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2.5RS Engine swap to EJ203 SOHC non turbo

65K views 63 replies 30 participants last post by  Kostamojen 
#1 ·

First I want to say this is not going to be a short write up on swapping the EJ203 into a 2.5RS. This is a step by step guide as information on this swap is crazy hard to find.
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Rim Mid-size car


My Story

I own a 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS. I noticed one day while driving that the engine started knocking and making noise. The diagnosis ended up being a spun rod bearing. So therefore there are 2 choices. Rebuild or swap. Rebuilding would take a lot of time and money due to machining, lots of new parts, etc. so I decided to swap. There are 2 engine options for this swap. Either swap another EJ253 SOHC or the EJ203 SOHC swap. I went with the EJ203 SOHC from JDM Racing Motors in Montreal, Quebec. The EJ253 was 1800 from another place and the EJ203 was 1150$ from JDM Racing Motors. The prices includes shipping and are in Canadian dollars however, all prices on their website is US and they ship to nearly anywhere. This thread is a full swap guide with pics and I will do my best to put it step by step to make it simple. This swap is fairly easy providing you have some knowledge on how to work on cars. The entire swap took 5 hours to pull the engine and about 6 hours to put the new one in. Could be done in more or less time depending on experience level. Click on pictures to make them bigger.

You need to re-use all the bolts from the USDM engine. I suggest putting them in a bag and mark the bag to not lose any.

EJ253 makes 165 HP
EJ203 makes 155 HP

New parts ordered
- clutch kit (includes flywheel bearing, release bearing, clutch and pressure plate).
- Flywheel
- Intake and exhaust gaskets

Torque specs

Flywheel 53ft lbs
Flywheel adapter plate 50ft lbs
Clutch pressure plate 15ft lbs
Intake manifold 18ft lbs
Exhaust manifold 26ft lbs
Motor mounts
To engine 26ft lbs
To cross member 63ft lbs

Steps
To start things off, put the front of the car on ramps. Easier to access everything. Remove the battery to ensure that there is no chance of shorting anything out (10mm).

1) Take the hood off. Makes it easier to access everything from front to back. (12mm bolts).

2) Take off the air intake, filter box and tubing. Disconnect mass air flow sensor and the hoses from the head to the intake box. (One per side)(12mm bolts)

3) Drain coolant and engine oil (17mm drain plug for oil). Drained coolant from bottom radiator hose by disconnecting it from the engine.

4) Disconnect the fans on the radiator. Remove hoses and the radiator brackets. Remove radiator and set it aside. Also disconnect the 2 hoses on the driver’s side the firewall for the coolant going to the heater core inside the vehicle.

5) Disconnect the 2 main wiring that connect from the ECU connectors to the intake manifold. They are located passenger side near the strut tower. Also disconnect the O2 sensor.

6) Loosen the tensioners for the 2 belts (the one for the A/C compressor and one for the alternator/power steering) (12mm) and remove the belts. Keep the A/C belt it needs to be re used. The alternator/power steering belt, you can use the JDM belt. (A/C compressor on the JDM has a smaller pulley so the belt is shorter. Does not work with the USDM A/C compressor.) Once that is done, remove the tensioners and set them aside. Makes it easier to remove the A/C and power steering pump.

7) I reused the power steering pump and A/C compressor. A/C compressor must be used as JDM and USDM the connections are at different places. However, contradictory to my research, the USDM A/C and power steering pump does bolt up directly to the JDM engine block. The power steering pumps are the same for JDM and USDM.

8) The power steering pump has 3 bolts, 1 on top and 2 in the front of the block. Remove them and set the pump aside. Also make sure you disconnected the connector to the pump. Auto part Rust Engine


9) Disconnect the crank position sensor, cam position sensor, the 4 spark plug wires, knock sensor, and a few other sensors that I am not 100% sure what they are called. And a sensor near the firewall under manifold. The coolant temperature sensor can only be disconnected once the intake manifold is lifted up as it is right under it. Also disconnect the fuel hoses that are located on the driver’s side that connect to the intake manifold. I tied then up with zip ties out of the way.
Vehicle Engine Car Auto part Automotive engine part


10) Once everything is disconnected, including the 2 hoses on the throttle body and the hose from the brake booster to the manifold. Before removing the bolts holding the intake, remove the copper tube that connects to the rear of the engine to the rear of the intake manifold.
Engine Auto part Motor vehicle Automotive engine part Vehicle

Remove the 4 bolts on each side of the intake and remove the intake slowly. When I removed mine, I pulled it slowly and disconnected whatever hoses and connections I couldn’t get to with the intake on. Set it aside as you need to re-use the USDM intake for the swap. Be sure that you do not completely take off the manifold until all sensors and hoses are disconnected as you will have to re-wire then if you break them.

