Reasons not to "EJ it"

[tweety]

There have been many threads started from owners of EA engine cars that want a bit more power but don't want to "EJ it". Yet, never fail, there is always the post to "just EJ it". Lets examine this because things are about to change.

 

The reasons for EJing a brat/Brumby, Loyale/Leone is obvious to most. The EJ fits. It isn't expensive for a conversion as you can get a 'half cut' car or head to your junk yard. Economy is competitive, its more efficient and modern and it has 140hp+ power.

 

But I suggest there are reasons not to "EJ it". I'm of a minority but here does- the EA engines are compact, light and easy to maintain, mmmm that's it right? No. there's more. The most important reason that wasn't important a few years ago....the EA engine is the original engine for that vehicle.

 

Let's fast track 8-10 years. Those EA owners will likely be reconditioning their engines now after 350-500 kms on the clock. So in 8 years time they might have only 100,000 kms on their engines. Whereas the EJ engines are at a wearing out period. Furthermore we are now talking about cars that are now 35-50 years old. Original examples with the EA engine in good condition will be worth a good bit of cash.

 

What are the negatives of "EJing" a car? Firstly we are talking about putting a 140hp+ engine in a car that has a 73hp engine. An enormous increase of stress on drivetrain components. Brakes need upgrading and we don't really know the added stress on body parts. Add to that some locations like Oz need engineer reports. Cost is subjective. An EJ conversion means seeking a complete engine, brakes, radiator hoses, adapter plate, seal kit etc. EA recondition isn't cheap anymore and parts are getting harder to find. For this comparison lets say its equal.

 

So what is the alternative for an EA owner to be satisfied...after all he/she write is because they don't have enough power. Well, that's the main reason I think for EJing it. Instant power.

 

Since converting my trike to EA81 power I've wondered why its so darn hard to get hp out of these engines. I wont go over the reasons but the real question is why we haven't had a fabricator/company that has latched onto the car market to produce a "power kit" for EA engines. A turbo kit?

 

There are manifold flanges for example made by RAM performance. These with tubes leading to twin carbs could be a start. A performance camshaft, ignition upgrade and so on. We are only talking about 17-20hp increase.???  Even an aftermarket weber manifold for a 32/36 or twin carbs is no longer available and are eagerly sort after. Or we could short circuit to a supercharger kit.  I installed a supercharger sc12 to my EA81 and got 100hp ATW. It lifted the front wheel of my trike going from 1st to 2nd on the auto at 25mph. It was great. But unreliable as it was a home made system by a novice like me. And due to that economy was like running a V8. Where is the SC bolt on kit in a blow thru set up with carbie, new SC and connections included? Modern Superchargers like Sprintex are much more efficient than the SC12 I used (25yo)

 

Owners of Subaru cars of the 1970's to 1994 in excellent condition often want to keep their cars original. A power upgrade will do that and give them more enjoyment without going EJ. For some an EJ isn't the answer.

 

Vw owners are now paying high dollars for original Kombi's and beetles. They have 40hp engines. Think about that.

 

Your view?

Edited July 17, 2015 by tweety

[ihscout54]

EJs are very expensive in the south west. You can find ok deals on cars with problems and 250k, IMO that wouldn't be an upgrade. The EJ22 and EJ18s are drying up pretty fast and the EJ25s almost always are toast. Rebuild costs for an EJ exceed that of an international V8 and sometimes shadow diesel rebuilds. Theres also competion from subaru mechanics, Vanagon dorks, sand rail guys and experimental aircrafters. Its likely I will never have the pleasure of EJaying it.

Edited July 17, 2015 by ihscout54

[Numbchux]

I have a lot of respect that do anything interesting and different. And honestly, the EJ swap is neither. It's all well-documented, reliable, cheap, easy, yawn. 

 

 

 

 

In all seriousness, I have a lot of respect for the people that want to do builds with EAs, but I don't understand it. Here are my thoughts.

the EA engines are compact, light and easy to maintain.

