Has anyone pulled a phase 1 EJ25 out and replaced it with a phase 1 EJ22?
The Subaru forums all say that, given the same year, its totally plug and play. You can use the EJ25 harness and ECU and after a re-learning period it will work fine (basically, the MAF tells the ECU that less air is going in and it doesn't matter that it's because you have two fewer camshafts.)
Can anyone confirm this? Got any tips for me? I just don't have the same trust in the other forums that I have in the GRM crowd.
The car is a '97 Legacy Outback if that matters.
Methinks you can get away with any EJ22, just keep the EJ25 intake manifold and electrics. Your dual port headers will bolt up to any '89-95 '22, you'll need single port headers for a '96 or later engine. Be wary that if you need EGR hook ups, the '95 manual trans only EJ22 heads had no EGR provision.
Hmm, I'll have to check and see if there's a discount on the older EJ22's, my plan right now is to find a 97 or 98 EJ22 since those seem to be the easiest swap.
Not to derail anything, but there is also a hybrid that some do, EJ22 heads on the EJ25 (depending on what good parts you have to work with, and whether or not you want to do a project or just get it running).
(I apologize that I don't know much more than that, except for a friend that did it, but I don't know if he started with the DOHC or the SOHC 2.5),
They put high octane AvGas in it, with no tuning, it's high compression due to the 2.2 heads, and I hear it makes a lot of power :D
reliability ? I haven't heard specifics.
But anyways, good luck, I'm just replacing heads on my SOHC 2000 2.5RS now, same ones though, old one bent the valves due to timing belt issue.
