1990-2004 EJ18 EJ22 EJ25 DIY Complete Engine Remove and Reinstall Guide

[AdventureSubaru]

So many folks come here looking for help and advice when a motor finally goes on one of these cars. (Especially that troublesome DOHC 2.5 motor) Many are do it yourselfers but hesitate to undergo a motor swap on their own. On my last remove and reinstall, I decided to photo the process so a first timer can see what they are getting into. My first swap took me 2 days without these instructions, just figuring it out myself. My record now is 4 1/2 hours for remove and reinstall.

If you've changed your own brake pads and done your own oil changes, you CAN swap an engine in one of these subarus. It's just a longer and heavier process. It will save you $$$ and teach you much about your car along the way. Use Car-part.com to find good used motors. Know for sure which motors are compatible with yours. Generally speaking 1990-1998 are the same and 2000-2004 are the same. 1999 was split between phase 1 and phase 2. Do your research.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/153118-ej22-or-ej18-swap-into-ej25d-dohc-vehicle/ (EDIT - this post will save you research time)

Now you can buy that spotless gorgeous 1999 outback with blown head gaskets and do a 2.2 install yourself! Or if doing head gaskets, refer to Miles Fox's videos in addition to this guide.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RDUnzW-JPk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz2Orscz72A

If a DOHC 2.5 with head gasket problems I highly recommend a 2.2 swap over a 2.5 fix. The 2.2 can be bough far cheaper than fixing most 2.5s and the used 2.2 will generally outlive the fixed 2.5 by far.

Here is a step by step guide on how I do it with pictures and arrows to show you what's what along the way.

Tools needed:

8mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, 22mm sockets and wrenches
socket extensions
flat and phillips screwdrivers
pry bar or big screwdrivers
hammer
jack
come along/hoist/cherry picker/power lifter friends.
vice grips or pliers (Channel locks have been handy for me)



The project was a 1996 Impreza Outback which received a 1995 EJ18 motor. Same process applies to all 90-04 EJ motors with very little difference. EZ30 motor swap was also nearly identical.



Step 1 - Remove the battery by loosening the clamps on the two battery terminals and removing them. Loosen the battery tie downs as well and lift the whole thing out of the car. Usually these are 10mm nuts but aftermarket stuff may be different.



Unclip the 3 or 4 clips on the top of the airbox. Disconnect the wiring harness to the mass air flow sensor.



Loosen the hose clamp holding the intake to the throttle body. Also disconnect the 3 vac hoses going from the valve covers and block to the intake. A 4th hose goes to the idle air control valve.



Pull out your intake and set it aside.



Take a picture of the passenger side of the engine bay to see where these little vac lines go. There will be a few going to solenoids on the side and the vapor canister (Pictured on the front here) disconnect these. If you have a front vapor canister I like to remove it to gain more space. - 2 12mm bolts.



Using a 12mm wrench, loosen the two nuts on the backside of the throttle body for the throttle and cruise control cables. Once they are loose, you can tug them forward and lift them out of the bracket. Each cable is then pulled out the side so the end can be slid sideways and removed. (If this doesn't make sense verbally, you'll see it when you get there. ) Lay the cables out of the way.



1. Remove the nut holding the cable to the alternator (12mm on most.) 2. Squeeze and lift the wiring harness from it.



1. Loosen the bolt holding the alternator to the bracket tightly. 2. loosen the tensioner bolt until the alternator can be pushed down. 3. You may have to loosen this bolt before the alternator can be pushed down. Lower the alternator until the belt can be removed. Once the belt is off, remove bolts 1 and 3.



Pull the alternator and set it aside.



Unplug the wiring to the AC compressor and disconnect the plastic clip for the wiring to the alternator. Lay the wiring to the side.



Three 12mm bolts hold the power steering pump bracket in place. 2 are on the front of the block and one sits behind the pump on the top. Remove all 3.



Two 10mm bolts hold the power steering hoses in place. Remove both.



If the plug wires are over the power steering lines, pull them.



Lay the power steering pump in the air box upright so it doesn't leak.



Remove the AC tensioner and belt. Remove the four 14mm bolts holding the AC compressor bracket in place.



Gently roll the AC compressor to the right until it lays upside down where the battery was.



