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you can also go to pretty much any of the large chain auto parts stores and get the codes read for free. they will NOT reset them, but they will tell you what is present and give you a printout if you ask for it. Get those codes and post them here in the order the car presented them. And yeah, Cruise light flashing just means it has been disabled by the vehicle until the other things are addressed, or reset. Very probable that something got moisture where it should not have and that is where the light show is coming from. Also, just to clarify here.. TCU is Transmission Control Unit on a Subaru, not traction control.. .that would come up as VDC - Vehicle Dynamics Control. And both battery AND brake lights on? Battery light is not really something to ignore.. Battery light on is an indicator that your charging system is not functioning correctly - I would also have a charging system check done while at the parts store - again, most of the large chains will do this for free. Brake light is not quite as worrisome and could be something simple, like your parking brake handle very slightly raised... but, check your brake fluid level.. make sure it is where it should be. the light will come on if the fluid level drops too low. If the level is low, you need to top it up, and then try to figure out WHY it was low - ie: leaking somewhere? Warning lights in the dash are typically not something you should just ignore.. they are there for a reason - you need to find out what the car is trying to tell you and then fix the issue.

That's a mildly-high quote. And I fear they have no idea what they are talking about..... An EJ22E swap from a 1995 automatic takes no more time than pulling and installing the original engine. This is generally about 6 hours. If you also figure a complete reseal of said engine (good idea), then you can probably figure about 14 hours. Doing HG's on-up. A qualified tech can probably do this in half that. But we consider the worst possible scenario - heli-coil many threads, lots of cleaning and prep, etc...... 251 bottom end swap is similar - should be about 14-16 hours at MOST. Shops do quote high. Hell.... I know this better than anyone - people ask me for quotes on the most outlandish things you can imagine - we are really a high performance speed and tuning shop that does repair and maintenance to keep the lights on in the winter, etc. Many of my customers don't trust any other shop because I'm honest to a fault - I charge what is needed to pay my employees a proper living wage and keep my lights on. I'm also not in the repair market in your area of the country so it's really hard for me to determine an "honest" quote. GD

If your brake fluid is low this could also indicate the need for new brake pads, check these too before going all in on a brake fluid top up - otherwise you could overflow the reservoir when you put the new pads in depending on how you do your pad changes. Cheers Bennie

Take a deep breath. Once the CEL is on, the cruise control becomes disabled. Oftentimes, the CEL will clear after a number of drive miles/cycles where the car isn't experiencing "unusual" circumstances. Once the CEL is off, the cruise should return. Clearing codes is easy BUT get the code reader and determine what the fault is first. BTW, if you clear the code yourself, unlike letting the code reset naturally, there will be a learning period for the engine so don't set the mental alarm anew if there is rough running. Let us know if you need the procedure to facilitate the learning. Now, as far as your Evel Knievel impersonation goes...

I would but I didn't bottom out. My tires just got stuck on ice and started spinning. I never scraped. Lucky 7.5 inch clearance I guess, lol.

Thanks for the kind words folks! Still have some catching up to do, enjoy another deluge of photos. Gotta love that factory repair manual! The crank pulley was very very stuck on, it is pretty rusty. I saw a picture of the official Subaru puller tool in the manual, so I fashioned one out of scrap. I had to heat it with a torch a few times, but it finally came off! The pulley is in very rough condition, the side where the belt was touching is very rusted (the belt held moisture against the pulley). Once I finally had the pulley off, it was time to split the case. Nothing too exciting happened, I used small chunks of fuel line to hold the lifters in place, I should have taken a picture of that. The excitement began when I saw the distributor drive gear: Before I saw this, I was starting to wonder if it was a good idea to go this deep into this engine, as parts have been very hard to find. Once I saw this timing gear, I knew I did the right thing, there's no way to fix that without tearing it ALL the way down. When I stripped the accessories off the engine, I did notice that there was no bolt holding the distributor in. This is what happens when you crank the engine over with a loose distributor! Now the panic set in, where the hell would I find an EA61 distributor drive gear? I looked at it closely, then remembered I had a spare EA81 crank in the shop. I went and grabbed the distributor drive off of it, and this is what I found: It's exactly the same. Except it's not destroyed. This feels like blind luck on my part, but I guess I should thank Subaru for using the same timing gear on every OHV engine! More later.

Agreed. You need an Alternator Read the codes and diagnose, cruise will return. You have a 2.5, unless it's been swapped. You likely need transfer clutches (ASSuming you have an automatic. I'm guessing this is why you got stuck).

