What engines (year/model) will swap into a 1996 legacy with a 2.2 5 speed without any modifications to the car (including using the stock wiring)? The engine in my dads car is just about dead (leaking enough oil into one cylinder that it wont fire anymore) and finding another 1996 2.2 isn't easy.
Hmm, so maybe there isn't? It's pretty bad that I could find a new engine for my Milano easier than for this car...
EJ2.2 was farily common throughout 90s subarus and most should swap. At some point they changed from a dual exhaust port head to a single exhaust port head which would make a difference in your swap but otherwise I'd think most would work.
Have you tried car-part.com to look for a motor? If you pop in the 1996 it will cross reference compatable motors in its search.
Hmm, so all the sensors/wiring from the 96 should swap to an older ej22? I checked car-part.com, there are a few but either quite expensive or on the other side of the country. The car has 370k miles on it and needs a $500 cat to pass emissions too, so unless I can get a pick and pull engine its not really worth fixing.
you're probably spending that much on even a scrap engine in most of the country.
If this car will never be performance, then an engine swap is probably not worth it.
But if you like the car and the engine is otherwise sound, you might as well drop the scratch on the $500. That 2.2 is basically indestructible by all accounts i've been told.
The engine is dead. It's got 370k miles and it has been noisy for the last 80k or so, and it has eiher lost compression on one cylinder, or the sparkplug is getting fouled because it's burning too much oil( or likely both). The closer engines on car-part.com are around $750, and the car will need a $500 cat in addition to pass smog (it was replaced about 2 years ago and has already failed again due to the heavy oil consumption. I know the car isn't really worth fixing, but not fixing it will mean my dad will have to quit his job, and not having the money would be a problem. If it can be fixed with a $250 junkyard engine and a new cat it will at least be useable awhile longer.
well, good luck. everywhere i've seen still has pulled engines north of $600.
i'd still have a subaru specialist, like a tuner shop, take a look to see what the engine is really up against.
I can get one for $250 from the junkyard. The main thing I am wondering is what year range will fit in that car, whether it's only 96, or years before or after. Even if for some reason it could be fixed, the engine that's in it burns so much oil that it would kill the cat again in a year.
Any EJ18, EJ22 or EJ25 should swap right in.
Where are you located? Im in the Philly area and have picked up decent motors for less than $500.
I have a later (single exhaust port) 2.2 from a 98 I believe sitting in the garage right now that I'd let go for a fair price. Supposed to have about 100k on it. Bought it as a backup for the Wartburg then found out about the change in exhaust ports and wasn't able to use it with the exhaust setup in our car.
I've got a buddy who knows more about theses motors than I do, I'll shoot him a message and see if he knows which ones work for a 96.
rebuild it! they are butt simple motors. new gaskets and you'll be good to go.
Do a search on the NASIOC forums for swapability. Find a Pull_A-Part you can drive to that has a Subaru in it. The one near me will sell any 4 cylinder engine for $115 
You can buy anti-foulers for under $10 a pair. I'd try them( and hotter plugs) first. Heck, $30 might get him another 50 thousand miles or so.
Junkyard_Dog wrote: Do a search on the NASIOC forums for swapability. Find a Pull_A-Part you can drive to that has a Subaru in it. The one near me will sell any 4 cylinder engine for $115
Thats pretty much what I intended on doing, other than I just posted here instead of there, but I will try asking there also. Hotter spark plugs may possibly help, if it would run without misfiring (and it would run long enough to get it smogged without setting a cat efficiency code again). The engine burns a ton of oil though, it has used around a quart every 500 miles for quite some time.
If a 95 engine would work (by work I mean run with the stock computer and not set any fault codes) there are plenty of those around (there are plenty of EJ18s also), that would be fine, but there just arent any decent 96 subarus in the junkyard here right now.
Im located in california, so I imagine shipping an engine from across the country wouldnt be cheap.
this is a 90 I got for 600 with 170000 mi from a dude in lake arrowhead, ca.
its in my vanagon now -of course yours is obd2.
try JDM for a replacement. they have all kinds for 600 to 800 with 40 k+ miles onem. that will be my replacement.
Yeah, thats the problem... Are the OBD II ones different? the car is not worth $600-$800 for a new engine, it needs a $500 cat either way, and it has such high mileage it wouldnt be worth spending $1300 on it, A $250 engine would still be worth it though.
1990-1994 were all the same. 1995 added an egr valve. 1996 same as 95, I believe Any of the earlier engines will swap, all the blocks are the same. 1997 went to single port exhaust which would mean hacking your exhaust.
Universal cats can be had for $75-$150 all day long. Are you trying to talk him into getting rid of it? If your Dad wants to save the car, and is willing to pay what it takes to fix it, FIX IT. If he's happy with it, that's all that matters. Maybe you don't want to invest $$$ in it, but if it makes him happy, so what?
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I'm in California, cats on obd2 cars are $$$$$$$. Neither him nor I can afford to do anything other than swap a junkyard engine in, or sell it and get another $800 pos Subaru or something else. The best choice would be to buy an engine from the junkyard with 150k on it and swap it in and keep driving it.
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