JPX

Well I finished my investigation of the timing pulleys and concluded that all is well on that end of the motor. There is one idler pulley (lower right) that drags a little, but does not have play. I assembled everything without the timing belt covers and ran the engine.....the knocking sound is still there. And it is not coming from the front of the engine - it is loudest under the oil pan. Since everything is operational and I haven't thrown a rod by now, the car is back in service. It is a little unnerving - but I run airconditioning and some music and I'll try it for a while. If it really gets to me, then I will pull the engine again and double check the drive plate. Thanks for the suggestions so far guys.

I think I paid for the cheapest shipping option for map lights and got them in about a week and a half.

Could be the mount. Could be the way the spring is sitting in the strut assembly - if you don't put the spring back exactly the way it sat in the rubber seat, then it might shift and bind. Also could be a sign of a bad ball joint or tie rod end. If you beat really hard on anything in there with a pickle fork while changing the strut, this becomes much more probable.

Not really a problem - as long as you check your oil level frequently and don't mind the smokey mess that accompanies this type of leak. I drove MANY miles before doing something about my leaky crank seal. Just stinks a lot.

I didn't have a major oil problem before taking apart my 2.2L. The intake manifold didn't look too much different than what I can see in your photo. Where you'd really want to clean things up, make sure you do it around where the throttle plate meets the manifold - usually a ridge of crud where it rests closed.

Haynes manual has been pretty good for me so far.....but I found much of the missing material here on USMB and it's colorful and knowledgable members. Torque value for front crank pulley is wrong - should be 120ft-lbs+. Good guide for brakes and suspension/axles as well as general maintenance.

Kind of depends....if you are trying to truly make this thing 99-100%, then yes, you should change any suspect pulley. But the other side of things is that you have a high mileage engine and chance are something else will probably break before that pulley dies. These things aren't remarkably cheap - just depends if you are cheap, and there is no dishonor in that with a veteran engine.

Make sure to do any idler pulleys and or oil seals while you are all the way in there.

Pep Boys has many of these plastic fasteners. On-line store....wow these things can be expensive, eh? http://northlandfasteners.biz/Store/index.php?cPath=37&osCsid=5f8cf9cbabf8fc7c477e6b2d7e95301d

Oil seperator plate? Maybe rear cam end caps? Also, if you had a bad leak from before, there will be an amazing amount of oil still oozing out of the crossmember and the steering rack.

That is unbelievable! What a terrible error that could have resulted in a lot worse damage than what you found. On the other hand, we all can be prone to bone-headed mistakes every once in a while.....but then this isn't very reassuring if a surgeon leaves instruments inside you.:-\ Does that mean the tensioner is still good as new?

What about a loose or damaged front pulley/sprocket? (22mm bolt) Mine wobbled enough to shred the alternator belt and ruined the keyway where it mounts to the crankshaft.

$500-600rough estimate for pro paint assuming the bumper skin needs replacing. They might even charge more to refinish a damaged bumper (that may not be repairable for less than the cost of a new one). I'd get a used one from a junkyard or if you must have a new one, then on-line would get you going. If you are tolerant of B-rated paint jobs, then consider shooting the pain yourself with rattle cans. But by the time all of this DIY blows over, you might find yourself closer to a pro job than you expected.:-\ That said, here is a write up on my bumper repaint using rattle cans ....total cost about $100 and 4 days (which includes kid interruptions - I guess fumes are not supposed to be that good for them? )

Bet on a new crank pulley at the very minimum. This is what a sort of screwed up one looks like - blew up alternator belt and burned the alternator bearing. I imagine a totally spun keyway would create an incredible amount of damage to the key and even the crank.

Bah, forgot about the starter being on the torque converter side. I rotated the drive plate 180 degree on the torque converter to see if placement changed anything and with two bolts only in case the plate was warped. The plate rings perfectly clear like a bell - so I've pretty much ruled that out. I looked at the tensioner as much as it can be seen with that part of the belt cover removed. No other spinning object that I can currently see rotates as fast as the rate of the knock. Difficult to associate the revs of the tensioner pulley to the knock....but it could be I suppose since it is smaller diameter. Cam pulleys don't turn anywhere near that fast. And now that I think about it, there are 3 other pulleys besides the tensioner under the timing cover are in there. This picture is from an oil seal replacement on the old engine..... Yeesh....that means one of 4 spinning things in there could be making that racket (assuming internals are fine). I hate the idea of going all the way back in there on my new engine. Pffft....need to go to bed.:-\

I appreciate the suggestions. Really want this motor to work right. So I'll test running the motor with the driveplate disconnected from the torque converter - maybe this will reveal something if there is a problem with the plate. I also think that is a good idea to check out the tensioner with the left side timing belt cover removed. I'll give that a shot. This is a more recent recording of the mysterious sound. http://media.putfile.com/20060614-Subaru-22L-knocking-sound-2

If you need a reference point, here is a photo from Skip's head gasket changeout page:

Maybe take a read through this thread http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58174. It might be one of these guys (HLA) dying on you: If it is - all you need is a 10mm to get the valve covers off and feel around for the lazy hydraulic lash adjuster (HLA).

Lots of quick checks to be made: All fuel hoses reconnected with the injector rail. Fuel injectors connected to their electrical harnesses Gas in tank - hey sometimes it happens. All vacuum lines connected up - lots of them to look for. Alternator connected properly. All earth connections from the battery accounted for? Fuel pump operating correctly - plugged in? New fuel filter might be needed? Here is a disassembly list you can reference to see if there is anything else you might have forgotten. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=59033

I have documentation that a 2.2L longblock is 185 lbs. These things are super light! I think alternator, AC compressor, PS pump and the cooling crap added up together might weigh more than the motor.

I have over 450 tank fills recorded over 136,000 miles on my 1996 Legacy sedan 2.2L Auto. Total average is about 23.8 mpg. In town is definitely low 20s while straight highway can get low 30s if you aren't putting your foot into it. They cars aren't that great on gas compared to their 2WD counterparts like Honda/Toyota. But I was after capability in the wet/snow than optimal fuel economy when I bought this car.

Where is this bearing place? And what is the part#/MFG?

Oh my god - that is a great idea! I can see the bolts from under the car, but there was no wrench I could get in there. I wish I had known about that! Great tip!

Good call on the water pump, and also make sure to use a good one and nto some cheapo rebuild. Radiator fan removal is key, but I did mine with the radiator in place. A bit crowded, but possible (hey it could be worse, think DOHC in that space:-p ). If you leave the radiator in, put a sheet of MDF or cardboard behind it so you won't bend the fins while digging around in there.

Leave the intake manifold on unless there is some compelling reason to remove it. The manifold itself is easy to remove. But it's those damn connections (cooling for throttle body, sensors, etc.) that skin up your knuckles. That being said, having the intake manifold out of the way makes it easier to reach those torque converter bolts. They are 12mm and incredibly easy to round off. An offset box wrench can help, but my Craftsman wouldn't work because of the funny angle. I had to weasel the long 3/8" ratchet with extension bars and u-joints UNDER the intake manifold - only possible with the power steering pump out of the way as far as I can tell.