Need Some Semi-Professional Subaru Advice!

[Orcala]

Well I'm sure some of you are professionals

I have a 95 subaru legacy wagon with a 2.2L in it. The vehicle was written off due to minor rear quarter panel damage. It could be put back on the road, but dealing with a salvage inspection is not exactly something I do for fun in my spare time.

(268K, engine had crank and cam shaft seals done, totally leak free and runs very well)

I have a chance to get a 98 Outback Limited FULLY LOADED to the nines, 2 sunroofs, etc. It has 225K on it, and the engine is gone, good transmission.

Numbers:
Paid $500 for the Legacy, ALL PARTS are good on it, including a bunch of new suspension components, 4 newer struts etc. It really is in excellent condition for 268K.

Pending payment of $800 for the Outback (not official)

Swap will be 15-18 hours, so about $2000 all in at the shop.

Total cost: $3300

Would you guys advise to do the swap?
At least then I know what I am getting, could part out the legacy afterwards to cover much of my cost or even keep spare parts for the Outback.

Or would your advise be to just look for a good Outback with about 200K on it? Problem is these models especially FULLY LOADED tend to be overpriced in the city.

I really need some good advice or discussion to sway me either way!

Thanks a lot guys!

[Orcala]

I forgot to mention that another of my trains of though was to look into a JDM engine, they are usually easy to find, low KM and bolt right up.

The only thing that worries me with this plan is sensors, ECU etc, I hear it can be tricky getting everything to work perfectly which could drive the labour costs up

[94boosted]

The way I see it is your going to be paying $3300 for a 13 year old car with 230,000KM on it, that does not at all seem like a good deal. Just my 0.02$

[Orcala]

Originally posted by 94boosted
The way I see it is your going to be paying $3300 for a 13 year old car with 230,000KM on it, that does not at all seem like a good deal. Just my 0.02$

Thanks for you opinion!

I did forget to mention this is the 30th Anniversary model and has every option Subaru offered in their lineup that year, including the sub-zero package.

This model, that mileage, seems to fetch about $6500-8000 right now on Kijiji. (about 1500 over blue book value)

The regular Outbacks with few options and similar KM seem to be about $5000-6000

So the money that way makes sense.

My biggest quandary is whether I go with the tried tested true and voted best built Subaru engine of the 90's, the 2.2 EJ22 out of my Legacy, or a JDM EJ25.

The biggest issue here is that all available JDM EJ25's I have found are the DOHC, which are Head Gasket Destroyers. The SOHC is apparently much less destructive.

Either way, the JDM engine SEEMS like the better idea, maybe 50K instead of 268K, but there are SO MANY unknowns and little issues when you put a JDM engine in a US vehicle...

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Honestly don't bet on the swap going 100% smooth, they rarely do.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Orcala

My biggest quandary is whether I go with the tried tested true and voted best built Subaru engine of the 90's, the 2.2 EJ22 out of my Legacy, or a JDM EJ25.

The biggest issue here is that all available JDM EJ25's I have found are the DOHC, which are Head Gasket Destroyers. The SOHC is apparently much less destructive.

Either way, the JDM engine SEEMS like the better idea, maybe 50K instead of 268K, but there are SO MANY unknowns and little issues when you put a JDM engine in a US vehicle...

I bought a '98 Impreza OBS with a 2.2L that was blown out. Bought a EJ25 DOHC from JDMsource for $850, haven't had any problems with the head gasket yet (knock on wood).

Swap was smooth as butter, took around 8 hours and it was my first time doing an engine swap... ever. This included some swapping parts between the 2.2L and 2.5L to make it work, and some harness splicing, and also me accidentally pulling the torque converter out with the engine, which took a good solid frustrating hour to get back in

It's been 12,000 kms so far, and no problems. The engine light comes on occaisionally due to lack of EGR on the JDM engine though. I just clear it as it pops up.

[Orcala]

Money/Time aren't issues at all. I would spend as much as $5000 overall on this vehicle. It's at least a break even or plus investment. I just want to make the smartest decision possible on a vehicle I really enjoy and suits my needs exactly in every way.

I'm taking it to Allmakes, so I would assume they can do a Subaru engine swap in their sleep.

And specifically the 95-99 2.2USDM engine into the 2.5 vehicles is apparently literally plug and play. A few minor differences but literally just more/less bolts on a couple components. Subarus are famous for being Lego cars. This head/arm on that body and such, even the blocks are all basically the same, only thing that changes are the heads.

[Orcala]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


I bought a '98 Impreza OBS with a 2.2L that was blown out. Bought a EJ25 DOHC from JDMsource for $850, haven't had any problems with the head gasket yet (knock on wood).

Swap was smooth as butter, took around 8 hours and it was my first time doing an engine swap... ever. This included some swapping parts between the 2.2L and 2.5L to make it work, and some harness splicing, and also me accidentally pulling the torque converter out with the engine, which took a good solid frustrating hour to get back in

It's been 12,000 kms so far, and no problems. The engine light comes on occaisionally due to lack of EGR on the JDM engine though. I just clear it as it pops up.

Interesting! This is a post I enjoy reading. I'm definitely ok with parting out the legacy, engine included, and going JDM.
Let's be real here, until 2001, Subaru's Head Gasket issues are well documented. They finally re-engineered all their engines that year and seem to be fine since. So it's a simple reality of owning this era of engine. But I believe they are solid engines and overall very easy to work on/repair...unlike my Volvo

I wish I could do it myself, but I lack the big tools and even a garage. Hooray for living in a condo.

Thanks for the info! It's also a match power wise to what was designed for the vehicle, 2.2 is decent but noticeably less power especially on a fully optioned Outback LTD

[Tik-Tok]

Is allmakes still around? I drove by their place Monday, and the office looked empty. Did they move?

As for the head gasket, the engine is so easy to remove, if/when I have a problem, they wont take long to change, but I have a garage. Maybe get the gaskets changed before they install the engine if you're worried about it.

[Orcala]

Not sure where they were before, signs sure look old seems original, was just in there today. 41ave and Center St N

I'm leaning towards JDM anyways, how many KM did they claim were on your setup? Did they provide proof? Never purchased a used engine before....

[Tik-Tok]

No, they had no proof, and only guessed at how many km's, "between 60k-80k kms". Solid engine though, no complaints. I think they do swaps as well, can't recall.

[Orcala]

It's more than likely that most have 90-100K on them is it not?

[Rat Fink]

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[tomt64]

Tiktok did you have the sohc or dohc 2.2 in your 98 originally?

I had the 2.2 single in a 99 and was considering the jdm 2.5 dohc, but lack of wiring info put me off and I threw another 2.2sohc again.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by tomt64
Tiktok did you have the sohc or dohc 2.2 in your 98 originally?

I had the 2.2 single in a 99 and was considering the jdm 2.5 dohc, but lack of wiring info put me off and I threw another 2.2sohc again.

I can't recall, I bought it already toast, swapped the engine, and tossed the old one in 2 days. Didn't pay any attention to whether it was sohc, or dohc.