Alucard's '99 Legacy GT.

[Alucard]

WOW. Very nice wagon pics.

Thank you!

Update:
The EJ22D does well, but can be better, so it will be. Getting a lightweight crank pulley and an MSD 8239, and that'll be all I can do as far as mods go for. I'll be finished. After that, it hits the dyno. Some time after that, the EJ251 bottom end should be done getting fresh rings and King bearings. For as fun as the EJ22D is, it's future is to serve as an EJ23 while the wagon gets the H.O. EJ25D as it's final engine.

The pics are of a friend (Ryan) after having helped him install his MSD 8239 ignition upgrade during a Subaru swap/meet.

[lord flashheart]

The pics are of a friend (Ryan) after having helped him install his MSD 8239 ignition upgrade during a Subaru swap/meet.

you installed it AT the meet??

[Alucard]

you installed it AT the meet??

Yeah. Might install a timing belt kit for a friend at the Worcester meet coming up this weekend. Unsure of that though because I've been feeling under the weather for 3 days now. Lol.

[lord flashheart]

I dont know why that made me laugh so hard but it did.
I'm sorry your feeling sick. i wish you a speedy recovery.

[Alucard]

I dont know why that made me laugh so hard but it did.
I'm sorry your feeling sick. i wish you a speedy recovery.

Thank you!

I'm weird like that. Also probably because I've been working on these cars for so long that I can perform services like that on the fly without having to worry about getting myself knee deep in ****. Lol.

[Alucard]

Small but important update:
Secured EJ251 bottom end.
Pretty stoked about it for sure.

[mike-tracy]

That's awesome! Sorry for going on long tangents on your thread, good to have a fellow enthusiast still frequenting the board.

[Alucard]

That's awesome! Sorry for going on long tangents on your thread, good to have a fellow enthusiast still frequenting the board.

I was here many years ago as DOHCEJ22E1, then EJ22D. I lost access to both accounts, so now I am Alucard. Haha. I've been working a lot, but still have a lot of compiled data to post up when I have the time.

[mike-tracy]

I got my account back by pm'ing rkrenicki. You have to have access to the email associated with your old account for it to work though.

[Alucard]

So, quite a bit has been done to finish the new year off. First, the eBay chinesium muffler finally gave up after a year. Going into December, it was replaced.

[Alucard]

After the last muffler failed, I went to an exhaust shop to replace it with a 2.5in catback section with no muffler. After flow testing it, I am pleased with how it turned out.

[Alucard]

I'd ended up getting a previous ECU (7X) that ran an EJ22D I had a few years ago and running this current EJ22D with it. While it worked and worked well, it didn't work as well as the 1996 Legacy Outback ECU (1Q, programmed to run only on premium). The difference in smoothness and activity between 2500-4000rpm became extremely apparent. Even if the 7X had a higher speed limit (130mph), the 1Q is just better at doing what it needs to do with the engine, even if it will be limited at 115mph. The Mini Cooper S coil was a nice find, as it is as powerful as the MSD 8239 (36kv) at a fraction of the price.

[Alucard]

A while ago, I'd purchased a VMS lightweight crank pulley for an EJ22D that I'd done but ended up giving it to someone. I was able to get it back during a decent trade on New Year's Eve. Still in great shape and now installed again.

[Alucard]

And with that last mod, this engine now has every single bolt-on that could be purchased to release more power without adding on a turbocharger. The next post will likely be when dyno day happens.

As for feats, I launched on an IS300 F-Sport last night and he spent the next 3 gears trying to catch me until I hit the middle of 4th, after which he pulled away. The wagon can also keep up with late 90's N/A bolt-on Honda Preludes also to the end of 3rd gear (WRX 3.90 5mt), but a 4.11 or 4.44 5mt swap would make it quite a bit more swift.

[Alucard]

Possible valvetrain upgrade for future all-motor EJ25D.
The EJ251 & AVLS EJ253 valve springs are of similar diameter to the EJ25D valve spring but there are some differences. Let's get to them.

Pros:
SIGNIFICANTLY stiffer than any Phase 1 DOHC valve spring, even the EJ20K/R and EJ20D valve springs.
AVLS EJ253 valve springs are the stiffest of the SOHC Phase 2 2.5.
Retainers are slightly smaller and lighter than the EJ25D set.
Valves seem to be as light as the EJ25D set at current height (scale will confirm).
Valves and their stems slide right into the EJ25D/EJ20D heads perfectly.
Valves faces have much smaller dishes (compression+!).

