as the title states i want to know what the best engine from a suby would be to put into my car. im starting to do research because i plan on a suby conversion but i just dont know what the best engine would be. anybody have any recomended engine suggestions?

I have a 2004' EJ254 2.5L with 50K I like this one because it is a later engine, head gasket is better than earlier engine.

It is a Single overhead cam engine, less mechanics to deal with. Hydraulic cam, does not need to have valves adjusted.

With a good exhaust you should be some where close to the 200hp @ 5600rpm 200ft/lbs tq @ 4000rpm Range, with a 6200rpm Redline

That should put you in the 10-11 Lbs/HP Range

This is Lotus Elise territory

Probably a 13 second quarter mile and some where in a 5 sec 0-60 time should be attainable

Westgl

thanks for the reply. ive been looking at the EA82T, do you know anything about these? from what ive found out so far they are pretty cheap and easy to come buy, they are a low compression and fairly low boost engine, well CR is 7.7:1. they only produce 110hp at like 5200. but it seems like they can be tuned quite nicely. i just read on a suby forum that they perform a lot better if the heads are ported and polished. they get around 170hp with some mods and 13lbs of boost
so if you could give me any info about these engines maybe good solid bad reports or good reports let me know thanks

The stock aircooled design can be reliable and be just about equal in power Why not just build a mild turbo type 4 ?

I've got a 2001 EJ25 in my car. I love it. More low end torque than the turbo motors, lots more than an Elise....

Look for your answer on Renegade Hybrids site. They outline all of the Suby engine choices, drawbacks etc...

well the reason being for switching would be have ac and also to have a more tunable engine, dont get me wrong i love the type fours but i want something qiueter with less maintence involved, such as vavle adjustments.

There are Subies engines that require valve adjustments,

I have a 2004' SOHC 2.5L EJ254 that requires NO vavle adjustments.

(For my 71' 914 new project) I also just bought the 2005' 2.5L it requires Valve Adjustments, Granted it is only every 110k mile intervel that you would do a valve adjustment and this motor only has 30,385 miles so it is barely broken in.

EJ2.2T is a good motor, but you would want to change to the latest head gasket before you install.

Good Idea to go hangout at a Subaru site to gain some Subie knowledge

With any Subie motor that has been pulled out of a car that has not run in several months, and has some mileage on it. You may have to do more or less depending on the miles. before installation change the following

New parts needed,
1. Timing belt
2. Thermostat
3. Waterpump
4. oil and filter

Drive easy for 1st 300 miles then change oil and filter

JMHO

Westgl

Westgl
do you know if they EA82T requires valve adjustment? funny thing you mention joining a subie site becuz i just did before i saw your post

EJ20, like Conedodger said look at the Renegade site, it really lays out the pros and cons of each engine.

The EA82T is an old Subaru design, no longer in production. The EJ series, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, and 2.5 liter displacement from 1991 to present came in both normal asperation and turbo models. The turbo models are usually dual overhead cam design, in fact, all are except the early 90's 2.2L Legacy Turbo to my knowledge. This EJ series is the engine that made Subaru a world champanion in rally circuits. Almost all aftermarket parts are for the EJ series, not the EA series. Also, the comments about poor head gaskets in the EJ motors are not part of my experience over 10 years of racing a Subaru with EJ engines.

On the other hand, the EA heads are notorious for cracking around the exhaust valve seats. And very hard to locate these days. My advice is to stick to the much better designed and available newer EJ motors. US turbo engines are circa 2001 and up. I hope this is not "to much information" :-).

Luck to you and your project.

Mike M

I did the EJ205 WRX turbo motor (2002-2006) and think it's ideal. Not too much torque for the transmission, but all the power you could want. Well, you could want more, you always want more... I'm using the EMS Stinger EMS and the turbo lag I was worried about is no issue at all.

When I was doing research the motor that intrigued me most was the EZ30R. It's the new six, but it's only an inch longer and 70 pounds heavier than the EJ fours. Normally aspirated makes 250 horsepower, which is all I wanted. The buggy guys are turboing them and getting over 600 easy horses, so it's plenty strong. It has both variable valve timing and variable valve lift, so you'd have to run it either with the stock ECU or a Link 4G, which is the only aftermarket unit I've heard of that can control both variables on the valves. I like the idea of a NA six, and with it's firing order and a stock 911 muffler it should even have a Porsche six sound. The only reason I didn't do that motor was a mention by one of the buggy guys that it was difficult to shorten its oil pan. In retrospect, looking at the EJ motor in my car, that wouldn't have been a problem. Downside is that the motor is so new it's hard to find and there aren't any aftermarket performance products for it.

I'd certainly go with a newer motor, not one of the old EA's or the SVX sixes. There isn't even that much difference in price. I couldn't be happier with the EJ205, lightweight, about 250 hp in relatively stock form, seems bulletproof, and if that's ever not enough power it's got more hot rod parts available for it than anything this side of a small block chevy.

thanks for all the info guys
it really helps
so im more informed now and it sounds like the ea is not a very good platform. so ej20 motor it is.


when i can afford it.

but i thought id do my research well before i start on the conversion
besides my efforts are still on repairing the damage from that fender bender i just had recently

Your research will never end. Call renegade and other speak to people who have done the swap. You decided o an EJ? Now decide between the 20ish different versions with a dozen or so ways of doing engine management and hundreds of sources and still keep your pregnant wife from killing you while also doing a build on a trail truck. Is that a run-on sentence. I was horrible at grammar. Welcome to my world.