 

I would argue that only true about the EA81 and previous EAs. Not about the EA82s. Surefire engines lists the exact same shipping weight (185lb) for an '88 EA82 and a '93 EJ22e remanufactured longblock. Size is pretty similar. The EJ22 is certainly less complex to work on but more effecient (twice the valves, with half the timing belt and components).

 

 

Original examples with the EA engine in good condition will be worth a good bit of cash.

 

I respectfully disagree. I have a hard time believing that any older Subaru will reach the point where a "numbers matching" example will be worth much more than a clean, tastefully modified (EJ'ed) example.

 

What are the negatives of "EJing" a car? Firstly we are talking about putting a 140hp+ engine in a car that has a 73hp engine. An enormous increase of stress on drivetrain components. Brakes need upgrading and we don't really know the added stress on body parts. Add to that some locations like Oz need engineer reports. Cost is subjective. An EJ conversion means seeking a complete engine, brakes, radiator hoses, adapter plate, seal kit etc. EA recondition isn't cheap anymore and parts are getting harder to find. For this comparison lets say its equal.

 

Well...that's true about adding more power to any chassis, regardless of engine choice. A stock EA engine'd car can still put a lot of stress on the unibody if it's driven hard (AutoX/RallyX/Stage Rally), and a built, turbo'd EA can still put out enough power to require transmission, diff, suspension, and brake upgrades. That said, my Loyale FrankenWagon had an EJ22 in it for more than 100k miles (over 300k total) before it was crashed this spring (several owners after myself), Ice raced dozens of times, Autocrossed a few times, driven hard day in and day out for something like 8 years. I had brakes and suspension, but structurally it was sound, despite the rust.

 

If you're just looking for a reliable, efficient car that's no faster than the original, just put an EJ18 in it, and drive it like a commuter car. It won't need any supporting modifications.

 

I cannot speak to places that need any sort of inspections on the vehicle, structurally, emissions, safety, etc. We don't have any of that, and that does have to be considered dependent on the owner/builder's location.

 

 

So what is the alternative for an EA owner to be satisfied...after all he/she write is because they don't have enough power. Well, that's the main reason I think for EJing it. Instant power.

 

It's not just about the peak power, but how it delivers it. The EJ engines combine a package of pretty intelligent fuel injection (especially if you step into the OBD II era), efficient MPFI, 16 valves, and much more efficient water pump/jackets that all combine to make for a very efficient engine with smooth, linear power delivery. Not to mention ditching those terrible timing belts (again, only applicable if converting from an EA82)

 

 

Since converting my trike to EA81 power I've wondered why its so darn hard to get hp out of these engines. I wont go over the reasons but the real question is why we haven't had a fabricator/company that has latched onto the car market to produce a "power kit" for EA engines. A turbo kit?

 

There are manifold flanges for example made by RAM performance. These with tubes leading to twin carbs could be a start. A performance camshaft, ignition upgrade and so on. We are only talking about 17-20hp increase.???  Even an aftermarket weber manifold for a 32/36 or twin carbs is no longer available and are eagerly sort after. Or we could short circuit to a supercharger kit.  I installed a supercharger sc12 to my EA81 and got 100hp ATW. It lifted the front wheel of my trike going from 1st to 2nd on the auto at 25mph. It was great. But unreliable as it was a home made system by a novice like me. And due to that economy was like running a V8. Where is the SC bolt on kit in a blow thru set up with carbie, new SC and connections included? Modern Superchargers like Sprintex are much more efficient than the SC12 I used (25yo)

 

All those things have been done on small scale like yours, usually with some combination of considerable development problems, reduced reliability and mediocre performance gains.

