ENGINE MECHANICS PLEASE HELP A FELLOW MEMBER

[codfish11]

I bought an 03 Baja with no engine, they left me just the intake. The engine I rebuilt has no EGR. I found this out after installing the engine and finding the EGR Plug.

So I have 2 choices

1. swap the computer to match an engine that doesn't have EGR (VIN pic below #213"Square thing" 24"square thing"398
2. Pull the head off and tap the hole to create an exhaust path for the EGR

[codfish11]

Im new so I cannot edit I guess, so... Im asking for advice on how to go about fixing this issue and/or how to find out the vin # for the engine so Ill know what car it came out of so I can get the correct ECU...


Peace and Thanx !

[Guacamole]

Hey there, I'm not an engine mechanic, but I don't think the engine serial number and the VIN will match on any Subaru. The Subaru VIN is 17 characters long, and the engine serial number should be 10 characters.
Info on Subie VIN: https://www.cars101.com/subaru/vin.html
Unfortunately that's about all the info I can offer. Usually the NA Baja parts can be swapped straight from a 2000-2004 Legacy or Outback, but the NA Baja used 2 different engine models during it's run. The EJ251 (2003-2004) used a MAP sensor, while the EJ253 (2005-2006) used a MAF sensor. I don't know if there's anything else different about them. EDIT: I may be wrong about the engine years, need further research.
Here's also something on identifying the engine serial numbers for an EJ253: https://autopsrus.com/subaru-engine-identification
Sorry I can't be much more help than this, so I restfully summon the almighty user Kamesama who is by far more knowledgeable on engines than I!

[codfish11]

Thank you for your reply it shines a better light on whats going on with my situation...Im screwed... haha ! After looking at the links I see I dont have letters in my "engine vin" so Im confused...

Im pretty sure the engine came from a 2006 Outback

Peace and Thanx

[Guacamole]

Well, you may not be screwed if you're up for doing some [maybe?] major reworking of the electrical. Another user, Nitro, took his 03 Baja Classic and swapped a 2010 WRX engine in it, then put the Baja engine, with STI heads, into a Gen-1 Forester.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2531
Was a lot of work but you could probably do something like this.
There's also a few users here who have swapped a 3.0L H6 engine into their Bajas...
viewtopic.php?t=2249
...and a guy in Poland did it too!
https://www.facebook.com/Subaru-BAJA-H6 ... 783840281/
So needless to say it is entirely possible to do this, it's just dependent on your skillset and how far you want to go with the project.
(Also to edit posts, click the

edit.JPG (7.9 KiB) Viewed 4620 times

button at the top right of your post when you're logged in)

One way to determine the generation of the engine is the placement of the oil filter as this changes in almost every iteration of the EJ25. Where is yours located? On the EJ251 (00-04 NA Legacy, 03-06 NA Baja) the oil filter is located on the drivers' side of the bottom engine block positioned parallel with the pistons. On the EJ253 (05-09 Legacy) it is located on the bottom passenger side perpendicular to the pistons. On the last two generations, the oil filters have been placed on top of the block.

[ZUBAJA]

You probably are NOT screwed. Many JDM (most? All?) did not come with the EGR. Many have successfully drilled and tapped the hole for the EGR tube. I'm sure there are instructions, Illustrations, pictures, or maybe even a Youtube. Here's the best part: You don't have to pull the cylinder head. Drill the hole, use a shop vac to suck out any shavings, and you're good to go. Back in the day when we were converting 2 carb Corvairs to 4 carb, you bolted up the adapter and used a hole saw to cut the holes in the aluminum manifolds (integral with heads) then sucked the shavings out. It works.
Very doubtful that the ECM for a non EGR vehicle would work in a Baja anyway without a lot of finagling. And I AM a mechanic (or was until I retired in December ). Dennis
EDIT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpQVPtLkVd4
FWIW - the hole goes in the exhaust port anyway, so any shavings will blow out the exhaust. Good idea to vacuum anyway so they don't end up in your cat. D.