Bob Nieuwsma

I have a very urgent request PLEASE Our daughter has a 2013 Crosstreck and her boyfriend ran it out of oil and now the engine is toast. What should I do? Buy a wrecking yard engine and try to find the lowest mile one I can find or buy a JDM engine with a warrantee. I have done engine swaps on my 96 and 99 outbacks so I don`t suppose this will be to terribly different. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Can I put a 2.2 non egr motor with a manual tranny into a 2001 outback with a manual tranny? Will it run? I am looking to make a beat around car to run to town and back and cruise around the hills and keep the miles off my good car. I don`t care if a the check engine light stays on but don`t want to attempt it and reall screw something up! Thank you for your advise.

I am not sure what to do! I have so many questions! I will try to be brief and summerize. 1st suby is a 1996 outback which I did a 2.2 swap back in 2014. The 2.2 had 125,000 on it at the time, now has 200,000 give or take and runs great and does not use any oil after I switched to Chevron 10w40. It is a 95 0r 96 dual port engine.But the car is in pretty rough shape and has a u joint ready to fall out and you can`t just buy a u joint you have to but a complete drive line! $250.00 bucks on E bay. Just bought 2nd suby a 1999 outback aniversery addition super clean car with 161,000 on it and a blown head gasket. Bubbles in the radiator overflow tank, but it runs good, doesn`t over heat unless you drive it hard. I want to keep this car for as long as possible because it is so clean. And with it came a Legacy wagon 2.2 manual transmission ( not sure what year because I havn`t brought it home yet.) The guy said you can have it for a hundred bucks!! Here`s my questions #1 do I put the 2.2 from the 96 into the 99 and just drive it? or pull the 2.2 heads and put them on the 99 2.5 block and frankenmotor it? ( I`ve read the 99 block is the best for this! ) #2 Will the increased compression give me better mileage? or just more power? sometimes more power means better mileage but not always! #3 Will the frankenmotor be an interference motor when done? I really don`t care because if I can do this I can change a belt every 80,000 miles! 2x and the car will be done anyways. #4 Will the heads of the 2.2 parts car with manual tranny work on the 96? I know it is not an EGR motor but if it will work I could keep it around just as a run around car to help make the 99 last longer. ( I don`t care if the check engine light is on ) find a driveshaft out of a wrecking yard and run it into the ground. #5 or just part out the 96 and keep everything of value for the 99? #6 The heads on the 2.2 in the 96 were resurfaced but if I do the franken motor should I do a valve job and put in new lash adjusters? #7 If I do a frankenmotor will I need to run premium fuel? My goal is to have a nice car that is good in the winter here in Montana! An outback with snow tires will go anywhere this old man wants to go (61) this year. Our other car is a 2006 Toyota Corrola which is a great car 40mpg but not a winter car like a Subaru! But if I can keep the 96 going it would be great for beating around the mountains, running to town ect. Thanks in advance to those who choose to give their advise and opinions.

Thank you

Ok I am not very good at computer stuff so if I posted in the wrong place I am sorry. So I have a little story and I will try to be brief. I did a 2.2 swap a few years ago in a 1996 outback and it worked great! I just picked up a super clean 1999 out back that is super clean and an aniversary edition with a 2.5 which of course has a blown head gasket! I also picked up a older legacy wagon parts car with a 2.2 and a manual transmission. I am planning on putting the 2.2 from my 1996 in the 1999 which I know will work. My question is if I remember corectly to do a swap it needs to be out of a car with auto tranny for the EGR, so I want to rebuild the one out of the car with the manual tranny and eventually put it in the 1999. Are the blocks the same? Can I rebuild the engine and take my intake off of the one I am running now for the EGR. Thank you

I know that the head gasket failed because of the water pump failing and it overheating. After it overheated I put another water pump on and it overheated again after a couple of weeks so I believe the head gasket was weak then failed. I am going to have both heads resurfaced and would like to put quality gaskets back in it. Also I think I am going to go to Subaru and get a new water pump and forget the reman from napa.

I did a 2.2 swap with lots of help from USMB THANK YOU EVERYONE I am not much of a computer person or mechanic! so I do not spend much time here. So I did my swap about a year and a half ago and everything was good, then the NAPA water pump I installed when it swapped failed and caused the car to overheat. Now I have a blown head gasket!! I do not really want to go to Napa again if their parts have become so inferior. Should I go to the dealer or is there a better place with better gaskets? Thank you all in advance.

Thanks, He says he bought it from a guy in Idaho, He told me that he thought it came stock with a 2.2 but I did not think so, car has 150k so I thought it was worth taking a look at. I have a 96 I did a 2.2 swap and am very happy I did it!!

I am going to look 99 outback tomorrow and he says it has a 2.2 stock engine in it, could this be true? I prefer that engine to the 2.5 by far. Can anybody shed some light on this for me? Thank you

Yes! it is smoother, quieter, and has just as much power as the 2.5, but it was not running right when i pulled it. I am very curious as to what mileage I will get now. I`m running premium to get away from the ethanol. The wife is happy and that is what really counts! She even said she could tell the difference in how much smoother it felt.