 

There is infinitely more aftermarket support for the EJ engines for several reasons. Subaru produced EJs that varied very little for 25 years. Subaru's participation in motorsports has been pretty much exclusively EJ platforms. Which means there are more people actually racing those cars, but there are also more fans who buy those cars, and want to make them into race car replicas. That all makes for a huge market, and most of which of people that will actually spend money on their cars. For the most part, the only people willing to put money into an EA engine, are airplane users, which is where we get RAM parts...but they're still such low production, that the cost is still way to high for most of us.

Now I agree, it's not for everyone. And I'd love to see some aftermarket support for the EAs, and I love seeing people do builds on them. But just my thoughts on some of your points, from someone who's done it a few times....

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Let me be Sincere here, I could do an EJ engine swap on my Subie, only if the EA82 would need a rebuilt; but that EA82 is close to reach 400,000 Miles and still runs like new, no oil burning and starts at the first try every time; it has been dependable and reliable for the last thirty years, working hard in Honduran roads as everyday driver on week days and offroader in weekends; so I really can't complain at all, except that it feels Anemic; otherwise is an Awesome, noble engine, considering that it has been Mistreated a lot, and I bet that almost every other car would have failed after three decades of continued abuse. 

 

So, I would not do an EJ engine swap, unless my EA82 engine blows ... and only if I could not repair it, maybe due to the lack of availability of good old EA engine's parts locally.

 

Kind Regards.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Of course I understand the added fun by a more powerful engine, but this EA82 keeps working great, despite of moving a Heavy wagon, which is Lifted and running Oversized tires...

 

However the magnificent fuel economy it gives, has a price: being anemic; but I prefer that, than overpaying at the Gas station to do the same Hundreds of Errands I do in my "BumbleBeast" weekly, and the offroadings on Weekends.

 

My "BumbleBeast" has a fuel economy compared to a Diesel car with similar size, and also it has the same anemic feeling when driving loaded uphill; but Revving High in Second gear will climb anything; while a much newer Honda (as a common example) will Blow during such high revs under heavy load, for sustained times... the EA82 seems to like that instead!

 

So one Reason to not EJ it, is Fuel Economy.

 

Kind Regards.

[Subasaurus]

nice write up Jeszek, i have no complaints, everything you said is completely true, to the over reving, to them being underpowered, to them being bullet proof, to the fuel economy (i get around 34mpg ish)

+1

[mm88swrt]

In my situation with my 87 gl-10 ive considered doing an ej swap. Jdm wrx motor maybe all said and done installed would put me out iunno 3-4k. But i decided to build the hell out of my ea82t. There are parts out there to gain power with. The reason i love my modded ea is because you have to put time and thought into it. Figure out how to make spoob from cars many years newer to work. Like wrx intercoolers and different turbos. The guys at ram performance know their spoob. And so does tech works engineering in canada. Tom up there has a 300+hp daily ea motor. Fact is yes ej of any series is a cheaper way of gaining more instant power and a wider and more available array of parts. Its all about what the persons goals are. I lean towards the lesser crowd so when ppl see the ea build and a dyno sheet to blow their mind, that to me is a job well done! Forgot to mention my built ea82t still gets around 27mpg without being properly tuned yet...

Edited July 17, 2015 by mm88swrt

[l75eya]

The only thing I'd like to put forth here is my opinion that the ea82 cars are never going to be worth much money, whether they're original or not. Not any time in the near future anyway, and doubtfully ever. The ea81 cars, and any subarus built before 1985 are going to go up in price as their rarity and desirability is there. The post 85 ea82 vehicles up to 1994? They were the first econobox basically throw-away cars subaru made imo. The styling is just like any other 80s Japanese car for the most part, there's really no exotic versions of those cars. The only cars from that generation I could see being worth money one day would be GL-10s and RXs. The regular GLs and DLs and Loyales? They're disregarded.

[mm88swrt]

^^^ i agree! Every ea82 ibe bought i never paid mpre than 500 dollars for. Even with everything ive done to it. I would maybe get 2k out of it on the streets. And ive got over 6k into it. Id make more parting it out odly enough haha. Maybe i should part mine out to fund my gc8 build?!

