JDM engines in USDM cars

[JT20]

Well! The engine came today (EJ20 JDM.) Only has 59,000km on it! That's 36,660 miles.

I have this one going in my car and there's a lot of people that think it's not going to run right and it's going to be a but. Thought I would make it a general topic.

Who has one?
Pros/cons?
Likes/dislikes?

 

[skyactiv]

Automatic or manual?
Are you sure it's worth the inevitable frustrations?

 

[JT20]

Automatic or manual?
Are you sure it's worth the inevitable frustrations?

It's an auto.

I look at it like this .. This is a Knockaround car that I bought for not a lot of money and I have the opportunity to rid myself of it when the engine went. Now, with all the frustrations of length of time it takes to go and be buying and selling cars and then go to the DMV which is no longer as simple as it used to be by the way.. I am choosing to have some fun with it because if anything goes wrong I can just drive the Taurus.

I'm really curious what these inevitable frustrations everyone keeps talking about are.

I was going to put a built-in shampoo ej25 in there and that guy still wants me to buy it but it's not like I have a garage with room for cars and engines (yet.) All of this is in my house...

 

[skyactiv]

Do you have a torque convertor for a turbo?

 

[Pew]

According to my friend that used to work at a subaru specialty shop, it's going to be a lot more reliable than the USDM crowd gets from subaru.

 

[JT20]

Do you have a torque convertor for a turbo?

I think at some point those could be options.

All the EJ25 engines had like 140k-160k miles, cost about $1000, and were at about the age to gave head gasket issues.

This one has 36,660 miles (as per engine sticker 59,000km and some Kanji) and cost less, shipped... for an engine that doesn't have HG issues.

So.. in essence, why not.

Week after Christmas.

Lights of the guy that we should go ahead and put on new fog lights and stiffer front shocks too..

 

[JT20]

Do you have a torque convertor for a turbo?

Doesn't my car have a torque converter already?

I'd LOVE a turbo. All it needs for that is a custom exhaust/intake (?) Manifold (to feed it,) maybe an Intercooler, and some oil lines... right?

 

[eljefino]

Doesn't my car have a torque converter already?

I'd LOVE a turbo. All it needs for that is a custom exhaust/intake (?) Manifold (to feed it,) maybe an Intercooler, and some oil lines... right?

Just do the swap and don't hop it up any more. Just get it in there like God and Subaru meant it.
Once you have to ask, this additional work is not for you. I take it this engine is normally aspirated?
Every torque convertor matches the power, and power band, of the engine it's mated to.

 

[skyactiv]

I imagine automatic equipped turbo Subarus have a torque converter with a higher stall speed than their non turbo sisters.
You will take a performance hit.
The engine you bought came out of a Subaru that had a factory intercooler.
Have fun paying for premium gas in something that will be slower than a new Honda Civic EX.

I like to be rude, don't get offended.

 

[atikovi]

Well! The engine came today (EJ20 JDM.) Only has 59,000km on it! That's 36,660 miles.

Into a 20 year old Legacy? Maybe I missed something but don't the Pick & Pulls have plenty of these to choose from?

 

[JT20]

Into a 20 year old Legacy? Maybe I missed something but don't the Pick & Pulls have plenty of these to choose from?

No, they do not.

The ones they have are high mileage and more than likely getting ready to blow a head gasket, are the ones in there.

So, my answer would be... no.

 

[JT20]

I imagine automatic equipped turbo Subarus have a torque converter with a higher stall speed than their non turbo sisters.
You will take a performance hit.
The engine you bought came out of a Subaru that had a factory intercooler.
Have fun paying for premium gas in something that will be slower than a new Honda Civic EX.

I like to be rude, don't get offended.

I appreciate the disclaimer and I thank you for that and I can assure you I'm not getting offended I'm actually genuinely curious to see how this turns out and I think I'll be saving gas too.

Now what's this about premium gas? Why you say that?

 

[atikovi]

No, they do not.

The ones they have are high mileage and more than likely getting ready to blow a head gasket, are the ones in there.

So, my answer would be... no.

