Parts car motor swap!

so I recently picked up a parts car, 99 30th anniversary edition L wagon, with the ej222, I also have a tore apart 25d with a spun rod bearing, I need to make a phase 1 motor out of the 2 of them for my beater car. thinking about doing the dohc 222 but not sure what kinda of problems thats gonna run me. Im guessing It will basically be very similiar to the dohc 22e correct? anything I need to watch out for specifically?

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190650

 

That's a pretty good build thread..according to what I have read on this type of build its straight forward no harness merging or extra work..not sure about phase 2 block having any different outcomes. The author of that will be able to tell you more. I'm sure he will jump all over this to help you when he sees this thread. But hopefully that can get you started. Good luck DUFEK.

if I use the 25d heads then yea all the electronics will work without anything to mess with, itll be plug and play but im wondering about how similiar or dis-similiar the the internals are to that of a 22e. Depending what I find it might get a small turbo build thrown at it if the cr is low enough. Anyone know if the 222 blocks are any different than the 22e minus the 8 trans bolts vs. 4? Ive been told the 251 blocks are stronger than the 25d, not sure if this phase 1 vs. phase 2 carries over to 22 blocks as well.

This is what is required to make the DOHC EJ222 work (I built the same engine you're attempting to now as the first DOHC EJ22):

 

From the GT, you need the following:

Cylinder heads.

Timing belt.

Timing cover assembly.

Intake manifold.

Wiring harness.

Sensors (ALL of them).

Crank gear/sprocket.

Coolant lines.

Oil pan.

Dipstick.

Water pump.

Oil pump.

 

From the L, you need the following:

Short block.

Head gaskets.

 

When you have the engine out, don't forget to replace the seals, separator cover, & gaskets. For the cam seals (which I strongly suggest that you replace), use ONLY the brown Viton seals from the dealer. For sealing anything else, use Fugibond. It works well for sealing.

 

You're using the 222 block w/25D heads, so your compression levels will drop slightly but not enough to boost any higher than 7psi as the end C/R should be a little higher than 9.5:1. The only way to fix that is to use thicker than stock gaskets when you install the heads.

 

Since you will be using mostly 25D parts in this build, your engine will essentially be a de-bored 25D & perform as such instead of being like a 222. DO NOT use 25D gaskets as the bores are too large for the 222's cylinders. If assembled correctly, it will start up on the very first key turn.

 

Make sure to treat the car well during the break in period, changing oils & fluids as needed & you will have a very durable engine that won't like steep hills but will love higher rpms. You can drill holes for the extra bolts from the block to the transmission bellhousing but I left 4 out & was totally fine.

 

The 222 block is cast stronger than the Phase 1 variant & has the thrust bearing in location 5 instead of location 3. The pistons in the 222 block are completely flat & have valve reliefs for SOHC & DOHC & there are 8 bolts instead of 4 bolts to lock it to the transmission bellhousing. The head gaskets are different than those of the 22E as the cooling ports are the same for the SOHC & DOHC Phase 2 heads. The pistons to the 222 do not come up over the block as those in the Phase 1 22Es.

ive rebuilt ej25d's before and know all the specifics of cr and such so thats not what im worried about, and I read through your other build so see some more of the specifics, if the 222 is a stronger block than the 22e, if I dropped the cr lower than 9.5 would more boost be an option? like down into the 8.7 like your dohc22e, obviously lower cr means more boost but would there be any real difference between running the same cr on a 222 vs. a 22e? not sure if im gonna boost or n/a yet..I wish the 222 mani and heads were compatible with the phase 1 wiring lol.

alright..silly question maybe..but I know the 22e and 25d internals wont work, but is there any way to stroke the 222 with internals from the 25d? iirc the pistons dont match up in the 22e and 25d, just wondering how similiar the 222 pistons and 25d pistons are? or even 251 internals lol

Too bad you don't have the ability to rebuild the 25d block w/ 251 internals and the 222 heads. High comp baby!

Nvm you want it phase I, lol. I r smart

unless i can adapt a phase 1 mani onto the 222 heads? lol lil far fetched, or just custom mani!

Custom mani is something I've yet to see done. But im sure all vacc lines and wiring lengths are soo specific it wouldn't be worth it. At that rate, run a standalone and get mega power

ive rebuilt ej25d's before and know all the specifics of cr and such so thats not what im worried about, and I read through your other build so see some more of the specifics, if the 222 is a stronger block than the 22e, if I dropped the cr lower than 9.5 would more boost be an option? like down into the 8.7 like your dohc22e, obviously lower cr means more boost but would there be any real difference between running the same cr on a 222 vs. a 22e? not sure if im gonna boost or n/a yet..I wish the 222 mani and heads were compatible with the phase 1 wiring lol.

