theotherskip

yup. yup. yup. everyone seems right on. but i don't know if i would do a pre-emptive head gasket change. it is a lot of work. when i checked my valves, i also found that none were dead on. one of the exhaust (speced for .010") was as tight as 0.005". a few were around .012, which makes me wonder how closely they are set from the factory. as for the dealers, i think it is a very commonly overlooked service, and the dealers don't like doing it, since it is a hard thing to explain/describe the benefits of to the average consumer...but it can be done in the car...

as i recall, for a good seat, the resistance was 8 ohms on low (with them in series), 4 ohms on high. as for switching them, you would have to take the fabric/leather off, then switch the element - the cushions are not the same on both sides. and there is no guarantee that when you open it, they will be the same element, but i would suspect that they are. as for repairing the element, if the problem is somewhere in the middle, i was a little hesitant to make a repair. it is surrounded by semi-flammable materials, and under very important parts (my keister). i think i was going to spring for a new element, but i haven't found it to be that unbearable...

i've been meaning to post this for a while... for all the people out there with a subaru and another vehicle... these are links to other manufacturers sites for the factory service manuals. i've used the nissan, and it is really good, and easier to download, as it comes in only a few pdf's, not the 400 like the subaru fsm... Acura: http://www.serviceexpress.honda.com Audi: http://erwin.audi.de BMW: http://www.bmwtechinfo.com (or http://www.bmwtis.com) and http://www.minitechinfo.com DiamlerChrysler: http://www.techauthority.com Ford: http://www.motorcraft.com or http://www.helminc.com/helm/homepage.asp?r=http://www.iatn.net/nastf/oematrix.html GM: http://www.acdelco.com or http://www.gmtechinfo.com or http://www.gmgoodwrench.com/gmgoodwrenchjsp/gmspo/index.jsp Honda/Acura: http://www.ServiceExpress.Honda.com Hyundai: http://www.hmaservice.com Infiniti: http://www.infinititechinfo.com Isuzu: http://www.IsuzuSource.com or http://www.IsuzuTechInfo.com Jaguar: http://www.jaguartechinfo.com Kia: http://www.kiatechinfo.com Land Rover: http://www.landrovertechinfo.com Lexus: http://techinfo.lexus.com Mazda: http://www.mazdatechinfo.com Mercedes-Benz: http://www.startekinfo.com Mini: http://www.minitechinfo.com Mitsubishi: http://www.mitsutechinfo.com Nissan: http://www.nissan-techinfo.com Porsche: http://techinfo.porsche.com Saab: http://www.saabtechinfo.com Subaru: http://www.subaru.com (click on "home" and then "technical information") Suzuki: http://www.suzukitechinfo.com Toyota: http://techinfo.toyota.com Volkswagen: http://www.erwin.volkswagen.com Volvo: http://www.volvotechinfo.com

on subaru engines, the water pump is driven by the timing belt, so if it ever fails, you have to remove the timing belt to replace it. everybody has different opinions on if you should change the pump or not, mostly depending on mileage and how long you plan to keep the car. when i did my timing belt and head gaskets at 72k, i replaced the pump, since i was changing everything else. it was only around $60 from http://www.1stsubaruparts.com, and i can't imagine installation would be that much more.

i'd guarantee you've blown the head gasket. you can read more info about it here... http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/Head_gasket_replacement.html

i don't know for sure if the throw is different, but from your description, i would imagine it is. it seems pretty far and it is very sloppy. from what i have heard, the short throw kit decreases travels and gives it a more notchy feeling... but i still haven't done it. i've been sitting on the fence of dumping my car for a tdi from vw...

i used a straight-edge razor and acetone with paper towels. it removed the carbon and left a clean, oil-free surface...

i have the same problem. i did some digging, and found that it is a series/parallel arrangement. on low, both elements are in series. on hi, in parallel. i forget what the pinout of the connector under the set is, but if you check one side against the other, it will not match. you can also see which pins you get voltage from as you move the switch. i called one dealer, and they wanted something like $250 for a set of elements. i later found just the seat bottom element on 1stsubaruparts.com for $100. i started taking the seat apart, then decided that it doesn't really matter that much to me. i am planning to swap it with the one from the passenger seat at some point, as i ride alone 99% of the time...

what 99obw said. if you are still uncomfortable, don't do it. but i had no trouble whatsoever. after working on the engine, i think there is little i would have done by a shop, as it has pretty good access (accept the the heads). mine is the same quad cam, 16 valve 4 cyl engine as yours and 99obw's. i do highly recommend getting the factory service manuals from techinfo.subaru.com (too lazy to link). when you do it yourself, you are assured that things actually got done at a steady pace and throughly.

i believe you have your metals and physics mixed up. aluminum is a _good_ conductor, of both heat and electricity. much more so that iron. you use a cast iron frying pan when you want a very even heat, beacause it slowly absorbes heat and gives it off very evenly. aluminum, on the other hand, absorbs and gives off its heat very quickly, which can cause hot spots. heat transfers in a number of ways, mainly conduction, convection, and radiation. conduction is basically a direct exchange of heat, such as holding one end of a metal bar in a flame and the other end will get hot. convection is the transfer of heat energy through a heated substance - like a forced hot air heating system or the cabin heater in a car. finally, there is radiation, which is how the sun heats the earth. this is what heat shields are protecting you against. while conduction requires a direct contact, and convection needs close proximity when in a large space, radiation can be over much greater distances. the only to protect against radiation is to put something in its path, since it is line of sight. by putting on the heat shields, they have to absorb the radiated heat, which is a very lossy process, then reemit the radiated heat away, but since you have gone through a conversion, a lot of heat energy has been lost. this protects you when you park over combustable materials (grass, leaves, etc), and also protects things in the vicinity of the exhaust pipes. basically, the heat shields were designed and installed for a reason, so it is in your best interest to try and reinstall them rather that rip them off.

