Blue Whale

That exact thing happened to the compressor in my '93 when it had barely attained 100.000 miles. Rebuilt compressors were quite expensive at the time, so I bought a new one from the dealer--better warranty, about the same price--and put it in. Good solution, at the time. Much more recently, I had the compressor in my '95 go bad (extremely noisy bearings), and didn't fancy paying much to fix it. eBay proved to be a good source of used compressors of this era, and for about $50 I had my replacement part in hand. I put it in, charged the system back up, and it's been as good as ever for over a year now. AC work is not to be feared. Removal and replacement is very easy. If your system still contains any significant refrigerant charge, the right way is to have a shop remove it for you before you open the system. After you put everything back together, the official procedure is to pull a vacuum to remove any air and moisture before recharging; however, in my experience these systems are fine if you skip that step (I've done that with a couple of other Subarus after replacing leaking seals, and they've performed well for years thereafter). Do replace the o-ring seals where the pipe unions attach to the compressor; they're the ones that will harden and leak.

I have the equivalent Outback model with 200,000 miles on the original engine and turbo. It was a good year for these if the turbo didn't suffer from oil starvation due to a clogged banjo bolt screen. To prevent this, Subaru updated the maintenance requirements: synthetic oil only, changed every 3.750 miles. If that's been followed religiously, the turbo and engine are probably good. Head gaskets aren't much of a concern with the turbo 2.5's. Sooner or later you may experience a burned exhaust valve or two (maybe sooner if the 105K valve adjustment is skipped, or if low octane fuel has been used). The first sign of this would be a recurring misfire code other cause (coil, plug, or injector). These engines are much fussier about timely maintenance than the NA Subaru engines, so when you buy one you need to take that into account both as regards any previous owners, and for your future planning.

Bushwick, the Legacy GT didn't get a turbo until 2005; so ordinary SOHC heads are what it needs.

Yes, I understood what you were saying. My wife and I have been Subaru owners for 20 years now, owning a couple with EJ25's that have been close to 200,000 miles with no mechanical issues, and have several friends and family members who also own (and like) Subarus; but although I have a decent understanding of cars in general and have long done my own maintenance, I create software for a living. However, you might look around on this board for how others have characterized the (very common) piston slap phenomenon with these engines. Some people here are Subaru mechanics by trade and have extensive experience. No need to pay attention to what I say, but you should definitely consider what they say.

Regarding Longtrailside's commentary about bearing knock--that's not bearing knock, but piston slap. Piston slap is an annoyance while the engine is cold, but it fades out as the temperature comes up in the first couple of minutes of driving. It's only a minor annoyance, not a sign that the engine is about to fail. My 2000 OBW has it; no big thing, and the engine is in great shape (no HG leaks at 137K miles, by the way). As for testing the catalytic converter...that's done automatically while the car is being driven; that's why there are O2 sensors before and after it. You'll get an OBD code and a CEL if it appears that the cat isn't doing what it should. O2 sensors don't last forever, so a code for cat efficiency may just indicate a sensor problem.

What's dumb about replacing HG's yourself? If you have the basic tools, and can follow a list of steps, asking questions or looking for accumulated advice on this board or elsewhere on the web when in doubt, you can do it. I haven't had to do any Subaru HG's, but I've done it on a diesel VW before. Nothing that most people couldn't do. You might choose not to do it yourself, though; it does take some time and work, and if saving your time is more important than saving your money, you can of course pay someone else to do it.

To remove the cam and crank front seals, you can use anything that will hook the seal without scratching or gouging the surrounding metal surfaces. I'm sure those who do this often have a favorite way. However, one way is to drill a couple of small pilot holes into the seal, thread in screws a little way, and use the screws for something to pull on to get the seal out. Installing these seals can be done with a socket, or even with no tools at all; you want to get them straight and flush with the front of the opening (not pushed all the way in), but unlike the rear main seal, these aren't so fussy about exact positioining (but they do need to be straight).

Not bad for the car. Just don't run at speeds above the limit for S rated tires...as I'm sure you don't with that car.

What does the label in the driver's door jamb say about tires? My 1993 AWD wagon didn't require "H" rated tires, but my 1995 FWD sedan did.

My 2000 had a sticky/intermittent cruise control lever when I bought it (last year). Nothing to do with mileage, care, or overall condition; it was a nice clean car with low mileage. To make the cruise work reliably, I worked the lever through all of its positions dozens of times, somewhat forcefully. I did this mostly while waiting at stoplights. The lever works fine now, although it still feels a bit more viscous than the other ones I've had. This little problem didn't occur with any of my other Legacy or Outback cars ('93, '95, '96, '05)--only with the 2000.

That's right; the Outback 2.5XT and the Legacy GT with a turbo first appeared here as a 2005 model. My wife drives one of the latter. Bought used, 190,000 miles now, never a problem with the turbo or the engine (and both are original), and pretty close to zero oil consumption. If you want one of these, go for it--but a known maintenance history, with those all-important 3,750-mile synthetic oil changes, is very important unless you want to factor in the cost of a new turbo (at least).