Cons:
EJ251/EJ253 valve stems are too long and require cutting and relocation of keeper grooves.
EJ251/EJ253 valve springs must be cut to match EJ25D/EJ20D valve springs perfectly.

This can be done and if all goes well, I'll initiate it once I begin the high output EJ25D hybrid. I'm sure the valve lash will have to be figured (which might involve a conversion to be solid bucket then) but all and all, I'm too curious NOT to try this project out.

[Alucard]

Update: The car still does well and with the mod/mods the 2.2 is and has, I'm able to pull about 140mi per quarter tank traveled on long distance cruises. The high output EJ25D still hasn't been built yet, as I have had many delays or setbacks. Most of the parts are there to get it done, though. I will update more as soon as I can.

[Alucard]

After the first EJ22D I put in that I beat to death, I slapped the heads on an EJ251 and sent it with EJ257 Fel-Pro head gaskets. This H.O. EJ25D ran well for a couple of months. I'd forgotten to swap the oil pump out for a 10mm STi unit and that led to the death of what could have been a great engine still running to this day. That being said, the lack of an uprated oil pump during a run to 140mph starved the heads of oil and led to the destruction of the entire engine.

[Alucard]

After failure, nothing except the Moroso oil pickup was salvageable. The 2.5 became a paperweight in short order but not before having just enough power to park the car off the road and into a lot so that it could be towed later that week. After that, the EJ22E was installed, which was later replaced with the 2nd EJ22D that's still running 33k miles later. The 2nd H.O. 2.5 is in the works with the same mods as all the previous 2.2's and 2.5's have had before.

[Alucard]

As shown on the first page, this EJ22D (#2) has been a great engine for the past 33k miles and counting. Being paired to the WRX 3.9 5mt has made it fuel efficient, which is amazing considering gas prices as they are today. The wagon also ended up getting a 1996 Legacy Outback 2.5 ECU (Premium Only) that replaced the '99 GT unit (after water flooded it and destroyed it). Gloria then ended up getting an STi steering rack with RalliTek polyurethane bushings and a Mini Cooper S ignition coil (cheapest way to get an MSD 8239, as they have equal output). Unfortunately with the Outback ECU, I'm limited to 117mph when the '99 GT unit had no speed limiter.

[Alucard]

About 3 months ago, I noticed the timing belt cover beginning to warp around the A/C pulley area and decided to investigate. The moment I took the A/C belt tensioner off, the timing belt tensioner pulley popped out about 2mm! It was time to disassemble the timing completely. What I found was the tensioner bolt was angled with the tensioner bracket threads completely destroyed. And to think I had been redlining and driving the car in this state for no idea how long. Once the bracket was removed, a new bracket and timing belt tensioner were installed. Talk about close calls.

[prezy4life]

Hi. I got a question for you. If you can answer I would appreciate it. I swapped 99 EJ25D in my 97 Impreza which is controlled by the original 2.2 ecu. On ebay I see a lot of legacy GT ecu for less $$ than the one recommended for my car which is from the impreza 98 2.5RS. Do you know if the LGT ecu will work in my impreza. Thank you.

[Alucard]

Hi. I got a question for you. If you can answer I would appreciate it. I swapped 99 EJ25D in my 97 Impreza which is controlled by the original 2.2 ecu. On ebay I see a lot of legacy GT ecu for less $$ than the one recommended for my car which is from the impreza 98 2.5RS. Do you know if the LGT ecu will work in my impreza. Thank you.

Yes. ALL LGT ECU's from 96-99 will plug right into your Impreza and run the EJ25D, no problem.

[LosMan603]

Great thread man! It is really obvious you have great passion for Gloria and are skilled at turning wrenches as well.

One thing I am curious about, why are you sticking with the NA powerplants? I mean no disrespect, but with the amount of knowledge and skill you must have I would think you could build a pretty outrageous turbo setup Do you just enjoy the "limitations" & challenge of making more power from an NA?

Thanks for posting, I look forward to reading more!

[Alucard]

Great thread man! It is really obvious you have great passion for Gloria and are skilled at turning wrenches as well.

One thing I am curious about, why are you sticking with the NA powerplants? I mean no disrespect, but with the amount of knowledge and skill you must have I would think you could build a pretty outrageous turbo setup Do you just enjoy the "limitations" & challenge of making more power from an NA?

Thanks for posting, I look forward to reading more!