Yeah, the gentleman I bought this Brat from told me a similar story that he found someone who had the piece for sale but wanted something in the ballpark of $1000 for it, unbelievable. I wish I could've taken advantage of gathering a bunch of NOS dealer stock back then, but I am just now getting into the vintage Subaru ownership scene as of this past summer. I am fresh out of school and still paying off student loans so paying an arm and a leg for a piece of trim is not the greatest idea right now. I did buy this vehicle knowing that there weren't going to be catalogs readily available with every part one could possibly need for an old Subi, but I suppose this could all be part of the fun of owning one. I noticed that it says you live in Bridgeport, so if you happen to have or come across anything you may want to sell, I am not too far away!

I’m all for paying a good shop. I’m the weird-o that pays contractors more than the bill they give and tire shop more than they charge. Pay them if they’re good. But also if they’re good Id expect more clarity. They should say $1,500 for an engine swap plus any additional amounts for unforeseen issues we encounter and ask you about. Or additional charges for headgaskets. Timing belt…..what brand parts, be specific, write it out. You should be installing all new Subaru or AISIn timing kits. Belt pulleys and tensioner. GD charges like $2,500-$3,000 I think for an headgasket Job. He’s quoted his prices here before. Look them up. And he’s incredibly clear abs thorough. If I were you I’d be seeing how far the drive is to Portland and see if you can make a trip to let him do it.

Subaru book time is 12 hours. *exactly* what they are doing the other 5-13 hours? I mean list it out for that 10 hour up charge “wiring or mechanical hiccups” is insufficient, and meaningless. There are no wiring and mechanical “hiccups”. Anything like that should be addressed as they proceed not paid for ahead of time like insurance you probably won’t need. Shops don’t upcharge your tires before they’re installed just “in case” studs break, TPMS crack, or a wheel is bent - they encounter an issue, tell you the issue, options to resolve it, and you both work it out. Same here check exhaust - note if there’s rust and potential costs if that’s problematic. If you’re ordering a JDM engine then SAY it specifically, there’s maybe 1-2 hours extra work for potential wiring or shipping damages. But you didn’t say JDM so we cant even be generous with a minuscule 1-2 hour up charge. It seems like they’re trying to make it sound like particle physics so you sign and trust their Einsteinian skills. This sounds harsh but mostly for illustration and clarity since all we have is a text screen - Why are you paying top dollar, praising their skills, and come here to ask for advice on what parts to get? That’s just bizarre. I’m not even a trained mechanic never worked in a shop and I’ve already made more sense and given more quantitative Subaru specific information than they have in 6 minutes. They should be leading that charge if they’re that good and qualified and expensive.

Not a pro by any stretch, but i am going to suggest that you forget about the EZ30 - not an easy swap at all. would require MUCH more than just swapping the engine.. ECU, wiring, possibly exhaust.. yeah, you do not want to go there. For my money, either the EJ22, or EJ251 with a head gasket job (using upgraded gaskets - not the stock ones - GD can provide excellent info on that) - either one would be vastly superior than the EJ25D you currently have. The EJ251 would have slightly better power over the EJ22. Both my previous 2002 Forester, and my current 2004 Forester have the EJ251, and with good maintenance are good engines. As for pricing.. again, no expert, but seems a little bit high to me (more in time required than $/hr).. altho pricing varies considerably across the country - location dictates a lot, so maybe not out of line for your area. to check, you could make a few phone calls and ask for a ballpark on the job.. Regardless of which engine you get, i would recommend doing a FULL timing service* before it goes in, and reseal of the rear separator plate - unless it is obviously damaged there is no need to touch the rear main seal - do not let them tell you otherwise. 99.99% of the time any oil on the backside of the block is coming from the separator plate. I would also recommend going thru and replacing all vacuum lines and coolant hoses while everything is easily accessible. there are a few small ones around the throttle body and under the intake that are kind of a pain to get at. probably would not hurt to change the PCV valve either... spark plugs (basic NGK copper core), and wires, if needed (OE or NGK only), and accessory belts - power steering, alternator, AC.. Exhaust manifold gaskets will be a necessity. *Full timing service includes water pump (Aisin w/metal gasket), thermostat (OE ONLY!), idler pulleys, belt, tensioner if needed, and a check of the backing screws on the oil pump. Would also recommend new radiator hoses at this time as well. Do as much in the way of maintenance as can be done before the engine goes in.. save yourself headaches later... if everything is done prior to install, you should, theoretically, be good to go for 100k with little more than the periodic oil changes required.

Thought this Sedan looked Familiar... Here are photos of it, circa November 2010! The owner at the time had posted photos here, on USMB; they were pleased about the fitment of the Cupholder their Wife had made them for the car. Cool to see it still surviving

They originally have either gauge or light. The same wire in the harness is used - slightly differently depending, but I have never seen one with both. I converted my 93 from light to gauge when I got it, so I had to trace out all this wiring.