Also, the '98 is an EJ25D right? Does this mean some of the Legacy stuff interchanges with that? car-part.com does not show they are compatible.
What for? Why not the SOHC? The SOHC is a superior design. You'll make more power, even up top, with cams. Patrick Olsen's comparison on Nasioc: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154832 Cobb's old tech articles on the heads: http://www.gigafiles.co.uk/files/1850/Cobb%20Tech%20Article%20Subaru%202.5L%20SOHC.doc Keep an eye on the For Sale section of Nasioc. You may be able to grab one cheap from a part our or something. You may pay freight shipping, but you'll still end up pretty cheap. I think most everything is interchangeable to a large degree. Nasioc has a lot of build threads for info.
You can't just plop any SOHC motor in there and expect it to work with the existing controls. I wouldn't trust the '98 ECU to compensate for the completly different airlflow dynamics of a SOHC motor anyways. I second car-part.com. You can find steals on there. Like a few years ago when I found my 22T longblock for $200. And yes, a '97-'98 Forester or Legacy GT engine would work just fine, even some '99 Leagcy GT engines.
Thanks for answering my question! This will help me broaden my search on car-part.com I agree that there will be CELs for different emissions equipment and the mapping will be different if I went SOHC and didn't rewire. I also want to stick with a DOHC to stay compliant with STS rules. So if anyone has a 97-98 Forester or Legacy GT longblock kicking around or a 98 2.5RS let me know!
i know a guy that used to own a shop had a 96 2.5rs motor with 10k miles that has slight piston slap witch subaru said is normal.. and 1 97 that put a rod thru the block with 40k miles, he says "make an offer" PM me for contact info
