Numbchux

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.

The transmission that is in that is unique to the RXs. Full-time 4WD with locking center and low range. The XT6s had full-time 4WD, but were a 3.9 ratio, so you'd have to swap the rear diff. And they don't have low range. The turbo EA82s from '87-'90 had a transmission that's virtually identical to the RX trans, except without the low range.

Similar horsepower to an EJ22. Virtually zero modification support for the engine. Requires a LOT of modification to the chassis. Difficult to get parts for. I love the ER27. But I would never swap it into anything. It's been done a half a dozen times or so. The radiator has to move a LOT. The brat that was already linked here had a ton of lift, and the radiator mounted horizontally over the engine (that swap was also done 12-15 years ago, and IIRC the rust had caught up with that chassis long ago. Probably not around anymore). Most of the others have no grill, tube bumpers, and frequently only the outside headlights. There was a member here in MN about 10 years ago who did it into an EA81 hatch (identical engine bay) that I saw in person. It does not fit well. Here's Adam NDJs '82 with an ER27: Also, the ECU is mounted in the trunk in the XT6, so the wiring is several times more complicated than an EJ swap.

'00-'09 Legacy/Outback multi-link is very different from '08+ Impreza/forester and '10+ Legacy/Outback. I know the 2 bolts in the top hat are spaced further apart in the newer ones. But the shock/spring are simple enough that they may work. '00-'09 Outback is the only thing I know of that would be a bolt-on strut lift for the rear of an '02 Legacy. More options for the front, but probably simplest to get the same. Baja rear springs yield a small lift on an Outback. H6 front springs yield a small lift on a 4-cyl Outback.

Yes, 3rd wire is a grounded shield.

Yes, although I don't think I would try to solder right onto the connector. I know someone who got the newer style pigtail at a junkyard, and spliced it to the pigtail off his old sensor to make a plug and play jumper harness.

Exhaust leaks identified: 20160623_165837 by Numbchux, on Flickr And fixed, OBX Stainless set from eBay: 20160623_173614 by Numbchux, on Flickr If you look closely in that picture, you can see that the OBX header set doesn't have the mounting tabs to the transmission. So I made up a little metal bracket that bolted to the tab coming off the transmission, and then clamped to the exhaust: 20160625_095144 by Numbchux, on Flickr 45* Stainless oxygen sensor spacer required to prevent P0420 and keep the sensor off the driveshaft: 20160625_095131 by Numbchux, on Flickr 20160625_095137 by Numbchux, on Flickr

2005 and 2010 were the first years of major body style changes. 2013 saw a completely new 4-cylinder engine (you probably won't find any of those in your budget). 2010+ 4-cylinders got the CVT, in this market, you wouldn't see one that new for $10k unless it had 300k miles on it, but should you happen to see one, don't be scared of it but make sure you drive it before you buy it. They're very different to drive, and some people just can't stand it. 2005-2009 cars had 3 engine options. SOHC non-turbo 2.5l 4-cyl. These are fairly notorious for head gasket issues. They don't almost ever blow catastrophically, but they leak oil externally, and burn a little coolant. If it hasn't been overheated, you can just throw the updated gasket (the part number and design has been superceded and improved. Buy them from Subaru by your VIN) in it and be good to go. Ask about head gasket history. Get the car up in the air, and look at the bottom of the heads, near the exhaust port, to see if there is any oil on the bottom of the engine indicating a likely head gasket leak. These got variable valve timing in 2006 There was also a DOHC Turbo 2.5l 4-cyl. These require more consistent oil changes. So be extra vigilant about service records. I don't generally recommend them for daily driver use. And the 3.0l 6-cyl. I love this engine, decent power, but very reliable. Timing chains, so no worry about timing belt maintenance. They are pretty tight in the engine bay, so they can be kind of difficult to work on, but generally don't need as many major repairs. 4-cyl engines were available with a 4-speed Auto, or a 5-speed Manual. 6-cyls with a 5-speed Auto. 2005 Outbacks with the non-turbo 4-cyl did not have an immobilizer, all others (turbo, 6-cyl in 2005, and all 2006+) do have an immobilizer. This makes key replacement much more expensive. Beyond that, pretty much normal used car stuff....

Agreed on it probably being overkill. Your car likely already has '03-'05 WRX front brakes on it. '06-'07 uses the same size front rotor, but a significantly larger caliper. This is arguably not an upgrade unless you are on a track, and even still, you probably don't have enough horsepower to build up enough heat in the system to see any real improvements. But, if you do want to do it, the calipers will bolt right up. Rotors do not need to be changed. Your wheels will probably not clear them. AFAIK, the only OE 16" wheel that will clear 4 pots are the 2 styles of 16x7 from the '98-'01 2.5RS, and not all 17s will either. Although it's not a diameter issue, so a small wheel spacer will resolve it.

Water pump is driven by the timing chain. It's a big job (and not common). There are many other possible suspects, though. Rubber, and steel lines running across in front of the oil pan to the oil cooler. Similar running back along the bottom of the driver's side head to the heater core.

The fog lights are almost certainly the same, it comes in an accessory kit from Subaru with all the mounting brackets and such. Ditto with the auto-dimming mirror. Ask about the remote start. The Subaru system isn't awesome. Depending on the brand and installer, if they're going aftermarket could be considerably better. We have a great local installer that deals with Compustar systems, and we contract through him for many of the customers at the dealership where I work. The bumper applique is nice. It's a really thick, tough clear vinyl sticker that goes on the top of the rear bumper, to keep the paint from getting scratched when loading and unloading the trunk. Only you can know how likely you are to damage the paint, and how much you'd be willing to spend to protect it.

At the dealership where I work, we have a regular 30k mile service. It involves engine and cabin air filters, a bottle of Subaru fuel injection cleaner, flushing a pint of brake fluid, and a drain-and-fill on differentials and transmission. 60k miles adds spark plugs to that list. Certainly on the overkill side of things, but that's not always a bad thing when it comes to preventative maintenance. Assuming it's a CVT and not a manual, front and rear diff just get 75w90 or 80w90 gear oil. But the main transmission gets a special Subaru-only (I am not aware of a suitable equivalent, anyway) CVT fluid. MSRP on it is $13.33 a quart, and a normal drain-and-fill requires just under 6 quarts. I would not trust this to a shop that's not VERY familiar with these transmissions, the drain and fill plugs on the transmission are not difficult to confuse, we field calls on a regular basis from people who have pulled one or both of them incorrectly (DIYers and reputable shops alike).

That'll be a SOHC 2.5l Engine. Bad news, I pretty much guarantee the head gaskets are leaking already. Good news, head gasket "failure" on those is relatively minor. They leak oil externally, and then eventually they will start to burn just a little coolant. We have a 2003 Outback that we've put about 40k miles on since we bought it that had leaking head gaskets then. Check the oil/coolant every time you get gas (we probably have to add a quart, maybe 2, per oil change, and top of the coolant reservoir a few times a year). It is not a catastrophic blow that makes the car un-driveable.