11) The A/C compressor has 4 bolts. 2 on top and 2 on the front on the block. Remove the 2 front ones and the 2 on top. The back one can only be accessed once the intake is off. So make sure to take the intake off first. And set the compressor aside.
Auto part Engine Rust


12) Remove the 3 nuts on each exhaust flange off and the nuts on the motor mounts

13) Remove the 7 bolts that hold the engine to the transmission as well as 2 nuts on the bottom of the transmission. The 2 nuts connect to the guide posts at the bottom of the engine. These are all 14mm and are fairly accessible. The only one that is difficult is the driver’s side nut which is behind the front axle shaft. I used a small breaker bar and the 14mm short socket.

14) Once the bolts are removed, the engine is essentially free. I attached the hoist to the engine using the middle front intake holes and bolts. Hoist the engine up until the engine is just to say supported by the hoist. If you go too high the entire car will lift as the tranny is still attached. I used a hammer and hit the driver’s side top corner of the engine to start to break it loose from then transmission. Once it was loose, use a hammer and flat screwdriver to open the gap all around the engine and separate it. Once it is separated, pull back on the hoist and the engine should come away from the transmission. Hoist it out and set it aside but make sure it’s accessible. A couple parts need to be swapped.

15) I ordered a new clutch kit and flywheel because my old one was finished. However you need to remove the old clutch to get to the old flywheel as the old flywheel has an adapter plate that needs to be put on the new flywheel and also need to press out the old bearing and press in the new one. You also need to re-use the bolts for the clutch pressure plate and flywheel. For the bolts you need a special star socket. Luckily I had it so if you need it not sure where you could find it.

16) Remove the adapter plate from the old flywheel, press out the old and press in the new bearing and install the plate on the new flywheel. Torque it down. I torqued it to 50 ft-lbs.

17) In order to get the JDM engine ready, repeat steps 6 to 11. Set the parts aside because you won’t be re using most of them, however keep them for spares for the future such as sensors, coil packs, plug wires, etc.
Land vehicle Vehicle Engine Motor vehicle Auto part

This is the JDM engine on the hoist when i first got it.

18) Install new bearing in the adapter and install new flywheel. Then install clutch and pressure plate using the alignment tool on the JDM engine and (flywheel 14mm, clutch pressure plate 12mm) torque down to specs listed above.

19) When I received my JDM engine, the motor mounts were torched off, so remove them and swap them for the motor mounts off the EJ253. They are the same mounts (14mm).

20) Take the 2 clips off on the clutch release bearing and remove the old one. Install new one and put the clips back on.
Auto part Scrap Engine


21) Attach the hoist to the JDM engine and hoist it up. And bring it to the car.

22) Lower the engine slowly to avoid hitting anything. Once in the engine bay, slowly push it back towards the transmission and lower it. I also jacked up the transmission to ease the process of clearing the studs for the exhaust as well as the motor mounts. If you don’t, you will not be able to line the transmission with the clutch because the motor mounts will hit the cross member.

23) Once the engine is close, line up the 2 alignment studs in their respective holes and push the engine back. Once the engine is pushed back ensure it is level with the transmission and the clutch is lined up and push it all the way. If it doesn’t go back fully, use a bolt that connects the transmission to the engine to bring it back slowly and evenly.

24) Re-install all the bolts and 2 nuts that hold the transmission and engine together.

25) Keep the engine suspended by the hoist and take the jack out from the transmission.

26) Install new exhaust gaskets and lower the engine. Make sure to line up the exhaust and the motor mounts. Install the nuts that hold the exhaust to the engine and the motor mount nuts. Torque down to specs.

