EJ18 Pros And Cons

[blaksam]

Im trying to compile a list of pros and cons for my EJ18 FWD 5spd manual so i can figure out what to do with it..

after a bunch of research on here and such ive realised its economic.. and a somewhat uncommon combination, but thats it really.

anyone else got any?

 

Pros:

Economic

 

Cons:

 

[Fairtax4me]

Pros= good gas mileage, Ultra reliable engine. FWD has fewer parts to wear and cause problems.

Cons= not much power, FWD not as good in snow or rain as AWD.

[Bushwick]

What is your long-term goal or what would you like from it?

 

Cons= Very low HP 108-118 bhp depending on model

 

A swap to an ej22 would bump up to 130 bhp; ej25 about 165 bhp (SOHC) your heads might be too small to try and fraken build with, but I'm curious if 1.8 heads on a 2.2 would increase like 2.2 heads on a 2.5 does. If you did the swap, you could sell the ej18 to half the costs. Also, I know Australia is rather strict on their cars, upgrading to another Subaru family engine would be hard to detect, especially if you only swapped in a new block/bottom end.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Bushwick

[blaksam]

Hadn't thought of anything like that yet.. how much is the ej22 cost wise? Its in a '94 gx impreza atm.. I have had a look around and people haven't rly done anything with the 18 heads ? Maybe there's a reason for it? ... would the swap be simple from an ej18 to to the 22?

[Bushwick]

Around here, the ej20t, ej22, and ej25 are more common. Many guys seem to have the ej22 or ej25 in NA form. The ej22 seems to have a solid reputation for being reliable and last many miles/km (not to mention they are CHEAP and easy to work on). I've read where people considered the ej18 heads on the bigger bottom end, but since it's easier to just get an ej25 block and hybridize with ej22 heads/top end, that's more common. Also, I think compression ratio is something to consider, as once it's starts going past 10:1, it's not always practical to run, especially if you can't really alter timing advance (slightly thicker head gaskets are a solution, especially on NA setups). I'd have to think an ej22 bottom end with those heads would work OK, though I know nothing of the port sizes. If willing to experiment, could always try an ej25 bottom end with you ej18 top end as I'll bet it'd have SUPER responsive throttle response, but might lack top end power. Velocity through the heads would be crazy. Around me, I can get ej22 or ej25 engines for $155 all day long with a $55 core which isn't worth giving a good engine as a core for that price, so $210 is more realistic on low-side of the curve, whereas $300-500 seems to be norm. The swap is easy and straight forward.

 

Since cars are harder to keep on the road down under with your regulations, you might be better off getting a salvage car at auction for $300-500 that runs. Take everything you want from it, then sell the rest for parts. You can easily come out ahead with profit after it's all said and done if you don't mind wrenching. I spend time in the Saab forums where a mate from your neck of the woods has picked up at least 2 NG900's from auction just as parts cars and came out ahead on both cars. Both cars still looked road worthy too, so I'm guessing Subarus should be easy to locate. Personally, I think the ej25 block with the ej22 heads sounds like the nice way to go. I'm not sure on the bhp on a stock setup as no one ever seems to mention it, but if an ej25 SOHC is 165hp, and adding the ej22 heads increases hp (maybe 10-20 at most), that'd be an easy 60-80 hp over what you have now with a bunch more torque and probably very similar gas mileage with nothing but some wrenching and a weekend. If I keep my Legacy for awhile, I'll probably do the bottom end swap for the extra tq and 30+ hp over what is now. Figure it'll increase the value and novelty slightly to a dieharder and make for a little more fun.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Bushwick