I didn't measure the resistance of the cheap replacement sensor, but I have no doubt it's in the correct range. I only wonder whether a knock will be detected. Performance isn't any better with this one, but it was just fine before. There was just a CEL that would return every few hundred miles.

It's crossed my mind that the very cheap sensor might just contain a resistor and not be able to sense anything. That would mean no more codes, and no more retarded timing, but also no timing correction to avoid pinging. I'm especially concerned about this possiblilty, as I replaced the sensor on my 2000 OB a few weeks ago and I have heard some pinging under load on certain occasions since. That's never been the case before with this car, nor with any other Subaru I've driven (since 1993). For this reason, if the knock sensor on a my wife's turbo engine were to go bad I'd hesitate to use a cheap no-name replacement. My engine won't self-destruct from occasional pinging, but hers might.

That's how they were; the button would just hang down--unless it was caught behind other wires, in which you might have a hard time finding it.

It's a compromise between sound and space. In the end there's no way the Subaru sub is going to have bass response like a 12" cone, but it's decent in the context of the car's sound system and it doesn't get in the way. It depends on your listening habits, though.

What about the Subaru one that goes under the seat? You can't get much more "stealth" than that. My 2000 OB Limited has one; it's under the front passenger seat.

A brand new EJ257 (or EJ255) short block sells for $2000. Put that in with your new turbo and your existing heads, and you have pretty much a brand new turbo engine set-up. That's not a bad thing at all. Converting to NA wouldn't be simple, probably wouldn't cost less, and would make yor car much less desirable if you decide to sell it later. As for a salvaged engine--for a turbo engine, that would be a major gamble since the maintenance history (think 3,750-mile synthetic oil changes) will be unknown. The new short block isn't unreasonable. You may be thinking "what next?" but with proper maintenance, there's no reason you wouldn't be able to make your (mostly) new engine last a long time. My family has a 2005 OBXT with 188,000 miles; we bought it early last year knowing that the original owner had maintained it well, and it has no issues at all. In fact, the turbo is original and oil consumption is still negligible (three or four ounces per oil change interval). Nice power when desired, too. If you would rather have the NA engine--and those do have the advantages of better gas mileage and a less rigorous oil change requirement, even if they are prone to more trouble with head gaskets--it probably makes sense to fix this car and sell it, and then buy the NA car to replace it.

That's a 5EAT, not a 4EAT. Probably not practical for your 2003, although quite valuable to someone who needs it if it's undamaged.

I did a lot of this with my old '93 Legacy, and some with the '96 Outback. The latter had Thule crossbars, which are much better for holding plywood sheets. In either case, there was no problem at all; and a pair of ratcheting nylon tie-downs kept the load well attached. Lumber, furniture, appliances, camping gear, and of course people...station wagons are rather useful.

Most likely it's the contacts in the solenoid. They wear out and cause the symptoms you've experienced. They're available, usually with in a kit with a new plunger (which also wears down a bit) from vendors on eBay fo rnot very much money, and are easy to install. Almost all of the work consists of removing and reinstalling the starter--which of course you've already done with a new starter.

You shouldn't need a tool to remove the sprocket, under normal circumstances. It just slides off of the shaft after the pulley is off. Definitely reseal the oil pump (and make sure those screws are tight, and replace that O-ring); it's not hard to do. I've used Permatex Ultra Grey, but some prefer to use an anaerobic sealant. As long as you're doing that, you should do the camshaft seals too; they're likely to start leaking around the same time as the one on the crankshaft.

For what it may be worth, I commute with a 2000 Outback Limited; no problems with anything electrical, or with anything at all for that matter. It's always been a California car, so no rust (but the used prices are higher here). I've never had electrical problems with my other Subarus either, except that the remote entry on my '96 Outback sometimes didn't open anything except the driver's door when the weather was colder (for here: i.e. below 60 degrees), even though the key and the inside switch would always work, and remote locking was always solid. As a former VW owner, I'd never mistake one brand for the other. As for differences between years in the 2000 to 2004 range, they are slight; at this age, current condition and maintenance history would far outweigh any of them.

I used one of these kits last year; good value. Idlers and seals were all decent Japanese items, of OEM quality. I wasn't tempted by their cheapest water pump, but the mid-quality alternative seemed to be well enough made.

The 2009 through 2009 Legacy GT, like my family's Outback XT, has a turbo, which is why I mentioned that intake modifications require a tune (to prevent running too lean and causing damage). After some early turbo failures due to lubrication problems, Subaru revised its maintenance schedule for your model to say that synthetic oil is required, and that it should be changed every 3,750 miles. Also, these engines require premium fuel. This should be an enjoyable car to drive, but don't expect good fuel mileage, especially around town and on very short trips. It should be OK on the highway, though. Your turbo lets you have the power of a larger engine, at the cost of burning fuel like a larger engine.

Just be aware that if you modify the intake, you'll need a tune.