deadhp1's 94 lifted n/a wagon ej253 swap

[deadhp1]

I've been working on my old 94 wagon lately. Mostly to get it ready for the road. I lifted it with the suspension from the 99 forester and replaced the steering rack boots with the ones from the forester.(also did whiteline steering rack bushings) I'm still planning on swapping on the forester lateral links and sway bar mounts as my 94 doesn't have endlink mounts for my whiteline rear bar. I've also got a vlsd rear diff from a 04 forester xt that might get gutted to be added to my 3.9 rear diff.

Th car has wrx 17"s and the tires are a little small. I do have a full set of forester 16"s that will be going on the car unless I can track down a good price on tires for the full set of forester 15"s I also have.



We thought the car had an exhaust leak and rattling heat shields, so we had removed it and repaired it.



The rattle was still there and got worse as the car ran. The ej22 sounds like it has a spun bearing so it looks like it's time for another swap.
This will be my 5th subaru engine swap, but my first obd1 swap.



I have an ej253 from a 99 forester with 54k. The ej253 has 173hp so it should be a nice bump. I figure that this is just telling me the legacy liked all the forester parts I've added to it so far.

EJ253 on the engine stand with manifold removed.



The plan is to change the following:

-cam and crank sensors from 94
-coolant crossover from 94
-engine wiring harness from 94
-power steering, alternator, and ac from 94
-throttle body from 94 with a block off plate for the iacv port
-oil sender from 94
-knock sensor from 94
-Trim the fuel injector ears on the 99 manifold and flip connectors so they click and the yellow wire is in the correct spot.
-Relocate the iacv either by drilling out an old pcv and adding a y connector before the pcv or drilling and tapping freeze plug on the top of the 99 manifold.
-I'll be using the coil from the 94, the wires from the 99, modifying the 99 plug ends to fit, and adding boots from the 94 wires.
-I'll also have to change the charcoal canister connector on the 99 manifold.
-I'll be using the 99 intake manifold as the 94 won't bolt up to the 99 heads.
-I'm still not sure if I'll paint the manifold or valve covers while I have them off.(did it on my ej25d swaps and it came out great!)

We started pulling the engine at 4pm.



At 8pm the engine was out.

[beatersubi]

Interested to see how the motor swap turns out.

[Legacy777]

What's going on in this picture, and why is the exhaust all red?

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o232 ... 190243.jpg

[deadhp1]

we previously repaired and painted the exhaust with vht header paint red. Within 20 minutes of running the exhaust manifold paint had started to turn white. I'll probably repaint it all black as the red really didn't hold up well.
We have the full exhaust from the forest and a wrx catback, so we might swap the headers and cats from the forester to the legacy.

[deadhp1]

I started swapping the engine block wiring harness from the 94 ej22 to the ej253 today.
I swapped the oil pressure sender from the 94 ej22 to the ej253. I'm not sure if I needed to but the 94 sender looked newer than the 99.

Found out my ej253 has an oil cooler. A nice bonus!


The crank position sensor broke off so I'll have to modify the harness to plug into the sensor from the ej253.


The ej22 camshaft position sensor is the same size as the ej253 and was simple to swap over.

I did have to take off the ej253 valve cover to get to the sensor.

Since I am reusing the 94 ej22 ac/alternator brackets I had to grind a little to fit the castings in the ej253 heads.


I got the alternator mounted(it's adjusted quite high right now so I can still access the crank position sensor)


Mounted the 94 ej22 coolant crossover tube onto the ej253 block with new o-rings and lastly used the 94 ej22 pcv tubing on the ej253 block.

[SILINC3R]

you might hear this from other members, but you might want to bypass the oil cooler. it is a week leak and thats the last thing you want after a nice swap.

[deadhp1]

I'll have to wait a bit to bypass the oil cooler. I don't have the tool to remove the coolant plug off a spare block.
Today I'll hopefully be putting the engine in.
I've got to take some pictures of my block off plates, and my injector wiring.

