10K miles on the conversion!

New heater setup, summit heater core in passenger footwell, heater lines through the old heat line in the rocker. Very toasty!

No cooling issues since going to the koyo race radiator.

So far, so good!

another update

-a change to the exhaust, now using a stock 2.7 boxster muffler. heavy yes, some power loss yes, but those 100 mile commutes are much less tiring and you can tell there is more power at the bottom now

- in stop and go traffic the coolant temp would rise a bit and sit at 215-220 at idle, removed the rain tray and so far the temps are back down to 205 at idle

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4K Mile update:

Only one conversion related problem has reared it's head since the last update. Leaking coolant at the head after 500 miles... this is apparently a common problem. Subaru had a tech update about this and I rode by the dealership to pick up a $3 bottle of coolant additive. Poured it in and no more coolant leak.

I have yet to bother with fixing all the error codes with resistors, they aren't effecting how the engine is running. I'll tackle them when the weather warms up so I can have a working check engine light. The following resistors have not been added:
rear O2 sensor
rear O2 heater
EVAP solonoids
gas level
gas temp
As on the some of the earlier engine, there is a pin on the automatic sohc ecu that can be grounded to remove some error codes. A wire should be added to ecu position B25 and run to ground(ref: subaru-vanagon group). Power was supplied to the a/c switch to bump up idle from 600 rpm to 800. I talked to several tach suppliers and manufacturers to see if there was a conversion box to get the 914 tach to run off the subaru ecu tach signal with no luck. Autometer tach installed.

Engine bay radiator... I ran the car with the radiator sealed but no scoop to see how the different cooling combinations would work:
rad frame sealed, no scoop = too warm on the interstate
rad frame sealed, with scoop = just right, sits at 200 on the interstate
I have two electric fans on the rad, one is always on and the other is ecu controlled. The ecu control come on a bit late for me and in stop and go traffic the temp would creep up in warm weather. One fan all the time and it hasn't broken 210.


Conversion notes:
2002 EJ25(Legacy automatic), stock ecu
Stock radiator in engine bay
Flowmaster 80 crossflow muffler, this is loud on the interstate, thinking about a way to quiet it down
914 stock round air filter
generic fi fuel pump
all electric fused in engine bay
thacher-style engine mount bar
shift bar cut, rotated 45*, welded
oil pan shortened and boxed out
Summit heater core behind engine running to stock heat inlets at firewall
oil pressure sender added to block
oil temp sender will be added at current oil light sender position
coolant temp sender added to line that had run to throttle body(adapters for all senders can be found at egauges.com... M18 to npt)
all relays in radioshack project box under passenger seat

Up and running!

Was having a few issues, but everything but resistors and long patching is done. I'm in the process of writing out the full details of the process which I'll post here.

Issues fixed:

Hunting at idle, sometimes cut out when chopping the throttle.
-actually use the idle air soleniod... go figure

Power loss at 1/4 throttle and up.
- early 914 model fuel pump puts out 45psi, change to vanagon pump 95psi

Intermittent power loss at 1/4 throttle and up.
- TPS signal wire had a break, only disconnecting at times so it wouldn't show up on OBDII scanner, pulled harness, break fixed. Strange, when the ecu sees the tps, it idles even better... whooda thunk


To Be Done:
Fake remainder of sensors with resistors... fuel temp, fuel level, etc. I have heard there is a pin(B25) I can run to ground to get rid of the AT error codes. I know it works on earlier models, I know of 1 case where it is supposed to work on a 2001 ecu.

Longs... panels should be on the way

Rad surround tin is done, but no scoop. Going to see how temps run without it before and after.

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closer...

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It's in! Cut down oilpan is flush with the floor pan.

Fire tomorrow maybe. On the list: rad surround tin, engine bar mount points, fi fuel pump, wiring, exhaust, shift bar.

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Well, other deadlines caught up with me before I could get much done. I test fit my design for an engine mount bar and it wouldn't work(trailing arm interference). I went back to the Thacher design with some changes to the measurements and all appears to fit well. Radiator has been test fit and hopefully will have clearance when the engine gets test fit tonight. Important lesson of welding has been learned: buy the autodark helmet.

Hellhole feels much better now, the battery will no longer sway to and fro.

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Install today!

On the to do list today:
- drop engine
- remove gas tank
- replace battery tray and repair hell hole
- install radiator
- new cv boot and brake cable
- align engine and final welds on engine mount bar
- break and make run for more shielding gas
- wiring up and reinstall fi fuel pump
- ignition

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- KEP parts show up
- Outback stubs show up
- Jegs misc parts show up(water temp gauge, rad fans, air boots)
- oil pan almost finished... buy more gas
- rad, engine mount blocks, O2 sensor dropped off

still need for install starting tomorrow:
- shorten oil pickup tube
- vss from radio shack
- alt belt
- make engine mount bar

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- KEP parts show up
- Outback stubs show up
- Jegs misc parts show up(water temp gauge, rad fans, air boots)
- oil pan almost finished... buy more gas
- rad, engine mount blocks, O2 sensor dropped off

still need for install starting tomorrow:
- shorten oil pickup tube
- vss from radio shack
- alt belt
- make engine mount bar