I hear so much flack about the EJ engines from both within the Subaru community and from folks who drive other junk (well duh, right?). With 186k on the clock of my Forester, I'm sure that thing doesn't have a ton of life left before I have it out for a handful of repairs. At least the head gaskets, water pump and probably an oil pump for the hell of it. I know this little guy isn't made for boost but when I do those repairs, if I use the correct head gasket and head studs, can I run 6 or 7 pounds without killing it? Otherwise, are there any stockp-turbo Subaru engines that are known for being reliable? I'd like to get it dialed and not have to worry about it popping if I'm having a little fun or driving it a few states away. ej205? ej255?
You would be better off if you want to go boosted just drive yours till the wheels come off save money along the way and get a forester xt.
Yes, you can run a few PSI of boost with no major issues. It'll most likely cost you more than just the upgrade to a forester XT (or swapping in a turbo EJ engine) and you'll run into all sorts of frustrations and the need for some custom one off parts. Almost certainly will need a piggy back ECU too (not sure about your forester, but 03/04 Non turbo Subaru foresters are untunable, even the dealer has to pull the ECU and ship it to Subaru for it to be updated for a TSB or recall). It's not worth trying to tune or get more power out of the 4cyl NA engines anyway. One of the fellow moderators with me at SF.org has a 2003 that he converted with a AVO turbo kit. He ended up having to buy two turbo kits to have spare parts ($$$), piggy back ECU ($$$) and numerous other pitfalls and problems he had to solve (I believe he had to add a 5th injector to the top of the intake to get enough fuel to the engine too). It took him quite a while to get it all running properly and tuned. It's been running reliably with no problems for MANY years, but he says he would never do it again and just buy a Forester XT off the bat (which he ended up doing, and now has both). Also, the NA to Turbo car is probably driven pretty gently, as I don't see this guy as banging through gears and bouncing off the rev limiter. No clue how well it would hold up under even moderately hard driving. Plus, you'll spend all this money and time, and only end up with a car that has about the same HP as a stock Forester XT, and when you get bored with that 200HP in a few months, there is nothing more you can do to that engine to get more power out of it.
Alright, so that rules out low boost on this one. The real question then is which boosted ej is the most reliable. Ideally, an ej255 will fit the bill. Buying up a crashed FXT would net me everything I need at a reasonable price.
Subaru boosted motors have always had issues. They fix the issue of the previous generation then a new one crops up with the next motor. IE Rod bearings Rings lands the list goes on. A swap into your current car even with a donor car is a huge task.
^Yes OP you should either just sell your current car and buy an FXT or do the preventive maintenance on your car (HG and water pump) and drive it for a while longer while saving up for FXT. Or 3rd option is do whatever you want and don't listen to good advice and learn your own lessons! Either way Subaru ownership is like an abusive spouse; they only hurt you cuz they love you.
SF is my favorite body style but if a 2004 (yes, only 04) FXT is in the cards, I'll get it. Really, I love the idea of a fully swapped sf and am more than willing to put in the legwork. Worst hangup will be any wiring incompatibility I come across but it really shouldn't be much. Hell, if I find a wrecked LGT I'll get sweet leather interior!
Even if you enjoy the process of the swap and don't run into any issues, you still will have a significant disadvantage in resale value with the swapped car no matter what. Even if you make it nicer than a stock FXT your resale value will be lower. Even if you think you "will never sell" and you will never want more or get bored, you never know and it is always better to have the higher resale. You never know when you might lose your job or have some health problem. I have STI swapped my WRX and have a mildly built engine and I honestly wish I had just started with an STI.
Tools are covered and work space would be either rented or I can do the swap at work. Pretty much my outlook on things lol
I mean, this car is getting swapped no matter what. The debate only lies in which engine/tranny to use. An ee20 (diesel) from a euro Forester would be incredible.
I guess. Having been down the NA-T, NA-SC, NA to turbo swap, and mixed badge swap road it's just way less time, effort, and money. Now if there's sentimental attachment to a shell that's another story... albeit still an expensive and timely story... just ask Josh. You can still enjoy the journey while being economical and efficient. Then again this is also coming from the guy with 2 more cars than parking spaces who drives less than 4k miles a year so :shrug:
This. If you're going to waste a massive amount of time and goodly amount of money, you might as well do something interesting. If you're insistent on a Subaru motor, do a 2005+ EZ30 with an STI 6 spd.
Oh, yeah, different topics within one post. I know that'd be silly. I absolutely would and gathering the engine/components is so easy!! The issue is that I love Subaru's AWD and wouldn't want to sacrifice that.
Bah. A RWD Forester with well over 300 naturally-aspirated HP would be pretty dang sweet. (BTW, if this is your only car/daily driver, I wouldn't advocate any of this...)
It is BUT I am more than capable (and have for years) of riding my bike to any and all of the things.
Bell housing adapter for an ls might be easier than cutting the trans tunnel for an ls/t56 in any oldusdm Subaru body. Guessing you'd have to lift it like a foot to get the axles to line up... Getting it to all fit lengthwise tho... What's your budget?
You're on! But I pick the route. With enough downhill and sub 25mph (recommended) corners, I may have a chance! Yeah, an LS isn't the best option unless I want to do more fab than those filling my belly with whiskey at The Saloon. Budget isn't going to be an issue when I start shopping.
I didn't mean a race, just wanted to see it done and laugh. Would be hilarious. We could probably wire you up some Hella's on the front and some vape juice so you'd fit right in. Sorry, I'll stop side tracking the swappage.
