Numbchux

My daily is a '00 Outback, currently about 335k miles. It has lots of issues, but most are due to it's life in MN (rust...). I understand that at really high mileage, the main bearings get beat up, and not worth line honing. I put an actual oil pressure gauge on it so I can make sure that stays good (the switch for the warning light is only a few psi...).

Any parts store will have a repair pigtail for the bulb (Looks like an H4?). Splice that in with some good waterproof butt splices, and it'll be good as new.

Yes, they offer the green standard CVT fluid in the quart. I do not believe they offer the orange high-torque CVT fluid in anything other than a 5-gallon bucket.

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I don't know the full list of cars that have VTD. '01-'04 Outback VDC models definitely did. I think some WRXs, and almost anything with a 5EAT. Or, anything with a manual transmission.

You won't know for sure until it's apart. But generally only when the bearing is completely blown (like, picking rollers out of the snow...ask me how I know )

I've slept in my '00 and '04 a couple times. With the seats folded flat (rear seat bottom flipped forward, pretty big help for getting out of the rear side doors), cars101 says there's 5'8" of cargo length. When my wife and I slept back there on our UP trip, I could not stretch out (not a big deal, as I'm a side sleeper anyway). Without folding the seat completely flat, you probably get about , but the front is elevated. This makes getting out those side doors very difficult, and would not really be possible with another person in the car. But, with a modification to the rear gate to open it from the inside, that would be sweet. Here was the latter setup (with truckbedz air mattress): 2018-10-15_02-49-50 by Numbchux, on Flickr The CRV has a 10" shorter overall length (according to wikipedia)...no hopeful for interior space. Forester is similar. The BE/BH Outbacks come with 3 different AWD systems. The most common, MPT AWD on the 4EAT transmissions is very FWD biased, and can send power to the rear as needed (to a point). This is controlled by the TCU, and pretty good. It can also be easily modded to "lock" (still not 100%, but better) with a little wiring and a switch. The manual transmissions are simple, 50/50 mechanical differential with a viscous LSD. The LSD tends to get tired over the years, but there's a company in Europe that can rebuild them, and even make them stronger. The VDC trim cars have VTD AWD, which is a 50/50 mechanical AWD AND electronically controlled clutches. Downside is these cars come with stability control, which limits the fun a bit. But the ABS isn't ridiculously intrusive. The cold weather package (heated seats, mirrors, windshield. An option on the early ones and standard on the later ones) on the non-VDC models came with a rear viscous LSD as well. These LSDs aren't very strong, but every little bit helps. Unless you plan to use the torq masters locker, in which case you'll need an open diff. I have a '00 5MT with cold weather, and a '04 VDC. I've had them both off the beaten path, and they do fantastically. As always, though, a torque converter gives you so much more control at slow speed (we usually take the '04). I don't even want to talk about having a clutch offroad unless you have at LEAST 100:1 crawl ratio, preferrably more like 200:1 (best combination using Subaru parts is about 25:1). The CRVs have an AWD very similar to the Subaru MPT system (FWD biased), but just uses a viscous coupler to send power to the rear. The Honda Element rear diff is a direct swap, and has a stronger coupler.

Lots of variables, and things can go wrong. Separating the ball joint in areas prone to rust can devolve into a several day battle without the right tools and experience. A hub tamer can theoretically (I've never used one) remove the bearing with the knuckle on the car, but I think you have to remove the axle, which is 95% of the work. 32mm socket for the axle nut. 14 and 17 for the brake rotor, 19 (I think) for the strut bolts (you'll need 2, do undo both sides). Pliers for split pins in tie rod end and ball joint. 14 or 17mm for castle nuts. BFH and various pry bars to separate TRE and BJ from knuckle/control arm. Then a press and assorted accessories to remove and install the bearing and seals.

Couldn't tell you exactly when the 6-cyl went from the 5EAT to the CVT. I wouldn't have any qualms about the CVT in particular (I'm not a fan of new vehicles in general, so I'm speaking with a grain of salt). The one put in the H6 Outbacks is a high torque version essentially the same as the one the Forester XT was receiving for many years earlier. It takes a unique fluid that (at least as of a few years ago, when I still worked at the dealership) is only available in 5-gallon pails. I will say, test drive a CVT car. See if a dealership will let you demo one so you can live with it for a few days. It's a very different feeling. My mom has a 2012 Impreza with the CVT (almost 170k miles on it) and I find the sensation distracting, because I'm used to driving old $#!+boxes, I'm always acutely aware of what the transmission is doing, and it feels like a slipping automatic to me. I'd probably get used to it, but it definitely bugs me. My mom doesn't notice at all....

Yes, what I have is not what he's looking for, not for sale, and on the other side of the planet. If you want to split hairs, it is comprised of parts from an EA82 RX FT4WD DR box, standard EA82 PT4WD DR box, and phase 2 EJ AWD box, plus many new parts. Pretty sure I scrapped the 3.7, 3.9 and 4.11 R&P that came with all 3, as well as the FT4WD center and PT4WD transfer. It has a new 4.44 R&P unmodified, because I had planned to use the phase 2 center diff. It has the 1.6:1 low from the PT4WD, although I saved the 1.2:1, but I don't think that will clear the Carbonetic diff either. All of that for a 25:1 crawl ratio. When my 4Runner has a 29.5:1 AND a torque converter.

The Miata ones will work great in the rear. Front or rear Miata ones will work, one is considerably shorter (I don't remember which, easy enough to find out, though), if you're going slammed, you'll want the shorter ones. EJ chassis fronts will only work if you've done a 5-lug swap and have EJ front knuckles. I'm not up on the 4-lug options, and I ditched that hot garbage early in my build.

Mine is not set up for a locking center. Way too much work, IMHO. I post it all up for sale periodically...but I've got about $1k into the R&P and front diff alone, not to mention 3 donor transmissions for various components and I'm not ready to take a loss on it.

4.444 and 1.59 gears interfere a bit, and require a bit of machining to clear each other, but it's not too bad. Some aftermarket LSD front diffs do not clear low range gears. I have a FT4WD, D/R EA82 gearbox apart and modified for 1.59 low, 4.444 EJ R&P, 23 spline stub axles, phase 2 EJ center diff (if I ever got motivated again, I'd send this off to be rebuild to 20kg), and a carbonetic clutch-type front LSD. When I went to assemble, and realized that the low range is hard against the front diff....I walked away. That was probably 5 years ago.... I can't really bring myself to put much into it, as our bone-stock '04 H6 Outback with the 4EAT is faster, more comfortable, almost as capable (would be with a 2" lift), and easier to drive (on and off road).

The ECU will have power and sensor grounds. Ideally, these be separate wires to separate grounding points on the engine block. Power ground probably could be grounded to the chassis, but the signal ground is the reference for all the sensors, any extra resistance there will throw off the sensor readings. My engine swap harnesses are completely grounded through the block, no grounds into the bulkhead harness or chassis. You'll have to pick through the grounding and engine control diagrams and make sure all are present, and have continuity across them.

Is that a bung welded shut after the cat? Yea, you should have an upstream and downstream.