Hav a 97 catalunya and freind is replacing engine with another ej20 engine i got my hands on but when swapping bits over timing belt cover wont fit any i find are same as i have ...any ideas help please

 

what year is the replacement engine from

 

Was told was 2000 but all the ones i find are the same as i have already going into mates garage today to hav a look again new one has red manifold and yellow 440 injectors if that helps

 

If the replacement engine is from a MY'00, then the covers wont fit as the distance between the cams to mount the inner covers is different to your Catalunya.
MY'00 will be a Phase 2 two engine with off-set inlet manifold bolt pattern on the heads, so the inlet manifold is different as well as the engine loom.

Mick

 

Got hands on covers.. had loom with new engine will my ecu run this block ????

 

Got yhe right cam covers engine has offset manifold engine came with loom but will my ecu run this or will i have to upgrade /replace any other onfo on problems i will run into would be great thanks

 

Anybody out there lol ?????

 

The loom will need to be changed as well as the ecu to match the replacement engine. Sounds like you have a sti engine as the replacement going by the red manifold. If possible get the ecu from the same car as the engine came from.

 

Have the loom but not able to get ecu any ideas on what i should use as there is so many it gets confusing as im new to subarus lol thanks

 

Will i also need different maf as mines a blue label was reading sti should be orange ?????

 

If you're fitting a 1999-2000 engine in to a 1997/98 model you are going to have some electrical issues.

- the ECUs are not interchangeable between the years as they have different connectos and the gubbins on the inlet manifold is driven differently
- the 1999-2000 engine loom has different connectors on it so won't mate up with the vehicle loom

As has been said, the 1999-2000 has a "phase 2" inlet manifold whereas the 1997-98 has a "phase 1.5" so you can't easily swap the inlet manifolds over. But that might be an option as I think there are conversion kits available.

If you are running an after market ECU such as Syvecs or AlcaTek then you can take the engine loom multiway plugs off the 1997-98 engine loom and fit them to the 1999-2000 engine loom. The ECU can then be modified (AlcaTek) or re-calibrated in software (Syvecs) to suit the different idle control valve, coils etc.

All in all, not a straightforward job.

Same applies, by the way, if you're swapping engines between any model year versions (1993-96/1997-98/1999-2000/newage/hatch).

 

Swap the heads, end of, not a hard job compared to converting phase 1.5-2

 

Would a sti sp prodrive ecu work as been offered one and told should be plug n play ??

 

If the ECU is from the right year of car that matches your engine and loom yes. However how much loom do you have? There are usually a couple of loom sections in the engine, the main interior/dash/ecu loom and then the front to rear loom. All need to be from the same car. Otherwise plugs won't fit, wires will be miss matched etc. Then if you change engine and ALL the loom will the new wiring work with your interior? Dash controls and things won't be compatible. It's a nightmare trust me. Even things like the heater blower of a 98 car has different wiring to a 99 car. Ideally you need either the right parts for your car or a whole donor car to take the lot from.

 

What he said

 

Thanks didnt think would be so simple looks like a donor car will be on the cards .All part of the learning curve prob many more posts to come lol

 

Lol check here before spending money

Why not rebuild the original engine? Would probably work out cheaper? If the block is toast why not just fit a rebuilt short block? Or as has been said take your replacement short block and fit your old heads then fit your old inlet manifold and keep the old wiring and ECU.

Effectively the short block will be the same in most cases its just the heads that are more model specific.