98sub2500leg

Replaced the slave cylinder, bled the slave side, the rod has stroke (approx 3/8" throw). It pulls back and pushes forward ,but the clutch pedal doesn't return after being depressed. All clutch parts are OEM. I didn't replace the clips because I wasn't recommended to get them at the time. I just had a new pair sent to me. The car goes into gear with the car off, but not when running. I'm second guessing whether the clutch disc is in backwards. If I knew for sure it would be a relatively quick fix. How can I test the master cylinder? This may be 2 separate problems rolled into one. The noise is still coming from what looks like the lower clutch housing/flywheel plate is making contact with the PP, but it could be the disc is in backwards. I heard the PP-flywheel bolts would have been too short. I would have needed longer ones. I don't think that is true though. I tested the reverse disc scenario on the old clutch set I still have and the disc if installed backwards can be installed backwards. The splined hub on the disc would then contact the flywheel raising the disc above it by only 1/8", but the bolts would still easily go on. The 2 metallic locking tabs would not catch the PP until the bolts were worked down. I don't remember having this scenario.

Got the slave CY coming. By the way, what is the length of the full stroke of the slave cylinder rod and where is it measured from exactly? Also, how can I test the master cylinder?

DR, I also have a 98 OBW, EJ25 manual trans. and I am currently dealing with the same problem after HG issues. Incidentally, I had the same problem 9000 miles ago pedal sticking to the floor. It was serviced and I'm not sure if it was replaced or not. The one that is on there looks very rusted & very used. Fluid is bad (rusty in color with rust particles, not clear, not good). Oh & thanks to Mike about the cap. Definitely bleeds better, but the rod doesn't seem to want to fully extend. Good luck, Bryan

98 OBW EJ25, manual trans.

Well, so far the good news is that the engine seems to run great so far. No codes, great at warm up and idles to normal (finally),although a loud noise is coming from the clutch housing. When I had the engine pulled the lower tranny plate was bent. Got pushed against the flywheel so I bent it back. Seems though it got bent again. It can be easy to do (a second set of eyes would have been great). There is the bottom access hole but very difficult to wedge a long screwdriver in to bend it back. FYI, all clutch parts were replaced with all dealer-OEM. The noise sounds like the hard steel on the PP is rubbing against the thin metal plate. If I just raise the engine and get access to remove the 2 bolts, I am not convinced there will be enough free space to pull that plate out. Clearance between that plate and the crossmember is very tight. I hate to say it, but now I'm second guessing myself on the direction of the clutch disc. I have my old set and it can only be installed one way. The PP bolted up ok. If it was in backwards the female spline on higher side of the disc would press against the flywheel and ride above it by about 3/16". The bolts would probably be difficult to bolt down until enough pressure was applied to each of them that the spline would pop out enough to seat the disc against the PP. This didn't happen, it bolted up like it should have. So I think I'm ok, but not 100% sure. There are 2 separate rubber accesses, one at the fork, and the other just to one side of that (haven't accessed them yet). The hydrolic cylinder somehow pulled in air, needs to be bled. The resevoir fluid is to the very top, well above max level and the clutch pedal has play as well as the fork from the rod of the cylinder not being fully extended. The clutch pedal goes to the floor when fully depressed and doesn't spring back. I can shift into all gears with the engine off (no clutch depressed), once the engine is on though with the clutch fully depressed, the shifter won't go into gear at all. What is the best way to bleed the system of air?

I bought my 98 OBW new, after 60k miles I took it to the dealer for the 60k mile service (not to name names-north end of the county south of me). They changed the coolant out as part of the service. Got the car back, I smelled coolant but couldn't find any leaks anywhere. About 2 weeks later it started to overheat on the freeway had it towed back to the dealer they called me to say they had good news & bad. Good news was I was low on coolant (go figure). Bad news was I needed new HG's ($2300 quote). The service MGR didn't give me any reason back then why I needed them, just that if a Subaru ever sees an overheat condition, they automatically replace the Hg's. The temp gauge only hit 3/4 full scale, then I pulled over & had it towed to the dealer. I wouldn't consider that a serious overheat to justify a $2300 job. They said if I continued to drive it, I would blow the engine. I had the coolant tested for hydrocarbons at a local reputable independent shop. They found a microscopic trace which wasn't conclusive enough to warrant new HG's. He said drive it and watch the coolant level. I did & drove it another 50k miles over the course of another 5 years, overheating was intermittent during that time then finally got worse this past spring to where I had to replace them(coolant boiled over). The problems didn't start until after I had got the car back from their 60k mile service job. Maybe a coincidence, but to me -unlikely. Bought a used car from them 3 years before that found out it had a front seal oil leak a month after I bought it, they shrugged it off. After removing the heads during the HG job I had them machined and had about 2 thousands of warpage. Pretty minimal for 5 years of driving with an intermittant overheat.

