Numbchux

Anything 2005 or newer (since you didn't bother to tell us what car you drive....) will disable the cruise control with any check engine code. This is not a cruise control fault.

Yep, flange is welded on. An exhaust shop could probably fix it quick and cheap.

No bleeding required, this can be done in about 3 minutes with just a pliers. It's in the rubber vacuum hose between the engine and brake booster (if you need more info, google some of those terms and all your questions are answered, this stuff is used on all gas engines with vacuum boosters). Those sound like the right plugs. Are they fairly new?

Brake problem is a frozen check valve in the booster line. I've had it happen on most of my cars, and have had good luck cleaning it. Pull it off from the booster, and squirt some MAF or Carb cleaner in there, let it sit for a minute and then start the engine, and spray some more through there with the engine running. "Correct" fix is to replace that booster hose. As for your misfire. I'd throw a set of NGK Copper plugs at it, their cheap and easy for that engine...

Phase 2 ECU will not easily control a Phase 1 engine. I've heard of people diy adapter plates to put the Phase 2 intake manifold on a Phase 1 engine, then you have all the matching sensors. But it's not a great option.

Huge amount of work, and will cost a small fortune. But all doable. Mechanically, pretty straightforward. All bolt-in with the right combination of parts. You'll be tearing the car down basically to a shell, but with some organization and patience, just a matter of bolting the new parts in place. Obviously the engine and transmission have to come out, but the entire dash, as well. It will be a big paperweight for months, possibly years. EJ207 is a turbo engine, considered one of, if not the, stoutest (Vermont Sportscar uses only EJ207s in the Subaru Rally Team USA cars). The smaller displacement means they rely more on the turbo for power, which means less power in the lower rpms. But a tune and turbo sizing will help get the results you want. It was never available in the USA, we got the larger EJ257 here. The 207 was made for ~20 years (I think it was exactly 1999-2019), so even with that specific engine code, there are a myriad of details that surround the swap. The easiest and cheapest way for a novice to do this job, is to get a complete donor (half cut from Japan), so you have all the parts that you know all work together. Sometime around 2005, these cars would have gotten an immobilizer, which will make it considerably more difficult to get the stock ECU to run it (assuming you use the stock ECU, a standalone would yield some better results, but bigger hurtles to get there). EJ207s were only in Imprezas, which never got the rear suspension that's in your Outback, brakes will bolt right up to the Outback suspension, axles get a little ugly if you want to use an r180 rear diff instead of the standard r160, but still doable. The vast majority of EJ207s will come with a 6-speed transmission, which is a much better transmission but will add several thousand dollars to the purchase price. I think all 207s were mated with the r180 rear diff. This is all assuming you stick with the EJ207. Almost any engine made by Subaru in the last 30 years can be used in there with the right combination of parts. Turbo 4 cylinders, as well as several 6-cylinders. These projects have been done hundreds of times in BE/BH Outbacks, and probably tens-of-thousands of times in other Subarus. Anything turbo will require a turbo engine crossmember. None of these options will effect your tie rod ends. If you need them, replace them. Depending on the condition of your CV axles and timeline for this project, I might not wait on those. The manual swap isn't too bad, but if you're serious about the engine swap, you'll save yourself a lot of headache to swap the manual pedal box in when the dash is out.

I remember discussion about that. I used aftermarket Beck/Arnley clutch kits designed for the XT6 (different part number than EA82) on unmodified EA82 flywheels 3 times with great results.

AFAIK, the only difference was clamping force on the pressure plate. And most aftermarket companies have superseded them to the same replacement.

No reputable strut company makes quick struts for Subarus. There are some no-names (SenSen comes to mind...). But for the same price, you could get some KYB struts and rent a spring compressor.

I cut holes in the top of the transmission tunnel just like on the EJ car, but the driveshaft rubbed on them under hard acceleration (it was a one-piece shaft, so that could have been part of it). If I were to do it again, I would just have them run straight through the bulkhead under the rear seat, as there's a lot more room for them.

It's the cables you are having trouble with? I used cables and a handle from a first gen Legacy with rear disc, and was able to get it to work decently. Front-pull handle and cables will definitely not reach.

Not sure what to tell you about the column tilt.... Turn signal noise maker is just the flasher relay, just like the older cars. Pretty unlikely that it would be clicking on and off without your lights actually flashing. Most likely something else. Driveshaft is not a 2 piece like the older ones. No flange and Ujoint in the middle, just a DOJ like a CV axle and Ujoints on either end. I'd start by checking the rear ujoint and rear diff bushings.

I saw that once, as well, but it had had the rear diff out of it recently, and the guy didn't know to engage them all the way. Haven't seen it on a car that hadn't it been removed. With a wood block on the edge of the cup, you can put enough of a whack on it to engage it into the diff without damaging the boot.

I've known people to misdiagnose a CV axle as clutch failure (as the VLSDs transfer some power to the other wheels).

I'm aware, it's an example. You said the keyless module controls the dome light on the 01, I happen to know that the keyless module works very differently on my '00 and '04 (The dome light on the '00 does not delay off, where it does on the '04). My point is, retrofitting the components from the newer system is not a small job (will likely require swapping bulkhead harnesses and many control modules).

This. Vertical surface on the RH side right next to the bellhousing should have the VIN (AFAIK, all the US-made ones have this).

I didn't read the whole post, so forgive me if this is duplicate. The newer BE/BH Outbacks have a Body Integrated Unit that controls many functions, where the older ones do not. I modified both of ours ('04 and '00), so that the keyless system unlocks all 4 doors at the first click. On the '04, this had to be done at the Body unit under the steering column, and the '00 from the keyless module behind the glove box. Long story short, I think those systems are considerably different, and probably not easy to retrofit.

As long as the end is deburred, I've never had an issue with the die getting stuck. The issue I've had with the ones like you have, is getting enough clamping force on those 2 wing nuts to keep the tube from sliding. Yes, the inline ones require an allen key/bit, as well as a wrench and a socket.

NiCopp is very forgiving, so I bet you had good luck with that style tool. I've fought with and broken those working with steel lines so many times. I started using Inline flaring tools, and will not go back. I've been using this one for years, but recently bought this one so I can do multiple sizes.

Live data is a job for almost any OBDII reader except the cheapest standalone ones. I have a bluetooth dongle that I bought on Amazon about 5 years ago for $20, and use the Android App "Piston" to read it.

No, in other parts of the world, a "driveshaft" is the axle shaft from the transmission/diff out to the hub, so that's what he's talking about. As long as it's an EA82 sedan ('85+ in the US) with the same transmission, yes, it'll work just fine.

I had the optical crank sensor in the distributor fail once with no warning. I don't remember how to test it, but I had all the same symptoms you describe, and a "new" distributor solved it. Sorry I don't have more information, but it was more than 10 years ago....hopefully it gets you a direction that you can research/test.

Because of the road salt used up here and the heat cycling, those things rust out so badly. Something wedged behind it will just cause the shield to break sooner. The senior master tech at the dealership told me that they're there to keep the heat in the exhaust so the catalytic converters are more efficient. Whether that's the reason or not, I've pulled them off a dozen cars with no noticeable effects.

Cut 'em off. That's the only permanent fix. The mechanics at the dealership where I worked all had their own tricks. Hose clamps, washers, etc. etc. They all came back.

Yep, A/C is easy, from a wiring standpoint. Stock ECU or aftermarket.