every car i've ever had has done it to some degree at some point in its life...

it probably is your heat shields. bast way to find it is to raise the car and put it on jack stands, then have somebody work the throttle until it makes the noise. while wearing heavy gloves, hold each heat shield until the noise goes away. you can then either find a way to tighten it, or remove it all together...

when i did mine, i pulled the engine since i was changing the head gasket, but it is possible to do it all (including the head gaskets) in the car. you should definately remove the radiator for extra clearance. doing the valve clearance will be somewhat difficult, as the heads are right along the frame rail...

i bought a used draw-tite off ebay and installed it myself. took 30 minutes, required (2) 1/2" holes to be drilled, and was a piece of cake. i think i paid $60 for the hitch with a ball and support. definately not worth going through the dealer...

i agree with tcspeer. what are you checking the timing marks against? it seems very unlikely that you were able to drive the car in, then were working on the rear end of the car and it won't start now. slipping a timing belt at the same time would be very unlikely...

good idea frag! i've been considering putting on a delay for a long time, but haven't wanted to go tearing through all the wiring in the dash. i never though of putting it in the hatch! great thinking!

i don't know how much is mirrored for a rhd, but probably on the above the left fender you will find a round can with 2 rubbers hoses connected to it, one going in, the other out...

you should be able to get to the top of the gas(petrol) tank through access panels in the trunk(boot). they should be under the carpet behind the rear passenger seats and before the spare tire(tyre) well. as for which fuse, be sure to check all of the fuses under the hood as well as the ones in the passenger compartment. remove them and check them with a continuity meter, as it is not always apparent if they have blown. alternately, you can remove one of the fuel lines from the fuel filter, hold it in a glass jar, then turn on the ignition and see if you get fuel out of the line, but i still think that your problem lies with the fuel delivery, not ignition system, especally since you were working on the rear of the car... good luck!

that sounds like you did something to the fuel pump electrical lines while you were working under there. what you probably got is the car starting on the last of the pressure in the fuel system. you probably either nicked or completely cut a wire to the fuel pump. start by checking the fuse to the fuel pump, then have somebody turn the key from off to on while you are listening under the gas tank for the fuel pump. if you can't hear a whining noise, open the access panels to get to the top of the tank and see if you are getting voltage to the pump... your answer is probably not under the hood, more likely in the area you were working...

yup. if you look at the bottom of each cylinder, that is EXACTLY where mine failed. only mine went on the right hand side of the engine. The head gasket: the heads:

here you go: http://www.endwrench.com/pdf/drivetrain/ShifterRattleInfoF99.pdf actually, it is for 96-97 legacys and 98 foresters.

as i recall, 97's and 98's have a problem that was supposedly addressed in an endwrench article (which i can't find at the moment). you get the rattle while in gear and it will go away when you hold the shifter. i believe the solution was different for the two different model years. i replaced the bolt that was called for in the endwrench article for the 97, but it didn't help a thing. my plan is to eventually switch to the short throw kit, but i haven't had a chance to find out more about it. as for how critical it is, don't worry about it. many people have had the problem, and it is not doing any damage to the car...

i wrote a site when i overhauled my engine for a blown head gasket. while changing the head gaskets, i also changed all the seals, water pump, resealed the oil pump, all the things that have been mentioned. since i was doing the head gaskets, i pulled the engine, but it can all be done in the car, though adjusting the valve clearance would be more difficult. i believe that subaru makes a special tool for this. since i had to remove the cams, i didn't need any special tool to compress the valves to remove the shims. you don't need the special tool to hold the camshafts when you remove the belt. just be sure to rotate them in the correct direction (away from making contact). you can find really good instructions in the factory service manual, available here . you can read details here to see if you feel like doing it yourself.

manual or automatic? if it is manual, it seems to tolerate a difference in tire diameters a bit better. automatics can get screwed up real fast...

again, i agree with 99obw. i didn't have any trouble purging air from the system when i was refilling my system. parked it on a slight incline (front higher than rear), opened the bleeder screw, and slowly filled the system. reinstalled the bleeder, put on the cap, added to the min line of the expansiong tank. then drove for ~1 hour. let it cool. it had sucked some back through the expansion tank. topped off the rest of the radiator, and that was it. i checked it a few times over the next few days, and it didn't budge. the article that you found seems to be someone who put a 2.5L in a plane. this can open up a whole host of problems, such as it not being at its intended angle, different radiator/hose pumbing, etc. it also was most likely a salvaged/used engine, and there is no telling if he bought it with a blown head gasket, then overheated it a bunch of times, then warped the heads. when my head gasket blew, it was not detectable by doing a compression test. the article guy seems to have really overheated his engine, which is definately going to cause things to warp...