OK then, but is it worth it on a 20 year old Legacy? The transmission is I assume also 20 years old as well as the suspension, steering, brakes not to mention the body and interior. How much did this cost coming all the way from Japan?

 

[skyactiv]

I appreciate the disclaimer and I thank you for that and I can assure you I'm not getting offended I'm actually genuinely curious to see how this turns out and I think I'll be saving gas too.

Now what's this about premium gas? Why you say that?

You do realize the older USA turbo Subarus specify 91 octane except for the STi that called for 93 octane.
Some JDM and Euro engine have higher compression since they have a higher octane standard. North America is addicted to 87 octane and
we don't get quite the same compression and tune with some engines/vehicles.
I think the JDM turbo engine you have has higher compression than what WRX buyers got in North America.

So if you use 87 octane and expect the piston rings, ring lands... to live a long and happy life, don't.

 

[JT20]

You do realize the older USA turbo Subarus specify 91 octane except for the STi that called for 93 octane.
Some JDM and Euro engine have higher compression since they have a higher octane standard. North America is addicted to 87 octane and
we don't get quite the same compression and tune with some engines/vehicles.
I think the JDM turbo engine you have has higher compression than what WRX buyers got in North America.

So if you use 87 octane and expect the piston rings, ring lands... to live a long and happy life, don't.

You think my engine was originally a Turbo?

Are you saying it might need higher octane even if it's not?

 

[JT20]

OK then, but is it worth it on a 20 year old Legacy? The transmission is I assume also 20 years old as well as the suspension, steering, brakes not to mention the body and interior. How much did this cost coming all the way from Japan?

The transmission is actually really really good, a 4EAT can take a hearing.

And as I said.. it cost me less coming from Clifton, New Jersey than one from a yard that says "RUNS MINT - HIGH MILES - $1100" (that's exactly what it says on car-part.com, typed just like that.

 

[skyactiv]

I assumed you are installing some exotic JDM turbo in your car. My bad.

 

[earlyre]

You do realize the older USA turbo Subarus specify 91 octane except for the STi that called for 93 octane.
Some JDM and Euro engine have higher compression since they have a higher octane standard. North America is addicted to 87 octane and
we don't get quite the same compression and tune with some engines/vehicles.
I think the JDM turbo engine you have has higher compression than what WRX buyers got in North America.

So if you use 87 octane and expect the piston rings, ring lands... to live a long and happy life, don't.

skyactiv... YOU do realize that the US uses a Different octane rating system than does UK/EU/AUS/JP?
"they" use RON (Research Octane Number) while we in the US use AKI (Anti-Knock Index) which is calculated (RON+MON)/2
better explanation here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating#Measurement_methods

Rough AKI to RON Conversion Guide:

This guide is for a rough estimate only. Many factors will contribute:

• 87 AKI = 91 RON
• 91 AKI = 93 RON
• 93 AKI = 98 RON
• 100 AKI = 104 RON
• 104 AKI = 108 RON

the Short version is that there is a difference in the 2 scales, that roughly means:
just because their octane rating is a higher number than ours for a given fuel grade, doesn't mean it's really a lower grade of fuel, we just use different scales to measure it.
BTW, Regular in Japan is 90 RON(86~87 AKI), and Premium is 100 RON(93~94 AKI).
not that far off from what we get here.

the argument you are making is analogous to me saying I weigh less in Australia, because the Kilogram is Larger than the US Pound. (300 lbs US = 136kg)

 

[clinebarger]

I have a JDM engine in my Avalon, I've had great luck with them......But, Perform a Leak Down first as these engines could have sat for several years!

 

[Motu]

We've been using imported Japanese engines longer than we've been importing their cars...since about 1985. At first we were putting them in New Zealand assembled cars, and there was a lot of parts to swap. NZ had no emission rules so we had no EGR, no cats, and carbs were not covered in vacuum hoses and do dads, no AC, no PS - so manifold swaps, sometimes sumps, engine mounts. These days they are going into JDM's so they just slot in. We stopped pulling engines apart 30 years ago, we just slap in an engine....even just for a waterpump. Never had a problem with them - they have been sitting, and sometimes will start up with a cyl out. Just a stuck valve and they clear up in a couple of minutes.