 

alright..silly question maybe..but I know the 22e and 25d internals wont work, but is there any way to stroke the 222 with internals from the 25d? iirc the pistons dont match up in the 22e and 25d, just wondering how similiar the 222 pistons and 25d pistons are? or even 251 internals lol

 

1. The strength of the block shouldn't be a concern. Your pistons are the ones to look out for. Even the Phase 1 EJ22 open deck can withstand a lot of abuse. The pistons will come apart if there is detonation of any kind.

 

2. If you ran the same C/R in both the 22E & the 222, the 22E's pistons will see destruction a lot sooner but otherwise, both blocks are insanely strong. The rods are thick enough for boost in both engines as well.

 

3. 8.8:1 is safe for boost but the head gaskets for the 222 are something like .030 or .035. Something along those lines so if you wanted to run boost, you would need a gasket of .050 or higher. DO NOT use a 22E head gasket. Stick only w/222 gasket types.

 

4. There are 20D manifolds that will bolt right on top of your 25D heads & 20D cams that will fit right in them as well. The Phase 1 DOHC heads have plenty of options but the parts have to be purchased from over seas.

so whats gonna be my best option on pistons? can I run a higher cr motor with better pistons and not worry about shattering? now that I type that it seems silly to ask lol but I guess im looking for something a lil specific like how much boost im looking at safely.

so whats gonna be my best option on pistons? can I run a higher cr motor with better pistons and not worry about shattering? now that I type that it seems silly to ask lol but I guess im looking for something a lil specific like how much boost im looking at safely.

 

If you run a 9.5:1 CR & have stronger pistons, then you'd better have a good ECU that can control ignition timing & fuel delivery. Your off-boost power will be awesome but when boost kicks in, you're gonna' be moving very fast. The JDM engines run these kinds of CR but their octane is higher than what we get here. I'd say about 7-8psi untuned but if it were tuned & running on e85, 15-16psi. Maybe.

ive been messing with a apexi neo I got for free but that only does fuel delivery so if im gonna get this involved with this build I might go standalone, but the emanage ultimate is an option too.. I live in the heart of e85 country so that would be a must, ive got a station like literally 50 feet from both my jobs. any recommendations on pistons to use? ive heard wiseco but those are gonna run me around $500 iirc? this is sort of a budget build cuz ive got almost everything lieing around but still not afraid to spend a lil money when needed lol.

ive been messing with a apexi neo I got for free but that only does fuel delivery so if im gonna get this involved with this build I might go standalone, but the emanage ultimate is an option too.. I live in the heart of e85 country so that would be a must, ive got a station like literally 50 feet from both my jobs. any recommendations on pistons to use? ive heard wiseco but those are gonna run me around $500 iirc? this is sort of a budget build cuz ive got almost everything lieing around but still not afraid to spend a lil money when needed lol.

 

If you rebuild using Wiseco pistons & aftermarket forged rods, then your potential for power just skyrocketed & you would have to run a standalone to take full advantage of that potential. At that point, you can run higher than 12psi on pump gasoline if you were tuned for it. E85 would give you great power...

the 22 blocks are seriously that strong? so wiseco pistons and new rods with 9.5 cr i could hit 12 psi on pump gas? i was shooting for like 220hp, but this sounds like it may be a lil bit more than that..lol. any ballparks where id be at on e85?

the 22 blocks are seriously that strong? so wiseco pistons and new rods with 9.5 cr i could hit 12 psi on pump gas? i was shooting for like 220hp, but this sounds like it may be a lil bit more than that..lol. any ballparks where id be at on e85?

 

Maybe on JDM gasoline, you wouldn't have an issue with that C/R but here on USDM gasoline, 9.5:1 on 15psi is far too high, even w/forged internals. If our engines had direct injection, then we wouldn't have this issue with gasoline delivery with ignition timing. Unfortunately, the EJs don't have the greatest fuel delivery (a 5th injector had to be installed in some JDM turbos so solve that problem) from the factory. Now if you had 8.5:1 or a little less, you would be well in the safe side of things with a better fuel & ignition system.

so e85 it is! well thanks for the help, now its just onto getting the car pieced back together and the motor rebuilt..shouldnt be to hard lol.

I like where this is going

you and me both, im hoping to have the car rollable by the end of the week and then its motor pull time, and then build build build, well see how long it takes for funds to run out..

Its quicker than getting the funds I can tell ya that

this I know all to well unfortunately, just starting my new job tho so hopefully that frees up some cash