[djellum]

Reasons for an EJ to me are performance based.  If you desire to increase performance there is no better way period.  In my case I don't have emissions in my state, and I want the best all around Subaru I can build.  My desire is to EJ is based in the double power you get, larger supply of parts, and novelty. 

 

Reasons to not EJ, are that it takes a degree of technical knowledge to work on or get parts after.  If you pay others to work on your cars then you really need a quality mechanic.  It is much more expensive than fixing an EA motor (at this point anyway, while parts are still relatively easy to find).  Laws and restrictions don't like major changes like an engine swap.  

 

I'm dubious about the mileage thing.  looking at the epa estimates for Subaru mileage the early EJ's got better mileage than EA cars (not surprising with better efficiency and injection).  I think the best mileage would come from the more efficient motor in the lighter car, but I haven't driven a swapped car to know for sure.  I think the ea71's were actually the highest, but were mostly talking 81 and 82 here. 

 

A large reason to swap has to do with the cars around the motor actually.  the newer gen stuff with all wheel drive isn't as viable in a true off road build as an EA series car.  Yes I know they are perfectly capable, but super cheap parts, ease of lift, lighter weight, and dual range trans with lower gears are better options that style.   

 

on the other hand, if you want street speed and handling, the newer gen cars are better in that respect with newer suspension, aftermarket parts, and all wheel drive.  No need to even buy and EA if that's your goal. 

 

mileage and daily driver, I would actually lean on a EJ car to begin with.  between axle issues, finding parts for 85-87 cars, more comfy and all options available, nice fuel injection, relays, etc, then I think it would be much less hassle for the average person. 

 

now for the biggest reason, and the one that most of us have.  Its my damn car and I want it to be the best car it can be.  It has status, and personality, and style.  I get 2-3 thumbs up or cheers a day while driving.  I was at a stop light the other day and some guys in a rude full sized Chevy with no doors, 38's, and a full cage were going on about how bad rump roast my 2 inch lifted GL was, while a kid in a Acura looked on in puzzlement.  You can't buy that, you have to build it.  For a lot of us, these were the style of our first cars, and some of the last cars with the look and style we remember growing up (last cars with any style if you are particularly crotchety).  In the end it doesn't have to make sense mathematically.

[Subasaurus]

agree with you djellum, last cars with style..

 

funny part is, these 1985-1994 EA cars were considered disposable and throw away cars back in the 80's when they first came out, now we see them as an awesome quality built to last, "real bumpers" and not a rigged to break vehicle that has you buying a new vehicle every 7years like today's cars..

 

my opinion is that these 1985-1994 will be worth something in 10years or so because well if their worthless right now then their all getting crushed and forgotten of in someones back yard but when theres only about 1,000left in the U.S? who knows.. but what i do know is whenever someone talks to me about my 89GL or people stare the hell out of my car or even when im working on my vehicle and an advertisement to buy a new car comes on the radio, that just makes me want to put more effort into my car and more love into it.

[musubk]

I've wanted a BRAT for years, it has a style IMO unmatched by anything sold since. It's ugly as sin, in a really good way.

Now that I finally have a BRAT, it's a matter of where I want to go with it. With all due respect to you guys building serious offroaders (I think your cars are AWESOME!), it's just not what I'm going for. What I want is a fun to drive softroad/rally inspired car that handles well, with that unmatchable BRAT style; and I think the best way for me to get that is EJ because of the aftermarket support. My DD is a 2014 Outback, so economy and high mileage reliability in the BRAT aren't a big concern for me. There's also the fact that my first Subaru was EJ251 so I have a bit of a soft spot for EJ's. But I've got nothing but admiration for the people running around with EA's.