This doesn't feel right at all. There isn't much feel there, light foot press, not the norm. Replaced flywheel, pressure plate, clutch, and bearing during last C/H job. Was working fine before that. Not sure if it is a cable adj or bad hydrolic cylinder.

Yeah I went back under there again with a long thin flathead, but just not enough room to access without raising the engine. The noise is so loud I can't be sure the engine is without problems yet. I removed the valve cover on the passenger CH and see dripping oil (always a good sign).

The engine starts normally & idles at normal, but a fairly loud sound coming from what sounds like under the engine. The lower trans. cover plate is rubbing against the pressure plate. Before reinstalling it, I noticed it was bent from before, I bent it back, but must have bent it again when reinstalling the engine. It is difficult to access and so far have not been successful at bending it back. I would rather not have to loosen the engine mounts & re-raise the engine again to gain access above the cross member to bend it back unless I absolutely have to. Has anyone got any tricks up their sleeve I can try? I can see the 2 slots on the plate between the axel & the crossmember, I can get the flat blade of the screwdriver in each slot but doesn't seem to enough clearance to apply leverage to bend it back. Doesn't even look bent but I know it is.

Only removed the back end & rotors. The gauge would barely have enough resolution at 2 psi. to read it. The tiny crimp ferrule pulled out of the back end anyway have to get another ferrule. What is strange here is that the 1st failure was due to no oil in passenger side cylinder. I mean no oil, although there was oil in the driver side C/H that would probably have been there from the oil fill. The consensus then was that there must have been blockage so I removed the pan again and all was clean and no rtv squeezeouot or contamination. I also removed the oil pump to also inspect it. I only removed it and visually inspected it and it look ok as well so I cleaned it up and reinstalled it. Got another head, had it machined and installed new HG's then reinstalled the engine. Timing was off (I definitely screwed it up) bent the valves on the replacement head. Before removing it though I did unscrew the valve covers on both sides that time & oil was coming out (good sign). Pulled engine the 3rd time, removed both heads again sent to machine shop for rebuild, reinstalled with new intake & HG's. The machinist pointed out I did have the HG on correctly on the original head that was oil starved as you can see the impression of the HG on the machined surface. So, in short, the 1st round I was oil starved, second round, pumped oil, 3rd time (now) no evidence of oil. If it was stuck open I wouldn't expect it to have pumped oil the last time around. The oil on the last round was full of gas which made the viscosity of the oil thinner even though I pulled the crank sensor and coilpack. That is why I was wondering on if the viscosity could matter. Not sure where to go here, also the pumped worked fine before the 1st engine pull.

The pump worked prior to commencing work. The pickup is definitely not clogged. I reopened it on the second round engine pull to inspect, no rtv squeezeout or pump contamination, the oring is new. One big question is what are the two lower access hex key ports designed for on the oil pump? One is on the inlet side the other is the outlet, but not sure why they were provided by Subaru. I have not read anything yet about anyone ever using them for anything, yet they were designed for a purpose. I got the gauge, but the sensor is not a 23mm socket, I will make due. When I connect it up, what pressures should I expect with the plugs removed? Could using higher viscosity (thinner)oil make a difference in priming, I loaded it with 5 30?

It seems it is most likely I must have air in the oil pump, which will never draw oil with this scenario. I am going to go pick up an oil pressure gauge. It looks like the oil sensor takes a 23mm socket. Does anyone know if there is a way to remove the air within an installed pump? Also, can the 2 lower Hex key oil access ports be used for this? Does anyone know what they're function is? Has anyone had this problem before? I can access the pump w/o pulling the engine if I have to, but seems there must be a better way to prime it. It is most likely I didn't have the 2 lower fill ports filled all the way with oil and it pulled in air and it is now just cavitating. After pulling the pump on 1st & second round I found that if you use too much oil within the pump then use the ultragrey, it starts to run down onto the pump surface and then I wouldn't have a good seal.

Got it all back together, the drivers side compression reads 180 & 180, the passenger side reads 160 & 160. Haven't started it yet, still have the coilpack & crank sensor unplugged. Cranked the starter at least a dozen times for about 15-20 sec/cycle. Unscrewed the the lower valve cover bolts on the passenger side to check for oil in the cylinder, no oil yet. Drivers side cylinder does have oil, but that is not conclusive since the oil fill is on that side. The start cycle sounds like it should (not like the last time around). I'm confident it will start right up, but need to verify oil in the passenger side cylinder. The last time is was pouring out and I know the pump is good. I pulled the dipstick, cleaned it, reinserted it and have splash oil up the dipstick. I will try the MMO oil. Any input at this point would be helpful.

