svxpert

<<Filter size is irrelevant. It's what's inside the filter that counts.>> totally agree, filter quality is much more important than the size of the outside case.

<<My major worry now is making sure I get all of the air out of the cooling system. After filling the cooling system with the bleed screw open, I idled the car in my driveway, topping up the radiator several times.>> how did you fill the cooling system? which points?

looks good. who did the wheels and whats the name of the color?

<<I'm also torquing everything to spec (less about 25% to 33% to account for the anti-seize where used).>> what bolts are you putting the anti sieze on? theres very few bolts that call for anti sieze on a subaru motor. they rely more on properly torqued bolts. i think you said you put a long block in, so the most important torqu bolts are already done for you. its true, the more you work on these subarus, the faster you'll get at doing things. when i first started, it took me a while to get things done. now i can get a EJ series engine out of the car in an hour. its alot easier to take it out whole, then put in on a engine stand to take the accesories off. its less wear and tear on your back!

<<I just got my car back from the shop '96 2.2L 120k, EVERYTHING was leaking. so ~$1700 and I got a new clutch/flywheel/all seals (besides HG).>> WOW:eek: i hope they did the timing belt, water and oil pump too for that price. if you want to bring it down to my shop in NJ i will quote these prices for your services: Cam seals & crank seal- $30 Oil Pump, timing belt, and water pump $400 valve cover gaskets- $125

<<He said since he already had it half apart and in there he would do the head gaskets for $550 to make it an even $1000.>> he probably put the $20 conditioner in charged you $550!

<<It SHOULD specify in the manual if anything is needed. Every gasoline engine I have worked on specified a coat of oil on the head bolts. On a Subaru engine, that's the only special procedure I use. All the other bolts get cleaned and put in dry. If you use anti-sieze, it will change the actual torque value, which may cause problems (I'm thinking specifically about your camshaft cap bolts here...too much torque could squeeze the cams too tightly and wear out the bearing surfaces).>> +1 if you tourque the bolts correctly, no need for antisieze.

<<clean off the back, there is a sticker that will say the ratio and if it is LSD.>> yeah, the sticker thing stopped after the 1994 legacy, and the 1997 SVX, i've never seen a sticker on an impreza. all other (non loyale) subaru's have a two character letter painted on the top of the diff. not able to see it unless you take down the diff.

that is the support that holds the air intake assembly after the maf. it should connect to the top of the transmission.

<<Could it be that they held the sprocket with some type of huge pliers and just cracked it?>> thats a good thought being that i have seen alot of posts on how people "hold" the pulley with some type of strap wrench instead of the correct tool. its funny how subaru could have saved money and used a strap type wrench holding them on while instaling them, instead of having a company produce a specific tool to hold the pulleys. makes you kinda say hmmm?

<<so I figured, ah why not and pasted a goodly amount of ultra grey RTV around the injector/manifold interface with a detail brush.>> well.... i would have removed the injector(s) that were leaking air and checked for problems. maybe you forgot/double uped a gasket. then re-installed them. what was the reason that you removed them in the first place?

here is my 22b engine. going in the car this weekend. 2.2 turbo block 2.5 heads jap spec sti manifold (not sure which version) with 5th injector

yes, you will lose some coolant when a timing belt is done.

i have a shop in south jersey. what do you need done?

<<Subaru's are made in either Lafayette IN, the legacy, outbacks and tribeca, and the impreza's are made in Gumma Japan, along with the forrester, those 2 cities are probably the east coast port of entry.>> yup, NoahDL88 is correct, they are just ports. The Newport News port just closed and they moved to Baltimore. About 100 members of the SVX club toured the Lafayette plant a few years ago. I'm sure there running public tours there.

is there spark coming from the spark plug wires?

<<Sorry man, but that looks like you broke a rod and broke through the block. That has 100% nothing to do with the headgasket issues. That's just bad luck. Sorry to see or hear. Keith>> yeah, i have to second that MY2000 up had the external coolant leak. as long as you kept an eye on coolant level, you can live with that. i'm thinking you may have hydrolocked the engine temporarily and that did some damage when you drove through the water.

<<my EJ22 has 203k miles and i wanted to do the whole timing belt,gears,seals etc. but i have no garage and i wouldnt feel comfortable doing it myself incase i run into some probs.>> what exactly are you looking to have done? the 60-105-120K service? or just replace the timing belt?

<<First Question: Anyone encounter this spline problem? Will I have to get OEM instead? ***no, they just gave you the wrong one. return it and get a different one*** Second Question: What is the torque for the axle lock nut? Does it need to be torqued with or without weight on it? *** 145- i always tourqe it to 150 to be safe. doesn't matter if its in the air or not*** Third Question: Should I go ahead and replace the ball joint that is attached to the "A" arm and the bottom of the steering knuckle? Is it a common wear item as well? If the castle nut on the bottom is removed does it just pop out? *** you are already half way there, might as well replace it. yes, undo the castel nut and it should pop out*** Fourth Question: Where can I get a manual for the car, preferably FSM? I asked at the dealer and they looked at me like I had three heads, and the auto store said they could not get one. ***junkyard might be your best choice for a owners manual, otherwise look online*** One last note, I removed the axle by detaching the tie rod end then removing the ball joint pinch bolt in the steering knuckle, the ball joint dropped out and there was plenty of room to push the axle out of the hub. Anything wrong with this method? It seemed almost to easy. ***nope plain and simple subarus are*** Thank you to any one that can tackle all or part of my overly complicated and long winded first post.

<<Should I go back to the dealer and request they install a water pump with minimal labor charge?>> I just did that same service at my shop on a 2.5 Legacy, but we put on a water pump, gasket and thermostat, all for $775 I would recommend going elsewere next time you need service done, they should have done the water pump if you requested it. They make money on the parts and service.

<<trying to replace the ECT sensor>> i've never heard of a ECT sensor on a subaru? what does it do and how do you know you need a new one?

is the engine out of the car or still in?

at my shop here in NJ, i charge $450 for the 60-105-120K service. that includes all fluids, timing belt, PCV, and plugs. usually add another $125 for the water pump and front seals. not sure about your area, might be cheaper or higher.

well, if you just got the car, i would do a tune up asap. make sure you put the correct weight engine oil in the car (10W-30) maybe that will make a difference.

are you sure its the oil pan thats leaking? could be the separator plate on the back of the shortblock. otherwise, if your sure its the oil pan bolts, you can take off the engine mount bolts and jack up the engine to access the bolts.