 

Resale value? Who cares, I'm keeping it forever

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

... Resale value? Who cares, I'm keeping it forever

 

I agree, however not all people thinks the same way, 

 

Nor has the same conditions to keep a car that long.

 

My coupé already reached 45 years old with our family,

 

My Subaru Wagon 30 years old, and my Wife's car 15,

 

But only the last 6 years with us, but all this is offtopic... 

 

Let's get back to the Topic: reasons to Not EJ you EA.

 

Kind Regards.

Edited July 18, 2015 by Loyale 2.7 Turbo

[sumoco]

Didn't we just have a thread regarding this?

[DaveT]

The reason I've recommended EJ it a few times was due to this:

 

Person was asking about making more power.

From years of reading about what various members have done, the limitations on the EA82 are mostly in the ports / heads / valves.  Air passages too small. 

 

You could add a turbo, or supercharger, but neither of those are simple mods.  Neither help the reliability of the engine.

 

A 2.2 EJ has a lot of reliability, and a lot more power. 

 

A swap would be a big project, but so would the other 2 options.

I've thought about doing a swap.  But the low power of the EA82 helps keep me out of trouble.

 

  Replacing the timing belts costs me under $100.00.  Name brand after market belts, and I buy high temp bearings to rebuild the idlers.  I made rebuildable tensioners decades ago.  I just did the belt on out Forester, and spent $500. for the belt and idlers.  I did get those all from an online discount Subaru dealer, but still.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Didn't we just have a thread regarding this?

 

Yep, see:

 

~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/146332-just-ej-it-a-different-look-at-this/

 

Also this older ones:

 

~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/140260-ea82-how-do-we-feel-about-it/

 

~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/146585-to-swap-for-ej22-or-not-to-swap/

 

~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/143901-i-cant-decide-if-i-should-go-thorugh-with-the-ej22-swap/

 

And more... Kind Regards.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

... the low power of the EA82 helps keep me out of trouble ...

 

Hey, that's another reason; especially applicable for those with Heavy Foot   

 

Kind Regards.

[nicksubaru]

Well as I never actually swap an EJ in an EA I never even thought about pulling the EA out until I read it up on this forum. But the 2 EAs that I have run great. And the one i have had the most has never broken more then i couldnt learn to fix it. Ones at 297000 miles the other 314000.

[subnz]

Agree with the comments about keeping Brats original ie (Ea81 carburettor / coil - breakerless distributor ignition):

 

1 for simplicity / cheap / easy to fix compared to Ejs. ie NO CAM BELTS, more complex ignition / fuel systems

 

2 For keeping it original. (Maintaining Value) {compliance / certification issues here / NZ for repowering with a different engine}

 

3 Modifications unless done really well and comprehensively can cause problems and put things out of balance from the original setup / design. (decreasing value)

 

4 Cost / benefit. particularly for a low value vehicle.

 

Had considered repowering my Brumby (Brat) with EA 82 + 5MT D/R from my old 86 Leone GL (failed WOF road compliance due to

 

rust) as EA81 in Brat tired ie using a quart oil / 600 miles and EA82 in better condition.

 

But decided not to because it would have meant changing the diffs over too; as Brat 3.7 diffs for 4MT too tall gearing for 5MT (so

 

need GL 3.9 diffs in) Particularly for our mountainous roads here in NZ

 

And the added complications of matching every up, for a small gain.

 

So decided to keep it simple/easy with keeping Brat original and going to rebuild its EA81 motor and sold GL as a whole car.

 

As original :

Edited July 18, 2015 by subnz

[tweety]

Sumoco....in future just scroll past the thread. It's easy to do.

 

The closest thread like this one is "To swap for EJ22 or not to swap"  which is about a member that has a spare EJ22 engine that also needed work. I'm talking about reasons to keep your EA.

 

EJing an EA car has, yes, been done to the death. Think its time to wave the EA flag and promote its positives.

