96 Legacy L SOHC Motor swap suggestions or power tips.

[Baddog]

What motor would be the easiest to drop into the 96 L that will work without changing the transmission. I would like to know what has worked for some people.

[mike-tracy]

I have that same car, and I swapped in an EJ25D (dohc). It has ~30 more hp and tq. Plug and play, just get the exhaust manifold from the 25D, and reuse your car's powersteering pump and ac compressor to make it really easy.

[Baddog]

I have that same car, and I swapped in an EJ25D (dohc). It has ~30 more hp and tq. Plug and play, just get the exhaust manifold from the 25D, and reuse your car's powersteering pump and ac compressor to make it really easy.

Where could I locate a EJ25D from? And the possible cost of it? Also the Exhaust manifold. And I forgot to mention I have the Auto trans. Thanks for the help. I love the 2.2L but sometimes you just want more power!

[mike-tracy]

I paid 800 for a wrecked 98 Forester, and parted out the rest, so I got the engine for free. ;) Crazedlist.org lets you search craigslist in surrounding states at the same time.
That and WTB ads on all the Subaru sites.

You're looking for an EJ25D motor from:
1996-1999 Legacy (not all models had the 2.5D, make sure first)
1998 Forester
1998 Impreza RS

Lastly, ask when the head gaskets were changed, because the original gaskets from the factory were no good. The replacement gaskets, both from Subaru and Felpro, fixed the design flaw, so you shouldn't have to worry about them going a second time.

[Baddog]

Is the EJ25D the DOHC version or is there another version of the EJ25. I have two people around me (Thanks for showing me that site!) that have EJ25's. One says he pulled his out of a 98 Outback and the other said he pulled his out of a 96 Outback.

[mike-tracy]

As per my list, both the engines you mentioned will be DOHC models (assuming they both are 2.5's and not 2.2's). After 1999, all non-turbo 2.5L motors from subaru (sold in the US) are SOHC, which would be a headache to install, not plug and play at all. Remember what I said about head gaskets.

[Baddog]

Yea I have heard of the famous head gasket issue with 2.5's. What would Subaru charge for replacement head gaskets?

[mike-tracy]

OEM gaskets are around $100. Felpros are $44 for both, and both oem and Felpros are nice multi-layer steel. I use Felpros. To have a shop replace the headgaskets would be $1600 on up, because the heads might need to be planed, and a shop would want to use all new gaskets, belts and hoses all around (you can tell them not to but that's just delaying the inevitable need for the new parts).

[Baddog]

How much experience would I need to replace headgaskets my self? I know someone who knows these cars pretty well. That just made the price go up a lot to have a shop do it.