EJ253 2005 Forester X Rebuild/Replace?

[jeffreykral]

Here's my situation: I bought a used 2005 Forester X 2.5L SOHC w/ 4-speed Auto Trans with 65,000mi. About a year ago I ran it out of oil (and I'll never hear the end of it). Sounds like a rod is knocking. Between my dad and my brother who is a VW tech, I can get the engine in and out of the car. The problem is that I'm finding it insanely difficult to find info on this engine as well as the car's compatability with other engines.

 

The info off the timing cover reads: EJ253BXSAB-0D8  459576  LC 10

Don't know how to interpret this past the 253.

 

I want to rebuild the engine, but having mostly worked with GM vehicals (I'm the first in the fam to own a Subaru) I know little about these.I thought maybe it would be smart to drop another engine in while I rebuild so that the car is driveable, but the only exact match available through LKQ is nearlly $2,000 shipped. A bit pricey.

 

I was told over the phone by an engine salesman that an EJ20 would drop right in and that the 06+ EJ253s would not, but I have no idea how they would and would not match up. Also, I've learn from experience not to take the words of a salesman to heart. I understand the basics of engine timing, but I don't know how the ECU compatabilites differ between models.

 

I realize I'm asking a lot but I'm just at a loss and need help. If experience were not a factor, would it be a good option to start the rebuild? Or is there another inexpensive option for interchanging? I realize there is a lot of good info in these forums so If something has already been discussed, I'd appreciate a link.

[Ibreakstuff]

Sorry bud, some of the most valuable lessons are learned the hard way eh.

 

ej251/ej252/ej253 are virtually the same (esp the shortblocks), earlier ones had lower CR. What matters for your purpose is that you retain your intake and it's wiring and remove it all in one piece to save yourself a headache. Your cylinder heads are probably ok too, unless your rod knock is allowing some piston to valve love making.. But should at the very least they be cleaned and inspected.

 

This is actually a benefit vs some GM cars, as the intake, wiring, fuel rail... All the good stuff comes off together in one piece. Subaru's are really easy to work on and only require a modest metric tool set. Obviously there are exceptions but I'm sure you will find them and post back.

Consider the crank and rods (at least one of them) as being junk. You will have a fair amount of bearing bits flowing around the oiling system too, so I would not re-use the oil cooler either. There are tons of places for loose bearing material to reside, get paranoid.

Brand new shortblock (fully assembled from subaru) is $1700, I would buy that vs the LKQ used longblock. If you do salvage your block, new crank is like $300 and rods are $60-70 each. If you know someone at a dealership, you could likely get it even cheaper.

Good luck!

[wtdash]

+1 on everything above.

 

I'd stay away from the EJ20 - only because it has so much less HP/torque (30+).

 

 

For year reference, everything  from '99-'05 NON-turbo / SOHC will work. You can just swap the Intake Manifold from yours to another engine from the years mentioned. In '06 the EJ25x went to a variable valve setup so the heads may not work (although I 'think' they should), but the short block should still be OK 'til 2010+??

 

Looking on car-part.com will give the option to search between different years...and models. Search under Legacy/Forester/Impreza for each year.

 

(I recently swapped an EJ22 into a Forester from an Impreza, which worked great. But I had to search on "Impreza" as it didn't show up under the Legacy  searches.)

 

GL

TD

[jeffreykral]

Sorry bud, some of the most valuable lessons are learned the hard way eh.

True words.

 

I'm hoping to avoid any major puchases directly from the dealer to make the rebuild more cost effective.

 

I'd stay away from the EJ20 - only because it has so much less HP/torque (30+).

That's how I feel. I'd much rather have what's already in there. Good tips. I'll try your search methods.

 

 

Thanks for the run-down, guys. I guess all I can do is crack it open and see what the damage is. Hopefully the block isn't toast. It's ready to pull, so maybe I'll do that this weekend. Again, any info on part compatability is much appreciated.

[jeffreykral]

Getting ready to remove the caps from the heads, I ran into a dilemma. Does anybody know what these are off the top of their head?

Looks like TORX 40, but it has a lot of play. Hex 5.5mm fits pretty snug, but it can't be a hex. I don't want to risk damaging the bolt heads.

 

 

[wtdash]

Hi,

Not clear on why you're removing those? But I've also not done a a HG job on anything past '04.

TD

[jeffreykral]

I'm trying to do a complete disassemby, not just the HGs. And there are actually 6 not just 4 of them.

 

Got myself a factory manual thanks to [HTi]Johnson in the endwrench article thread. Thank!.

Says it's a TORX PLUS 4O. Aparently that exists. Hate to be that annoying guy that answers my own questions. I'm learning here.

[jeffreykral]

I finally got around to getting the cams out. I don't have any experience spotting "normal wear" and damage to these things. Hopefully these pictures show well enough for someone to give me their opinion. This is just the left side for now.

 

1.

 

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7.

 

8. Pardon the hair

 

9.

 

10.

 

Am I alowed to post that many pictures?

If I'm not misled, it looks like the outer cap (pics 7-10) are much better off than the inner side. Is this normal wear, or should I consider replacing? Engine had a little more that 70k miles. Camshaft checks out okay on the minimum. If the caps are no good, what are my options? I don't know if it's in my budget to buy new heads.

 

Thanks for the help so far guys, and thanks in advance!