echoecho Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I've been lurking here for a while now, reading and researching. So I think I can form a few good questions. Here is my info. First, the vehicle I have is a 1994 Impreza L AWD w/ 5MT 1.8L, 250,000 miles. Second, I use the car as a commuter / ski commuter in Colorado. It runs great, gets 28-30mpg consistently and handles well. It was previously owned by a Subaru mech and he gave me the service records for the last 13 years:grin: I've had it for the last 25,000 miles. I have added 04 WRX sway bars front and rear to control body roll in the canyons. What the car needs is a little more power, not NASIOC crazy suck your face off power, just a bit more to make ski commuting less of a flogging on the car. The places I ski take me over Cameron Pass, Monarch Pass, Wolf Creek Pass and some I-70 driving. I have just purchased an EJ22T complete motor from a running but totaled 1994 Legacy T. It included the complete exhaust and every bit of wiring. Not kidding, all the wiring. So my first question is what to do with the engine before swapping out the 1.8L? The 2.2t is on a tire in my garage. I'm lookin for a MUST DO LIST. Next, will the existing tranny with this many miles be okay with 160ish HP? Finally, are there any things I should be looking for as known problems? Both cars are OBDI so this should be a plug and play. I do have to get a turbo crossmember with steering rack but other than that???? Will the exhaust from the legacy bolt in place of the imp? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Welcome echoecho . . . echo! Can't help you with your questions but I'm sure others are gonna' enjoy making input. Sounds like a great project. Good luck and keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickensheets Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 (edited) How many miles on the new one. Now would be a choice time for a t-belt and some seals. Way easy with it out of the car. Also get a manual if you don't have one. Like from Haynes. Do you have indoor work space cuz if you didn't notice its getting colder! Look at the spark plugs too, once again way easy with it on the floor. Oh and reseal the oil pan and and and.... I have an engine stand you can borrow. Rotary type. Ryan in Loveland Edited October 30, 2009 by Dickensheets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Well until you get the new engine in, consider switching to 14" rims and tires. I found my '94 was a "stone" with the 16" WRX rims/tires that were installed by the previous owner. When I switched, the car's entire character changed. You might consider getting 14" winter tires; they're cheaper and will give you a noticeable increase in pickup.....especially in the mountains. As to the transmission: that is a weak spot. I now have a '97 model L wagon which is my daily driver and weekend rallycross car. I got it with 120K on it and I'm now on my fourth transmission, 50K miles later. Of course every transmission (except the last) had around 120K on it when I pulled it off a wreck at the Pull a Part yard (I'm a very low budget rallycrosser). But the tranny is a weak spot and will be more so with your turbo engine. I am currently driving a JDM transmission off a front clip imported from Japan that was originally a '95 WRX transmission with 45K on it. It required some modification to install but nothing major and it is so sweet that it's rediculous. I would look for a Forester/Outback transmission or something that came off a beefier engine than yours. Subaru transmissions interchange over a large span of years with no, or just minor modification. Just remember that you likely have a 4.111 rear diff in your car and you'll need to match that up to whatever transmission you install. I'd stick with the 4.111 sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I have added 04 WRX sway bars front and rear to control body roll in the canyons. I have just purchased an EJ22T complete motor from a running but totaled 1994 Legacy T. It included the complete exhaust and every bit of wiring. Not kidding, all the wiring. So my first question is what to do with the engine before swapping out the 1.8L? The 2.2t is on a tire in my garage. I'm lookin for a MUST DO LIST. Smart that you installed the WRX swaybars; I found that was a must on my rallycross Impreza. Any chance that the wrecked legacy T donor car had a usable 5MT? That would be a smart addition if possible (see my previous post). Don't forget to take the rear diff too if it doesn't match yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hustle Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I may get grief for this but, if the car runs great on the 1.8 why put a new one in? If it was me I would wait until things went bad. You may have a lot of use left on that old engine. Or maybe just find a cheap shell you could throw the 2.2 in Then you'd have a commuter and a play toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echoecho Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 Dickensheets, the donor had 120K on it. I do have space and tools to work with. No kidding about the cool weather setting in, thats a motivator to get this done. Wolf Creek opens tommorow Edrach, the donor had an automatic. Hustle, my wife said the same thing. The car does great with the 1.8 for everything but the passes....so it is a good point. Maybe I could just turbo the 1.8....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Must-do? that totally depends on the condition of it. but really, if it ran, you wouldn't HAVE to do anything. I would probably do timing belt, front and rear main seals, cam seals, valve cover gaskets, tbelt pullies, and water pump. as those are the common wear items that are 100x easier to replace with the engine out, than in a car. SOHC spark plugs are easy. 20 minute job, if you're drinkin a beer IIRC, Austin's '94 1.8 imp wagon had a 3.90 5MT.... Wiring is NOT plug and play. just because they're OBD I. legacy ECu is mounted under the steering column, and most of the wiring runs up the driver's side fender and plug into the engine near the battery. impreza ECU is mounted on the floor under the passenger's feet, and all the wiring goes through the firewall and plugs in to the engine above the passenger side head. plugs are different. you will be cutting, splicing, tracing, re-routing, etc. To do it well, you'll be pulling your dash, all the way to the firewall (dash cover, beam, all 3 HVAC sections. now's a good time to replace your heater core if you need to, or work on your A/C!). If you know your way around a wiring diagram, you'll be fine. but you'll probably be spending 10 hours on wiring alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echoecho Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 Since I have the complete wiring from the Legacy is it easier to create an extension from the existing wiring to the new motor? What is the best way to go about this? Does anyone have examples of previous Legacy 22t swaps? I haven't seen a detailed one on here. Ideally I want do the wiring harness and the 22t maintenace ahead of time so as not to loose the commuter car for more than a day or two. Is this possible? Would I need to find an imp donor harness? Numbchux, I've checked out your website and looks like you really know wiring! Have you done this type of swap? Most of your info looks like EJ into EA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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