Good luck!
Keep me posted.
Feel free to PM me and share notes.

will do pktzygt
like i said im no where near ready just doing research
im thinking ej20tt or ej255
when i get around to it ill post it on my Project Resurection thread

Deals are out there!
I picked up my 2002 SOHC 2.5L N/A engine (from a TS wagon), 5 speed Trans, stock ECU and wiring harness for $600! Local pickups are the best deals!

I am in the same boat too! Pregnant wife making sure that I don't blow the bank!

E-bay for new gasket kits and timing belt kits! $300


Good luck in your build!

Be careful with the EJ20tt engines. Those are Japanese market, and some US market parts, like junkyard ECU's and intake manifolds, won't interchange. Also that "tt" is shorthand for twin turbo, but it's nomenclature that Subaru themselves never use for their engines. The buggy guys run all out so they can use those sequential turbos, but I understand they're difficult to control in to street applications unless you're using all the original car's harness and accessories.

Renegade would be good for the 914 car side of the equation, but their expertise is really more in the cars and chevy V8's. They do the adapter parts for Subarus but have somebody else do the harnesses and don't do much engine work. Try Outfront Motorsports for the Subaru engine side. They're mostly buggy, but that's still better info for our older cars than the ricer "tuner" companies like Gruppe S, who are usually concerned with OBDII compatability for street cars. Outfront does it all, are very good folks to work with, and will spend time with your questions on the phone.

It took me about .5 seconds to rule out the twin turbo option. If not strictly for the price of replacing 2 turbos that make about the same power as a newer designed single turbo setup. I have sent emails back and froth with the Jeremy at Outfront about engine management and wiring solutions. The EMS stinger is what he reccommends, which seems very reasonable. Also Matt Monson on NASIOC.com seems to be a good lead. You can find a good bit of 914 suby swap info in the Suby Swap forum on NASIOC.com.

I'm running the EMS Stinger with Outfront's harness on my car, which is the reason I recommend them so highly. Not a thing to complain about. Only good things to stay about Matt, too. Looks like you're on all the right tracks.

Ive have also the twin turbo have problems with the management. I am gonna go with EJ20T also, there are tons of aftermarket parts and I have also found a stroker kit to convert it to a 2.2L, with cams they report around 350 hp, seems exciting. However if i do hit the lotto or get a well paying job after graduation I am probably gonna will an STI motor as I can go to the local auto parts store for parts instead of having to order everything of the net.

Hello,
A little bird told me that my name came up. Thanks for the kind words. I try my best to deliver accurate information with the community. I'm a member here though I don't log on as much as I would like. I started my own business earlier this year and all work and no play makes me a dull boy these days. However, if you ever have Suby questions or there's a thread you want my input on, please feel free to shoot me a PM. I have email notification on and will pop in and offer my usual more than 2 cents.

I'm a big fan of the Ej25 SOHC series of engines. If you search NASIOC for a thread titled "my dyno results" you can find the saga of my 2.5RS with 220chp. That took ported heads and cams, but it was all done on the stock factory ECU. The head gasket issues, even on the '99 and '00 models are way overplayed. They happen. It's usually around 100k mi. I just making doing the headgaskets a matter of course when I do the timing belt service along with pullies, water pump, etc.

I've also done a bunch of JDM Ej20 swaps into early Imprezas and Legacies. I love the old Ej20G turbo motors. They've got HLA's so never need a valve adjustment. They make 220-260 hp in stock form. For a 914 swap, there's no reason to shy away from the 220hp wagon and auto tranny versions. In fact, they are the way to go because they were rarely hammered on. Stay away from the early STi stuff. It's almost always hammered on. On a Subaru that means you will be getting rod knock and spun bearings pretty quickly on most of them. And if you really want that extra 40 or so horses, just get the right ECU. Power differences on these engines are really tied to the tune. Sure, one has a td04 turbo and the other has a td05, but most of it's tune.

Either of these engines would be a great option in a 914. Hell, even a base model Ej22e from an NA 1990-1994 Legacy would be a worthy install, especially if you tossed in a pair of Delta cams before installation. This is the bread and butter of my brother-in-law's Vanagon swap business. If that engine can haul a big fat vanagon, imagine it in a teener. Bottom line, though is to stay with the Ej series of engines. The EA engines are archaic and unreliable.

Lastly, I use the factory ECU on all my swaps. They are very adaptable to changes in conditions and do quite well in another car. The wiring is some work, but any car guy (or gal) with patience can prep their own harness. Like I said, it would be more like a nickel's worth, but that's all I've got for now. I'll check back to see if I've raised questions...

Thats what i have in my 914; the EJ22e from a '93 legacy. It works great, and has plenty low end grunt. But one of the things i dislike about it is the low 5500 redline, with the 914 gears you hit the redline very quickly and there is not so much power up in the higher revs...

but for the $250 i paid for the whole '93 legacy, it was worth it. But you will be wanting more down the road. like me