Numbchux

That's not the only thing left. There are many things that can cause the ECU not to try to start the car (you're diagnostic was correct, though, in ruling that it is not the fuel pump relay, or, at least, not just the relay). I've seen a bad crank sensor cause the ECU not to prime. But don't try to guess the old fashioned way, get a code reader plugged into it (frequently can be rented from an auto parts store, I have a bluetooth OBD II dongle that cost less than $20 and allows me to use my phone). See if the ECU is powering up at all (if you can connect to it), then see if there are any trouble codes, and then monitor the rpms and crank it over. You have a lot of steps before you need to buy a new ECU.

Good find! Keep an eye on the bubbling coolant. Might be early head gasket signs. FYI, there's a TSB for the throttle position sensor that can cause rough shifting, even without throwing a code. I replaced it on mine, and it helped (although didn't solve the rough shifting). 11-80-06157652.pdf

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No, the ECU is not grounded through it's mounting bolts I don't see how cutting one wire and soldering it back together could cause failure. Did you unplug anything else during the project? Get your hands on a code reader, and see if you can communicate with the ECU. See if there are any diagnostic codes. (I assume you should still have an OBD II port on canadian cars).

Yep, the one I had had no 4th gear. When you got going fast enough to try to shift into 4th gear, it would just free rev like it was in neutral. Pull it down into 3rd, and it was good to go.

Wet sanding and Urethane, per this write-up http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/514132-post9.html 2017-07-03_01-55-16 by Numbchux, on Flickr 2017-07-21_03-52-56 by Numbchux, on Flickr

I think the next thing to do is rent a set of noid lights (I've gotten them from AutoZone for a refundable deposit). Connect one to the wires going to the injector, and turn it over. That will tell you if it's a fuel injection issue, or a physical fuel flow issue. If the light flashes, and you have adequate fuel pressure to the throttle body, it's a clogged or stuck injector.

I just stumbled across this write-up. Looks awesome, and I've seen him posting since then that they're still looking great. I intend to do this on our Outback this weekend. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/53099-my-diy-fx-r-projector-headlight-retrofit.html#post514132

I thought mine was less than that, but it was the cheapest one at HF when I bought it, and I don't see one for less.... Mine is plenty, I've probably done a dozen subaru wheel bearings. Lots of bushings, as well as some bearings and such. I've had a couple things fight me, but I opted to apply heat before maxing out the equipment. 12 Tons is a lot!

I see nothing in the OE catalog listing 15" wheels for '08-'14 Impreza. But, your '08 should have the 276mm front brakes, which should clear any subaru 15" wheel just fine. So yea, any 15" or larger Subaru 5x100 (All SVXs, Tribecas, '05+ STi, '14+ WRX, and '15+ Legacy/Outback are all 5x114.3) wheel should fit just fine on the car. I can't speak at all to wheel cover fitment, I've never bothered. Many Legacies and Outbacks run a +48mm offset wheel, which will stick out a bit more, but shouldn't be an issue as long as your tires are the same outer diameter as stock.

Yep, optional cassette player. I've never compared them directly, but I bet it's the same one used in the '90s for the optional CD player, which I used to add a cheap AUX input. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/158107-i-added-an-aux-input-to-my-stock-97-radio/

This.

If it's the cast aluminum cover, with the philips-head screws, I might not mess with it. I've had the aluminum get brittle around the bolt holes, and the force of getting those loose (usually with an impact driver) will break it. If it's the stamped steel one, with the allen bolts, I would definitely pull it apart and reseal. Meh, the throwout clips may not be necessary, but they're cheap enough (30539AA000, MSRP $2.58 each). Definitely inspect the clutch fork around the pivot. I have seen them fatigue and crack/break. Make sure the pivot ball isn't scored, and smear some grease on there at the very least, if not replace the whole thing.

Easy answer. Pinion shaft and center diff have to match. Locking non-LSD center only came with a 3.7 or 3.9 (in the US for sure, but I think that's true for the rest of the world). The rest of the details depend on the rest of your details. If you're serious, start a new thread with some background information, and we can try to help you.

I just assume that EA82s like to eat timing belts. I had 3 or 4 of them that I put a lot of miles on, and I never went anywhere without spare belts, pullies, and the tools to do them.

My dad had a '94 Legacy with some finicky synchros in second gear when we bought it. It would usually stick out of second gear, but one day I went for a hard 1-2 (what can I say....I was 19), and it wouldn't come out of second. Per the recommendation of one of the folks at CCR Engines posted here, I changed the gear oil, and added a quart of Rislone Engine Treatment (yep, you heard that right), and drove the car around the block (country block, it was a few miles total), by the time I got home, I could shift it again. About a year later, we changed the fluid to "Uncle Scotty's Cocktail", and then several months later, again to straight gear oil. That car never had shifting problems again, but about 100k miles later (at almost 250k), a transmission bearing seized. I wish I had pulled that trans apart...

I have seen several internally-failed head gaskets mitigated for quite some time with the original Blue Devil product (nothing else, and not the "pour and go"). I admit, none were on a Subaru, and only one of them was a car/owner I was in contact with for more than a few months (that one was an MR2 which was beat like the proverbial red-headed stepchild for years). But internal failure (overheating and such) is exactly what it is designed to combat. Just make sure you do it correctly, it's a fairly in-depth procedure. If the car is that nice, though, you really should fix it correctly.