[deadhp1]

So today we still didn't get the engine installed. We did make some progress before it started to snow.

We modified the ej253 plug wires to work with the ej22 coil pack.

With the boots pulled down the wire gold=ej22 silver=ej253


As you can see the ej253 connecter is a bit smaller and has a retaining ring to keep it tight on the male ends of the ej253 coil pack. So I just removed the ring and spread the connecter with a screwdriver. I check the fit for each wire to make sure it doesn't move around when inserted into the ej22 coil pack.


I removed the ej253 cover by splitting it with the edge of a scissor, being careful not to damage the wire at all.
Since I only needed the ej22 covers I just pulled those off.(the connecter broke off with each one). I then slipped the ej22 boot onto the ej253 wire.(ej22 original on left, ej253 modified on right)


I had a spare 99 phase II ej22 intake manifold to experiment with. There is a freeze plug in the top of the manifold. It can be popped inwards using a long 12mm socket and a hammer. It also has a hole directly underneath it that it can fit into.

When the freeze plug is popped into the lower hole the top chamber of the throttle body becomes sealed and you wouldn't need a block off plate.

I tried my hand at tapping the freeze plug hole on the top.(this manifold can also be used on the ej253 if I wanted.) I used a 22mm x 1.5 tap(7/8" nf 14).



It looks like it would make a perfect connection for a relocated IACV.


There is also a freeze plug on the top of the ej253 intake manifold.

Since I didn't have a 7/8" pipe laying around I decided to tap the freeze plug itself for my relocated IACV.
I had a bunch of old PCV valves laying around so I ground off the tops and now I have threaded tube connectors.
I tapped the freeze plug for 14mm x 1.5 which is perfect for the PCV valve.

I also made a block off plate for the throttle body since I will be using that upper chamber for the IACV

I made sure to seal the block off plate with permatex ultra grey, but a ej253 throttle body gasket would of probably worked just fine.

I also made 2 block off plates for the IACV and stacked them. They need to be stacked because I threaded in one of my modified PCV valves into it, and if threaded in too far they could interfere with the opening and closing of the valve. It has been sealed with ultra grey between the plates and around the threads of the PCV valve.
It was then bolted to IACV.


Since the injector pigtails don't match you can do one of two things. Either cut the nubs off the sides of the ej253 injectors and flip the ej22 connectors so they click, or re-pin the ej22 wiring harness with the ej253 connectors. I chose to re-pin mine.


On the ej22 the bottom metal fuel line goes to the charcoal canister.

I extended the ej253's line to reach the canister. I also replaced the solenoid bolted underneath the ej253 manifold with the one from the ej22.


I pretty much just copied the ej22's vacume routing and got 2 lines to connect to my charcoal canister.


Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the engine in.

[Legacy777]

Nice progress!

[deadhp1]

Got the engine in the other day. Progress has been slow due to rain and other commitments.
Today I went to put the stock exhaust on which broke right after the second cat. So I are going to be putting on the forester header, cat and mid-pipe. If I add the axle-back from the 94 legacy it will all line up. The forester cat has the bracket in the proper spot, but the hole is on the wrong side. It will have to be drilled.

I bought 3ft of 5/8's ID tubing for the modified pcv to iacv fitting. Too bad when I attached it to the top of the manifold it pulled the freeze plug out. I will have to take the manifold off and tap it to 7/8nf14 like I thought. I'll also have to find a fitting for it. It's not the end of the world, but it is a little frustrating.

So close to running, yet so far away.

[deadhp1]

Today I ordered a AN 10 to 1/2" 90 degree elbow for the IACV system($10). 10 AN fittings are 7/8nf14 threads. I will be taking the manifold off and tapping the freeze plug for 7/8nf14.

