2001 Engine vs 2003 Engine

cgeromi said:

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.

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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).

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

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)

oh, and what is wrong with the 2003's OEM engine, its OK to state it ran out of coolant / out of oil.
(the subaru oil trouble light comes on right when the engine is going terminal, ...so not actually a low pressure warning light)

the good news: PA and not southern california. so finding 20 year old subaru engines in great shape maybe cheap / painless. and not maddening.


(just like when the 1st guy had it, ...the right thing to do if starting up a subaru fix it business: specialize in the things you are buying, so you can always have the exact matching part in your own pick/pull.
so it would have been nice if he had a great supply of Legacy / outbacks in both 2000-2002, and 2003-2004 varieties).

a while back I was picking up a truck at a auction, and there was a guy with California plates on his 18 wheeler. he was loading 10 rust bucket fords on, all 5.4 engines.
all with NY rust that could choke a pig, and all going to southern califrornia. to sit behind a truck garage and be parted into rust free things.
...and the truck driver said, today its 5.4 fords from around 2004 , next month 6.6 chevy diesels circa 2004.....so someone out there loves North East Rust.

cgeromi said:

My big issue right now is I have $5000 into this thing. $3000 purchase price. $1000 to do the heads and parts. $900 after I took it to the independent subi shop. I'm either putting in my dad's free motor or I'm running this current motor into the Susquehanna river!! 🤣

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I would make arrangements to have that EGR tapped out of your dad's engine. (ask a couple engine shops).

and you are not the only one who has spent $6000+ on what was thought to be a $3000 all in purchase.

did you consider putting the 2001 trans in the 2003 ?

leaving it coupled with the engine. you may need a extra set of hands, = subaru engines with trans make for a long thing on the crane, but a time saver and less fustrating if you can just leave them coupled.