BirdMobile

Hi again. Did the trade yesterday - traded away my EA82T Turbo motor for an EJ22 and a Impreza MT/transaxle (which I have no use for). Anyway, the EJ22 does not have an ECU - the guy I traded with doesn't know where it is and says it's unlikely that he'll ever find it again. So... I can either ( a ) modify the engine snd carburate it, or ( b ) Obtain a new ECU for it. Pros? Cons? Where would I even find an ECU, and what will it likely set me back cash-wise? If I carburate it, what carburator should I choose? BTW, the engine is for a swap into one of my pre-'87 GL wagons. Thanks for any input! . .

Yeah... I don't have much use for it either... and I even live in the desert!

OK. Did the trade today. Engine appears to be 1st Generation, with 2 exhaust ports on each head and the old-style timing belt tensioner (I've been reading up!). No ECU, unfortunately... he can't find it. One head was pulled, the pistons have little "cutouts" where the valve edges go, inside of a round (squarish on one side) sculpted indent. Serial # 599xxx This is a non-interference EJ22, yes? Anyway, he threw in a free manual transmission with the trade... I'll get details and post them in an attempt to identify what transmission it is. EDIT: Just found a tag on the transmission. It says: Model: Impreza IC# 60149 Description: M.T. 4WD Transmission Comments: 187K 1.8 MT Year: 1994 VIN: JF1GF2242RG83xxxx What is the transmission worth? Does anyone here want it? . .

This: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/147991-birdmobile-under-the-hood-photos-for-opus/

The "BirdMobile", in all its rusty glory! :

A "Side View" photo:

Second photo - Mechanical fan delete, belts, front of Weber, AC Delete "Pillar", and open timing belts:

Forum member "Opus" has asked for some "under the hood" engine compartment photos of my 1987 GL Wagon (the "BirdMobile"). The Birdmobile had its engine completely rebuilt recently, a 2 month long process that included pulling the engine, replacing every seal, gasket, Head bolt and washer, O-ring, spring, hose, and belt. I also replaced all sensors, the water and oil pump, and completely re-did the PCV system. While I was at it, I replaced the $h!7achi carburator with a Weber, and replaced the mechanical fan with a 2nd electric fan. I also replaced the radiator, thermoswitch, and all 4 front CV and DOJ rubber boots. I went ahead and deleted the AC while I was at it, and pulled most of the engine wiring harness and re-wired it using my own waterproof connectors and cable. New Optima battery and battery cables too. All new plugs, wires, disty cap and rotor. Zip tied it all up, for that final touch of quality. Oh... I also painted the "EA82" casting identifier and all flywheel timing marks using fluorescent green fingernail polish. Yeah... I love my car! First photo, the engine compartment:

JB welded a hole in a cylinder head of a VW Rabbit in high school... ran fine for over 500 miles before it failed again and engine was rebuilt. TONS of fixes involving cooling systems over the years, using whaever was at hand or could be scrounged fast.

One other thing... Did you remember to re-install the roll pins where the DOJ meets the transaxle spined shaft?

How tight did you torque your castle nut?

As I recall, there are 3 or 4 bolts holding the AC compressor to the engine.

Photo of AC Compressor delete, with support pillar:

The compressor supports the bracket that holds the alternator on. It will have a "hollow spot" underneath when the compressor is gone, and an unsupported overhanging section at the left where the "pillar" I wrote about needs to go.

My '87 is not a turbo, but the bracket is the same. I yanked the AC compressor, took a length of 1" aluminum rod stock and cut it to length to fit where the compressor was, drilled and tapped it 3/8-16 on both ends, and bolted it in as a support pillar where the compressor used to be. You could also use a piece of pipe cut to length and a LOOONGGG 3/8" bolt and nut. You will need a different length inner V-Belt if the compressor pulley is gone, I used a NAPA Premium XL belt, size 9345. The longer outer belt that runs the alternator doesn't need to be changed, only tensioned tighter.

One last thing... Keep your brake rotor and calipers CLEAN... free of grease and dirt. You probably already knew that though.

BTW, my condolences on having to do this. I'd rather pull an engine than have to do half-axles again!

I used Chlorinated brake cleaner on mine, just be careful to give it enough time to evaporate completely before putting the new wheel bearing grease on. I also took care to not get too much of it on the rubber seal on the CV side, though a bit won't hurt.

Rotor/Caliper is not that bad... just 2 bolts then hang the caliper assembly from the strut apring with some bailing wire, bungee cords, or zip ties. The Caliper/Rotor removal and re-install was actually the easiest part of the whole process when I did my half-axles.

You can read about my trip to mechanic's hell here (3rd Post): http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/147787-1987-gl-cvdoj-boot-replacement/?do=findComment&comment=1240428 . .

Patty, I recently removed both half-axles in the front of my '87 GL wagon, in order to install new CV boots. It was truly a nightmare. I ended up "pulling" the axle through the wheel bearings using the castle nut as a puller (on the passenger's side of the car)... using a series of progressively thicker washer stacks as I ran out of threads each tightening cycle. NOTHING else I tried even remotely resembled a working solution. Truly the most difficult and frustrating bit of mechanicing I've ever experienced. Good luck! . .

Hello again. Sudden flurry of EJ-22 engines coming my way! I have a friend who is probably going to trade me a partially disassembled EJ22 for an EA82T that I have. I just talked to another friend today who has an EJ22 in a wrecked Impreza he wants to sell. He has the serial number (12121) but doesn't know what year the engine was made - he just knows that it is NOT the original engine that came with the car, it was put in to replace the original emgine. OK... is there any way to determine year of engine manufacture from serial number? The Subaru dealership says no, and I've done an internet search with no clear answer found. This is ridiculous... why even serial number the engine if there's no clearcut way to find out at LEAST when it was made! Anyone here know of a way?

I did one of those radiator additives when I realized I had a compression leak in my head gasket. K-Seal, I think. Surprisingly, it worked... for about a week. Same problem developed again, and I decided at that point to tear down the engine. It's probably worth a try.

.This. X1000. Pretty much how I feel about all of Subaru's mid-80's vehicles... boxy, lame retro-futuristic styling that goes with big hair, cheesy synth music, and spandex... mission to mars cockpits that try to be futuristic but fail it completely. Artifacts from an age of boundless, yet baseless optimism. I love it - can't get enough! . .

If you have any mechanical ability and have pulled an engine before, a head is not too bad to swap. Time consuming though...