EJ22 timing right?

[injulen]

Just finished replacing the timing belt, idlers, water pump, and oil pump on my buddy's phase 1 ej22. We started it up and it did start but its sounding a bit rough.

He mentioned that it felt like this once when it was over filled with oil but I'm worried the timing is off a tooth. We checked it a bunch before putting it back together and we're about to tear it back down to check but if anyone has any thoughts..

Will it run if the teeth are off by 1 tooth, but run rough?

Uploading a video to youtube now with the engine running.

 

[injulen]

Ej22 after timing replacement:

I think we figured it out, details in a bit

 

[Matt]

Yes it'll run. I'd just pull the covers and verify timing once more. Doesn't take that long. I always found if you set the drivers side cam ahead just a bit it'll roll back into the marks perfectly when it gets the pin pulled.

 

[injulen]

Yeah, long story short: 

We completely numbed it and forgot to pull the pin out of the tensioner. It started and ran but was skipping teeth with no tension on it. Ran out of daylight before getting it fully back together but we're going back at it tomorrow morning and we'll be good. Other than that it all went pretty well. No leaks from the new oil pump or cam seals.

 

[Matt]

2.2 were non interference right?

 

[injulen]

2.2 were non interference right?

Phase 1 EJ22 are non-interference, yeah. After 1998 they were interference in the phase 2.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

The phase 1/phase 2 switch happened around 97. With the 2.2, if it has dual port's I would put money on it being non, 96 should be non. Biggest thing to watch for is what valve cover style the engine has. That one has the early style. Don't forget the radiator cap. Glad it was an easy fix, I've only done one timing belt and got lucky it ran right the first time.

 

[injulen]

Yeah I have done my legacy phase 1 timing job twice and got the timing perfect. This one today is my buddy's 97 impreza. Single port heads but definitely a phase 1 with the deeper valve covers. And it didn't go kerplunk when we started it and the timing was shifting.

I have seen conflicting dates on the phase 1 to phase 2 changeover but I think you're right that most of them changed over midway through 97.

 

[JoshP]

Phase 2 is 99+ you dopes lol 8 bolt bellhousings, square valve covers etc etc.   There was some other change that occurred in 97, but it was still phase 1.  

 

[IBratmanI]

They became interference in 97. 96 and earlier were non inteference. As the name caller said, they became phase 2 in 99. So the 97-98 were still phase 1, but we're interference.

 

[injulen]

Josh it varies. There are definitely 98s out there with phase 2. It's also different between the imprezas and legacys when the changeover was done since they were assembled across the globe from each other.

 

[IBratmanI]

And only 95 and older were dual exhaust port. 96+ were single port.

 

[injulen]

Yup. My 95 legacy is a phase 1 with dual ports my 97 legacy has a 96 engine swapped into it which is phase 1 single port and my 96 impreza is phase 1 single port.

 

[JoshP]

Josh it varies. There are definitely 98s out there with phase 2. It's also different between the imprezas and legacys when the changeover was done since they were assembled across the globe from each other.

Better let Subaru know so they can update the factory manual then. 

 

[injulen]

Let's not keep arguing about this but the way I've always understood it is they had to use up their remaining stock of phase 1 engines and so it wasn't a clean transition from phase 1 to phase 2.

On another note, this is how we found the leaking cam seal when we got in there:

 

[Maxxguy25RS]

Oh. That might cause an issue.