Numbchux

With the fronts on the ground, the driveshaft will not be able to turn (by hand anyway). If the rear diff is a (functioning) LSD, you won't be able to turn either rears by hand. If the rear diff is open, turning one rear wheel will spin the other one the opposite direction. BUT, this means that if one rear wheel is locked, the other one will not spin either, as the drivetrain will lock it. I've had it happen once (one side) on a Legacy several years ago. My Celica has a functional drum parking brake (drum-in-disc virtually identical to the EJ Subarus), and I took it out of winter hibernation only a week ago, and everything is still working just like always. I'm not saying it's impossible, just unlikely. And might warrant a couple other things to narrow it down before disassembling brakes. In fact, knowing that it's a manual transmission, my money is on the left rear brake seized, but I still would do a couple more things to verify that before tearing into them. If the car has a blown transmission, the driveshaft has to come out anyway, so disconnecting it to isolate the drivetrain isn't any work that doesn't have to be done anyway....

Power steering pipes, going from one side of the rack to the other. There are 2 of them, one of them has a rubber section in the middle (which can also be seen in the picture), and the one you have circled is metal all the way across. In the box marked "34190C*B" in this diagram: It looks like there is a support bracket pictured there, but the only way Subaru sells it, is with both of those pipes (part number 34190AJ000, MSRP $69.28).

both locking up in 2.5 months sounds very unlikely to me, unless it was sitting in water up to the hubs... Manual or automatic transmission? If it's an automatic transmission, there shouldn't be any resistance on the driveshaft, and I highly doubt it has a LSD, so the drivetrain should all spin freely (i.e., one locked brake should not prevent the other from spinning). In which case, my money is on rear diff. If it's either an auto with very thoroughly ruined transfer clutches, or a manual, having the front wheels on the ground would prevent the driveshaft from spinning. This means that if one wheel is locked up, the drivetrain will prevent the other from spinning too. This would explain why you can turn one side a bit by hand (a little slop in the 4 axle joints, and the spider gears in the diff is normal), and not the other. Either way, I think my next diagnostic step would be to get all 4 off the ground, and transmission in neutral, and try again. If it's an auto, then I'd disconnect the driveshaft and try again. Then the brakes (starting with the left adjuster).

Not much to update on the Outback. Still a fantastic car. All-season tires/wheels back on a few weeks ago. In case you're wondering. 4 33x12.5r15 mud tires will fit in the back: 20170517_191936 by Numbchux, on Flickr But the spare will have to go on the roof: 20170517_191941 by Numbchux, on Flickr

Only you can decide if it's worth it to you to repair it. From what I've seen of Bajas for sale up here, they seem to command a premium. I've been casually watching for some time, as my wife wants one something fierce, and I'd love to swap the 3.0 VDC drivetrain and such from our Outback into it. Definitely more people looking than selling. Even if you're paying a shop to do it, it would probably be cheaper to repair it than buy another one, but depending how you do it, possibly not by much. There are a few options for engine replacement. Junkyards get a premium for those SOHC 2.5s. When you call a yard and tell them you need a Subaru 2.5 engine, you can almost hear they're eyes light up into dollar signs. I have occasionally seen private party used ones going for $500 or so, but not very often. In Japan, they got a 2.0 SOHC non-turbo engine that was much more reliable. And due to their emissions or safety inspections, many of these cars get parted out with very low mileage. I can reliably buy a 50k mile engine for less than $1000. These are basically a direct drop-in. But talk to the repair shop your thinking of using first, as they may not be willing to deal with that. Or, Subaru sells remanufactured short blocks. They tend to be about $2k, and come with an oil pan, oil pump, water pump, and thermostat. Another $300 or so, and you can get a complete OE engine gasket set. Make sure the heads are sent out to a good machine shop to check the valve seals and guides (if it hasn't overheated, they probably aren't warped), and you'll basically have a new engine. It's also possible to rebuild the engine if things aren't scored to badly, but this relies more heavily on the skill of the mechanic, and I probably wouldn't recommend that unless it's a Subaru specialty shop.

You're putting the WRX engine in the RS? If that's the case, the transmission bolting up is the least of your worries. Swapping a turbo engine into a non-turbo car is a big undertaking. Engine crossmember and sway bar have to be swapped. Radiator, exhaust. Most of the wiring (which requires removing the dash). If it's a manual transmission, you'll certainly need a new clutch. If it's an automatic, you'll have a nightmare of getting the electronic transmission control working.

The wheels will bolt up. The tires are a bit bigger, the stock Legacy size is 205/55r16, which calculates to 24.8" tall. 215/60r16 calculates to 26.2" tall. Also 10mm wider. They would probably work, but they might rub when loaded, or turning sharp.

Yea, maybe with some serious documentation differentiating this as a Subaru-modified demo car, not just another SUS. But even then, I can't imagine there's much of a market for such a thing. If so, Ebay is probably the place, but even then, I'd be surprised if it would sell for enough extra to justify the ebay fee....

A fan is generally more efficient as a puller, but it's a fairly minor loss to switch it to a pusher. Check the instructions for your particular fan, some of them have directional blades, which has to be removed from the motor and flipped.

That should be fine. Almost everything is identical to the EJ251, so you should be able to look up parts based on your old motor/VIN, only common exception to that would be the head gaskets. IIRC, the JDM SOHC 2.0l head gasket part number crosses to the EJ205 WRX head gasket number. I know we've used that before here.

IMO, if you're going to make an adapter, go to a more common bolt pattern. 5x114.3/4.5 would be perfect.

Yea, you can do that. Due to the design of the center diff, there are a couple places where you can safely weld it up. But yea, just like a "Lincoln Locker"

SOHC non-turbo engine? If so, it's very straight forward. Usually easiest to swap the intake manifold and all wiring/vacuum stuff from the old engine, as sometimes there are differences there.