Thank you. While I do have a background in boosted setups for Volvos in the past and have also done a few boosted Subarus (but nothing Subaru for myself, which may change in the coming future), I prefer the N/A setups because of their inherent reliability and the challenge of making them produce more power beyond previous beliefs and limitations. I am a mechanic who seeks knowledge from the experiments I conduct on the naturally aspirated stuff. That being said, here is my latest project, the only EJ25D in the world at 12:1 compression ratio using stock factory parts.

[Alucard]

Less than 2 months ago, the EJ22D was dismantled and the bottom end was gifted to a good friend. Not long after that, I purchased an EJ254 because I wanted the 2.5 bottom end to put the EJ20D heads on. I learned much about the EJ254's bottom end in this endeavor, including that it shared the same crank and rods as the EJ251/EJ253, which I found favorable because that meant this bottom end was ready for 7000rpm out the factory.

The pistons are unique to the EJ254, as they have a -3cc dish like the EJ221/2/3 pistons do and the oil pump is the same 10mm type shared with the other AVCS EJ's of it's time period (EJ254 heads have AVCS on the intake side), so I kept it. With 7500rpm heads on a 7000rpm bottom end, I figured the match was close so I went ahead with the project. The head gaskets are STi head gaskets, nicely copper coated. The engine had all of the mods bolted onto it and after that, it was go time.

[Alucard]

Head chamber CC - 47.5 (after valve deshroud).
Head gasket thickness - 0.6mm (compressed).
Head gasket bore - 99.5mm.
Deck clearance - .0012in under.
Rod length - 131.6mm.
Stroke - 79mm.
Bore - 99.5.
Piston dish CC - -3.
Compression Ratio = 12.08:1

The intake and exhaust ports were also worked over, their casting areas and excess aluminum in certain spots have been removed, improving flow in the areas where it is held back the most. If this did have any detrimental effect, it is not felt at all as the engine has great low end that flows into the midrange without any kind of power dip all the way to 6500rpm. I am eager what the dyno graph will show.

[Alucard]

Doing a live ECU scan, I found that the ECU was pushing the RS fuel pump to match the fuel level the new EJ25D demanded over the EJ22D. 6.5% over what was seen as acceptable. Could even smell the hydrocarbons. Lol. Knowing that I had to get it back down to 0%, I installed a Walbro 255lph fuel pump I got for my birthday (9-15) and adjusted fuel pressure exactly 2psi up from the stock factory rating, which the ECU was content with and neither added nor subtracted fuel.

I also ported the throttle inlet and slimmed the throttle body plate on the inlet side to have the edge of a sharp kitchen knife. Throttle response is nicely quick. Enough to make this already-fun-to-drive GT wagon just about addictive to throw into and pull out of corners with an authority EJ25D's are just not supposed to have. As it is right now, this EJ25D is probably as perfect as I believe an N/A EJ25 hybrid CAN be so I won't seek more power.

In fact, I restored the previously removed snorkus and made the hybrid intake proper once again. Doing so increased the response on the low end a bit more whereas the snorkus had zero effect on this particular EJ22D (which is why it was removed to begin with/the ECU didn't register any detriment). I also reduced the copper spark plug gap down to .030. Everything I had done brought this EJ25D as close as I can to being as responsive and reliable as I can get it to be.

It's got almost 3000 miles on it already and runs like a peach, which I find hilarious because my last attempt at this kind of project for the EJ25D did not end well (to be fair, high speed runs on small oil pumps or blocks with diminished internal integrity never turn out well). For now, I'm just going to enjoy it and improve on the car more for it to be a competitor at Lime Rock Park's in-field.

[Alucard]

You'll find this funny.

For my auto to manual swap, I had to use a 3 wire speed sensor like the rest of the Phase 2 line of Subarus employ. When I grounded the speed sensor to a strut tower ground, I noticed that the speed limiter (114-117mph) would come on and off periodically, so I knew there HAD to be something I can do to delete it for good. This is my surefire speed limiter delete: Running a wire from the speed sensor ground to another ground. Pushed it all the way up to 140mph last weekend with no hiccups. (I'll make the grounds more sophisticated one day, lol.)

[Alucard]

I found a mint factory manual 1998 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT at 135k miles (even has the original EJ25D, which runs in great shape) and it has been restored here and there. When the periodical work is finished, I will then take it home and finish up the work that is needed. Here are pictures for now, as stock as she can be.

[mike-tracy]

Always loved me an LGT wagon. Nice score!