It's official, I just changed it to not renew. So it'll be done on or after December 5th

Wouldn't hurt to test the rad cap, but I doubt it. I know that our local AutoZone loans the block tester tool for a down payment, and you just have to buy the fluid. Ditto with a pressure tester.

Head gaskets on those are typically internal, so air pressure from the engine gets pushed into the coolant. The air in place of the coolant cannot be pumped by a water pump, so the engine gets hot, but doesn't circulate that heat to the radiator and heater core. Engine basically has to come out to do head gaskets on that one. Getting the heads off a SOHC car isn't too bad in the car, but on a DOHC, the cams have to come out to get at the head bolts... I have heard of cases where the steel impeller in the water pump can rust away, and with the condition of the coolant in yours it's possible that that may have happened, but as mentioned, even if that's the cause, it's probably ruined the head gaskets by now. If it were me, I would probably pull the engine, and plan on doing head gaskets, timing belt, oil separator plate, thermostat, and inspect the water pump. Flush the heater core and radiator, possibly replace the radiator depending on it's condition. If you want to try to see if you can get away with less, start with flushing the heater core and radiator, pull the thermostat and look up in the water pump housing (I'm not sure if you'll be able to see the impeller without pulling the pump, but through the thermostat hole, you might be able to get an idea of what kind of sludge is living in there). Then use a new thermostat, and put new antifreeze in, making sure the system is adequately burped and see how things are. If it does overheat, you can chemically test the coolant system for combustion gases, fantastic informational/how-to video on that process: If you're looking for a cheap band-aid, Blue devil makes a decent mechanic-in-a-bottle for head gaskets. Here's the same guy testing that product: Dig through the comments on that second video, and the poster follows up several times, that the head gasket issue did eventually come back, but he managed to buy a couple more years of use out of the car.

"need" It's definitely calibrated differently, and it's definitely the correct way to do it. But I've done it many times without and almost never noticed an issue (one time on a fast autocross course it felt like the rears locked before the fronts in my FrankenWagon and the car tried to get away from me, but that was with R compound racing tires, so there was a lot more weight transfer than ever intended).

I'd bet cash money it's head gaskets. Do you get heat coming out of the vents? Radiator get hot? Hoses? It's possible that the coolant was so bad from lack of use (average of about 4500 miles a year) that the water pump impeller rusted out, and the complete lack of circulation is causing the coolant in the block to get hot and expand.

You'll need a 12mm wrench to separate the driveshaft from the pinion flange. No room for a socket on these bolts. The Ujoint yoke should bottom out against one side of the hex on one side, so theoretically you can remove them with just a tool on the other side, but you may want a second 12mm if things are rusty. IIRC 19mm and 14mm for the bolt and nut respectively, that hold the front hanger to the crossmember. And then 14? for the 2 rear studs. 3/16" punch and hammer to pound the roll pins that hold the axles to the stubs on the diff. But, if it were me, I probably wouldn't bother removing the axles from the stubs in a junkyard. I'd disassemble the axles and leave the inner DOJ cups on the diff. Slice the boot all the way around, or the larger clamp on the DOJ cup. Then pop the circlip out of the groove in the inside of the DOJ cup. I did a write-up on a front CV rebuild, and took a couple good pictures of that circlip: [DSCF0672 by Numbchux, on Flickr Once that clip is out of there, the axle joint will come apart as you lower the diff out, and you can worry about separating the axle cup from the diff later (if they're particularly tough, there's a cap in the bottom of the axle cup that can be removed, and then you can access the E10 torx bolt that holds the stub into the diff, and then you can really apply some force).

Do you want to run fuel injection? All Subarus since 1988 are Fuel injected (in the US), so you'll need the ECU and most of the wiring from the donor car (which should be gone through and removed the unnecessary stuff). The early EJ22s can be converted to carb. Stay away from the EA82/ER27s. Neither will give you the power you want. They are not simpler than the newer stuff, and parts are much harder to come by. My recommendation would be an EG33 or early (2001-2004) EZ30. EJ22 is a fantastically simple and reliable engine, but you probably won't get 160hp without sacrificing the reliability. The EJ25s (either DOHC or SOHC) are rated for that kind of power, but high maintenance. And typical junkyard prices for known-good ones are pretty rediculous ($1500+). There are a couple recipes for high compression engines, some using a mix of stock parts, and of course aftermarket. That may be worth looking into depending on your specific situation, but involves considerably more research, sometimes buying multiple engines, etc. I've seen many excellent engine donor Subaru SVXs go for $500 or so. EZ30 donors (an option on 2001-2004 Outbacks) are a little less common, but they exist, and typically the parts you wouldn't be using are much easier to sell to recoup the costs (I bought my crashed fully-loaded 2004 for $1700, and only needed about $700 in parts to fix). Externally, the EG33 is about 6 or 8" longer than an EJ 4-cylinder, whereas the EZ is only about an inch bigger. These are both fantastically reliable engines, they are more of a pain to work on in the car engine bay since they're kind of shoe-horned in there, but that all changes in a boat. They both make about 220hp, so considerably more than you were looking for.

About the same as a 4WD. The hubs, and maybe the backing plates, are unique to FWD, so it's best to have a FWD donor car. If you want the sway bar, you'll need the whole suspension arm. You could actually grab the whole trailing arm, bearing and brake assembly from a 4WD car. But then you'd need the 4WD shock.