I don't believe anyone makes a RWD coupler for the phase 1 center diff, so yea, you'll have to weld it. Then you'll want to get some spare transfer gears, and get good at changing them. Or convert to a phase 2 center and get some beefier transfer gears, although it might be cheaper to go to a real RWD transmission.

The challenge will be finding wheels with high enough offset/backspacing. The subaru wheels are very high offset. I ran 17x8 +48 wheels on my wagon (5-lug) without any trouble, but I think you'll be hard-pressed to find anything close to that in a 6-lug. Since most 6-lug I know generally speaking the Japanese 6-lug applications tend to be higher than the US options. I've seen several late model minivans with 6-lug wheels and look like high-offset. I think I remember looking one up and it wasn't the same bolt circle, but there might be others worth looking into.

The service interval on those plugs is supposed to be 60k miles. But I wouldn't worry about getting closer to 100. The way the techs here do it, is from underneath. Most spark plug sockets are just the right length so the ratchet will be placed right between the head and the frame rail. This, obviously, is much easier the higher you can safely get the car off the ground. I've lifted the engine on a couple DOHC 4-cyl engines (similar plug placement), and that worked fairly well. I had to remove a couple things for access, but it was reasonable. Tribeca's all just use a strainer in the transmission, no filter like there always was. A drain and fill is certainly a good idea. It will probably take about 4 quarts (I recommend having 5 handy when you start the job). They call for Subaru HP ATF. I think there are some aftermarket ATFs that meet the specification. MSRP on the genuine stuff is $6.72/qt, so don't pay more than that.

MSRP is actually $56.40 on it. Olathe Subaru shows one in stock (I did a search within 50 miles of 64034)

Well, I was pretty sure the Sambar used an inline engine, and therefore a boxer might not be the greatest option. So I looked at the Sambar wikipedia page, and found this: "with the EF12 three-cylinder engine's displacement increased to 1200 cc and SOHC borrowed from the Subaru Justy" Sounds like the only 1200cc Sambar engine was actually just a Justy engine. So yes, I bet you could use a Justy engine.

I hate solder on stranded automotive applications. It's not flexible, and the heat can be very hard on the wire. I only use Molex PermaSeal adhesive heat shrink butt splices (I purchase them in bulk on Waytek wire), as they're tough, but slightly flexible. Also, all those wires are brittle. So at the very least, replace the entire exposed section of that broken wire. I work at a dealership, and when paying labor, it's just not worth it to try to repair these, usually when you start messing with them, adjacent wires start breaking, and the time starts adding up fast. We stock the rear gate harnesses for them. They're usually about $75, which is a chunk of money, but I'd be tempted to do it that way and be done with it!

800 sounds so high, I'm assuming there was something else replaced. "terminal fuse box" is not very definitive... I have seen a fuse box and cables (on a first gen legacy) destroyed due to corrosion.

Yep, definitely flooding. That much is very clear. Bad connection at the coolant temp sensor is the only thing I can think of that would intermittently cause it to flood that badly. There are plenty of other things that can cause problems, but I don't think any of them would be that severe.

Awesome, thanks man! I thought I looked at that when I did it, but I never actually tried it. Do you know if the carrier bearing spacing is the same as the EA82? Or would that mount have to be moved on those (cheaper and easier for most than driveshaft modification)? Updated the first post with everything in here, and a couple more things. Keep it coming! I still think the EA81 SPFI manual needs to be in here!

The first run of replica hubs was like $200 USD for a pair. With those (or XT6) the EJ brakes will bolt up the trailing arms. Sourcing those is the hard part. The diff alone is easy, the mounts bolt right up, driveshaft bolts right up. There are several options to attach the EA81 axles to the EJ diff. There are several options for suspension that bolts right up. This stuff has all been done and documented. EJ Modified-MacPherson rear suspension has been put in a Brat (IIRC it was in the UK, so I think they just call them a pickup...). It looked like a completely nightmare. You have to make mounts for the suspension crossmember, trailing arms, and strut tops, all of which need to be positioned perfectly, and build strut towers. In a Brat, these strut towers are visible in the bed, so that may be a concern depending on the project. At stockish height, the crossmember and gas tank interfere. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it's the classic reinventing of the wheel. It's a massive amount of work to avoid buying a pair of hubs (I know they're getting rare, but it's still possible), for negligible gains. Yes, the old EA rear suspension geometry isn't ideal for true performance, but if you're nitpicking that far, the Brat probably isn't your best starting point (dreadful aero and weight distribution, although it's possible to get around that). If you really are looking for better geometry, there are much better/easier ways to get it. The '08+ Impreza, '09+ Forester and '10+ Leg/Outback rear suspension comes to mind, it's a complete multilink unit. You'll probably still have to modify the gas tank, but only 4 big bolts to hold the entire rear suspension on, and the geometry all stays the same. And the shock is mounted much further down, so you don't have to cut up the body to make strut towers.

Oh good, so they're similar to other irresponsible and shoddy modifications. Just because the focal point is aimed down low, they will cast light up into the eyes of oncoming traffic. Here's a picture I took this winter of the stock lights in our '04 Outback with LED drop in bulbs: 20170106_194211 by Numbchux, on Flickr It does look good, and could probably be done correctly for street use with DOT or ECE certified housings....I don't like the idea of blinding cars coming at me at 100+ mph closing speed with a few feet of clearance between me and my family....

I have Yakima Railgrab mounts and crossbars (all bought used, bars on craigslist locally many many years ago, mounts on ebay recently) for our '04 Outback. I don't have any decent pictures of the rack, but I do have one of the car on our last BWCA trip: 20160530_121745 by Numbchux, on Flickr