EA82 to EJ, anyone w/ a How-to?

[BlindSight]

lol....have waded through countless posts on here and on naisonic.....and still know very little about what all is required to swap out an EA82 with an EJ motor. can anyone direct me to the proper reading material or explain the process to me? Am in college taking mechanics classes so still learning but learn pretty fast and work well....what do I need to know/do/have to do this swap?

[Subarian]

I can't give you a specific link, but I know there's a lot of info on the Subaru Retrofitting board.

 

Also, there are some board members who sell adapter plates. They might be able to give you more info as well.

[88HatchMonster]

As one of the vendors that makes and sells adapter plates, I feel like I've really been slacking off in not compiling a full how-to... but anyway until I do, here are some things to get you started:

 

1. The EJ engine bellhousing is 1/2" shallower than the EA engine bellhousing. An adapter plate (available from me, mudrat, AA, or build your own) will make up this difference and allow you to bolt your EA82 tranny right up.

 

2. You will need to modify your EA82 flywheel to match your EJ crank as the bolt pattern is different. Best way(what I do): weld in all of the old holes and precisely drill new ones. Other options: have a machine shop mill out the old holes to match the EJ pattern or take to it yourself with a dremel tool (actually works).

 

3. Use an XT6 clutch and PP to hold the added horsepower.

 

4. Use the EJ motor mounts and simply widen the slots in your EA82 crossmember 1/2" toward the outside of the vehicle.

 

5. Use a fuel pump from a turbo EA82, or suitable aftermarket inline pump.

 

6. If upgrading from a carbed motor, replace fuel hoses with EFI grade hose.

 

7. If upgrading from a carbed EA81, a surge tank may be necessary to avoid fuel starvation when cornering with under 1/4 tank of fuel.

 

8. EA82 radiator is adequate for cooling an EJ22. The inlets on your EA82 rad are smaller diameter than those on your EJ motor. Solution 1: have a rad shop braze larger inlets onto your rad. Solution 2: use a muffler pipe reducer and two different size sections of hose. Solution 3: use smaller size hose to match your rad. and try like hell to get it over the fittings on your EJ engine. Addition by ShawnW: "Point #8 can be solved by using flex radiator hose available from Napa. They sell hose that has 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 on each end so your existing radiator will work. I did the lower end pretty stock shaped but the upper radiator hose I had to loop around and use a long hose so it did a 'loopdy loop'".

 

9. You might not have enough room to keep your stock fan on the engine side of the radiator. Buy one or maybe two aftermarket ones and put them on the grille side of the radiator. If you're keeping your A/C you'll have get creative as your A/C condensor will be in the way. (hint: chuck the A/C)

 

10. Use the throttle pedal and cable from the EJ series vehicle. Edit: Your original cable and pedal will likely work fine, making this step totally optional/unnecessary.

 

11. Oil Pressure is an idiot light on EJ cars so to have an oil pressure gauge you will need to plumb in your EA82 oil pressure sender. This is doable with about $50 worth of adapters and lines available from Paragon Performance in CA. I can get part #'s for anyone who is interested.

 

12. Temp. Sender on the EJ motor will read like half temp on your EA gauge. It's readable and doesn't really bother most people. If you want it to read like stock then weld a bung for an EA82 temp sender into a sleeve, and put it inline in your upper rad hose.

 

13. Wiring: Most intimidating to most people. It is a big job but it is quite doable by joe average subie modder.

 

You can do it one of two ways: If you're really skiddish about wiring, then pull the whole vehicle wiring harness, ecu, relays, fusebox, headlight wiring etc. Hook up power, ground, starting, charging, and fuel pump. Bundle the extra 20 feet of wiring up in a massive ball of black tape and forget about it.

 

Um, better way: Pull the engine and chassis wiring harnesses. Pull the ECU, and relays. Strip off all of the wire loom and black tape. Identify the funtion of each and every wire coming out of the ECU. Many of these wires take detours through the enormous chassis wiring harness to get to your relays and fuel pump and ign switch etc. The goal is to reroute all of those wires directly to the proper componentry until you've eliminated said massive ball of chassis wiring.