We also built most of the new exhaust. It consists of the header, cat, and midpipe from the 99 forester. The cat was slightly damaged while removing old O2 sensors. The rear bung broke off, so we tapped the hole to M20x1.5 and used an old subaru oil drain plug to block it off. The 94 legacy O2 sensor threaded right into the front bung and reaches the wiring harness.

The cat had to be modified slightly. The 94 cat has a bracket with 2 holes. The rear hole bolts to the tranny bracket.
The 99 forester cat bracket has 1 hole in the front, so we drilled the second hole in the rear and now it bolts up just fine.

We used the 94 legacy axle-back and found out that the forester mid-pipe was about 3 1/4" too short in the front. I will be cutting it and using a flexible extension and some clamps to hold it together.

Pretty decent progress for 3 hours. I'll take some pictures of the exhaust setup next time I get a chance to work on the car.

[deadhp1]

Today I extended the forester mid-pipe by 3 1/4 inches with a flexible exhaust repair kit.


Took some pictures of the forester header and cat all hooked up.



Pictures of the engine in it's new home


I tried to start it today, but it wouldn't even turn over. After cleaning the ground near the starter it turns over, but we need to add some more grounds as the engine is having some problems starting still.
It wants to fire, but it just doesn't seem to want to catch.
Keep in min d at this point the IACV still isn't hooked up.

[vrg3]

Without the IAC you might have to prop the throttle open a little to get it to start. The IAC valve, if hooked up, would let a fair bit of air bypass the throttle body when cold.

[vrg3]

Oh, the timing of this whole thing might make it useless for you, but there's something else I want to mention -- there's a chance that you might be able to use the EJ253 throttle body and IAC valve. The reason you're using the 94 throttle body is that the TPS is different, right? MikeyMiyagi has a similar issue in his car: http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48934

He's going to test out the electronic adapter I built (I mailed it to him today); my hope is that it would allow the EJ22 ECU to work with the 3-wire TPS. If it works, you might be able to go that route -- use the EJ253 throttle and IAC and put one of these circuits in to make the ECU happy.

Or is the EJ253 IAC built around a stepper motor?

[deadhp1]

The main reason I'm using the 94 throttle body is the TPS. I have also considered using a ej18 throttle body which has a IACV built in and should be compatible with our systems. I just don't have an ej18 around....yet.

I'm not sure what the IACV is based off of. It is a 6-wire unit. I'd possibly be interested in an adapter for the TPS and IACV, that would really be useful for alot of swaps.

I have a couple of 6-wire iacv's lying around here if you want to take a crack at those.

The only reason I'm running without an IACV right now is I'm waiting for a fitting to come in the mail. I could of made a fitting for about $25 from lowes parts, but the 10an elbow would be alot nicer.

My brother and I did an ej251 swap into his 97 obs with the IACV disconnected atm and we are aware of the needed idle adjustment. It ran well with the iacv relocated. If my plan for the fitting in the freeze plug works out we will be doing it on his car too.

[vrg3]

Hmm, I don't think there's a reasonable way to adapt the 6-wire IACvalve to work with the EJ22 ECU. I'm pretty sure it uses a stepper motor, which is completely different from the duty solenoid style IAC valve that has 2 or 3 wires. If you have a spare 6-wire IAC valve I'd love to take a closer look at it one and see if maybe I'm wrong about that though.

I didn't know the EJ18 had an idle switch in its TPS. If it does, that's great! Otherwise, if MikeyMiyagi has luck with the testing, you might have other options. I believe that a 2000-2001 EJ22 throttle body, for example, has a 3-pin IAC valve.

I'm sure you'll do great with the plumbing you have planned. I was just throwing around ideas.

[deadhp1]

I also have a 99-2001 phase ej22 throttle body. I believe it has the 3-wire IACV, but the connector is slightly different.

[vrg3]

That's the one I'd use if I were you. It may be possible to come up with some kind of adapter to make the 6-wire IAC valve work, but if you're going to have to make wiring changes anyway you might as well just use the 3-wire valve.