Thanks OB, it is good reading. Good detail on the cam reinstallation. I had another job to take care of but just dropped in the heads, and cams. I was inspecting the last intake gasket (which was new) and noticed exhaust gases from one end of the oval on the intake to the bolt cutout. A short section but it does look like it failed. Also in another area, but not quite as bad. Not sure why this would be occurring. I have heard some use copper spray on them. Has anyone had this problem before? The surfaces look all good.

As posted earlier, timing was off (crank pulley not cam pulleys), which then ruined the heads. Since my last head was oil starved I just used the starter to build oil pressure. After I confirmed oil was flowing to both cylinders I then tried to start it by cold cranking the starter. Since the crank pulley was off timing relative to the position of the 4 cams that led to 2 bent valves. I'm on try #3, sorry for not updating, I pulled the engine again. This time it came right out after the 2 nuts & 2 bolts were out. I went to the hardware store, got some new chain for 4 lift points (short pieces about 6" long each). I am using forks as the upper support for the weight then clamp down some steel strut(approx 15") long each. I have bolts through each side of the steel strut to provide a way to attach the chain (1 bolt on each side of the steel stut-x2 struts and 4 bolts total). Nut the chain on to the bolt, quick link, then turnbuckle, then quicklink to another short piece of chain to engine. Using 4 separate turnbuckles gives very fine adjustment. I also use an angle gauge on the forks to help preposition them, but that isn't really necessary with the turnbuckles. I have used 2 support chains before and have had a heck of a time with this because of the points of attachment to the engine for removal never give a 100% balance, plus your dealing with a pitch issue. Separation was quick & smooth once the pitch and side angle were tuned in. I have pictures, but not downloaded from the camera, will try to upload later. I took the heads off, the valves on the right(passenger side) 2 valves definitely hit the pistons. Sent them into a reputable machine shop who is familiar with Subaru's (not all are). Just got a call they are ready. Took a while as I dropped them off back on Aug 11th, but he had to order 2 new valves and not sure what else yet. I will know more after I pick them up this weekend. Still have to acquire new head gaskets & belt. The guy who worked on it has a friend who works on Subaru's and believes he has a cam lock tool I can borrow. Not really sure if I need it, I know there is a lot of conflicting info out there regarding this issue. The article in Endwrench recommends to use it. The machinist recommended not to use silicone on the cam caps. I was puzzled why Subaru added a dab there on each cap. I can't see what purpose it serves. He also inspected and verified the earlier 1st seized (oil starved) head which did have the HG on correctly. Since I had the head machined he showed me the imprint of the HG on the head which showed it was on correctly. The oil passage was unblocked as well as the smaller ones. Possible there is some contamination floating in the crankcase. This is still a mystery at this point. The saga continues. To the last user, trace back this thread from the beginning and read all the posts and follow the same troubleshooting steps recommended. Let us know how it goes and good luck with it.

You actually may or may not, depends on a few factors, its not strictly how many amps you are drawing or how many miles your going to drive. You can have a battery that has built up sulfates on the lead plates and hold much less charge than a newer battery or a low specific gravity count. More sulfate buildup reduces the overall quality of the battery and battery cycles. On two separate occasions in the past I was able to drive 19 miles and the other occasion the car lost power 1/3 the way there and died out. Both times were on fully charged batteries. Some related main factors: 1. How much specific gravity you have (electrolyte). Most 12vdv automotive batteries should have a specific gravity of 1.26. 2. How old the battery is. I personally wouldn't drive 20m on a battery older than 1 year. This is because I have used many batteries that last roughly 2 years. Several had warranty replacements & had to be returned to the store within 2 weeks. New car batteries seem to last 5 years for me on average. The Optima batteries are this grade but big $$. Marine grade batteries are more reliable and as long as they are regularly re-charged they will last at least though the warranty period. A load tester can also help determine how well a battery can handle the load. 3. Battery cycling- batteries need to be regularly cycled. 4. Weather-cold weather is hard on batteries. (this obviously isn't a factor this time of year). 5. How many starter crank amps you consume. 6. How much load your carrying in the car. 7. How many hills you will be driving. (1 HP=746 watts= 1HP=33,000 ft lbs of torque or 550 ft-lbs/sec). These are some factors relating to your answer but not all. Someone may list how many miles they have gone but it doesn't mean all the factors will match yours. Best of luck either way and get back to let us know how it all worked out.

