Bserk Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Ok, I know there is a TON of information here on this topic. I have been spending a lot of time in the swap forum checking things out, but Im still a little confused... Some background: I bought a '96 OB, auto trans, and 2.5L DOHC. I knew it had head gasket issues when it was traded at the dealership where I work. Im a Nissan tech, but had little to no Subaru experience. With a lot of help from this board, I pulled the engine and did all the required 'stuff'. That was last winter/spring and I have been driving this thing non-stop ever since. Close to 10 k since the engine work, and all Ive noticed until recently is a little bit of piston slap on cold starts, which everyone here says is no biggie. No coolant loss, very little oil consumption, decent power and gas mileage. I freakin love this car! BUT.....the last couple weeks, its getting noisy, and not just when cold, and not just that piston slap. Its a real hard knock and bad enough to scare me, and its deep inside the engine, not a crank pulley or something like that. DAMN! After reading this board, Im not putting another dime in this 2.5 . Hindsights 20-20, right? LOL. Wish I had done the 2.2 swap right from the start, but thats water under da bridge. So, which 2.2 will be the easiest plug and play? This is where i get a little confused. Im in NY, the engine light has to stay off for yearly inspection, and I have EGR on this car. Can anyone tell me what year 2.2s will bolt in and have EGR? The front pipe issue isnt a biggie, but it would be nice to have the same dual ports as well...and anything else I should look for? I swear, Ive never had another car give me grief like this and still be a KEEPER. This thing is rust free, the interior is perfect, everything else now works as when new. Cold weather here now makes me really appreciate the heated seats and mirrors. This car is a great winter rat, which is what I bought it for in the first place! And Im not giving up. So, anyone that can tell me which year 2.2s I should shop for....I'd be greatly indebted. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnwolftrack Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 I'm not sure what the laws state in NY, but I'd like to say you are required to swap in an engine of the same year or newer than the VIN of your car. You are not allowed to swap an older engine in. That being said, a lot of people do it anyway. I don't know how strict your emissions tests are, but it's something to think about. I do know the 2.2 was offered in '98 becuase when doing searches for parts at the dealer or local parts stores, I was always asked if it was a 2.2 or 2.5. You may find that 2.2's are hard to... find. They are a common replacment as you already know, and they are becoming increasingly rare. A http://www.car-part.com search is invaluable, but you will probably see that these engines are either becoming rare and/or are rediculously priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 You wouldn't swap in an older engine, at least not earlier than '95 anyway, because of ODBI/ODBII issues. Also if you have/do not have EGR it helps if the replacement engine is the same. I'd imagine grossgary would be veery helpful on this project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Ok, I know there is a TON of information here on this topic. I have been spending a lot of time in the swap forum checking things out, but Im still a little confused...So, anyone that can tell me which year 2.2s I should shop for....I'd be greatly indebted. Thanks Engine should be a '95 EJ22 from an AUTOMATIC equipped Legacy complete with intake manifold and engine wiring harness. MT vehicles have no EGR in '95. My so-swapped vehicle has passed Illinois OBD II emission inspection with no problems. Only a VERY knowledgeable inspection station would be able to physicaly notice this swap. In our case, the inspection is a scan only with no hood opening involved. Supposedly, you can also use '96, '97. 98 ej22s, but they have the single port exhaust, so you'll need the front Y pipe- expensive. Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 what he said. 95 legacy auto & 96 leg auto w/ y pipe. both of these are NON-interferrence engines. 97 & 98 leg auto w/ y pipe. these are both interferrence engines. and of course you'll want to replace the plastic seperator plate on the back of the engine before you install it. and anything else that's leaking, (rear main seal only if it's leaking, generally they don't). and depending how long before you want to work on it again, the timing belt, water pump, and all the idlers..... but with the 95 and 96 these can wait, if they fail, no engine damage. courious question. when you did the head gaskets, what are the chances you got coolant in the oil?. i don't do internal engine work, yet, but i have read that this is not unusual on other engines, v6s, and will hurt the bearings. are you sure it's not just cold weather piston slap. you probably already know this but... http://remanufactured-engines.com/page4.htm sorry for your head aches. sell the heads and stuff off the 2.5L to get some money back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Engine should be a '95 EJ22 from an AUTOMATIC equipped Legacy complete with intake manifold and engine wiring harness. MT vehicles have no EGR in '95. My so-swapped vehicle has passed Illinois OBD II emission inspection with no problems. Only a VERY knowledgeable inspection station would be able to physicaly notice this swap. In our case, the inspection is a scan only with no hood opening involved. Supposedly, you can also use '96, '97. 98 ej22s, but they have the single port exhaust, so you'll need the front Y pipe- expensive. Nathan 96-98 EJ22 works fine. I have done several swaps using them. Single port Y pipes from the U pull it are $10-20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 yep, this info is already here. 1995 from an automatic. or 96-98 EJ22 with exhaust header. wouldn't surprise me if a 99 EJ22 would work but i'd avoid that year it's an oddball. make sure it has EGR. i HAVE picked up identical 97 subaru's that have had EGR and not had EGR so i wouldn't count on models/years/trans to be the definitive mark. although almost all late model EJ22's have EGR. and this is not that odd, i've seen a fair number of EJ25's with internal engine issues. i would guess it's related to the head gasket problem in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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