Disconnect the fuel lines. Phillips head screwdriver to loosen the clamps. The two pressure lines will be on tightly. I squeeze them with pliers to rotate them an brake the seal, then use a pry bar or big screwdriver to push them off the steel lines.



Disconnect the vacuum hose to the brake booster.



Loosen the hose clamp on the upper radiator hose. Pull the rad hose off the motor.



Do the same for the lower rad hose. Use a pan to catch the coolant.



Remove the clamps for the two heater hosed on the drivers side of the motor. Pull the hoses of and lay them aside.



Disconnect the rad fan wiring at the bottom of each fan. These tabs need to be lifted by a fingernail and then pull apart.



Remove the two 12mm bolts for the radiator brackets. (Only one pictured as this car was missing one).Pull the radiator with fans and hoses out.



17mm bolt to drain oil now while it's easy.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7940_zpsykwxtqqh.jpg

Drop the Y pipe by removing the 4 or 6 bolts for the exhaust manifold.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7941_zpsyred5fye.jpg

With the exhaust lowered you can access the 2 motor mount nuts under the subframe. Each is 14mm. One drivers side and one passenger side.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7944_zpsmnqdglhk.jpg

Disconnect the engine wiring. 3 harnesses. Tabs lift and then the harnesses pull apart. Also remove the 14mm bolt between the bellhousing and motor and the nut at the bottom of the motor in front of the CV joint. (99 and newer will have a couple more bolts)

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7946_zpsarkas3lp.jpg

Disconnect the starter by removing the 17mm nut on the bottom of it and the 14mm bolt at the top. Below the starter is another nut in front of the CV joint. Again 99 and newer will have a few extra trans to motor bolts.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7945_zpsvonrbmem.jpg

Remove the bolt holding the front of the dogbone of the transmission.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7948_zpsqzinizwn.jpg

Disconnect the ground wire if it is seperate from the starter.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7952_zpsz7ovkzc7.jpg

If the car is an automatic, look on the passenger side rear of the motor. There is a rubber plug to pry off. (Often already gone if the car has had much work done.) You will use this to seperate the flex plate and torque converter. Rotate the motor clockwise using the 22mm socket on the crank pulley until you can see one of the 12mm bolts. There are 4 of them. I find it easiest to move some of the wiring and hoses in the area to clear some space. A 3/8 breaker bar seems best to get them started. Remove the bolt. Rotate the motor clockwise until you can see the next one. Remove all 4 bolts this way.

READ UP ON HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR TORQUE CONVERTER IS FULLY SEATED. If you do this right the torque converter wont move, but always check to be sure. I have some helpful tips in other threads

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7963_zpsprv3fnvy.jpg

Jack up the trans to lift the motor. If it's an automatic be sure to use some plywood or 2x6 etc so you don't crinkle the trans pan and make more work for yourself. The trans pans are thin and wires get pinched. Been there. Done that. Lift until the bolts of the motor mounts clear the subframe and no higher.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7961_zpsesdabytz.jpg

Set up your hoist/lift/cherry picker. Mine was made from heavy duty castor wheels and some leftover lumber. Uses a come along and climbing rope.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7964_zpsmqw81jys.jpg

Seperate the engine and trans. I use a hammer and screwdriver to get it started, then a pry bar to keep sliding it forward. Make sure the torque converter stays with the trans.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa295/gyoas759/DSCN7966_zpsf17wgekq.jpg

Crank it out! The motor will slide forward and can be lifted up. Take care especially with the AC hoses as you lift.

Reinstall is the reverse of all this. Some helpful tips.

1. MAKE SURE THE TORQUE CONVERTER IS FULLY SEATED - Measure from the starter hole of the bellhousing to the back of the torque converter. There should be 1/8 of an inch or less between the two. (On a 2.5 anyway) The flex plate bolts actually draw the torque converter forward on the reinstall. Failure to seat it correctly will crush the pump and destroy your transmission.

2. DO THE CLUTCH - if a 5 speed now is the best time.

3. Check the oil seperator plate on the back of the motor for leakage and replace with the dealer upgrade.

4. The motor will slide into place fairly easily. Muscle it together from the front. Try not to use the bolts to draw them together.

5. Check the alignment dowels between the new motor and transmission. Make sure none are doubled up.

6. If the motor mount bolts don't just drop into place, use a large flat screwdriver and a hammer to tap them to where they belong.