[deadhp1]

So today my brother and I got the car running and it sounds great. It's actually quite loud with the exhaust that's on it. The exhaust is 99 forester header, 99 forester cat(second O2 sensor plugged and drilled mounting hole in bracket), 99 forester mid-pipe(cut and lengthened 3 1/4"), and the 94 legacy axle-back.

It turns out the problem that we had with starting was some bad grounds and the crank position sensor.
It wouldn't even turn over until the grounds were sanded and cleaned. Then it was having trouble firing so we took a look at the injectors and the crank sensor.
I had taken apart the 94 injector connecter and used the 99's so I wouldn't have to cut the tabs off the actual injectors. So I switched the pins for each injector and had no change in starting. I guess they work either way.
Then my brother reminded me about the crank sensor.
I had broken the 94 legacy crank sensor so I had used the 99 forester's sensor and connector. I cut the 94 pigtail near the sensor and used crimps/heat shrink to connect to the foresters connecter which I cut of the 99 harness. Well I must of wired it backwards, so I took the pins out and switched holes.
It started at the first turn of the key!!
It's nice to know that late model crank sensors can be used as a replacement for the expensive pigtailed bc/bf sensors.

I'm now looking forward to getting my 10an fitting in the mail so I can connect my IACV and have the car idle right.




Just for reference purposes I took some pictures of various throttle bodies I have laying around.

From left to right I have:
ej251(6-wire IACV), ej253(6-wire IACV), 99-01 phase II ej22(3-wire IACV, and 96 ej25d(no IACV)

[vrg3]

Awesome! That's exciting that you got it started!

Any chance we could see those throttle body photos at higher resolution?

[deadhp1]

I don't really have anywhere to post full-size images. My free photobucket account only allows web-size images. If you want me to take close-up pictures of specific things let me know. I could send you full size images through email if you'd like, just pm me your email.

Today I received the 10an to 1/2" NPT elbow.


I took off the throttle body and tapped the manifold for 7/8nf14. The 10an side of the elbow screwed in like butter. I put some Permatex Ultra-Grey on the threads and 2 o-rings at the top.
Then I resealed my block-off plate with some more Ultra-Grey.



I'll let it cure overnight and tomorrow I'll pick up a 1/2" FPT barb fitting so I can finish hooking up my IACV.

[vrg3]

That looks great. Where are you planning to mount the IAC valve?

Picasa lets you host any size pictures for free. If you have a Google account you can sign in with it.

But, anyway, I'd love it if you could send me the full-size throttle body photos; I'll PM you my email address. Thanks!

[deadhp1]

I'm not totally sure about where I'm going to mount the IACV. I will probably mount it near the firewall/pass strut tower.
The long term plan is to run braided stainless lines to a thicker IACV block-off/mounting plate.
Short term plan is to mount the IACV with zip ties hanging from the AC lines. We've been running the short term setup on my brother's 97 obs for 3 years so far and it hasn't fallen or moved at all.

Sent out the pics. I'll check out Picasa, thanks for the info.

[deadhp1]

I got the IACV hooked up today.
I went to lowes and picked up 2 brass fittings. 1/2" coupler and a 1/2" mip to 5/8" barb.
The 5/8" barb fits perfectly to my 5/8" ID reinforced washing machine hose.


From the airbox line to the IACV we used a 3/4" ID clear braided vinyl hose.


The IACV is is held in place with a couple of zip ties under the plastic airbox line and connected to the ac lines.
I had previously extended the harness and made longer coolant lines for the IACV.(from throttle body and from coolant crossover.)

The result is the car idles perfectly and the IACV works just like it is supposed to.
All that's left for now is to bleed the coolant system and top off the atf fluid.

This is how it sits now after putting the whiteline strut tower bar back on.


And a picture of the crank sensor

[SUBYLUV871]

that looks good. keep up the good work.