davebugs

He's correct. As long as you're willing to put up with the smell you can run it like that. Getting to it is a big job. Need to remove either the engine or tranny. I pull the engine to do other maintenance at the same time. Price of the car should allow for this. If the price is good and you like the car I'd probably buy it and run it until it annoyed me then do the baffle plate, clutch, perhaps timing belt, etc.

I will do that this evening - thanks for the suggestion. I think of endwrench for procedures more than for explanations. I have the worst time searching on that site. I even have bookmarks to TB writeups, HG writeups. But if I try to search for them often I can't find them. Luckily I've saved the links.

I may try this on the one I'm doing now. I keep a kit in stock (Ebay kit) and they are usually for the old style tensioners. I haven't gotten the TB cover off yet - still trying to see if I'll have EVAP issues (I have a thread about that). But I've got atleast a half dozen old style tensioners here and a complete Idler kit so I may try retrofitting the old style. If I can and do I'll post back here so that other folks know if noone else has confirmed the swap by then. I install Dayco belts. And new all metal Cardone WP's. I like the Suby WP gasket so I get one of those. Usually just inspect the Thermostat and put it back in (OEM or Aftermarket). Of all the things that would be easy to replace after the engine is in the car that you do with a TB job this is the easiest if there is an issue. I usually do new Suby Crank and cam seals, seal baffle plate, valve covers if leaking, spark plugs, check oil pump, etc. I've been using the Ebay kits for some time with no issues so far. I do sell the cars but I resell to the same families often (about 75% are folks I've sold to before or their friends). If there was an issue I'd probably have heard by now. I use a mix of Ebay(idlers), OEM - seals, aftermarket(belts, some gaskets, NGK, Advance universal coolant, etc.)

Anything you could to to paint me a better picture would be great. I won't get to installing the 97 2.2 until sunday late afternoon at the earliest. I was trying to find out how difficult it was gonna be to determine whether I should just hunt down a 95 even though I have the known good 97 2.2 here.

I was thinking the more rubberized stuff actually.

Nothing. No harm intended. At the very least you did the research to find out what the problem was and how to fix it. At the very least you were able to keep the mechanic honest. Not as fulfilling as fixing it. But you didn't get "taken" by not knowing what needed done. Not bad at all - really.

After all that you took the easy (and expensive) way out? Did you ask them how they did it? Glad it's fixed. Overheating isn't good for anything engine related.

I couldn't find any Hammerite and had to use Rustoleum. I liked Hammerite. I prepped well (no sense painting if you don't). And was disappointed with the results.. Could have been a bad batch I guess. I know it wasn't old since Rustoleum hadn't been making it that long. Ironically I own stock in Rustoleum(RPM). I've got a whole open car trailer that needs painted. I'm debating between tractor paint(cheap, bullet proof), hammered, and believe it or not black bedliner paint. Should give it more grip (my light cars won't move around, no spinning tires in the rain when loading), and wear well - atleast on the treads. A project that didn't get completed last year 'cause I was doing too many Subaru's.

May I ask how well those rubber gaskets resealed? Last time I re-used them it was on a 94, they were dry, and I ended up having to replace them. ABout 30 bucks IIR. If they worked well I'd be more likely to clean the contacts on the cars with moody guages.

I usually get fel-pro gaskets for the dual port heads and sometimes for the single ports I believe. The dealer is virtually the same price though. They just sell them seperately rather than the felpro 2 piece kit. Fel-pro is fine for exhaust (and intake) as far as I'm concerned. But no real price difference on the exhaust gaskets. FYI some independent shops can't seem to get the single port Fel-Pro's but Advance seems to be able to. You'd think since they are 96 and up it would be a pretty common listing. The parts stores are much closer than the dealer to me.

Both engines have the EGR valve. It's where those hoses run to (or don't run to) that's the issue. I don't recall if the canister was in the RR wheel well on the 97 donor but it pretty much had to be. The filler tube was totally shot so I didn't poke around any more in that area.

