izzle87 wrote:

This looks to be coming along nicely, Good work with your car    Also the issue with the neutral safety switch has two options, you can either get an older one with reversed polarities or have you tuner change the value when they do the tune and save the monies.

I think I'm going to have the tuner do it.  I live in a place that does not have emissions centers, and if I move elsewhere that does, I will have the value changed on my EJ205 ECU by a tuner.  Thank you for reminding me about that.

kornfeld wrote:

Just saw this.  As far as I know, the main reason to get the neutral safety switch value reversed is so that AVCS will be active. There may be other reasons as well, but this is the only one I know of. If the ECU always thinks you're in neutral when you're actually in gear, it won't ever give you any AVCS.  Which sucks.  I don't think it's relevant to emissions testing.  You definitely want to make sure your tuner accounts for this. 

Right, that I did know, but thanks for calling that out because it made me catch a blunder in my previous post: having the EJ205 ECU flashed for the reversed NSS polarity is unnecessary since it can't handle AVCS anyway.

Got the old main seal out using the very ghetto, but very effective screw technique (clicky).  The new main seal is greased and pressed in using the old seal as my tapping surface.  I have a nice, even 1mm of exposed crankshaft seal surface showing all the way around the crankshaft.  That should be fine.  Also, I cleaned and prepped the engine block's oil pan mating surface.  That's unfortunately the only good news I have for tonight.

The replacement oil pan, heat shields, AVCS harness, and TPS plug was waiting for my arrival home.  Unfortunately, the replacement oil pan took to hard hit as well, but on a completely different surface.  I'm not a doctor, but I'd say it is damaged beyond reuse.  If it's not, I'm not comfortable using it because of where and how heavily the two damaged areas are. 

So at this point, I have given up trying to get the EJ207 buttoned up and in the car by the end of this coming weekend, unless I can find an EJ20x oil pan and pick up locally or if my EJ205 oil pan and pickup will work.  Question: Can I use my EJ205 oil pan and oil pick up on the EJ207?  Can I use any EJ20x oil pan and oil pick up?  I know the EJ25x oil pans are different because the Killer B oil pick up is specific to either EJ20x or EJ25x oil pans, but have no idea about the interchangeability of EJ20x pans.

"I think we hit something."
"I hope it's Flanders!"




The hasty oil-pan-removal-with-screwdriver-and-brute-force technique shown here:

On my EJ205, I did it two ways:

1)  Accidentally forgot to put ANY gasket sealer on, buttoned it all up and it leaked out the lower rear of the pass side overnight.

Took it all apart again, tried to clean it up and...

2) Put a healthy (but not ^ that much) amount of gasket sealer around the areas outlined in the manual with somewhat of a heavy hand on the forward part of the motor/cover.

It's been about 14 months and the pass side has continued to leak as it always has...

Good luck!

-I would not use any oil pan that has any bend on the mating surface. I think you do need a particular model of oil pan due to the twin scroll manifold, but I don't know which ones.  I remember reading it in the EJ207 thread...somewhere...

-I put liquid gasket only on the portions called out in the service manual diagram, and I only applied it to the head, not the cover.   Zero leaks so far.

What brand of gasket maker are you going to use?

Get "the right stuff" comes in a caulking tube.

I used Permatex blue on both sides, no leaks.

Attempted to replace the timing belt and water pump tonight, but ran into a problem.  I cannot get the crank pulley bolt to break loose and I do not own the Subaru specialty tool.  Question: For those who replaced their timing belts while doing the EJ207 swap, did you a) install the engine then replace the timing belt once the car was running, b) use the Subaru specialty tool (ST 499977100 CRANKSHAFT PULLEY WRENCH), or c) use some other technique?  When I did the timing belt on my EJ205, I performed the very effective, but very questionable starter method to break the crankshaft bolt loose.  With the engine on the hoist, I am having trouble preventing the crankshaft from rotating as I loosen the bolt AND avoid the engine from rocking and twisting as I torque on it.  Pretty frustrating really.

This kluge did not work, even though the 3/8" socket extensions fit the crankshaft pulley's holes nicely.  The breaker bar has too much flex and the engine is free to rock and deflect forces.   


To get caught up from the last few sessions.  The rib on the transmission that interferes with the VF37 is ground down.  Before:


After:  Is that enough material removed?


The TPS plug is fixed.  I think this was one of the shortest leads I have ever soldered.  I couldn't even get a heatsink above the wire to protect the plug.


Is this the sensor below the throttle body that needs to be unplugged to avoid a CEL?

Yes, keep that sensor unplugged and check the PCV since you are there in its easy access now.

Last edited by Rodman (2014-06-05 00:53:43)

Thanks for the responses, fellas. 

Rodman, what do I check on the PCV valve; that it's not clogged?  I guess I don't know how to check a PCV valve on a Subaru engine.

Glad you posted that, kornfeld.  I will rework the rear rib to remove the lower portion in its entirety.  It looks like you also reshaped the forward rib/mating surface.  Is that true, or are those marks just angle grinder casualties?

I have a nice impact gun, but it's only 3/8" drive.  I figured it would not be powerful enough for the crank pulley task, but will try it tomorrow.  Otherwise, I will be doing the timing belt after the engine is in and mated to the drive train, but before the radiator is installed.

Last edited by Nicholast (2014-06-05 01:38:57)

In case you need more detail on the PCV: it's the part under the bottom right corner of the machined surface where the throttle body goes.  Pull the rubber hose off, and the metal thing threaded into the manifold is the PCV.  Unscrew it and replace.  I went to kragen and got a PCV from something like a 2000 Impreza.

Not sure of your time frame, but I work at I-25 and C-470. If you want to borrow it I could bring it to work on Friday and you can pick it up. PM me if that will work for you.

SaabaruAero wrote:

Here is what I used to break my pulley loose, not sure if it fits that model of subie motor.

http://www.company23.com/subaru/503

I think I might be buying one of these.  My wife's OBXT is coming up on its timing belt replacement interval, so I at least know I will get two uses out of it.  That does help justify the cost.

Thank you for offering the use of yours, SaabaruAero.  If we were in the same city, I would take you up on it, but given the distance and the fact that I am down to one car, I will pass.  Thank you for the generosity and offer to help a fellow Saabaru owner out.

kornfeld, I tried constant load, shock load, and preload then shock load on the breaker bar.  The pry bar had too much flex in all cases.  What it wasn't absorbing, it was deflecting.  I replaced it with a more rigid steal tube that did not bend, but since the engine is not constrained, it would rotate to avoid the torque.  It was a kludge and an example of wrong-tool-for-the-job.  I will try the impact gun I have tonight.  If that isn't able to do the job, I will be either ordering the specialty crank pulley tool or waiting until the engine is in.