Subaru Firing Order Chart [With Diagram]

Known for its high power and fuel efficiency, the Subaru Boxer offers great performance. The Subaru Boxer is a flat-four engine that has two sets of cylinders on either side of it. Boxer four engines have been used in cars ever since 1897 by well-known manufacturers such as Subaru. The Subaru Boxer is pretty old and because of that, there have been many improvements made to it.

The Subaru Boxer 4 firing order is 1-3-2-4. The Subaru ej 20 and ej 25 firing orders are also the same. The 2011 Subaru Forester firing order is also the same. The Subaru 6-cylinder firing order is 1-6-3-2-5-4. Many people have asked about the explanation of the Subaru coil pack firing order so let us discuss how it works.

Subaru Firing order

  • For Subaru Boxer 4 engine, the firing order is 1-3-2-4
  • For Subaru Boxer 6 engine the firing order is 1-6-2-5-3-4

The explanation for firing order

If you do not know how the Subaru coil packs firing order works or what it means then let me explain. Let us look at the Subaru ej25 for example whose firing order is 1-3-2-4. Because it uses a four-cylinder boxer engine, it only has four firing sequences. The number of the firing order represents a specific cylinder of the boxer and the sequence explains in what order they will be ignited.

Now let us look at the Subaru 6-cylinder firing order which is 1-6-3-2-5-4. This is a 6-cylinder boxer which means it has 6 sequences. For this engine, the first cylinder will be ignited first and then the sixth cylinder will be ignited, and so on.

Torque Specification

Fastener typeTorque specs
Main Cap Bolt (396-427, 2-Bolt)85 ft.-lbs.
Main Cap Bolt (396-454, 4-Bolt, Inner and Outer)100 ft.-lbs.
Cylinder Head Bolts, Long85 ft.-lbs.
Cylinder Head Bolts, Short55-68 ft.-lbs.

Why do boxer engines sound different?

In Subaru’s boxer engines, the header of piping of the first and third cylinders is different from the header piping of the second and fourth cylinders.

The piping of both sets of cylinders is different in length which means that the exhaust gas has to move through different lengths. This is the reason for the difference in sound as it creates an uneven tone instead of a smooth one.

How are boxer engine cylinders arranged?

The pattern of the cylinders arranged in a boxer engine is different from some other engines. The cylinders are 180 degrees apart and are placed on either of a crankshaft. This is a different arrangement from the typical V-shaped arrangement of cylinders in other commonly used engines.

What is the firing order of a Subaru boxer engine?

In simpler words, the Subaru Boxer 4 firing order is 1-3-2-4.

Check out Spark Plug Firing order

Why is a V8 more powerful?

V8 engines are almost always more powerful than engines with fewer cylinders such as the four cylinders Subaru Boxer because the eight cylinders of the v8 give the vehicle more torque and horsepower which allows the vehicle to pull heavier loads or accelerate very fast and reach even higher top speeds.

The firing order applies to

  • Subaru Forester
  • Subaru Impreza
  • Subaru Legacy
Jake Mayock