johnceggleston

96 ej22 has HLAs and are self adjusting as far as valves go. try drving the car with everything on, lights, heat, AC, fan, radio, wipers, dome light, flashers, turn on the HVAC last. see if you can cause the problem with something else, not just the HVAC defrost / AC.

this SCREAMS wiring problem to me. check the 3 main engine to chassis wiring connectors on the rear of the engine, passenger side. have you done any recent work on the car? wiring or the like??

timing belt? unrelated to the clunk?

yes, this. but a salvage yard is more likely to have it, find it.

i have a similar issue with my 98 obw w/ej22 swap. the AC will occasionally blow HOT air and the temp gauge starts to over heat. if i cycle the AC on /off, it begins to cool and the temp returns to normal. i do not understand how HGs, coolant leak or bad water pump could affect the AC blowing cold. if the compressor is turning, then it is making cold air???? right???? i suspect a relay, but i don't really know enough to know this even makes sense.

did the old trans bind? do you still have it ? harvest the Viscous coupling from it and swap it into your new trans. it should be easy now that you have done the trans r&r.

it has been my experience that the sprocket fails because something else happened. the toothed idler maybe. this just means that there may be more than one busted part to replace to do a test. personally, i'd probably insrtall used parts and belt, do a compression test , and buy good used head if needed. it's cheaper than a replacement engine, and the same work as a replacement block. but more work since you have to install the timing belt twice.

in reality, there is not. guys have been searching for it since the very first ej25 blew a head gasket in 1996. option 5. - LIE, like you are already doing claiming the engine is a 99. take it to a new inspection station and tell them "IT IS A 99 OUTBACK, TEST IT." do not say any more . if they cannot tell the difference between a 96 ej22 and a 99 ej22 , there is not way they will spot it not being a 99 ej25. this is the easiest solution. why are you making it hard?

single port heads is going to be 96 - 98, maybe 99 - 01 if phase 2 . if the vin does not pan out, remove a valve cover, ''bolt and lock nut'' valve adjusters means 97 - 98. no valve adjusters means 96 w/ HLAs spark plug tubes through the valve covers means 99 - 01.

if this is true, and i assume it is , but it makes NO logical sense ti me , you have a catch 22. the ECU will throw a CEL if you do not have EGR, and if you do have it it will not comply. take it to a different testing station and have it tested. they will never know it is not an ej25 engine, if they ask, tell them you just removed a perfectly working ej22 engine and installed an ej25 so the car would meet and pass the emissions test. and it cost you over $2k. unless they look at the casting on the block, they will never know. and since it passes the emissions tests, it is only the bureaucracy that is failing it.

check the CEL trouble codes. lots of thing will turn off VDC. i don't remember exactly what though. do you have an owners manual? i think it will talk about VDC off .

i'm a little confused. your car is a 99 outback ej25 originally, with a manual trans. it now has a 96 ej22 engine with EGR and it still has a manual trans . is the manual trans factory? i think the idiot at the referee station is looking up the wrong car. he sees 99 ej22 and manual trans and is reading legacy. and this cars in fact do not have EGR. but he should be reading 99 outback ej25 w/ EGR and manual trans . i agree, take it in and get an emissions test without informing them of an engine swap. if that does not work, give them the vin and make them look it up. but i think i have heard something about engine swaps cannot be to older engines in CA. but not sure. just get it inspected.

i was buying 2 new tires for a car recently, last 5 years, and the national chain tire store said they MUST go on the rear. why? 2 tire purchase for the front, accident , death, court case, gozillions of $$$$$$$..... now all new tires go on the rear. the store MGR, went on to say, "your best 2 tires should always be on the rear." obviously he mis-spoke. if your best tires are always on the rear , theses days, you would never rotate your tires on a FWD car. this is a Cover Your A$$ deal .

i'm not a manual trans guy, so there may be details that i am not aware of. but i have learned there are 2 thing you have to match: final drive ratio and push vs. pull clutch. the final drive ratio is model specific, outbbacks, GTs and forester all have the 4.11 FD ratio in the manual trans 96 - 04. i do not think the push vs. pull clutch changes very much, but the may be some models that are different from others, like WRX maybe???? . but i can say with pretty much confidence, the 00 - 04 manual trans in the outback, GT and forester will all swap.

that is a forester turbo trans, first used in 03 up through 06. is your car a turbo? 04 forester turbo auto trans part number http://opposedforces.com/parts/forester/us_s11/type_7/automatic_transmission/at_transmission_assembly/ click on usage info to see http://opposedforces.com/parts/info/31000AF600/

what about it? the easiest swap into a 97 obw ej25 in order of preference: 95 ej22 w/ EGR , usually from an auto trans car. 96 - 97 ej22 w/ EGR , usually from an auto trans car. you will need the matching exhaust y-pipe. 98 ej22 w/ EGR , usually from an auto trans car. you will need the matching exhaust y-pipe. and the intake manifold off of a 95 - 97 ej22 car w/ EGR.

your best solution is to buy a wrecked car that has all the parts you need. the trans swap includes lots of parts and it is really nice to have the whole car to work with. that way you are guaranteed to have the parts you need. and you would get the engine free, sort of. the only problem with this idea is that all ej22 cars 95 - 98 w MT have a 3.9 final drive ratio. the outback, GT and LSi cars with the ej25 have a 4.11 ratio MT. and with the lower HP in the ej22 the 4.11 would be a better match. but at least with the manual trans you can just hold the gear longer before you shift.

any chance you could post a pic of this relay box? it would help me to know what it looks like. thanks for the solution and the write up.

you must have done something wrong. do it again. my search returned lots of them, 12 pages of them, including this: 2004 Transmission Subaru Forester 97K, A.T.; W/O TURBO 97,385 $750 what part did you search for, transmission?

1. what is the trans ID# on the bell housing at the starter ? TZ1A3ZC4AA ??? 2. 00 - 03 or 04 probably 3. car-part.com

as a newbie to subies, you probably don't know that you can not do this easily. unlike a straight 4 or a V6 or V8, you can not open the bottom and access the bearings. you have to split the block to access the bearings. they are the very last thing to come apart.

the issues you will run into are electrical, computer, wiring, sensors, etc. also the exhaust y-pipe. the 95 - 98 ej22 is not considered swappable in to the 00 - 04 cars. better to find an engine from your year group. as for the manual trans, it will probably bolt in but the final drive ratio is wrong, not sure about the other hardware. stick to your year group, 95 - 98 or 00 - 04, 99 is a transition year, address it individually when you think you have a match.

were the outback struts new? how about the springs? what brand?

the MT starter is different from the AT starter, but 90 - 99 they are all the same. does that make sense? swap away. ps: imho, a used suabru starter is WAY better than anything from the parts store.

the flashing ''power'' light, 90 - 94 , is a trouble indicator light. it menas there was an electrical issue with the trans the last time you drove the car. if you start the car and do not drive it, the power light will not, may not, flash the next time you start it. try it when you get home tonight. park in the drive way and turn off the car. then restart it, look for the flash, do not shift out of P. turn it off and then start it again. look for the flash, not there? if it is a wiring problem, it will be after the TPS signal wire goes to the ECU, but before the TPS signal wire gets to the TCU, or it will be in the TCU. i have a wiring diagram for a 92 liberty, australian legacy. it may not be exactly the same as your 93 impreza, but probably close enough for it to help. and the pins on the TCU are almost guaranteed to be the same. email me at ''canubaru at gmail dot com'' i'll send it.