EJ22 NA rebuild?

Heads, valves, pistons, rods, crankshaft, etc...

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Snaer
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EJ22 NA rebuild?

Post by Snaer »

Hi guys and gals.

I am thinking about rebuilding an EJ22 NA engine I've got and slot it into a first gen. I've got the five speed manual gearbox and an LSD diff plus all the bits and pieces I'll need. On the other hand I've never done any of this work before so tips and pointers would be very welcome.

The plan is to change most of the pieces that wear out in the engine, gearbox and diff. Could any of you perhaps help me spot find what I'll need?

I was also wondering if there was any way of getting more power than stock out of the EJ22? I've not found anything as of now but maybe some of you could perhaps have info.

My goal is to have a good driving old car which will be reliable, NA and lightweight. I'll try to make it as "new" as possible at the same time.

I hope you guys have some insight that you could share with me but keep in mind that I live in Iceland so parts are not exactly cheap. Thanks in advance, Sindri.
Legacy777
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Re: EJ22 NA rebuild?

Post by Legacy777 »

Hi there,

My first suggestion would be to download the factory manuals and parts book from the stuff you need to know forum. That will let you look through some of the exploded diagrams and parts to get a better idea of how things are put together and function. There are some special tools used, especially on the transmission to assemble/disassemble. I have not done one of those so I can't comment on that. On the engine, the piston pins are pulled through a hole in the short block. One of the members on here made a tool out of round bar to get the pins out. I've made something similar.

Other than that it's pretty straight forward. You can check out the pictures from my rebuilds to get an idea of what's involved.

https://main.experiencetherave.com/subaru/images/ej22t/
https://main.experiencetherave.com/suba ... _headwork/

As for more power, you can increase the compression ratio which would likely require you running higher octane fuel. Delta Cams makes a regrind for the cams which can increase power. The cams do add a bit of valve lope at idle and will increase fuel economy. There is a point with both these things (higher CR and cams) where the stock ECU won't really compensate for the mods. So you should keep that in mind as well.

As you dig into this if you have specific questions please ask.
Josh

surrealmirage.com/subaru
1990 Legacy (AWD, 6MT, & EJ22T Swap)
2020 Outback Limted XT

If you need to get a hold of me please email me rather then pm
impostor
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Re: EJ22 NA rebuild?

Post by impostor »

If the engine has under 300k on it, just reseal everything on the outside, drop it in and go. The ej22 is a tank.

But if you're doing it to learn, than by all means go for it. Just take your time and do it right, no shortcuts.
impostor
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Re: EJ22 NA rebuild?

Post by impostor »

Guess I should have added, pull the oil pan and rocker covers. That will pretty much tell you the story on how it was taken care of.
Snaer
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Re: EJ22 NA rebuild?

Post by Snaer »

Thanks for the answer guys. I have pulled the engine apart and so far nothing is looking too grim, although there were some water marks on one of the long head bolts which I will look into. Now I've got two of the pistonpins out but I have no idea how to split the engine block in two... Any ideas?
jamal
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Re: EJ22 NA rebuild?

Post by jamal »

Once all the pistons are out, undo all the bolts and it comes apart. Just don't miss any. Sometimes it takes a little prying and hammering, but you don't want to mar up the sealing surfaces. An adjustable clamp turned around backward on the back of the block is a good way to split it. It's also easier IMO to push the pins out with a long screwdriver. With the crank just slightly off TDC there's enough room to slide one past the rod that's in the way.

The minimum you should do with it apart is have the bores honed and put in new piston rings and bearings. Ideally the journals and crank are measured with a micrometer and bore gauge to calculate actual bearing clearances. But maybe if you just drop in standard size parts it'll be fine. I like the king xp and acl race bearings in that order.

Also check the deck for straightness. Block and heads need to be straight with a pretty fine surface finish, especially on 2.5s and turbo if you want to keep the headgaskets intact.
peter@functionauto.com
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