EVOthis

the first design with the 6 balls i believe is somewhat older at least for subaru....Ive rebuilt dozens of inner DOJ's and as far back as 95 legacies and such they have been the 3 bearing type (your #2 selection)...So personally Im prob. going to say the 3 bearing type is prob. stronger...however i have yet to disect an 08 or 09 inner DOJ so I am unsure as to what there design is...

ah..i see...yeah give what i mentioned a whirl...hope its something simple....

I could be mistaken...but when you plug in the green diag. connectors the CEL will flash you the codes stored....called flash codes...do you by chance have a haynes or chilton manual for the car? It explains it pretty well in there...Im assuming the CEL is on?

+1^..needless to say you get the kids who run there WRX into the ground with 150k on it and blow a HG...

We still get quite a few 04 2.5's with the HG plauge....We have even started seeing some of the 05's start to develop HG leaks....Cant hurt to take a peek...

If you notice the tires wearing unevenly and tire pressures are all adjusted properly I would prob. bring it in to have the alignment checked...are you getting a pull or anything? Its quite rare for a Subaru so semi-new and with only 78k miles to need new struts already...I had the original struts on my Legacy with over 200k and when i pulled them off they weren't even entirely bad yet... Are you getting any odd noises or just the hard steering feel? have you checked the Power Steering fluid level?

the test mode connectors under your dash should be green...

Or grab some silicone spray that works well also to get those fuel lines loose...As for the PCV...The one in the photo should be the correct one...it screws right into the P/S of the intake manifold on an angle right by the #3 intake runner...IDK what you are looking at around the valve body...whatever it is it isnt the PCV valve... At some point around like 2001-2002 the PCV valve and location of it changed...

I believe the answer to your question is yes...the 5 spds have a viscous fluid coupler as the "center differential" ...Its kind of hard to explain....um...take a look here...this might answer some of your questions... http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/VarNov06EW.pdf

+1^..I just replaced them on my 96..I used Monroes from NAPA..decent price and decent brand...

I learned something...

No problem man....If its your first time doing HG's, even on a Subie it can be done yourself (I don't know your mechanical aptitude) however, it helps a lot when you have someone there that has done them before...Good Luck!

+1...I thought I had the same problem when I did the t-belt on my legacy, I was so grateful to look there and see that little "holder" for the t-belt tensioner just came unbolted..I believe there either 12mm's or 10mm's holding that tensioner bracket in there...

Well if your looking to use exactly what the Service dept uses at the dealership...I can tell you we use 75w90 Valvoline standard gear oil..that's what I have in my gearbox in my 02 WRX..Of course Ive heard good things about redline..

I just picked up and read this post...So I decided to google a search on HG replacement for the EJ series engines was in order to see what kind of credible sources of info. I could find...(fore Ive seen tons of write ups on here as you mentioned and they all seemed pretty decent) anyways I came across this.. http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/Head_gasket_replacement.html ...granted I don't really follow this EXACT procedure and it would take me a good hour or so to type every step/procedure I go through.. so I thought I would provide this link which seemed to be pretty decent...You could also buy a Haynes/Chiltons manual i believe they go over it in there...

obviously we can discuss the multiple ways there are to pull the axle whichever works easiest...different strokes for different folks.. However you mentioned a punch for the inner spring pin...Personally I purchased this and for the price I believe its def. worth it...... http://www.matcotools.com/ProductImages/LT730.jpg ..makes the job easier plus its long enough to reach right down by the cat. conv....Than again I do hundreds of these...

double post...

Is this a DOHC engine? It looks like it is....The HG can be replaced with the engine in the vehicle however Its 10,000 times easier on the DOHC motors to pull the engine...

If your unsure of what is leaking (engine wise) I would hop under there and clean everything off pretty well... The 2.5 HG can definitely leak oil..The oil leak could also be the separator plate... Usually the outer CV will click not the inner DOJ however it isn't uncommon to hear some drive ability noises associated with a bad inner DOJ, the hundreds of split DOJ boots Ive replaced, If you don't hear anything Personally I would just replace the boots...There not to expensive or difficult...There is a possibility that the Grease from the inner DOJ boot can get onto the inner rack end because of the hole in the engine cradle for the P/S lines.....I had a small leak coming down by the jacking plate and dripping onto the steering rack on my 96 Legacy...It ended up being the Drivers side rear cam cap seal...and It kind of looked like the rack was leaking to me also...Anyways If I where you I would replace both axle boots and clean off the engine and hop back under there in a few days and see what you wind up with...

Im Loving the Rims... Time for a Turbo......We dont really have views like that out here in Southeastern Pennsylvania...

My experience with these is this...as mentioned make sure both mating surfaces are clean and rust free...install gasket..and over time they usually work themselves into place..hence the use of the springs/bolts....Ive never really had any problems with them leaking much...

Lewistown? Are you from Lewistown PA?...Either way...I think you got a deal...$225 I prob. would have paid that..not that I need another car...Ive got my hands full with 2 Subies already..lol...Anyways...Yeah Man Phase 1 EJ22 w/5spd...good luck with her...

Plus the 09 Foresters dont have engine undercovers so doing and LOF is cake even on flat ground with no jack stands...just like any other subaru...17mm, around 5 qts, filter, and drain plug gasket and your all set...

If you have the means I would do a cooling system pressure test....

AH I see...thanks for pointing that out...Im just so used to using it i just look for 2+2 on the can it so much easier to look for with my array of various penetrants/sprays/liquids/fluid...lol...