Ever done the hammered paint on the wheels before? There used to be a special paint company that made excellent stuff (I forget the name). Now Rustoleum or somebody makes some hammered. I brush painted (actually roll mostly) a box trailer's fenders that I have a few years ago. I must say stones and such knocked it off real easily. Like it was worse than the generic factory black paint. My car hauler trailer white rims are getting pretty ugly/rusty. I was debating about hammered or tractor paint (it's definately NOT a show piece). Probbaly not white if hammered - more like silver/grey. Just wondering if anyone has used any hammered that has weathered well on wheels. And yes - I'd certainly use bead sealer.

o.k. I've always put off doing a 96 but it's Blue - and I'm tired of Green(I don't like Green to begin with). One owner, new tires, etc. Anyways I have a donor 97 2.2 auto (w/EGR) but the 96 had the emissions canister up front by the rad. The 97 doesn't have this plumbing. I already scrapped the 97. Will I get a CEL(I can't have one). Should I try and chase down a 95 w/EGR? (I also have the Y pipe from the 2.2). I've done a decent amount of swaps but don't remember this particular problem. But then again my memory isn't that great. I'm stalled a day with the old engine out. and not able to re-seal the 2.2 going in so I thought I'd ask. Dave

The real question is why was the non-fouler in there? I'd be pulling hte head to check the valves. After all they were trying to fix something. Maybe it wasn't the spark plug hole threads.

If you've got a big bubble, and particularly a non OEM thermostat this hasn't worked for me. Perhaps you'll be luckier. Search here for the video on burping. I also raise the front of the car on the side the rad cap is on. Often when having problems I pull it up on one rhino ramp. Don't forget to drain it (I use the lower hose) Before trying to fill through the top hose. It's a pain sometimes. But you should really have it figured out by now between the posts and suggestions here.

Search here for "burp", "burping", etc. I think these is even a link to a video. 2.5's are moody but I've had the same issue with 2.2's. Usually removing the lower hose to drain the rad, then attaching it and taking off the upper hose to fill the engine until the top hose is full. Then connect it and top off the radiator. That's all it usually takes on a 2.2.

Small ones will work for the cams. Mine are maxed out on the crank. Extra hands are nice - especially when you work alone like I do most of the time. After several times of the TB "jumping" on the crank while trying to keep the drivers side cam in place and making sure the belt is lined up was enough to look for a solution. The tensioner without the pin pulled still puts weight on the belt since there is no way to hold it up (a fella runs out of hands). I may have actually seen it here - I forget. But it is an excellent idea so I doubt it was mine.

Hey - liquid Cascade is one of the best coolant system flushes you'll ever use. Even does a good job on the ceramic shower stall (recommended by a tenant of mine). I have a locally mixed excellent environmentally friendly cleaner. Best degreaser I've ever used. It does suck all the moisture out of your hands is you use it straight(there is a warning on the label). Throw it in a foamy sprayer, get to the carwash, spray down the engine compartment and hose it down. But it works excellent in the overflow's with the pebbles. I've got 2 soaking right now in the spare side of the laundry tub.

The drivers side is under load. I use the plier type clamps to hold the belt on the correct place on the drivers cam sprocket, then on the end of the crank(with some old TB on the bottom to protect the splines, the pass side is easy. I use 3 clamps total for kicks. I leave them on until I pull the tensioner pin. FTY the SOHC is much easier than the DOHC in my opinion.

His should be a SOHC - you're thinking a DOHC.

Sometimes we all go brain dead. Something I've done more than once is tighten the crank bolt without the TB cover in place. I step back thinking i'm done. Then notice how nice the idlers and new TB look - then it occurs to me. I usually use permatex red on the back as well - just for extra fun. And one time I forgot to pull the pin on the tensioner. Luckily I realized my mistake before re-installing the engine.

I agree with Nipper on this. It's amazing the Subaru's that I see that have HG jobs that often they don't even bother cleaning the radiator, let alone the overflow. I haven't seen a clean overflow on a Subaru other than one I've done, or a new one. I'm usually dealing with broken cars (HG's and such) but often folks have just tried rad caps, waterpumps, T-stats, rad flush, etc. All the usual stuff but don't touch the overflow. Those 2 little bolts stop them from doing a thorough job. Yea - it's a little bit of a PITA but makes for a thorough job. And when they do the flush they are more concerned with turnaround. I'm sure there are exceptions - but they are very rare in my experience.

I use gravel. Small pieces, larger pieces, etc. with the cleaner of your choice. A handful or two. Don't forget there is a pinhole when you're shaking it. Learned this method from coating gas tanks on old cars - before I started having someone else do them. Soaking is your friend too. I try and keep a few pre-cleaned ones around.

In our area good rear wheel well's are hard to come by. PM me and I can give you a few JY's to call that I've had success finding Suby parts at. But when I looked for early 90's front fenders/panels I struck out. Never looked for the later model stuff. I'm sure the dealer could get them. But it may be cheaper to just purchase another car. Otherwise a rust free panel from somewhere else sent to you sounds like the best option.

I second Subaru360. I "save" my good 2.5's for GT's - particularly manual GT's. Not my favorite engine - but usually the GT folks want the bigger engine.