There is no clearance to get the socket in on on the 2 front and 2 center bolts. The cam is right in front of them. I found a better method than I used before that worked for me. With the TB on, I used a wrench on the crank sprocket, then another on the cam sprocket and holding both I used opposite resistance. The reason for the TB to be on is if the wrench slips for any reason nothing should move.

Yes, it would take some major torque to break that 22mm bolt. 180 ft lbs is quite the torque. The bolt head is labeled grade H. Can't find specific conclusive data on it, but seems it is specifically hardened and designed for crank & spindle applications and is expensive. About 30 years ago my parents bought me my 1st car which was a 73 Mercury Capri (back 27 yrs ago. My unsuspecting parents bought it not knowing the bozo who sold it to them overtighened the crank bolt and the end of the crank sheered off in the pulley. The guy welded the pulley back onto the crank directly just to be able to sell the car. After I got it, it drove for a few days then the weld broke-go figure. Had to buy a new engine.

I lubed the o rings on the tester and re ran the test again, it is still peaking at 180psi. I am confident I am getting an internal leak on that cylinder (#4). The tester is 15 years old. It's a Sunpro, and I only used it one before, but kept it packaged and in cool storage. The fact that I am getting the one side to consisently hold at 180 tells me its working. I decided earlier that the left head has to be also be removed and worked. I'm taking it to another shop this time. This shop does valves, the last one seems to just do machining and pressure testing mostly on American made cars. The motor is just about ready to pull again (3rd time). The thing that makes it unmotivational is draining the coolant and oil. This time I plan on draining 90% of the oil. Not down to the drop since I am not removing the oil pump or pan this time. The coolant has to be drained fully and still then it gets messy. Everything else is what I consider quick & easy to remove. I'm hoping the machinist didn't mill off too much material and then the piston hit the valves. Seems likely that if the valve on that side would have had interference, there would be major damage. The fact that it peaks at 180 seems to indicate it has a slow leak but he machined and pressure tested it. If he overmachined the head then I can see it having piston slap and slightly being off as it is. Oh well I will find out in a few days.

Hey thanks guys for the info. Took a while to get re motivated since this will be the third time around. I called and found a better machine shop that does valves,was quoted about $82. Could be a bit more. The guy said if the valves are lashed one could be stuck open and I would be getting the symptoms I am getting. Finally got to the left side (drivers side). Cylinder 2 reads solid 180 and holds pressure, while cylinder 4 also ready 180,but the pressure drops off after the crank. I'm not sure if the gauge just isn't sealing well or if there is a slightly open valve relieving the pressure? I rechecked the right side. cylinder 1 has no reading and cylinder 3 reads only 150. The question is should I pull both heads and take them in or just the right side. I already took the left side and had it machined and pressure checked before, and after obtaining the right side, also had it machined and pressure tested. If both cylinders are hitting the same #, can a valve not be seating correctly to loose its pressure or is the gauge just not getting a good seal. Those are deep cavities. I suppose while I have it all out I better get both sides tested again. By the way anyone reading this, I was able to use a 5/8" plug socket, then work in a 3" short extension then the ratchet on all sides without propping up the engine (keep in mind I have small hands).

Mount Vernon Wa 98274 There are are several on the internet, hard comment on quality or reputation. Most of them work by sending in your core & they either rebuild it or swap your core with a rebuild. Also, have you had any experience with replacement used Japanese engines? They claim they were compression tested before being removed, although not sure why they wouldn't tag them with the compression results. They claim the numbers are in the 180's. Although they come with their original HG's, they claim they don't get any engines back from HG failures (hard to believe). Also, apparently they claim the engines have 30-40k miles on them, there is no guarantee. The old rumor has it that the Japanese have some law that requires them to trade in their car when it hits 30-40k miles. Apparently, that's not as given. They can pay some fine or fee to keep the car so in reality you can get a car with over 100k miles or any mileage, you really don't know. They do claim they have the compression documentation from Japan before the engine was removed. Hard call.

Well, I was able to test the right(passenger) side. cylinder 1=0psi; cylinder 2 =60psi. Working on the drivers (left) side, but basically resigned to damaged heads Options: Replace with used engine, buy replacement head(s). Get another car. Anyone know of any good reliable sources for rebuilt heads.

I figured the only way to remove those plugs was by removing the mount nuts and lifting it until the plugs clear the sidewall. I believe the problem is bent valves from incorrect timing. Compression will tell.

Pulled the covers, everything checks out with the timing, hand cranking though doesn't feel right. I would have done the compression test already, but need to know how to get the plugs out and the compression tester in? Hopefully I won't need to raise the engine up to clear plug from the sidewall. I can't see how you could screw the tester in at the angle it is at with the attached hose. Also, if it was bent valves, would I necessarily need a new head or just new valves.