[LunchBox42]

Hi All,

110,000miles and I blow a head gasket. :-(

With that said, I am entertaining the possibility of dropping in a different engine. What engine models can I easily drop in with little to no modification? A buddy of mine tried convincing me to drop in an STI motor but I am not sure how easy it would be, or if I run the risk of ruining my drive train. My engine is a the 2.5L.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[noahrexion]

99-04 Phase 2 SOHC motors will drop in (you will need to swap everything from your old motor over) and everything will work as it did.

I just did this on my 02' 3 weeks ago. Intake manifold, pulleys, sensors...etc should all be swapped over. Other than that I think the PCV valve is the only other thing that changes really.

 

[ETC]

If you can "drop a motor in" you can replace the head gaskets for about $300. With 110k on your motor, you've got a lot of life left in it.

If you're talking about performance, the only thing that's going to give you more power is a turbo motor or an H-6 and neither are simple swaps.

Both would require a donor ecu, tcu, a wiring harness, a complete driveline [different gear ratios.. awd], a complete or almost complete exhaust system plus a complete motor with functional turbos, intercoolers, intakes, etc.

It can be done and would be cool but, it's not easy. I saw a twin turbo 2.0 on ebay for around $800 but all that included was the motor and the turbos ... add another $2k+ for everything else then rebuild it and ... you'd have a pretty fast outback.

If you are in a smog test state, you would have to conform to all the smog requirements of the donor engine vehicle because the computer reads the vin in the ecu.

Rebuild that one and keep driving, if you need something faster... fix it ... sell it and buy and xt.

 

[LunchBox42]

Yeah, fixing it myself was my immediate answer. I just wanted to entertain the idea and see what some possibilities are. Thanks for the input.

 

[LunchBox42]

Two other questions:

1. Other than a gasket set, what other parts should I buy in anticipation of what caused the gasket to go?

2. In the service manual, it shows a liquid type sealant for certain areas where as the gasket set shows them as gaskets. Which one should I use?

 

[Jefe009]

I have a swap...

I just completed my swap, and it's all that. Better than I could have hoped for.

It is not quick or easy. I had always wished that subaru made a 'outback sti', and got sick of waiting. So I created one. :2:

The engine is a ej257 block with lots of stuff from a 02 WRX. The stock transmission was nowhere near sufficient to handle the power, so I got a 07 WRX transmission with 25K on it.

There was lots of other stuff I needed to upgrade, like some suspension components, etc. All told I'm about $10K in.

But, I have a BRAND NEW car basically. The 98 shell is in great condition, and it's a big, beefy car with almost 300HP going straight to the wheels. Not as agile as an Impreza STi, but it's got a lot more clearance and I don't feel bad beating it up on forest service roads like I did my WRX.

Not a car for anyone, but i'm really glad I did it. I would do a few things differently next time, but I love it to death.

And, with my 'econo' tune, I get better gas mileage (about 28mpg) on the freeway than I got with my WRX. I just flash it over to the 18psi map whenever I want to hear the blow off valve and get blown back in my seat. :18:

So my vote is: SWAP it!

 

[csweston]

^Pics of this?

 

[ETC]

Like I said, it can be done and it would be cool but, like he said, it wasn't easy and it wasn't cheap ;]

Trust me, I've thought about it [especially when I'm passing three cars on a two lane highway] ... I thought about having my heads modded when I pulled them off, I thought about getting cams and well ... for 98% of the driving I do in this car ... I don't need it so I left it alone.

For the money you can basically fix yours, sell it, take that 10k you would have to shove in to it and buy a newer XT with a lot more power and more bells and whistles than the one you have.

If I didn't need to use the car, didn't care how long it took, had a cheap wrecked donor wrx ... I'd do it ;]

 

[WayBack]

I'm in the same range of miles and I'm pondering the same things. If the motor pops and i spend money in there, I want mre than 165hp when I'm done.

WRX motor of the same year: It goes without saying that you need the whol motor and ECU, but why the transmission? Wont the WRX motor bolt up to the Auto? They were offered with an auto, and i know Subaru likes to re-use parts (like engine blocks).

I'm not looking for rediculous power, I just want to get up hills.

Option 2: Modifying the origional engine.
How much power can the OEM engine take? I can fabricate much of what I'll need to install a turbo or supercharger, and IIRC the ECU can be tuned (as long as the fuel system can keep up. Bosch style injectors?).
I'm looking for about 220bhp at most.

 

[Jefe009]

The general consensus in the Subaru community is that it's better to start with an engine and tranny that were designed to handle lots of power, than try to fake the funk with a N/A setup.

However, lots of people have tried, with varying success. See this thread here for all the glory and dispar:

Normally Aspirated with bolt-on Forced Induction Powertrain - NASIOC

Good luck...

BTW, what are your power goals? Have you driven WRXs and STis and are looking for similar power?

 

[Stoic Guardian]

i was referred here and i have all the same questions as "Way Back" does. just looking for a cheaper than an sti performance gain. i would love to have an STI and its coming in the future, but for for a long time.

 

[susiemk]

Just replace the HGs with 2004 STi MLS HGs - these are thinner than stock HG's & will gve you a slight bump in compression, but more importantly these are MLS gaskets which seem to hold together much better than the coated single layer HGs.

 

[susiemk]

Simple bolt-ons can give you a slight power boost - for a major power boost low pressure turbocharging is my favorite choice, but ej25's don't like boost as much as ej22's do so they require engine management whereas ej22's can be boosted on stock ecu's / injectors...

 

[Winter river]

I have a 2000 forester with a ej25 single over head cam will a 1997 ej25 fit