7. DON'T PANIC! When you fire up your new motor expect a few cranks before the fuel lines re-pressurize. Also expect some tapping and clatter for a while (Especially on 1990-1996 motors with HLAs) Usually takes a few hours of driving for early 90s motors that have sat for a while to quiet down.

That's about it! It takes a while and you'll get tired and messy, but save lots of $$$$ over paying a mechanic and have the satisfaction of a job well done with your own 2 hands.

Edited April 3, 2017 by AdventureSubaru

[moosens]

Only skimmed thru it but that was enough to say thanks for doing that.

[lmdew]

Nice job, I'm sure it will help lots of folks.

[msmithmmx]

I wish I had this 10 years ago.  I wasted 2 hours tring to seperate the engine and trans.  I never knew about that little secrete trap door to get to the bolts conecting the flywheel to the torque converter.

[AdventureSubaru]

Thanks guys.

 

Thought of two more tips that can help dodge potential trouble

 

1. If swapping from EJ25 to an EJ22 or EJ18 the flex plate must match the trans, Bolt the EJ25 flex plate to the EJ22 motor before you install. (Actually goofed on this one twice!)

 

2. When removing bolts from flex plate to torque converter, use only a 6 point socket and not a 12. They are tight enough that the 12s will round off the bolt head where a 6 will break it free. Luckily been able to get the bolt rounded off by the 12 off with a 6 but others may not be so lucky

[pearlm30]

Thank you for your hard work putting these together!!!

[AdventureSubaru]

Pulled this up for a friend to reference and recalled another FYI

 

Most or all EJ18 motors have a port by the exhaust to cap off. It's pretty simple. I just cut the end of the tube, welded the end closed and bolted it back on. Ran like a top!

[idosubaru]

Pulled this up for a friend to reference and recalled another FYI

 

Most or all EJ18 motors have a port by the exhaust to cap off. It's pretty simple. I just cut the end of the tube, welded the end closed and bolted it back on. Ran like a top!

I've dremel tooled a piece of metal the same size as that flange as well and sealed it with RTV.

 

Had any rust debacles yet on the east coast?   exhaust studs and those lower engine mounts are the most prone and annoying to deal with sometimes. 

[AdventureSubaru]

Nothing yet. My wife and I are still driving california cars as our dailys. I haven't tinkered much lately since we wont be building our garage until spring and the driveway is mostly mud until we get some stone put in.

 

I did snag a 2005 Outback with 264k and no forward gears for only 600 bones. I'll put a good used transmission in there and depending how it checks out I may lift it and safari it and replace my 98 legacy. Rust is there but not bad for an east coast car.

[moosens]

If you're not aware , check the prices on factory replacement for California exhaust. You'll be converting or pulling off some magic when the time comes.

[AdventureSubaru]

If you're not aware , check the prices on factory replacement for California exhaust. You'll be converting or pulling off some magic when the time comes.

 

Thankfully (and on purpose) they are both federal emissions vehicles. California pigeon holes everyone buying a new car into the restrictive/high maintenance emissions but used cars bought out of state can be brought in an registered. My wifes car came from Oregon and my 98 from who knows where (previous owner must have been from somewhere else) but both are "normal"

 

Now the battle begins to keep them rust free as neither has a speck of rust just yet.

Edited March 3, 2017 by AdventureSubaru

[goldfish]

Why do you drain the oil when you pull the engine? Is it because you might disassemble the engine or is there something im missing? 

[ocei77]

aren't you going to change it?

.

[goldfish]

8 minutes ago, ocei77 said:

aren't you going to change it?

.

yes but my father made the comment that it would be better for the engine to keep it in the engine till i have it moved to the car im dropping it into. i didnt think it would matter because it only 3 days..

Edited September 12, 2020 by goldfish

[moosens]

No worries there my friend. 
 

oil in , oil out , doesn’t make a bit of difference

 

just be on top of it and change as needed , you know that

No oil will spill out if that’s a concern. As long as the drain plug is in and you haven’t removed anything you’re good to go. 
 

 

[el_freddo]

Oil is drained so for engine work such as HGs. Some engine stands make it difficult to balance an oil pan on the only bar that’s part of the structure that holds the wheels out the front of the frame. So it’s easier to drain oil in the car. 

If storing the engine I’d leave it in, same for swapping the engine into another car - do the oil change after you get the engine going in the new vehicle

Cheers 

Bennie