27) There is only 1 sensor that is different from USDM and JDM. The coolant temperature sensor USDM is 3 wires and the JDM is 2. Swap the USDM from the old engine to the JDM engine. This sensor is on the coolant tube mounted on the top of the block. On USDM, it is facing the firewall. On the JDM, it faces the front towards the radiator.

JDM coolant temperature sensor and location
Engine Vehicle Car Auto part Scrap


USDM coolant temperature sensor and location
Engine Auto part Vehicle Scrap Automotive engine part


28) Install the A/C compressor and power steering pump. The A/C has to be installed before the intake manifold however the power steering pump can be done before or after the manifold is installed.

29) Install new gaskets for the intake and install the intake manifold. Reconnect all the sensors, spark plugs, main wiring harness (both of them) and the O2 also re attach the hoses to the manifold and throttle body. Reconnect the spark plug wires. Torque the intake manifold to specs. Also reconnect the copper tube to the intake as well as the fuel lines and the 2 heater core hoses. NOTE: MAKE SURE TO SWAP THE PCV VALVE FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE USDM ENGINE HAS THE PCV BUILT INTO THE BLOCK. THE JDM ENGINE HAS IT IN AS A STAND ALONE BETWEEN THE TUBE THAT COMES OUT OF THE BLOCK (SAME PLACE AS THE USDM) AND WHERE IT CONNECTS TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD.
Land vehicle Vehicle Engine Motor vehicle Auto part


Engine Vehicle Car Auto part Scrap

This picture shows where the JDM PCV valve will be located and connected to the USDM intake manifold.

30) Re-install air intake box, hoses and connect mass air flow sensors. Also reconnect the 2 hoses that go from the heads of the engine to the air box (one each side). The air box I am talking about is the one connected to the throttle body.

31) Re-install radiator, reconnect hoses and connectors for the rad fans and re-bolt the rad support brackets.

32) Add coolant and oil to engine. I was recommended and I highly agree to use Shell Rotella T6 5w40 engine oil with a NAPA gold filter. Will ensure the prolonged life of your new install.

33) Re-install battery and you are now ready to start your new engine. Crank it over a few times. If it starts, turn it off and repeat. I did this to make sure oil was spread around before running it fully. Once I did this 3 to 4 times, I let the car run. Bring it outside and let it run in case there is any smoke. Let it run and check for any lights warnings. Listen for exhaust leaks, ticks, knocking etc. The engine runs good.

The EJ203 max RPM’s are higher than the EJ253. The exact max RPM I am still unsure. I ordered a cable to program the open sourced ECU in the RS. This will allow you to modify max rpm as well as map out your performance and modify many different parameters to get max power. I will be using ROMRAIDER and ECU Flash to do this. I will make another thread once I do the flashing.

Also be cautions if putting a new clutch. Run it as softly as you can for at least 500 km’s to 1000 km’s to allow proper break in time. Last thing you want is to burn out a brand new clutch and have to redo this all over again.

This swap was a new one for me. I have done a few swaps but never a Subaru. I have a friend who knows a lot about Subaru’s and he has a friend who did this very swap so they were very helpful. There is very little info on the EJ203 so I figured I would put it online as it is a great alternative to the EJ253 and direct drop in swap. This swap is also a great way to save money while not losing a ton of HP.

P.S. I took way more pictures than this but I could only upload so many. I will try and upload more when I am able to.

Thanks for reading. if you have questions feel free to ask anything.
 
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#2 ·
Impressive first post. Good luck with everything I look forward to the updates. Why did you go with smaller displacement? For higher revs a better gas mileage or some other reason?

Also try uploading them to photobucket or Flickr and use the embed image link so you can get all your pictures up
 
#4 ·
@JDMPREZA713, I went with the 2.0 for a number of reasons, one is that it is more reliable. Two, it only has 10 hp less than the stock 2.5rs engine. Three, i saved myself over 700 dollars. I couldnt care less about gas mileage. Higher rpms is a bonus. So save 700 dollars and only lose 10 hp thats a pretty good trade off. Spending the 700 on other mods on the car like custom exhaust, tuning, custom cold air intake, etc.
 
#5 ·
@Sarra, there is limited information about the EJ203 and what vehicle it came from. It is a true JDM ONLY motor. The only thing I could find is that it came out of a 2004, not sure what model though. But that really didnt matter in the end because it is a single cam non turbo engine which is what I needed and also it is listed on the JDM Racing Motors website as the direct replacement for the EJ253. When you call them they make sure it is in fact the right engine and that it will work for you. If it does not work they will tell you rather than sell you an engine you will not be able to use.
 
