Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

98 Forrester A/T to 5speed swap


Recommended Posts

​Hey Guys:

 

​It's been awhile...3 years according to my official USMB member statistics which can never be wrong (lol!!). Needless to say, my post count has dropped considerably on this forum in the last decade and a half or so for various reasons ..

 

​So to bring you up to date,..Alleyboy totaled his 2002 Forrester this weekend...There was a one inch "snowstorm" in CBus on Sat, and the I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with a bunch of stupid-*ss drivers that cant deal with light winter driving.  Cars were at a dead stop at a highway entrance ramp while a pileup was ensuing ahead.  I slammed into that mess, and got rear ended pretty hard as a bonus immediately afterward.  Well you get the picture. This car was the #2 fave in my current fleet with a solid 2.5 and 5 speed which I will be salvaging for re-use. 

 

​I would like to transfer that 5 speed into another car (98 Forrester A/T with 2.2 convesion).   I did search on here for a similar swap with no hits, so I hope the moderators won't use that angle to flame or ban me this time around. Based on the lack of info available, I'm guessing that 5 speed conversions on the New Gens are not as popular as with the Old Gens for example, which I have done successfully. I understand that A/T trannies used in 98's were a one-off, so that may complicate things a bit. Also, maybe because the AT's are more proprietary for some reason (?)  

 

If anyone can share any firsthand experience with this, some good advice, or can point me to a relevant write-up, that would be greatly appreciated.  thanks, John   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

switch the pin on the ECU so that it turns off the TCU. Then you'll just have to convert the wiring to M/T and it'll run. Swap the pedals and console, rear differential and that pretty much makes it up.. Cruise probably will not work, or not correctly

 

Swapping a '98 Foz is one year only phase 1, and the swap is basically same as any phase 1 car

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Matt:

 

Thanks for the response.  Doesn't sound nearly as bad as I would have thought. 

 

Do you remember which 5 speed you used in your 98 Forrester? Is there anything about using a newer (2002) 5 speed that I should look out for in doing this conversion?     thanks, John

 

   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYI...as noted '98 Foz engine+transmission electronics are the same as any '96*-'98 Legacy OB or GT and the '98 Impreza RS. They all have the same EJ25D. And it should be the same for the '96-'98 'regular' Legacy or Impreza models, but different diff ratios, depending.

 

('99 was a transition year so that has some gotchas.)

 

The '02 is Phase 2 meaning it has the extra mount points on the bellhousing, but it should be 99% the same as any earlier 5-speed. Double-check the diff ratio. If it's got the speedo plug by the diff's dipstick, then it'll work. Plugs for neutral and reverse lights (?) might need swapped to old-style, too.

 

Find a 5-speed swap thread on most ANY Subaru forum for these years and you're golden.

 

You may need a 5-speed cruise control module, if you want to keep that active.

 

 

*'96 EJ25D had few differences in the heads but otherwise is direct swap.

Edited by wtdash
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey WT, really appreciate the input...

 

​The 98 Forrester that I want to swap the phase 2 5 speed has been altered a bit. I did the gen 1 (97) 2.2 swap previously, so it's not stock anymore. However, it still has the phase 1 linage so I think I'm still good if I follow this thru logically.  I guess what is unique about this project is that the whole drive train will be retrofitted when all is said and done. Maybe a bit extreme for a car pushing 20 years, but the car is exceptionally solid w/o the typical Midwest rust.  A good test and learning experience for sure. Sounds like the electrical mods is the most challenging issue.

 

Not really concerned about cruise and extra features like that. Rather, would like to sweat things down to a basic 2.2 5speed setup with some old school reliability.   thanks, John   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure what year they went away from speedo cables. But the 02 tyranny definitely has an electronic speed sensor. And if the 98 chassis has a speedo cable, you'll have to remove the electrical sensor out of the 02 transmission and tread in the actual cable.

 

It does swap with no problems. Did that on a friend's 96 impreza with an 02 impreza 5 speed swap.

Edited by golucky66
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Swap rear diff to match final drive ratio.

Swap driveshaft as they’re different lengths.

Swap center console if you want it to look right.

Pedal assembly

Swap cruise control computer if you do want to retain that.

Reverse light wiring

 

Monkey with Identifier pin for AT and MT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...