Posted Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at 10:24pm
Scott’s comments: A nice primer on the EJ Series motors.
Developed from scratch during the second part of the 1980s as a replacement for the EA flat-fours, which had been produced since 1966, the EJ hit the streets in 1989 when the first-generation Legacy was introduced. At first, the engine codenamed EJ20 displaced 2.0 liters and was available in three distinct versions: a 123-hp single overhead cam, 148-hp dual overhead cam, and a turbocharged dual cam that could produce up to 217 hp.
In the years that followed, the powerplant was offered in various displacements with or without turbochargers and became the heart of all Subaru models. It was built around an aluminum block with cast-iron cylinder liners, five main bearings, and a forged steel crankshaft with different stroke lengths – depending on the displacement. The connecting rods in almost all variants were forged, while the pistons were cast (naturally aspirated units), forged, or hypereutectic (turbocharged units).
