywhere, all year for nearly 4 more years after, and (it was in perfect mechanical condition having bought it with 60k miles and no rust) ran it to other states on many long distance runs. Ran like a top when sold too. These are just guesses here, but things I'd go over with my own car if it was doing the same thing.

Other option would be converting to jump-size studs. Basically tap out the holes for next size up (could be metric or standard, which ever grabs first) and keep the exposed section section the same size as what is already there so you don't have to tap out every new water pump in the future (possibly creating a dilemma for future owners). It's a better fix than heli-coils and JB weld junk. While you are at it, might want to inspect other bolts for same treatment, especially relating to the front of the engine like timing belt pulleys, timing cover, alternator, etc. The fact it's a lower mileage engine make it worth a little more in the long-run if taken care of, so might as well do the thing right.

Before replacing items, it's always better to attach a multi-meter and get base readings. Where is the coil mounted that gives charge to the spark plugs? Is it mounted ON the engine, or is it on an inner fender? IF it's directly attached to the engine via bracket, that can be a heat-soak issue where it works OK enough when engine is cold, but as it heats up, whatever is faulty can't cope. A simple temporary test would be mounting it on a cooler surface away from direct and indirect heat (like the exhaust manifold) and seeing if the engine runs longer or not (given coils can transmit lethal voltages, I don't suggest "testing" it yourself). Most are really inexpensive or at least they used to be and a junk yard version might be a good alternative to rule out yours. Does this engine still have a carb? If so, that can be faulty. If it has an electric choke and it's stuck nearly shut, car will run as it should when cold, but will get starved for air when warmed up. Also, heavily worn components can screw with how much fuel is being dumped in. Old cars could get vapor lock. Basically the fuel line gets TOO hot (common on cast iron engines with poor airflow over them) and the gasoline turns to vapor and the engine stalls. When the fuel line cools off, the vapor goes back to remaining liquid and the car restarts. Check for fuel lines near heat sources. EDIT: NVM the carb stuff, MAF is fuel injected.

If the cat was clogged, it'd be constant. Sounds like a heat soak issue (ignition coil) or if the car has a CPS, the CPS. To rule out exhaust obstructions, a vacuum gauge with engine at idle will tell you right away. Could also unbolt the pipe at the header (before the cat) to rule out a melted honeycomb or collapsed muffler baffling.

I don't think the Subaru ECM has been successfully reversed yet, meaning your best bet is to go aftermarket ECM or piggyback IF going with a custom turbo. If you have a WRX turbo or other Subaru specific turbo, use the ecm that factory dealt with it. Don't forget you'll need a turbo oil pan or a nipple welded in for oil return, plus an oil line. If you keep boost reasonable and run premium, you can turbo almost anything. Also consider a front mount intercooler for better heat control.

Thanks Fairtax. Sounds like it's bad then. Thanks for pointing out the 45 degree orientation as I'd never have known this. Are the Rockauto sensors holding up OK? That's where I get my harder to find parts from for my Saab and Subaru.

In other cars this can be a crank position sensor, or even a failing ignition coil. Starter can be affected by heat soak too in older Fords, but since it's cranking, that's unlikely. I'm leaning to a bad crank position sensor.

How many miles are on it? Really high mileage engines can have excessive wear on the cam lobes, which, as you guessed it will alter the powerband creating a dead spot in the power. Given you are having electrical issues though, I suspect there's an issue with a wiring harness, plug connector, corrosion in a connector, etc. Wouldn't hurt to inspect and better yet just replace ALL vacuum lines. This means ALL the lines going to the assorted sensors under the intake runners AND feeding the throttle body. Do ONE hose at a time to avoid reattaching incorrectly. Old hoses can crack, split, soften, become loose on their respective nipples, etc. and while "appearing" OK to the quick eye, can actually be bad. It costs $10-15 to replace all of them. If they used jump sizes i.e. a 1/4" T's off into an 1/8 " and 1/4", you have to get creative and make something work or try and find OEM if they still make it. While replacing the vacuum lines, keep an eye out for odd looking wiring. At the very least, you spent $15 to get the engine in better shape. Most people do tune ups and completely neglect the hoses which can cause lean conditions, rough idle, issues with sensors that rely on them, etc. Reset the battery after replacing them. Hopefully it helps. Keep an eye out for chewed wiring, and pay close attention to the wiring feeding the sensors you've had codes for.

If you replaced injector 3 and cylinder 3 still isn't firing correctly, check the wiring going to that injector for power. If the injector IS working, there might be an issue with the coil pack where it's not sending a strong enough current to the plug. Also, get that gasket installed and the issue might clear up. Especially if it's an intake manifold gasket as leaks there will cause all sorts of issues.