 

The wiring is not hard. It will take a lot of brain racking and double checking, but you can do it.

 

Either way, you'll need to get a chilton's manual. Tip 1: Blow up the tiny engine wiring diagram they give you until it fills up a whole sheet of paper. Tip 2: These diagrams often have up to 10-15 incorrectly color-coded wires. Go through wire by wire and fix these errors before you start work.

 

Suggested searches: Subarino + EJ22

 

My website (for ordering the adapter plate + flywheel work): mroseusa.com

[88HatchMonster]

Hey, that actually came out as a pretty good primer on the subject... Any other EJ-EA gurus want to add to it? At some point we could edit all the info together and it might warrant a sticky for the retrofitting forum. One thing I didn't add is the possibility of doing a full drivetrain swap. That's not my specialty, though... Snowman?

[Rebello240zx]

OMG!!!

Do you have any idea how incredibly helpful that is?

A complete ej swap list! just what i was looking for!

Thank you!

[MSSLGECKO]

OMG!!!

Do you have any idea how incredibly helpful that is?

A complete ej swap list! just what i was looking for!

Thank you!

He's right, I spent a good amount of time figuring out everything that you just said there. A full write-up would do wonders for those who are looking at doing this swap!

 

One thing that I have yet to figure out on the USMB is:

How can one run an EJ w/ an EA81 4SPD behind it. I did find that someone did it w/ their ER27 using their XT6 clutch kit and some random throw-out bearing that they found to fit at a parts shop. If this were a well defined step in the EA81 swap, that would make it a lot easier too.

[Knichol]

"Use the throttle pedal and cable from the EJ series vehicle."

 

Everyone always says this but I did not need to. There is plenty of travel to go from closed to WOT. The old EA82 Cable fit fine onto the EJ22. Why do people say use the other Cable?

[88HatchMonster]

"Use the throttle pedal and cable from the EJ series vehicle."

 

Everyone always says this but I did not need to. There is plenty of travel to go from closed to WOT. The old EA82 Cable fit fine onto the EJ22. Why do people say use the other Cable?

 

Yeah, I just went ahead blindly and did it. Now even looking at the old EA81 cable it looks like it would fit...

 

Should I nix that one off the list?

[Knichol]

Yeah, I just went ahead blindly and did it. Now even looking at the old EA81 cable it looks like it would fit...

 

Should I nix that one off the list?

 

I don't know. There must be a reason that some people had problems or something. What year EJ did you use?

[88HatchMonster]

I used the intake and throttle body off of a '94 impreza EJ18.

 

Ya know I bet it was just someone's off-handed comment that stuck...

so if no one chimes in with a good reason to do it I'll drop it off the list.

[ShawnW]

Point #8 can be solved by using flex radiator hose available from Napa. They sell hose that has 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 on each end so your existing radiator will work. I did the lower end pretty stock shaped but the upper radiator hose I had to loop around and use a long hose so it did a "loopdy loop".

 

Twin row radiators do not fit with the stock fan, and might fit with a slimmer fan.

[ballitch]

looks pretty good to me....my EA gas pedal worked fine, and my car was carb'd, so if you know for a fact that your throttle cable is a short one, then you might need the EJ gas pedal and cable. but it seems like that was just an urban legend. and yes all of us EJ converts have been "slacking' in a way, but i was in such a hurry, i didnt take pictures, that and i didnt have a digi camera. and one more thing, i didnt upgrade my cars fuel lines to EFI grade hose. if anyone can tell me a good reason why i should i might, but so far it seems to be working fine......now stainless steel braided fuel lines would be the shiznit, no worries about damaged fuel lines at all.