#6 ·
I am about to attempt this same swap to replace a blown EJ253. Because the EJ203 is a JDM-only engine, finding parts like head gaskets, timing belts, etc. locally looks to be difficult or impossible. But, I assume this 2.0 is similar enough to the EJ20 USDM engines that many of the same parts would fit.

Do you have any idea which 2.0L USDM engine is a good start for compatible parts?
 
#8 ·
The 2004 ej203 makes 155hp. Also nearly all parts including head gaskets, entire timing belt kit including water pump tensioners are the exact same as the ej253. The reason only the ej253 parts fit and none of the ej20 usdms is because the 253 is sohc(dualcam) and the ej20 s are the turbo versions so dohc(quadcam) use only usdm ej253 parts and you will be fine. Also follow my write up and you should not have any issues. If you do let me know ill gladly help you troubleshoot any issues.
 
#9 ·
First off, the usdm ej205 from the 02-05 wrx shares the same head gasket as the jdm ej203 engine, same bore diameter (92mm) and coolant port spacing, so there is a few parts that can be found. Cometic would be the way to go for these head gaskets if it is needed in the future so a person can get the correct thickness.

For the valve covers, the ej251/253 stuff will work just fine along with the intake gaskets and such.
 
#16 · (Edited)
First off this is not a thread to argue bully or belittle people. Second this thread is an entire swap no gaskets required other than intake and exhaust. And no all ej series parts are interchangeable some are some arent. Like my post says, the ej253 timing belt kit with the water pump and tensioner and pulleys fits as they are the same ammount of teeth and length. Any other ej timing belt wouldnt work. There are no usdm ej203 so really they arent similar. They kught share head gaskets but the similarities start and stop there. Lastly, if you dont like my thread or if you have any issues with it, then dont post. It was to help people doing this swap.
 
#18 ·
Ok being one of the first ones to do this swap , Jdm racing motors initially was going off the turbo info that cam and crank gears are different . I gave the supplier much needed info years ago about the cam and crank gears being identical . Some Jdm sellers do not have feedback from the buyer so they know only turbo info of gears being different . That's why they say they need to be changed cya (cover your ass ) right . The ej203 is a great motor as we have over 250000 km on that swap now no gasket issues yet . Being close to Montreal has its privledges lol .
 
#20 ·
So, I've completed my EJ253 to EJ203 swap and aside from some serious smoking out the tailpipes (which I suspect is from oil in the exhaust headers leaking in after the EJ253 threw a rod), I have an inconsistent rattle that so far I haven't been able to remedy. It's possible it's a timing belt tensioner problem or bad fuel injector or something, but if not I'm back to removing and tearing down the EJ203 to figure out what the hell the problem is...

If needing to replace internals like main bearings, piston rings, etc., is the 2002-2005 WRX EJ205 compatible with the EJ203?
 
#22 ·
@ chandlerbingco i inboxed you. Check your pcv valve as the jdm and usdm are in different locations. The usdm one is built into the block under the intake manifold and the jdm one is near the top of the intake manifold and is plastic. I believe it is in my pictures. If not i can send you the location. That is a common thing that people forget to put in as they think its in the same location as the usdm one. Also the rattle could b anything mine rattles but its the heat shield on the exhaust. I have since removed it and rattle goes away. You have a 30 day warranty jdm racing motors. If theres an issue with the motor they will send you the replacement parts considering most parts are fairly new or been replaced before you get the engine it shoud not be a timing belt tensioner issue or something of that matter check i over thoroughly if it is indeed the engine internals jdm racing motors will send you a replacement for free providing you inform them within 30 days and that the proper policy is followed. Inbox me anytime with any questions or problems and ill be more than happy to help
 
#24 ·
A few additional notes from my own completed EJ253 --> EJ203 swap for the record:

1. I second the double checking of the PCV valve swap - they EJ253 is built into the block and the EJ203 is a separate component that slides onto the intake nipple. I forgot to swap these the first time and it resulted in high idle (1500 - 2000 rpm) and smoking like crazy. After swapping the PCV over, the high idle immediately stopped and settled down to ~700 rpm. The smoking gradually went away, although it took probably an hour of idling to clear out the excess oil in the intake.

