The Hippo - Prepping for an EJ20G swap!

[Fkyx]

I just recently started tear-down in preparation for the swap, and now have a pretty okay camera to document it with. To be clear: I have VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY little mechanical experience. The first time I touched anything in my car was when I changed the timing belt and seals not that long ago. I'm jumping into something quite ambitious here, but I feel like I have a decent enough base of knowledge and all of the resources necessary to get me through this. So here it is! The Hippo: Jillian is her name.

Day 1
Okay... so first of all, I had a dent on the driver side front fender from a day when I was trying to be cool. I attempted to slide across the hood, but instead jumped into the side of the car and left a pretty large mark. I wanted to remove the fenders, anyway... so I went ahead with it. Supposed to remove the front bumper first, but after an hour and a half of struggle with the bumper, I figured out how to get the fenders off on their own.

There was a LOT of dirt/dry mud left from when I broke it. Whoops.



Doing my best to avoid removing the bumper, I proceeded with my first mod:



Looks a little less grimey. I'll clean this up more as the project progresses. So I decided it's time to remove the front bumper...
Here's my ghetto lighting for when I removed the headlights:


Half an hour to 45 minutes and a LOT of frustration later...


Yes... I used the hammer, too - a LOT. And I found this:


With the fenders and bumper off, I could put the wheels back on so I'd be able to work inside the engine bay. First project is disassembling the intake system; an easy task to end the day.




Day 2
Here's an example of some of the horrible electrical issues I'm going to have to take care of. This is how they installed the Fuel Cut Defender. I'll be splicing these wires for a more permanent solution:



Definitely going to need to contact MRT for a replacement manual. I have no idea what to do with it. lol

While I'm waiting for the coolant to drain, here's a photo of the winter tires I'm using... in case any of you were wondering. Hankook Winter i*Pikes. Pretty good.


Sorry for the horrible pictures... I haven't quite learned what little there is with my new camera yet.

[kimokalihi]

Build thread section...

Are you doing a build or just showing pictures?

[Fkyx]

More progress means more pretty horrible photos!

So today didn't quite go as I had planned. Decided to remove the intake manifold before I got around to anything else. What a BITCH. Power steering lines, turbo inlets, harnesses... all sorts of shit got in my way. It took me an hour to get it out AFTER unbolting it. I broke a few brittle hoses, but they're replaceable... and I won't need them for quite a while.

AC Delete:


Intercooler and starter motor delete:


Leaky power steering system?


Anyone else think this is horrible placement for the coolant reservoir?







Left the harness in there because I couldn't find my 11mm wrench to remove a sensor.

Opened up my knuckle (I know you can't see it, it's hardly a scratch lol) and used a bandaid to cover it up while I continued to work. Makes for a nice little... tan line?


I promise better photos when the new engine goes in. lol

[magicmike]

are you planning on pulling the motor? If so why are you busting your ass working on it so much in the car?

[Fkyx]

Yeah, I'll be pulling it.

It's my first time snooping around in the engine bay, really. So I really want to get a good look at where everything goes before i pull the block. Plus, I have all sorts of time before the new engine will be in... so why not? I'm going to end up cracking the old engine in the future, anyway.

I'm also just following what my Haynes manual says. lol

[magicmike]

Just my opinion but its easier to take all that apart with the motor on a stand or a bench and not bent over the fender or bumper beam the whole time. Also, chances are that when you rebuild the motor or put a new one in you will have to rig it differenly on the cherry picker and it would have been good to have the experience on where to lag it and balance it when you took it out. Also, i hope you are taking a TON of pictures and some advice for a first timer, every bolt you take out stick it back a few threads where it came out. Don't keep bags of parts or trays. you will forget trust me, i learned that the hard way the first time! lol

[Fkyx]

Also, i hope you are taking a TON of pictures and some advice for a first timer, every bolt you take out stick it back a few threads where it came out. Don't keep bags of parts or trays. you will forget trust me, i learned that the hard way the first time! lol

It's all good. I've been replacing bolts just like you mentioned. I may be a first timer, but I'm definitely not going at this unprepared or ignorant.

[magicmike]

Hey, i'm definately not an expert, just looking out...

[Fkyx]

Hey, i'm definately not an expert, just looking out...

And I appreciate it! That's why I'm posting on the forums. Like I said... I'm just doing what the Haynes manual tells me to do, and I don't mind bending over into the engine bay. Sometimes I even go ahead and sit inside of it. lol

[douglas vincent]

Personally, while itis a bitch to pull the intake manifold first, I always do it before pull motors. But thats just me. I like being able to bolt the engine hoist onto the heads.

[beatersubi]

Anyone else think this is horrible placement for the coolant reservoir?

Sometimes it has to go where it fits. But yes, in general, directly above the hotside of the turbo is not a good place for a coolant resevior.

Also, its much easier to access the torque converter bolts with the intake mani out of the way. If you're stuck with an auto, that is.

Good documentation. Sometimes that helps with reassembly.

[Fkyx]

Can I avoid removing power steering fluid if I'm just moving the pump and reservoir out of the way?

*EDIT*
Nevermind. I got it.

Trying to get the turbo unbolted... with very little luck. Previous owner really torqued it to the downpipe when they installed the exhaust. Might need a second hand....

[93forestpearl]

Keep up the good work. You'll never know what you are capable of unless you push yourself.

[BXSS]

Just figured I'd let you know (if you do not already know) that the EJ20G will plug right up to ej22t wiring & run fine...
You just have to use the ej22t cam & crank sensors on the Ej20G if it is out of a WRX.

When you want to get the proper EJ20G program in the ECU you could just get the Revtronix Chip with a EJ20G MAP that will be out soon.
You'll have a swap with 0 wiring this way (not to mention your EJ20G wiring will bring you a few bucks on RS25)...

[Fkyx]

Okay. When I exchanged emails with Barrett at All Wheels Driven, here's what he replied with:

I can get you an early (90-95) 20g Turbo for ....

Does this mean it's from a Legacy?

[BXSS]

I assume you mean motor.
As No Subarus came with 20G turbos from the factory, he probably meant 16G if you were talking turbos.

The early EJ20G motors out of Legacys have a strange valve-train that folks generally stay away from.
Get a EJ20G out of a WRX & be happy.

[Fkyx]

Got the engine unbolted from the transaxle... sort of. I can't find the second top-side engine-transaxle bolt. I found the one on the passenger side, but the driver side? The engine will move freely by hand, though... so maybe the driver side bolt goes through the starter, which I already removed?

Otherwise, I'm ready to pull.

Also called Barrett and talked to him. No EJ20G from his first supplier... he says he'll call his other supplier(s) on Monday. I'm very excited but also quite nervous. Hopefully he can find something for me.

[PhyrraM]

Yes, the last bolt is the starter bolt.

Did you pull the clutch release arm shaft? It's the biggest first timer oversight.

[555BCTurbo]

Barrett will find you something...


If he has further trouble...tell him to call me...

[BXSS]

I am pretty sure there are a few EJ20G swaps on ebay right now.

[Fkyx]

Really only looking for the longblock sans transaxle. Unfortunately the ebay specials all come with the transaxle, and as a result fall WAY outside of my budget after shipping. I realize I can resell the transaxle, but it'd be too tempting to swap it in instead. I can't afford that, and the transaxle in the car now won't sell for enough to offset the cost of... well, anything.

Then there's the issue of shipping. I'm hoping to pick the longblock up from Barrett and save myself the cost of shipping.