What kind of reliability should one expect from a swap? Are most of you using these cars as your daily driver?

thanks

vague question.. Depends on age, mileage, driver abuse ratio, level of mods you plan on.

I could daily drive mine.. But i don't, because i want to keep pointless miles off of it, and enjoy it as my nice car. :)

The whole reason I did my swap was to go from a 150,000 mile drivetrain to a 30,000 mile drivetrain. I'll hopefully get mine going by this weekend and then it will be a daily driver. I went with an entire WRX drivetrain. A factory built combination even swapped is always less troublesome than a heavily modded engine.

i barely got another vehicle just so i dont have to drive myne. i just feel bad putting miles on it, to go from point a to point b.

ill be driving mine every day. when its done.

i drive mine everyday and she's doin spectacular. also fun to have some fun with peopel that think she's slow hahahah :)

I drive mine to work every day. It starts and runs better on the new engine than the old engine did.

Sidenote- I get almost the same gas mileage (25mpg vs. 26mpg) and I have over 100 more Hp on tap. It is the way the car should have come from the factory.

Mines a daily driver. I don't see why some one would do anything else with one. I mean they are fun reliable and not worth a whole lot. I mean the resale is not all that great, so keeping it garaged doesn't help. And they are all sensable, AWD going to be good in all weather. No impreza is small like a roadster where you can't fit much in it. The gask milage is good. I mean I can't think of a single reason to drive something else.
Joshua

How many of you went USDM and JDM? Just curious for more specifics :D

USDM WRX to JDM v7, daily sport driver thank you very much :)

I drive my junky pick up here and there and use the GF's car for other trips.

So, just to simplify, the general consensus is daily driving JDM WRX/STi = fine.

Correct?

1994 EJ18 (blown) to EJ25 and I haven't touched the swap since I dropped it in 5k miles ago.

Aside from the grounding mod and oil change that is.

i went usdm..

to maintain obdII capabilities
smog legal if i need it to be
price/availability of parts
not trying to build a 400hp monster. :)

hehe, now that i think about it..

1 car is a daily driver
the other car is not.

my 95 with the ej25 is the usual daily when its not nice out or just running back and forth to work.

See, my issue is... I like the JDM better, more go for the money. And I can get ridiculous deal on it. The availability of parts and OBD2 makes me cry. Also the games Id have to play with insurance... so I dont know if I want to keep my LGT and swap JDM STi or just get an 02 or 03 WRX and spend 2k to flash the ECU and TBE from cobb just to make it JDM standard. TOO HARD TO DECIDE!


and I do want a 400hp monster :( Haha.

JDM ver8 lump w/UK 6MT ona US 02 wagon here. Conservative ECU reflash, TXS exhaust (down, cat, muffler).

I'd expect nothing but factory reliability from this swap, assuming the install job was done right (I did it myself so it's perfect ;)) . To drive it daily is up to you. Subarus are like legos. You can get the same part from a different car so I'm not worried about finidng parts.

I have about 6k on mine since the swap

stock ej20g jdm wrx in a 93 gf8

my only real "upgrade" is taking off the stupid intake that came on the clip. I put the factory airbox back on. ( I like big puddles) :banana:

16,000 km since i did my swap in the fall. i drive it everywhere!... i do about 100km a day. great daily driver. the v7 is strong down low still and pretty decent on gas with the avcs. part compatibility is no problem since pretty much everything from a wrx bolts on. i would never consider using something else... these cars are meant to be driven... im going to drive it untill it dies!
.... and have a whole lot of fun doing it!

Done properly, there is no reason that a swap should not provide OEM reliability. A proper swap, uses the factory ECU and wiring, so it really should run and drive like a factory car. Mods and the eternal quest for more power are more often the cause of failure than the fact that it's a swap.

I will mention one warning though. Recently, with the popularity of swaps, the quality of the engines coming into the country from Japan has been going down. I know of a couple of swaps that had catastrophic bottom end failures within the first couple of months. You have to remember that if you buy a v3 or v4 STI or even WRX swap, this car was likely beat on for 7-8 years before it was parked. God only knows what the true condition of the engine is from some of these fly by night importers. The best condition swaps are the most expensive ones and come from a car that is still running, with known mileage and the ability to do a proper leakdown and compression test prior to tearing it apart, or best case a road test. An engine that sat in a yard in Japan for a couple of years before coming over here may be a timebomb.

This is one reason why a USDM swap is often a safer bet. You are getting a 1-3 year old engine with known mileage from a wreck that has been off the road a month or less. Sometimes you are even buying it directly from the car's owner who knows the complete history of the powertrain in question.

This is not to say that JDM swaps are bad or unreliable. It is just to say, know your importer, know as much about the car as you can, and if you try to cheap out up front, you might pay dearly for it down the road...

my swap has a standalone thus cold starts are cranky
that and the suspension is soo stiff that its really not that fun for daily driving

2001 Imprezs RS with a USDM 2003 WRX Swap, 100% daily driven and fairly well flogged.

how many miles do you have it on hndatch

how many miles do you have it on hndatchcar has 82k on it, swap has over 7500 already(it was finished around last halloween)

stock motor and rs tranny?

