cr8zyjohn Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Bought my wagon second hand as a work vehicle. It already had over 200,000 miles on it then. The engine has developed a ticking, like the oil is low when it's not. I keep a check on it because it leaks. (It was a $900 car that I've gotten over a year's use out of! lol) Was thinking of swapping it out to a 2.5. I'm new to Subarus and learning about them as I go so forgive the ignorance on the subject. It currently has a 2.2 and 5 speed tranny. My questions are, Is the 2.5 a better engine? Will the current tranny bolt up to different engines? OR Should I just swap another 2.2 into it? Advice is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance for your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Stay with a 2.2, it's a much better engine and does not have the head gasket problems the DOHC 2.5 have. You may have a bad lifter. Have you pulled your valve covers? The 2.2 had both adjustable valves and hydraulic lifters. If you have adjustable ones, check the valve clearance. If you have hyd, there is no adjustment but a lifter could be bad. Running 5-30 Oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 agree on keeping the 2.2 - it is just a more robust design, and the small amount of hp gain in the 2.5 is not worth the headaches they introduce. if the car is leaking oil, have you investigated where it is coming from? you may need to simply reseal the oil pump to get the pressure back up where it should be. When did it last get a timing job? if unknown, I would plan on doing a full timing service sooner, rather than later. Full service consists of new belt, pulleys, oil seals & water pump (i usually do radiator/coolant hoses as well at this time). Full timing kits are easily obtained for around $200 for this motor, and doing the work should only take an afternoon... While in there, pull & reseal the oil pump, and you should be good to go for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 The ticking may be nothing to worry about. Does it go away or reduce when the oil warm up? My sons 97 ticks like mad on start up and has done so for 100K miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Glad to have you join us on this forum. Everyone here is open to help you. Agree with the others, the 2.2 motor is much more reliable, when compared to the 2.5. The 2.2 motor is reliable up to 300K miles, and has the reputation of being bullet proof. Regarding the ticking, it is probably a lifter making the ticking noise. You may want to add some Rislone to the oil. In the past that has helped quiet down a motor, but it was not in a Subaru. Suggest the next time you change oil, add a pint of Rislone, and a little less oil. Run that oil change about a 100 miles, then change the oil and filter again. The Rislone contains a lot of detergent to help clean up a motor, and may help stop the ticking. I am guessing you may not know when the last time the timing belt was changed. If so, you may want to consider changing that belt, and associated idlers, and pulleys. The belt is meant to be changed every 60K miles. If not changed, the belt can break, causing valve damage, and that is expensive to repair. The bearings in the idlers and pulleys go bad if never changed, and can lock up, again causing valve damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 2.2 is bullet proof. Put a timing kit on it, fix the oil leaks and itll run til 300k easy. 2.5s are prone to repeated head gasket failures and have weak rod bearings. The ticking is just a lifter. A half quart of marvels mystery oil will usually clear that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Another benefit--the '96 EJ22 was the last year of the NON-interference engine design. If the timing belt breaks it doesn't cause valve damage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Another benefit--the '96 EJ22 was the last year of the NON-interference engine design. If the timing belt breaks it doesn't cause valve damage! Not so sure that the 96 model was last of non-interference. I have heard some 96's were, but others near the end of the model run were not. I don't know how to tell the difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Sorry Rooster, but I've never heard that and I've never seen any documentation to prove it. So until I see proof to the contrary I'll stick by my statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 i have seen/heard the same thing - 96 was a crossover year for the interference factor - later models being potentially interference motors...how true that is, I cannot say.. part of the reason I like my 95 so much - guaranteed to be noninterference - no muss, no fuss. Either way, it is still wise to err on the side of caution and do the timing preemptively - before it becomes a potential issue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 96 was a weird year, I've heard of some having non interference and some that are interference. As far as I know the only way to tell is to pull a valve cover, if its solid lifters its interference. IIRC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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