2. If you have an A/T (4EAT or other), make sure to remove the throttle body from the intake so you can access the flex plate cover, remove the black plastic cover, and manually rotate the engine until each of the four bolts connecting the flex plate to the torque converter are visible. Remove all four prior to unbolting the engine from the transmission bell housing. I haven't done an A/T before and assumed it was similar to M/T removal. It isn't - A/T is much simpler so long as the flex plate is unbolted first! Also, the flex plate from the EJ253 fits the EJ203 just fine.

3. I did not swap the cam gears from the USDM to the JDM. Several sellers say you need to do this because the position sensors won't work. In my experience, this isn't true. My EJ203 worked just fine with the original cam gears left on.

4. I had to remove the timing belt to swap over the driver-side gear cover housing from USDM to JDM because the JDM engine's was broken off. The timing components between both engines are indeed essentially identical as other posters on this thread have suggested. However, the hydraulic timing belt tensioner is easy to damage. There are some good methods on Youtube that indicate how to correctly remove the timing belt and I suggest watching those. When the whole assembly is reinstalled, pay particular attention to the tensioner and ensure it is working properly. You can tell by manually rotating the engine and watching to make sure the belt is always tensioned and does not slip on the cam gears. If it does, the tensioner needs to be replaced because a slipping timing belt will cause a major headache you don't need.

5. The knock sensor, which is located on the driver side, just underneath the throttle body has a different connector and needs to be swapped.

6. Although the USDM and JDM engine mounts look a little different, the bolt locations and mounting position on the engine and the cross member are identical. They are interchangeable. I jacked the transmission up to make more room for the engine mount bolts to clear the cross member when dropping the JDM engine in, but wasted about three hours trying to line everything up right. In the end, I loosened the engine mount bolts as far as I could while still leaving the mounts attached to the engine and used the slack to position the bolts into the slots in the cross member. This made the re-installation process much easier. Once the bolts are in the slots, tighten the mounts to the engine block before setting the engine down the rest of the way.

7. The coolant temperature sensor has a different connector so the USDM and JDM need to be swapped, but I found the location on both to be the same - in the cast coolant tube that runs across the top of the block. Both sensor locations in mine were facing the front of the engine.

8. The only issue I've had from the ECU so far is a blinking "CRUISE" indicator. Other threads suggest this is due to disconnecting the battery and may require an ECU reset, but I haven't done this. I'll report back once it's on the road if there are other problems.

9. This swap to an EJ203 only works if you do NOT have the AVCS (Adjustable Valve Control System) on your EJ253. You need to check because it looks like this started to become available around 2004/2005. In my case, the 2005 Outbacks only had them on turbo models so I was good. If there is a question, JDM Racing Motors has techs that will help you determine whether the swap will work or not.

Otherwise, the OP's post is informative and correct and swapping an EJ253 to EJ203 is a relatively simple and straightforward process. I also had good luck with JDM Racing Motors - total cost of the EJ203 with freight was $1150. They shipped UPS Freight and the delivery had a hydraulic pallet jack and rolled the new engine up the driveway and into the garage.

Also, the OP's post was on a 2005 Impreza 2.5RS with M/T. Mine was on a 2005 Outback 2.5i (non-turbo) with A/T. Please feel free to PM me as well and I am happy to help try to solve problems other have attempting this swap in the future.

This has been a very valuable thread, so thanks to all for the input.
 
#25 ·
chandlerbingco, just a heads up for your cruise light, could be due to an engine code stored but not current, example, if the check engine light went on then off, its a stored code, as for AVCS same on mine, my rs did not have it therefore it worked, my knock sensor and all other sensors besides the 1 which is the coolant temp sensor, they are all the same connectors, the only reason for you is because you have an outback and not a 2.5rs. the cam gears and timing belt and etc for the timing belt, i didnt swap any of it, kept the jdm stuff on as stated in my thread, the 2.5rs engine mounts and the jdm203 engine mounts are the same however, for the jdm engine, they torch them off, which is why i swapped mine. it was a learning experience but jdm racing motors and my connections in alberta who have done this swap before, have helped me. to clear the smoke faster you could have went for a nice ride, which is what i did, to clear it quickly. i appreciate that people actually like this thread and are able to use it as a good tool to swap their subarus. i love this engine as much if not more than the ej253 and with a tune in it, will be even better.
 