 

The EA's demise is for several reasons. I'm about seeking ways to fix those hurdles with this thread and keep the EA. I don't for example understand why the EA isn't developed more by small operators and sold power kits. Apart from the restrictive manifold (which with those flanges can be overcome) there are restrictive heads, also overcome by the making and sale of different heads. From then on its all about ignition development, cam, and other improvements not unlike other conventional engines.

 

Perhaps I could have named this thread "strictly improving performance of your EA engine". But then I'd get "just EJ it" and that's my point.

[dfoyl]

Ultimately the EA81 isn't powerful enough for an MY in today's traffic. Which either means you end up with idiots in Commodore's (for the non-Australian's reading, think of the vehicle most commonly associated with poor drivers and substitute for Commodore) tailgating you in traffic, or you end up pushing the engine harder to try to keep up. Which equates to more fuel use and more wear on the vehicle. And even with factory exotica the EA81 isn't going to be more than 10-15% more powerful that stock.

 

The EJ was Subaru's move from 1960's design to 1990's (I'll skip over the half-baked EA82), and gives a decent base point to develop with. If you want basic performance, throw in a EJ20/EJ22 SOHC. Want more power, notch the frame rails and you have EJ20T and EJ25 DOHC.

 

I don't buy the argument that the MY can't handle the EJ engine - weight is similar, and yes an EJ25T is going to be dangerous in the wrong hands but as long as the rest of the car is upgraded in terms of brakes and handling then the inherent safety shouldn't be compromised. In my case, I have taken a SF Forester donor and transposed the entire brake system - and adding the EJ20 from the same donor vehicle isn't going to make my Brumby unsafe. Yes, it will be faster than stock, but it's also going to be more fuel efficient, more reliable, and ultimately a more modern vehicle that is now sharing the road with a majority of cars from the era of the Forester (1998). I know I'd rather stand on the brakes of the Brumby with the Forester brakes than with the stock setup - the difference is just amazing, especially when the Forester weighed 50% more than the Brumby.

 

 Yes, if there were power options for the EA81 I'd be keeping it (hence why I looked into SPFI several years ago), but ultimately the flexibility of the EJ means I can drive the Brumby on the roads more enjoyably for another 10-20 years instead of it being a weekend-drive only when weather is fine and traffic is light...

[tweety]

I go back to one point I made and that's that 90-100hp would suffice in many cases. 16-26hp extra.

 

But I suppose it isn't all about hp. With the right cam, breathing, compression etc the ea81 can be a spirited engine.  The SPFI (I bought the system off you DFoyl) is one option but there are issues like running 40yo sensors and replacing them etc.

 

I now run the 32/36 with SPFI manifold after my toil with the 38/38 as well documented and my engine is fully rebuilt with 9.5:1 CR. It is enough power for my 660kgm trike for sure and once jetted right will be more than adequate. I'm happy. It's simple and economical. But if I had a Brumby/brat the original set up wouldn't satisfy me either. Agreed.

 

We need that twin carbie kit or a MPFI (new) set up. Let's say 3 stage power kit.   Set up 1- twin carbs, manifolds with water transfer tube, linkages,jetted and bolt on. stage 2- stage one with new full electronic ignition, stage 3- stage 1&2 plus 2 new or refurbished heads (reversed inlet to exhaust valves) and new camshaft, stage 4 - stages 2 & 3 with single carb and Sc or turbo c/w pulleys mounts etc.  and so on. Now, I'm not a Subaru expert and my suggestions might be off but you get my meaning.

 

The Ram performance and tech engineering guys have a market out there they are not chasing.  The twin carb conversions for the ea81 and 82 can use the flanges Ram performance have on their web sight under "parts" listed as intake flanges.  

[jono]

OUCH !! Whassat in my arse ?

 

oh , it's a splinter

 

Hell, I want an EJ everytime my underpowered little EA NA;s sort of make life hard for them selves hauling up hills.

 

Sometimes needa bumper sticker - one cam and just eight valves - true !