1995 L with V4 STi(stock ish;))engine/tranny. w/complete vehicle harness, ECU, suretrac LSD, and some other JDM bits via supermoose.
-im not sure of the reliability of them(haven't even started it up), but if it's anything like my 98OBS-T(no EM w/30K) was, im good to go!
-parts availability was hard for little things like hoses of all things! but all others seem to be there.
-i sold my dream car 240sx w/2JZ (was going for 1000whp) daily driver, because i realized it snows in ohio! so 6 months into it, i aborted the mission.
>>ENTER SUBARU: AWD? 300HP stock? 2500lbs? emissions approved? SOLD!!!! i'll take two. but can't afford it. so one is what i got, and im gonna drive the piss out of it every single day! i'll take it to the strip when i get a chance. mid-ohio, nelsons ledges, etc. whenever i can manage. and i do plan on taking it off road as much as possible(mini rally). but MOST of all, i can't WAIT TO JUMP MY CAR! i bet it flys smooth like the 240. i'll let you know ASAP! -keith

See, my issue is... I like the JDM better, more go for the money. And I can get ridiculous deal on it. The availability of parts and OBD2 makes me cry. Also the games Id have to play with insurance... so I dont know if I want to keep my LGT and swap JDM STi or just get an 02 or 03 WRX and spend 2k to flash the ECU and TBE from cobb just to make it JDM standard. TOO HARD TO DECIDE!


and I do want a 400hp monster :( Haha.


My car 2002 wrx swap to Jdm V8 Sti blah blah was completely reliable and ran great, no issues. THe obdII port works, with correct tune and programs, mine was registered and insured so it is possible in Ct. Ill saw a wrx with ecu/tbe is nothing even close to jdm sti, i have had both. if you want something pretty fast, that can run with a few fast cars for a little ways, jdm is the only way.

btw, have u called the # i gave u?

stock motor and rs tranny?
yup, fidanza 9.6lb flywheel and ACT(a.k.a: trans breaker) clutch. btw i've been running ACT clutches since about 15k miles ;)

My car 2002 wrx swap to Jdm V8 Sti blah blah was completely reliable and ran great, no issues. THe obdII port works, with correct tune and programs, mine was registered and insured so it is possible in Ct. Ill saw a wrx with ecu/tbe is nothing even close to jdm sti, i have had both. if you want something pretty fast, that can run with a few fast cars for a little ways, jdm is the only way.

btw, have u called the # i gave u?

Of course it's not even close. It's got a bigger turbo... :rolleyes:

I drove mine for 8 months and 26 days (June 27 2005 March 13th 2006); JDM Version 5 WRX Type RA. The engine was all stock with a stock VF29 turbo and a 3" catless turboback exhaust. I used an Apexi S-AFC2 to monitor knock and ran it on 93 octane with either 2 gallons of 110leaded or some octane booster most of the time; it ran on 92 even, but the ECU sensed knock and pulled back quite a bit of power.
Over time I put an STI TMIC, ported and polished everything on the intake and exhaust. It boosted higher than normal (18PSI with the turboback, 20PSI post porting and polishing, then finally 22PSI for a day after I P&Ped the last thing on my exhaust system; the up pipe) and it was silly fast; fastest thing I've ever driven. I drove it every single day to school, and I also drove it on some very long trips, like UP - Kentucky (1300miles each way), UP - Chicago (380 miles each way, I drove this over 10 times), etc etc Its my first car and my only car, so I don't drive anything else... Oh, and I drove it for ALL it was worth :devil: . Drag passes, launches, 0-60 runs, top speed runs, autocrosses, rallycrosses, ice races, etc... I blew the engine I had before it too (EJ25 N/A, spun a rod bearing driving 135MPH for a couple minutes) :devil: It was very reliable untill it blew a head gasket, much like anything else. :rolleyes:
I sincerely hope my new block lasts longer :D

Ok, got some conclusive facts on this (mostly for OP I guess).

the combination of brain+information=simplicity

any JDM ej20g shares the main service parts with a usdm.

Clutch/flyhweel -any 5mt wrx
waterpump - ej22t
flywheel -any 5mt wrx
coilpacks - swapstarproductions stocks these
spark plugs - *
NGK PFR7B (NGK Part Number 4853) - sparkplugs.com

clutch slave cylinder -ej22t legacy turbo

valve cover gasket - EJ25 dohc 98
cam seals -ej25DOHC
intake manifold gasket EJ25 dohc
timing belt - any DOHC subaru is same. aftermarket greddy on ebay, or sti, or oem.

headgasket - get PN and order from dealer - thats what you do for HG's anyway
head studs - OEM subaru
oil pan - any EJ20, id get from 2005 sti for twin scroll
engine bearings- cobb makes special ones. order from cobb
MAF - swapstar stocks it, EJ18L has same PN.
any intake manifold sensor swapstar stocks.
alternator same as EJ18L
PS pump is same as EJ18L
AC compressor use your stock one.

i dont see any parts that are unavalible stateside.

I got this all from a credible source and I checked on some, so heres some fact :D

need more, then sticky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i can add some others when im done(1-2weeks)!

-keith

AC compressor use your stock one.


Not true. The 2.5RS compressor is too long and hits the intake manifold. The JDM compressor is incompatible with the RS air conditioning line fittings.

Not true. The 2.5RS compressor is too long and hits the intake manifold. The JDM compressor is incompatible with the RS air conditioning line fittings.
really because mine fit, fine, all you have to do is bent one of the lines slightly

2000 RS Coupe
2001 JDM Ver. 7 STi with non DCCD 6 speed
JDM Helix downpipe
JDM Trust catback
EcuTek tuned by Mike at Gruppe-S

I drive mine daily and absolutely LOVE it. Only reason I want another car for a daily driver is so that I could put a GT30R on it. I wouldnt want to drive that daily...only for fun!

if you leave it stock, carry oil and coolant around, and youll be fine :)

really because mine fit, fine, all you have to do is bent one of the lines slightly

Oh? For me the COMPRESSOR was too long... The lines didn't matter; the only way it would fit would be with a different intake manifold.

Oh? For me the COMPRESSOR was too long... The lines didn't matter; the only way it would fit would be with a different intake manifold.
maybe the V5 engine has different routing


however i jinxed myself, i left a stop sign today a little hard(no launch) and my damn pressure plate took a crap. Time to put a WRX case in with RS internals ;)