#30 ·
Slightly different swap

I have an interesting situation, and would like to see if anyone here can help me out.

I did an engine swap similar to the OP, though it was from an EJ251 to an EJ203. This happened because the JDM import company sent me the wrong engine, but said that it could work with a little more retrofitting (mainly plugging the hole in the head for the EGR valve tube).

So far I have swapped the flex plate, intake manifold, wiring harness, coolant temp sensor, knock sensor, and AC compressor. I also had to do some rigging to get the PCV to work, the old engine had a threaded nipple coming from the block while the new engine just had a straight hose connection.

The problem is that the car will not start. I've been over it many times to ensure everything is plugged in, and everything matches up. The JD import company I purchased this from have been very helpful (other than sending me the 203 as opposed to the 201), and they say that the crank and cam sprockets absolutely have to be swapped over as well.

Since I see many folks on this forum saying they do not need to be swapped when the last number is the same (EJ251 to EJ201, EJ253 to EJ203 etc.) I was hoping to get some input on my situation, where it is from the EJ251 to the EJ203.

Thank you for your time.

EDIT: The rigged PCV may be part of the problem now that I think of it, the threaded nipple that was installed on the old engine block may be the actual valve as opposed to the nipple on the throttle body, I'll have to check when I get home. Maybe I can swap the PCV from the new intake manifold?
 
#32 ·
EJ251 uses the 6/7 trigger with a JECS ECU. The EJ203 uses a 36-2-2 trigger with a Denso ECU.

So indeed, you do need to swap the crank gear and drivers cam pulley.. After that it will get crank signals that it knows what to do with... If the importer had done their job and shipped the right engine to you, it would have worked the way it was but 201's are harder to find than 202/203's and otherwise still direct swaps
 
#37 ·
Does the year of each motor make a difference in the compatibility of the EJ253 to EJ203 swap? Currently I have a 2009 Subaru Impreza which I believe has the 253 motor. All over the place I have been able to readily find the JDM 203 motors with significantly less miles for hundreds less than a EJ253 that was pulled from something more current. Problem (or maybe not?) is that most of the EJ203s ive seen are from 2004-2005ish. Will this still be compatible?

Thanks in advance!!!
 
#38 ·
Does the year of each motor make a difference in the compatibility of the EJ253 to EJ203 swap? Currently I have a 2009 Subaru Impreza which I believe has the 253 motor. All over the place I have been able to readily find the JDM 203 motors with significantly less miles for hundreds less than a EJ253 that was pulled from something more current. Problem (or maybe not?) is that most of the EJ203s ive seen are from 2004-2005ish. Will this still be compatible?



Thanks in advance!!!


No these won't be compatible. The newer 06+ engines have avls heads which will throw a check engine light if it's not plugged in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#39 ·
Howdy all,

Wanted to chime in on this as I've recently just did the swap this past weekend. MY00 RS with the ej251 in it, swapped it with a JDM EJ203 and it works beautifully. Follow the instructions on the post and you wont have any hiccups. Literally all you have to do is swap over sensors(UD pulley sensor & drivers cam sensor), drivers side cam, under drive pulley gear and under drive pulley and intake manifold.

I plan on doing more testing and will come back with more info and further review of the engine. So far it's great, less power obviously but not too bad. can still get up and go. Lost the low end grunt of the torque but again, least the car wont fail. The power is actually a lot more liner and feels nice/smoother.

Here is the link of it running for proof.

JDM EJ203 in a 2000 Impreza 2.5rs - YouTube
 
#40 ·
Just wanted to give an update on the car. Still running strong and no problems at all! I have roughly driven 500 miles on it. I did happen to run across P0130 from my Bosch front o2 sensor that's not even 2 years old but I think that's due to my middle exhaust flange (donut looking gasket) is practically gone. Will be switching it out and or deleting/welding in a piece of exhaust to get away with needing that stupid gasket.

I'll hopefully be starting a member journal as I've been wanting too for awhile but work on the car is very slow. Hope this helps the future swappers out there.
 
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