Numbchux

The Subaru hitch fits Model Year '96-'99 Legacy Outback models, I grabbed an aftermarket (Reese, maybe?) one from a '98 in a junkyard a few years ago, and it bolted right up to a '96. Unless your '97 is an Outback Sport, it should work.

Splitting hairs here...lots of 4-cyl Subarus have an oil cooler, but a '12 Forester is not one of them. The PCV valve itself does not have coolant running through it, but there's more to the PCV system than just the valve. Bottom line. There DEFINITELY is not enough information here to condemn anybody, even if that's right off the repair order, and written by the tech, a few sentences does not give the whole picture. If the car is under warranty, I don't see any reason not to have them replace whatever connector they're referring to. It might not fix the problem, but this might be an odd one that will require a little experimentation to nail down, and waiting won't help.

There's one bolt that holds both lines to the firewall, remove that bolt, and the valve is behind there (IIRC held in with a 4mm allen bolt or 2), kind of recessed back into the firewall.

Check the transmission mount. It's not uncommon for the center stud to get bent (usually from a bad ujoint) and make some funny noises when things get loaded up. But yea, get your driveshaft out, and move those joints around to check for binding or play.

Most cases do not require grinding, IIRC only EA81 cases have the extra castings that do not clear the LSD carrier. Only an r160 will fit in that case. But ANY r160 (used in almost every 4WD Subaru, still to this day) will physically fit in the case. But that clutch-type now-virtually-unobtaneum is the only one with bolt-in axle stubs just like factory, anything else will require a little workaround with CV axles (some are easier than others, I don't know off the top of my head, but there are examples out there) Other diffs have been done, but require modification. The STi r180 is not much different externally than an r160 and has been done at least a couple times in EA Subarus. Adam NDJ was working towards an r200, but I don't think anything ever happened, and there was a lot of fabrication (it already has a nissan transfer case and ER27 under a brat...). I've also seen a myriad of different IRS diffs in EJ Subarus....

Excellent write-up. I have to disagree with this sentence, though. A solder joint is completely inflexible, and requires a pretty extreme heat cycle to the copper wire. These 2 factors can cause fatigue over time and I have seen them break (yes, even under good heat shrink). It's admittedly rare, and still better than a standard crimp connection or the others, but still enough of a concern that I don't use it. I ONLY use Molex PermaSeal connectors, I buy them in bulk through Waytek Wire (they are available as spade and ring terminals, too): https://www.waytekwire.com/item/30980/Molex-19164-0013-Perma-Seal-Butt-Connector-/ https://www.waytekwire.com/item/31980/Molex-19164-0044-Perma-Seal-Butt-Connector-/ https://www.waytekwire.com/item/32980/Molex-19164-0056-Perma-Seal-Butt-Connector-/ Obviously the process of heat shrink applies much less heat to the copper wire, and the semi-flexible nature of the heat shrink sleeve helps disperse the bending/vibration force through a slightly larger piece of the wire. Also, you didn't address the other "option".....wire nuts. Wire nuts work for household wiring because households do not vibrate constantly, also because there is no vibration/movement, household wiring is solid-core, not multi stranded like automotive wire. These 2 differences mean wire nuts will fall off, and then you have a completely un-insulated connection.

One more easy thing to check, although it sounds unlikely. Remove the upper radiator support brackets, and tilt the radiator back to look for debris in the radiator. I've seen a few (one just last week that was really bad) where the radiator is packed solid, but the evaporator looks clean as can be. I don't understand how that much debris could get through/around the evaporator and end up in the radiator, but it happens. It still doesn't really explain the bubbles, but it might be worth a try.

This is fine, but you keep talking about it like it's going to be cheaper than just fixing the water pump. You cannot have both. You can have an interesting and educational experience, OR you can have cheap. Remember the old adage, "Cheap, fast, reliable. Pick two." Firstly, obviously you did not click on the link I dug up for you, that kit is $203.78, plus a $4.20 OE water pump gasket. So cost to repair your car is actually about $250 (by the time it's done, you'll need coolant, and maybe some other little things), not $350. I doubt (it's possible...but....yea) you'll get any money for almost anything off that old motor. It's highest value is probably in scrap. I'll say again, I don't believe a phase 2 TCU will talk to a phase 1 transmission. So add a transmission to your list. This may also require a rear diff/axles. You'll need an entire bulkhead harness (the stuff behind the dash/HVAC ductwork), not just the engine harness. Radiator and fans are different for an EZ30 car. It's possible to make what you have work, but it certainly won't be free and probably won't be adequate. It would probably take me 15-20 hours to do that wiring job, and I've probably done more than 20 similar wiring projects. My first one (which was MUCH simpler) took me 3 months to get running, and I was dealing with issues for at least a year after that. So maybe your labor is free, but be prepared for a lot of down time and frustration. $150 for a no-problems EZ30D is pretty much too-good-to-be-true. It's probably not as bad as your other one, but I highly doubt it's not going to have issues. You haven't talked at all about exhaust. EZ30 exhaust is very different. No matter what you do, you'll have money into it. Your stock tachometer won't work anymore. $50ish for a tach signal divider. Not mentioning the little things. You'll probably have $100 in miscellaneous hoses. You'd regret not changing the valve cover gaskets and spark plugs while you've got the engine out (both wear items, and virtually impossible to do in the car in an older chassis), so there's another $100ish. Even little things like electrical connectors add up surprisingly fast. Also not mentioning the slippery slope of supporting modifications. Brakes, tires, suspension. I'll say again, the cheapest way to get everything you need is to buy a donor car. If you get lucky, and sell a lot of usable parts that you don't need, you might be into it for less than a thousand once the dust is all settled.