It was quite simple, it was harder getting the 2.5 out than putting the 2.2 in. Everything was plug and play just like they said, I`ve got 140psi on 2 and 145 on 2, not as hi as I had hoped for but good enough and fairly close. The check engine light came back on after about 10 min of running, found out it was the knock sensor, replaced it and no light. This motor purrs like a kitten and has as power as my 2.5 had. I am very pleased with everything. Thank you all again. God Bless

I know I have pics and diagrams on how to set the timing on a 2.2 on usmb before but can`t find them now, I am going to replace the cam and crank seals before doing my 2.2 swap and want to make sure I get it right. Thank you

Can you get this plate from an auto parts store like Napa? or do I have to go to Subaru?

Please explain, what is the rear seperator plate?

OK so I have my 2.2 to put in my 96 outback, we are going to put new crank and cam seals in it, new belts and plugs, With 122k should I adjust the valves while it`s out? and what should they be set at? also what should the flex plate and torque converter be torqued at. I would appreciate any advise as I only want to do this one time. Are there any other seals or gaskets that should be replaced? The plan is to do the swap this weekend. Thank you all so much for all the advice I have been given over the last couple of weeks. May God Bless you all!!

Just wondering if there is any difference between the two, besides the speed odometer? Emissions ect?

So I think I have it figured out that I can do this and use 2.5 head gaskets but have to drill some holes, I will need a intake manifold from a 95 2.2 with egr, the heads are dual port so should bolt right up, The questions I have are do I use a 2.2 timing belt or a 2.5 with single cams, and do I time it like a 2.2 or a 2.5 with single cams or are they the same? Do I use the 2.2 or the 2.5 head bolts? what parts will interchange? Water pump? oil pump? tensioners? injectors? and the big question does doing the give more compression? somebody told me to put premium in it after, and will it be an interference or non interference engine when done? Does it help to put a thin layer of permatex on the head gaskets to help to keep them from leaking? I am looking forward to getting away from the DOHC. Thanks so much.

So should I put a different head on it? and what would a used head cost? Can it be done in the car? or is it faster to pull the engine? or just can the whole idea of fixing this one and continue with the 2.2 swap? I know everybody says do the swap and I am going to, but if I can fix this one, then maybe I can get a few bucks out of it to help pay for the swap? If it is running good and in the car so they can drive it then maybe I will get more for it? I have seen several 96 to 99 Subarus for sale with bad engines so I would think someone could use it! Thoughts please!!!

I only checked the #3 cylinder because that`s where the computer said the code was coming from, plugs and wires are not very old at all, What does holding the throttle open do? I have never heard of this. Subie-newbie67 says the 2.5`s with HLA`s don`t use shims, is this correct? if this is the case then the valve is most likely to be burned? Right?

My 96 2.5DOHC started missing and the engine light come on, checked the code and it said #3, so checked the compression on #3 and it was very low 60psi. I assumed it was a burned valve because of the fact it has a hundred and ninety thousand on it, But two times now the check engine light has gone off for a while and the comes back on, would it do this if the valve was burned? It has a miss more noticeable at idle but runs great going down the road, and starts good even in the cold. I think I read somewhere on usmb that the HLA`s can actually cause a valve to stay partly open after the valve seat has become worn? But also read that these HLA`s can be shimmed? My 2.5 has had the head gaskets redone and like I said it runs great. If it is adjustment how hard is it to adjust them in the car? I don`t want to junk an engine that`s still running. I am planning on doing a 2.2 swap but would sure like to wait until it`s warmer or really needed!! Thank you all who willing to help me learn about subaru`s

I just read a post that was sent to me for my question about a 95 Impreza 2.2 Subaru nut said that your motor should be obd2, with egr if it came out of a car with automatic tranny and should also have dual port exhaust, He said that is the only way they came in 95 so you should be golden!! Good luck and once again thank you to all you helpful wonderful people out there. We newbies will get there eventually. God Bless

I know what you are going through! I am doing a swap also and got really confused with all the numbers,letters and terms about Subarus I did not understand. I also was looking at buying an engine out of a 95 Impreza but was not sure if it was a obd1 or obd2 obd stands for on board diagnostic, The wrecking yard could not tell me and I was not going to drive 500 miles to get an engine that I would have to then find another in take manifold to make it work if it was wrong, Who knows where I would have to go to find that. So I got back on line and found an engine out of a 95 legacy w/auto tranny with egr and dual port heads,so it will plug right in! It had a few more miles on it but was $150 less and the freight was way less so I am having them ship it to me. Don`t worry I am sure if yours is an obd1 where you live it should not be a problem to find the other intake. With all these helpful people on usmb you will be fine. I live out in Montana and there are not any wrecking yards close and the ones closest to me did not have what I wanted so thats why I had to look else where to find mine. Good luck to you and your swap.

So would $400.00 be a good price for this car if it runs good? Any other issues to look for? and how can I tell if it is water pump or head gasket? Thanks

Any 2.2 heads or do they have to be from certain years? What about the intake manifold matching up? or do you use the intake from the 2.2 and the wiring harness from the 2.5 intake? Like I said this is all new to me, I find it fascinating what all people do to their Subarus and that there are sooo many people out there willing to help. Thank you all!!!

Sorry I should have said that, It is a 1996 outback 2.5 DOHC auto tranny. I think it has a burned valve? It has 190,000 on it, The head gaskets were replaced and ran fine when I bought it but now throws a code on #3 cylinder, and has low compression in that hole. I am planning on doing a 2.2 swap in the car, but trying to learn as much as I can about what I have, if that makes any sense. From what I have learned the engine I have is the worst Subaru ever built and wondering if a SOHC will work on it? The engine still runs good and a may help someone out of a jam that really needs an engine and can`t afford to do a swap! I`m just wondering if there are any options. Thanks