 

 

AND FO GODS SAKE!!!!!! USE THE EJ STYLE EXHAUST!!!!!! IF NOT YOUR TOP END WILL SUCK BECAUSE THAT SMALL DIA. PIPE WILL CHOKE YOUR CAR TO NO END.............JUST LIKE MINE

 

 

 

 

 

~Josh~

[randomizer]

This has been a very helpful thread with the write up, thanks a lot.

[stumpy]

88HatchMonster, In # 8. (EA82 radiator is adequate for cooling an EJ22.) What about those of us with an ea81 rad? Wil an ej22 or ea82 rad fit in there? Have one of each or will I need to go with some thing different altogether? Thanks, Stumpy

[randomizer]

I know austin ran his with the stock ea81 radiator and just modded the hoses to fit, and I am pretty sure the legacy radiator can be made to fit as well.

[88HatchMonster]

Your EA81 radiator will work. The legacy radiator looked too wide to fit in an EA81 without chopping up the rad. support. quite a bit. Don't know if an EA82 rad will fit an EA81.

[ballitch]

Oh, i forgot to say this about the radiator choices. apparently a 1990-1992 legacy radiator has the same bottom mounting points as the EA82 radiators, but the EJ22 rad. is about an inch or so taller. and the radiator bungs are an inch or so off to one side, kinda staggered in comparison to the EA82 rad. but it will fit. but i have been using my EA rad. on my EJ22 for about 6 months now. as long as its clean and not plugged, and you mount two fans on it you should be just fine. i only am using one right now and it seems to be working fine, but that other fan helps so much. when the two fans did kick on, they were only on for about 30-45 seconds before they cooled the coolant enough to shut off.

 

 

~Josh~

[baccaruda]

I think the issue with the gas pedal is particular to EA81s only. My car is an EA82 and I have the legacy cable; it fits in the EA82 pedal just fine though there are a couple different styles of fittings on EA82 throttle cables and hence a couple different gas pedals. I'm guessing carbed. vs. EFI (mine was a turbo, hence the match). EA81s are almost all carbs of course, so that might be where that started.

 

also, EA81s need their crossmembers widened by the same amount as the EA82s.

 

also also, this thread is a great distilled source of adapter plate info.

Now, speaking of distilling, I'm off to the bar.

[bgd73]

Has anyone swapped on a 2wd loyale? If so, what are results?

 

Does torque twist/break anything? without driveshaft to gyro, and hold a line of decent displacement/dispersal?

for a 90hp EA82, The original transaxles were quite destroyed for this little

4dr roadster @ 126k (signs of damage, much before the final decision to replace at that mileage).I was also thinking turbo EA82, which was also never on a 2wd(as far as could gather nfo)Any info would be great. My 93's body is hanging on quite well for 12 years, would like to do something unique.

[baccaruda]

this thread needs a sticky....

[stumpy]

I have a stock ea82 FWD turbo, it's an 89GL 10 and not the Loyale. Stumpy

I was also thinking turbo EA82, which was also never on a 2wd(as far as could gather nfo)Any info would be great. QUOTE]

[970subaru]

agreed on making this a sticky.

what is the difference between swapping ej22 into ea81 and ej-ea82? I have an ej motor that really should be in a lightweight chassis and have my heart set on a ea81.

[Hodaka Rider]

I believe we need some clarification on the harness. How much of the

harness do we need to take from the donor Legacy? It seems some people are taking the entire car harness out (ouch!) and some are just taking the engine compartment harness up to the ECU.

[suberdave]

if it pluges into the ECU you need it, if it is not pluged in to the ECU cut it out and through it in a pile. use a good wiring diagram and do some pondering before you start to hack it up. its not as hard as you may think it would be.

 

I believe we need some clarification on the harness. How much of the

harness do we need to take from the donor Legacy? It seems some people are taking the entire car harness out (ouch!) and some are just taking the engine compartment harness up to the ECU.

[Wombat Racing]

Well done guys. I am still thinking about doing the swap to my 89 Brumby and this will help along the way and for me to make up my mind. If there was photos that would help even more. Keep up the good work.

 

 

Cheers Wombat