It bolts to the back side of the hub on those, not on the CV. 27550A in this diagram

$9? MSRP is $4.88...

It's doable, and I could write a fairly lengthy post with information how, but I read this You're WAY in over your head. Also, with the destruction I'm seeing in that last picture, that engine is not worth fixing. I don't believe a phase 2 TCU will talk to a phase 1 transmission. cheapest way to get everything you still need is to buy a donor car (rusted out or crashed). You're probably looking at a couple thousand dollars (if you're lucky, and can sell a lot of the unused parts from the donor car), and several months of down time to finish the project you're proposing. If it is, indeed, a water pump (not common), replace it. Use an OE gasket. And keep driving it. https://www.amazon.com/Gates-TCKWP254-Engine-Timing-Water/dp/B003TUA5W6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469625826&sr=8-1&keywords=TCKWP254 and gasket #21114aa051 (MSRP on that is $4.20, so depending on your local dealer, it'll probably be close to that, or there are online sources, but shipping cost will probably be more than dealer markup).

I agree that they are great cars with a little preventative maintenance, except this: Get the OE gaskets for the correct engine. Subaru has superceded them to a MLS gasket. Subaru makes a head gasket kit that has everything you need to replace one head gasket on a 2000-early 2005 SOHC EJ25 (non-VVT). Getting 2 of these kits is cheaper than piecing together what you need for one job, and you'll end up with several extra gaskets. 10104AA070XX Or get a Fel-pro kit for everything else, and just use the OE Head gaskets instead, most current number is 11044AA633 It's not a bad idea to have the heads checked, but if the car hasn't overheated, there's very little chance that there's anything wrong with them. I didn't on my '03 Outback

I was trying to find the pictures, but it looks like they were all on the old USMB gallery rguyver machined a centering ring that he welded into the center of r180 backing plates so they could then be drilled for the EA mounts. He sold a few, and that's when we realized that the center hole for r160 backing plates is smaller. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/88398-ea-ej-rear-brake-adapter-ring-at-wcss10/ From that thread: "i have the rings for the brembo swap but after several smaller hub rings i have determined its not worth having a ring for the smaller hole backing plates ( wrx, leg.,) STI use a bigger bearing hub so the hole in the backing plate needs to have a ring so the holes are drilled half in the ring and half on the backing plate , just re drill the 3 holes in the backing plate as needed its not overly important that its exact as long as you are with in the 1/8th that the ring would center it ." Keep in mind, the orientation does not need to be exact (as long as the hardware all clears, and the bleeder on the caliper is still at the highest point), it just needs to be mostly centered. Another interesting thread (with a lot of dead pics...) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/93607-teaser-rear-ej-brakes-on-ea-car/ But a pretty awesome 2D technical drawing of bolt-on adapter rings similar to the crossbred ones was posted in there: Not a great picture, but here are some r160 EJ backing plates that Suberdave modified (you can see the centering ring welded in the middle: And here's an r180 backing plate modified and bolted to an EA82 trailing arm (also Suberdave's):

Only one way to find out. All those signal wires go into the integrated unit, and without knowing how that unit is programmed, it's impossible to predict how it would react. It's only one wire, I'd pop the corner of the headliner down, and wire a switch in there for sure and see what happens. If the power gate system goes haywire...remove the switch and pull a fuse.

Welcome, and I have to commend you in the fact that you've obviously been searching around. That looks like a great first post and start to a new thread. But certainly not cause to bump up a 12 year old thread that's not any more related than just about any other....

