[cgeromi]

I have the opportunity to take my dad's engine out of his 01 Outback and swap it into my 03 Outback. Ill spare everyone the reasons why, that's a long story!!

I know my engine is stamped ej25. I also know that my 03 has a map sensor and my dad's 01 has a maf sensor. Other than that, everything else is the exact same.

Could I take his motor and put it right into mine if I use my existing intake or would I need to swap anything else out?

 

[cardoc]

Yes to using your intake and harness. Check the driver side cam gear and crank reluctors. I don't think there's a difference for the cam and crank sensors, but it's been a while and can't recall.

 

[cgeromi]

Yes to using your intake and harness. Check the driver side cam gear and crank reluctors. I don't think there's a difference for the cam and crank sensors, but it's been a while and can't recall.

What do you mean by the crank reluctors?

 

[cardoc]

The teeth on the crank and the bank 2 cam gears that trigger the sensors.

 

[Toad442]

Are they both 4EAT cars? Are they both Federal or California Emissions cars?

 

[cgeromi]

The teeth on the crank and the bank 2 cam gears that trigger the sensors.

Oh ok. I'll have to do an in-depth comparison of my dad's 01 to my 03 motor components. My 03 motor has rod noise around 3000 rpms and the car has hdit been a nightmare since I bought it last January. My dad's Outback on the other hand has been old reliable! She's rotted but her power train works well.

Wonder why his motor has a maf and mine has a map sensor? Any idea what motor code came in his 01?

 

[MikeC5]

The '03 will have EGR, the '01 won't (at least for non-CA cars). This compicates it a bit if you have to pass emission inspections because the '03 computer is looking for EGR input. No EGR and you'll get a CEL code (engine light). The '01 driver's side head (assuming US car) will not have the port drilled out and threaded to accept the EGR pipe that goes from there up to intake manifold (which is different on '03, beacuse of EGR). The head can be drilled and tapped to fit the EGR pipe (I've done it in this situation).

 

[cgeromi]

The '03 will have EGR, the '01 won't (at least for non-CA cars). This compicates it a bit if you have to pass emission inspections because the '03 computer is looking for EGR input. No EGR and you'll get a CEL code (engine light). The '01 driver's side head (assuming US car) will not have the port drilled out and threaded to accept the EGR pipe that goes from there up to intake manifold (which is different on '03, beacuse of EGR). The head can be drilled and tapped to fit the EGR pipe (I've done it in this situation).

Well that's a bummer! My county doesn't have emissions inspections/tests but I hate having a cel. I'm going to look at my car (03) tonight and look at the EGR system. I never really took notice of it.

 

[Richard Pare]

The crankcase ventilation valves are different between the 2.

 

[eagleeye]

Well that's a bummer! My county doesn't have emissions inspections/tests but I hate having a cel. I'm going to look at my car (03) tonight and look at the EGR system. I never really took notice of it.

I wonder if one can tune a 2003 ECU to not look for EGR data,

and maybe you can plug the outlet on the 2003's cat converter, ...or just take the 2001's engine headers and its cat converter without egr, and put it in a 2003.

so doing a EGR delete. (plenty of 2003-2008 Ford 6.0 diesels had that done in states where you plug in,...= "bullet proofing" is what they call the EGR delete processes).

if someone were to do it, such would be with free rom-raider, and a tactrix dongle. and if you as a individual did not want to fiddle with it with online help,
maybe a local WRX tuner shop would.

but,...in the end just taking the 2001 engine to a engine repair shop is pretty quick / painless for them to tap out and thread the inlet hole for the EGR. (the space is already there, just not drilled).

 

[cgeromi]

The crankcase ventilation valves are different between the 2.

What would I need to do to use his motor with this difference?

 

[Richard Pare]

Don't remember at the moment - it was 3-4r years ago that I found that there was a difference (I have both an '01 and an '03, and bought 2 of the '01 versions before I found that there was a difference). Sorry!

 

[cgeromi]

Don't remember at the moment - it was 3-4r years ago that I found that there was a difference (I have both an '01 and an '03, and bought 2 of the '01 versions before I found that there was a difference). Sorry!

No problem. I'm going compare the 01 vs the 03 here this evening. I'll reply back with some pics.

 

[cgeromi]

Ok so just parked both cars side by side and did a comparison.

Findings:

• Both cars are ej251
• 03 does in fact have EGR components as shown in pics below
• I would have to block off the EGR if I swapped in the 01 engine. Any suggestions what I could block it with, with minimal effort?
• 01 has a different crank system. The 01 goes from the block into the throttle body and also into the air box. Where it splits there is a plastic piece that's round. I'm thinking a carbon filter.
• My 03 crank system goes right from the block and into the throttle body via a thinner rubber hose than the 01
• Transmission codes are different but both are different. The 01 has engine has a more square projecting piece on the engine where the end of the block meets the bell housing. See pics below.

03 EGR setup:

03 Transmission (where engine meets bell housing):

01 Transmission (where engine meets bell housing):

 

[Toad442]

What you are referring to as Crank is the PCV system. These can be swapped.

The "crank" concern is if you have the same crank and cam trigger systems on both engines. This is the go-no-go.

 

[cgeromi]

What you are referring to as Crank is the PCV system. These can be swapped.

The "crank" concern is if you have the same crank and cam trigger systems on both engines. This is the go-no-go.

Can you be more specific about the same crank and cam trigger? From what I can see the 01 and 03 cam and crank sensors seem identical.

As for swapping the pcv parts, the 01 uses a larger diameter tube and my 03 is smaller. If I use my dad's 01 engine and my 03 intake, the pcv tube as the motor is large diameter and smaller where it would go into the throttle body.

 

[eagleeye]

if this is pennsylvaina that rust "needs" some bondo. 💪

 

[cgeromi]

if this is pennsylvaina that rust "needs" some bondo. 💪

Definitely Pa penn dot rot. Compliments of the state. The 01 motor runs incredible! I wanna make this swap work but the pcv system has me a little perplexed how to make it work.

 

[cgeromi]

Here's the pcv systems...

03 pcv at motor:

01 where pcv at motor:

 

[eagleeye]

I wonder if at this present day in march / april one can find a local running rust bucket, or a rear end wreck that is:

a 2003 outback or legacy,

or a 2004 federal spec outback / legacy, and not a clean air state = PA, EJ259 2004 weirdo.

SO: RUNNING, GREAT / HEAD GASKETS DONE / & CHEAP. and as its right at the first day of spring on the calendar,...maybe a fresh running wreck that someone wants towed away cheap. (like slipped on ice, and was parked until spring,...when it is now in the way).

Or fresh in a pick / pull or paid junk yard.
(I wish Harry's had paid people on staff to pull such things with a van load of great tools, vs. wrestling with whatever tools you can put in a cart, and wondering if its going to actually get out after all your sweating and swearing)