 

Man, are all EJ's 16 valves ?

 

To EJ an EA body, you really need a donor to get everything as i see it. Exhaust ..er may as well do the AWD transmission at same time to avoid adaptor plates and other stuffing about

 

I considered EA82T and went that way - no real conversion going on just yet, but compared EJ22 torque figures very much same as our EA82T .

 

Hang HP readings, they are up too high in a little used rev range.

 

If you go EJ from most EA's, need to deal with fuel delivery to suit the new fuel injection.

 

Oh, yeah Tweety aint got a tailshaft either to thought about ....

 

EJ's are sweet multi valve hydraulic liftered more than three main bearing pieces of late eighties engineering.

 

I have done a rebuild of an EA 81 and got 180,000km of revving out of it before the cranks signs of uncontrolability by the centre main bearing began to show - still screamed, just a little more violently and block would have needed line boring, so too the oil pump housing ?

 

I have 65,000km on my last rebore build and not sure I am going to tolerate it too much longer - I have also built a reco liftered EA82 twin port and it is stronger in torque dept, better economy and quieter. Also just changed timing belt before I stored it away - and I miss it.

 

Who with an EJ conversion does not miss buying dizzy caps, rotors, the odd module, or fear a dizzy even just wearing out ??!!

 

I know of a Brumby that got EJ20 turbo, then just settled for EJ20 due to it being a well mannered and quick car to drive without the over powering turbo plant. Gave very respectable travel times. Like many EJ converteds still would not pass the authorities, something went wrong and now sits a bit stranded in a paddock - no engine

 

I still wanna do an EJ Brumby one day before too long, but still have EA82T to complete and see how it goes in a body lighter than my GLTA

 

I think I want the challenge to make things fit and work.

 

Somewhere too would like to do an EDIS on an old EA just to see how much better it can be, just with weakness of software and module from something else

Edited July 18, 2015 by jono

[ferp420]

i am running a ea82 im guessing its putting out somewhere between 110 and 120 hp thats just a wild guess i have nothing to back it up i have 3 of these so ill be running them for a while i made some intake manifold spacers and a throtle body spacer ported and polished the heads opened up the exhaust alittle and am running a AL6 multi spark discharge ignition box with the stock coil and a custom snorkle/cold air intake it dosent idle well but it pulls it pulls atleast as well as my 2.2 swaped forester with the 444 gears and after driving a freinds ej18 impreza i would say my ea82 has more pull in fact its not far off from the power of my 2000 ipreza outback sport with the 2.2 even with a load on it the ea82 dose alright and it always seems to run even when the outback the lego the forester and imp where down little blue chugged the 150 mile a day drive my girl makes every day through the santa cruz mountains with out missing a beat i tow alot localy with it other cars boats cargo containers office trailers the ea82 is a work horse not a race horse but when driven right it keeps up using low range on take offs it will move out the loyale is ruff it shaks it squikes rattles its loud the engine noise scares my dog the constant smell of burning oil and clutch the dents and ugly hammerite paint job all make one hell of a unique rig i choose to drive it on the daily the other rigs just sit the forester is in storage the lego sits i the drive way the outback has been hacked up to make a off road toy and the impreza handles the long comute i beat my little ea82 on the daily i dont think the ea82 will ever be able to match the power and eficiency of the ej motors but it is reliable cheap easy to work on and already in the car is the ea82 platform dead im thinking not

[ferp420]

i realy wish some one who actualy knows what there doing and can test them would pick up on the intake spacers and throtle body spacers please i did make mine before i saw that ram was making them but my design is crude and has alot of room for improvement but i think its making a big differance and i think theres more gains to be had than wha im getting i have to say though i dident see much gain with any one mod it took the combo to see any real gains but the ignition upgrade was the most noticable sigle mod i made and i belive is the building block for every mod i made after

Edited July 18, 2015 by ferp420