Well, the 2000-2009 Legacy/Outback rear suspension is a bit unique. You can find information up the yazoo on lifting the Macpherson rear ('90-'99 Legacy/Outback, '93-'07 Impreza Forester), and even a bit on the newer multi-link ('10+ Legacy/Outback and '08+ Impreza/Forester), but not nearly as much as the early multi-link I've seen several '00-'04 Legacy/Outback models with a considerable lift, but I can't think of any '05-'09s, and while the basic suspension design didn't change, it's possible that the details would be different. So, you have some options... There are several companies that make small strut spacers (ranging from 1/4" up to 1 1/4" or so, depending on the company. Usually made of HDPE). These do not allow for camber correction in the front, which is more of an issue the higher you go. So IMO these aren't usually worth the trouble... Primitive racing is a distributor of King springs, which make HD lift springs for most Subarus. I'm not a big fan of lift springs, though, either. They are stiffer than stock, and make for a harsher ride. It's usually a minor difference, and only you can know whether this is acceptable for you uses or not. Primitive does sell a kit that uses springs and spacers for a decent compromise. http://get-primitive.com/9-suspension-lift-kits I plan to use this kit with my '04 Outback: http://sjrlift.com/index.php/catalog/lift-kits/0-2-lift-kit-2000-25-detail That should work on a '09. The strut tops will, and I'd put about 80% odds that the trailing arm spacer would be correct. This has camber-corrected front spacers. And the trailing arm spacers not only correct the cosmetic side effect of lifting a Subaru, which is the rear wheel being pulled forward, but on the '00-'09 Legacy/Outbacks, the trailing arm and knuckle are one piece, so an angle on the trailing arm turns into a rotation at the knuckle....which I really don't like for the sake of the other links. With a 2" lift, you should be able to run a 29" tire, which opens up your options for all-terrain tires fairly considerably. I'm planning on a set of 235/65r17 Kumho Venture AT51s. If you're having trouble slashing tires on the rocks, air them down. This will allow the tires to flex around sharp rocks instead of concentrating the force on the point of a rock. Pressures vary, but typically around 15 psi for this type/size of tire (My 4Runner has very wide tires, on relatively narrow wheels to prevent debeading, and being load E tires, I run them at about 7 psi on the rocks). Here's a mediocre picture of our Outback at the offroad vehicle park up here in northern MN, which is an old iron ore pit mine, so the rocks are very sharp: You'll want your tires to squat about a 1/3 of the sidewall height out. Just be aware that the sidewalls will be more vulnerable, and you can't go very fast or heat and debeading can be a problem. So how far you have to travel before you can re-inflate needs to be considered (and depending where and how often you go, some sort of on-board air compressor might be worth considered

Unfortunately, the switch is built into the latch, not a separate switch like the side doors. You might be able to use a screwdriver to engage the latch to make it think it's closed, only side effect there would be that you'd have to pull the release handle before closing the hatch. The door ajar light and approach lights are controlled by the body integrated unit. So your options are either reprogram the integrated unit (I'm assuming they did not make an easy provision for this if they are suggesting to disconnect the battery), or fool it into thinking the hatch is closed. Temporary solution as I listed above to just push the latch mechanism closed. More permanent would be to install a switch between the latch and the body unit (I'd probably either do it in the interior panel of the hatch, or in the roof right near where that harness comes in from the gate. There's a light-green wire, and it's just switched to ground (it doesn't say if it's normally-open or normally-closed, so you'd have to do a quick test, and either run the switch to ground, or just use the switch to disconnect the signal from the latch) For what it's worth, there's a chance that either of these fixes would cause more problems if you have a car equipped with a power gate

I bet sticking caliper slide, or pad hardware. New parts are not all created equal. What pads were used? Many aftermarket pads are a bit too large, and have to be ground down a bit or they will bind in the bracket/clips. What caliper? Semi-loaded? New stainless steel hardware? Good grease on the pins? You would feel the ABS working.

Never. No, it is not common. We do not ever replace cam seals preventatively unless it is expressly requested by the customer. A few of the techs do crank seals, but not usually. Take a look at the crank seal, if it's black, it's probably the culprit. They superceded them to brown ones about that time which were muuuuch better

2002 would be a 2.5. 1999 Legacy L would be a 2.2, and at 200k will not likely be crapping out anytime soon.

Also, in case anyone is curious. You can swap that piece between phase 1 and 2 blocks, and convert between the different style tensioners.

Another 450ish miles this weekend. Loaded up the bikes, hooked up the jet ski ('89 Kawasaki 650SX...if you were wondering) and set off across country to our family's cabin. It was over 90 degrees for most of the drive over, and it never missed a beat. Set the cruise, set the climate control, awesome. 20160701_184051 by Numbchux, on Flickr Just over 4 weeks until we close on the new house, and then I'll have a garage (and our payments should be about $200/month less than we're paying in rent now....)!

3 bolts. It's not uncommon for them to strip after a few uses. We have one of them in stock. And they're only like $35 MSRP brand new from Subaru.

For a patient buyer, $500 is a healthy budget for a good EJ22 donor car up here (I bought a '97 with a rusted filler neck this winter for $300).

Yep. That same AWD system was used in the EA82ts EA82t and XT6s had completely different gearing.