I'm a fan of Pioneer, but their newest units are rather cheap looking with lousy buttons. Basically any big name CD player with usb (get the usb option and you can charge modern phones off it, as well as run music from the phone AND you can import music onto a usb flash stick via something like Windows Media player and avoid running an ipod; the usb will act just like a CD where you can select tracks, skip, etc.) will be dependable, so Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, JVC, Alpine, and even Clarion. Most will sound better than stock, and have a huge amount of options to customize the sound. I'm a fan of high pass filters as they can protect speakers from bass signals they are NOT designed to handle. Plus most after market have RCA outputs to run an amp or 2. You can find weatherband on aftermarket, so that's not an issue if you like it. As far as reliability, all of these should last at least 5 years or more. Can buy an adapter to to fit modern a radio into the factory recess if needed.

Check engine came on either during, or immediately after jump starting my other car. Had it pulled and AZ stated P0325 which they were saying was possibly a knock sensor as that's what code is for other cars, but given it's a 95', that it might be something else. Car runs the same and always run premium in it, so it's not due to running 87 or something. I haven't tried resetting the code. Does the 95' EJ22 even have a knock sensor? If so, where is it? Is this common? What years/engine cross over with this knock sensor as a direct replacement? Could it be something else?

This is occurring on my 99' Saab that's been sitting the driveway for the past 2 years. It started with the front bumper in a small spot, then progressively expanded to other areas. For the past 5 weeks, it's been at the far back of my area (basically an overflow lot for neighbors) as I needed the driveway space for something else. Anyways, wasn't until it was put back in the driveway (night time) something near the sunroof caught my eye- it was peeling there too? Even worse, it's all cloudy? Any idea what's going on? I'm 98% sure it's the factory paint and clear coat as I've yet to find ANY signs of a respray ANYWHERE. If it was a respray, it was a 100% high-end spray as it had no defects. I've had the car since Oct. 11', and I'm puzzled why this is happening? At first I thought maybe the tire shine spray did something to the front bumper as I'd spray some on a rag then wipe the bumper trim to give it a "just detailed" look, but the fact the roof is now destroyed makes wonder if someone might have vandalized it with a chemical that doesn't react immediately? ANYONE experience this phenomena before? I'm rather upset as the car was a 9/10 visually before parking it, now it needs a complete respray of the clear at least.

I run 91-93 in mine. It's habit due to my turbo'd Saab needing it. Very tiny difference with the factory ej22 ecm, but it does seem to go further on it vs. 87, but the trade-off obviously is 87 is cheaper. Yeah, SOHC typically don't have the crazy large runners most DOHC (speaking in general) have, so you still get decent low-end flow. If you want to increase a few ponies and possibly increase MPG further, install a freer flowing muffler and be SURE to run a quality synthetic oil in the engine, and possibly in the rear pumpkin too. Run a good quality fluid in the trans too. Tires can help improve MPG, as well as lowering the car. If you are still running original O2 sensors, those can hurt MPG. I've had good luck with Summit Racing Turbo Mufflers in the past. They are rather subdued but lower back pressure. Avoid the hard metal welded case versions as they are closer to a 50 series Flowmaster (too loud). The regular variants are under $35 and VERY light. Give a nice quiet tone and free up top end power.

Um, yeah, thanks for singling my post out. But... 1. I've read more than one instance of somebody that purchased an engine from Japan, brought it over here, and it either had a thrown rod, main bearings were marred, it knocked, etc. I vividly remember a guy being upset because he had no recourse and he was like "What am I going to do, ship it back?". "You" might not like what I have to say, but it needs to be said. 2. 340k miles is a LOT. Those of us with higher mileage Subarus know our own cars in and out and stay on top of noises or strange issues. I never once even mentioned rust or environmental damage including rot. Every part I mentioned is universally limited-life and applies to a Texas car as much as a rust belt car. Wheel bearings only last so long, as do ball joints. If the body has 150k miles on replacement ball joints, that can be dangerous. He'll need to raise the front end so both wheels are off ground and at least check play to rule either out. Tie rods do NOT last forever either. And I forgot springs and struts need looked at. These are ALL issues that need careful inspection on high mileage cars. 3. Colorado gets snow as far as I'm aware, unless there's a cut-off point where snow doesn't fall. NE Ohio gets a ton more snow than southern Ohio. Even if he's not in a snow area, that doesn't mean the car never saw snow. For all you know the car spent the last 10 years in it. If it's seen snow, then brake lines might be an issue, some small sections of fuel line are metal and need looked at, etc. Let's not clutter this person's thread with stupid banter because you got sore at my unbiased post that he MUST carefully inspect the vehicle before dropping $3500 on a sight-unseen engine before he's even ruled out what the body and drive-train might need. Anyone championing the idea to just drop an engine in and go has no place giving advice here. I'm not some blind "fan boy" that thinks his car his solid gold and emits cherry scented fumes with zero faults. Meaning I'm not going to sit here and lie to the guy that sticking a JDM engine in a very high mileage unknown-history vehicle is a good idea. He needs to understand what he's getting into. Hopefully the car is actually straight and hasn't been in any serious accidents either.