Fairtax4me

Whoa..... nuh uhhh. No way I'd go for that. No Title, No Cash, period. That sounds EXTREMELY SKETCHY to me. Why does he just have a Picture of the title? Timing belt kit w/ water pump and oils seals. http://www.ebay.com/itm/90-97-1-8-2-2L-Subaru-Impreza-Legacy-EJ18-EJ22-Timing-Belt-Kit-AISIN-Water-Pump-/260925109309?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3ASubaru&vxp=mtr&hash=item3cc059343d#ht_2976wt_779 Aisin makes the OE water pumps for just about every Asian car maker.

Big No-no. You squished the gasket in one corner. If you had done all 6 bolts that way it might not have been an issue. You could have also warped the head. Not sure about the high compression numbers. 210 psi I wouldn't worry about, but 240 is getting up there. I would be checking the timing. I don't know what's normal for that engine though.

Auto trans is different. I was thinking you had a manual. The front diff and transmission are separate units contained in the same case. They are sealed and use different fluid. The front diff uses GL-5 spec gear oil the auto trans uses Dexron 3 ATF. The driveshaft seal is fairly easy to replace. The exhaust system has to be removed and the heat shield then the driveshft can be taken apart in the middle and pulled out of the transmission.

Don't worry about head gaskets unless you notice it losing coolant. of the leaks you hav the valve cover gaskets and rear cam cap O ring on the passenger side are easily replaceable in a hour or less and will make a substantial difference in the amount of oil leaking out. The exhaust may be worse off than you think. A lot of times the flanges on the pipes will totally rust away, but a good exhaust shop should be able to replace the flanges or patch them up. As said earlier the shifter is just bushings and that should be a relatively simple fix as long as you don't have to remove the end from the transmission, then it will become difficult.

Get a big hammer and a bigger screwdriver and wail on it. Safety goggles recommended. Most of the time I don't even bother with the pinch spot I just pull through it with the breaker bar and it shears off or bends out of the way.

If you smelled gear oil there is a good chance it is coming from the input shaft seal on the front of the transmission. And yeah that's the one that requires the transmission be taken all apart to replace.

Could it be the backing plate rubbing on the rotor?

If he replaced A head gasket then it's entirely possible the OTHER head gasket was bad. Yes some people will only replace one.

Wait does your car not have the hoses for the trans cooler in the radiator? I'd double check any hoses or fittings on the side of the transmission before trying to pull the trans or engine out. If it comes to pulling the engine, the ac compressor can be unbolted and swung out of the way without emptying the system.

Seems timing related. A compression test will show if the cylinder is building proper pressure. A leak down test may show minimal leakage, but it doesnt tell you if the valves don't open and close at the correct times. A compression check will tell you if the valves are opening at the right point to allow air in, and closing when necessary to build proper compression.

If you are dead set on rebuilding DO NOT order rings or bearings until you have had a machine shop or the rebuilder check the crank and rods. If the crank needs to be undersized you will need a bearing set to match. Subaru blocks generally do not need oversize boring, but you need to wait until yOu know for sure before ordering rings.

Have you taken it to the dealer for diagnosis? That's the only way to know for sure.

Since it was pulled out, you might remove it entirely and check the end and the side gear for signs of broken/stripped splines. Other than the possiblility of the seal being damaged, if the stub isn't chewed up. i'd put a new C clip on it and pop it back in.

On the auto transmissions, the output stubs can be removed and replaced easily. There is just a C clip that holds it in place. When did you notice this problem? Before or after removing the axle? Did you try to drive with it like that? If the stub comes out of the side gear of the differential while driving it can shred the splines and damage the differential.

John Hancock is just my signature. Real name is Scott. Yeah I tried to search for "spark plug cord" and got "No results". Gotta love those brilliant search engines. Google should make a car parts search.

Yep, they're kinda tiny. The block by itself you can pick up and carry around without much trouble. Festiva! I drove one of those for a few months. It was a go cart with a tin shell, it was so much fun to drive! It would burn clear through third gear in the rain.

Can I take a ride in your time machine? Pretty much any 2003 Outback should be worth at least 5 grand unless it has some serious problems. If it has the 6 it probably has all the fancy stuff, leather, sunroof, VDC. Is the body in good shape? Not wrecked, no rust, paint still shiny? No undercarriage rust, bent suspension parts, worn out bushings. ball joints, wheel bearings? The 6 is a solid engine, but it seems like they are having some issues with the timing chain tensioners/guides when they get into the 200k mile range. A bit of work to fix, but no different in concept than changing the timing belt on a 2.5. Easier to repair before they break than to wait until the chains get broken though. Not sure on the 5 speed swap. Might be able to find some info on Subaruoutback.org.

Part Number 22452AA170 Part Name SPARK PLUG CORD MSRP $13.95 Save $3.67 Online Price $10.28 Wow they screwed that site all up! It was a PITA to find some stuff before, but it was also nice to be able to quickly browse through the listings. And the pics were great. Anyway, it appears that they sell each wire individually. So you have to order 4. Maybe dealers have a different number for a full set? But you can still find part numbers for almost anything at Opposedforces.com/parts

Yeah, it disappeared into the woods before I could shoot it and put it out of my misery. :-p

Low mileage can be just as bad or sometimes worse for causing oil leaks as high mileage. The seals dry out with time. The separator plate cover is sealed with some type of gasket maker material that hardens with age and eventually cracks and oil leaks through it. There are a few other O rings that are hard as a rock by now that will start to leak soon as well. If you can live with the smell, and keep tabs on the oil level, you can probably stretch it out for another year, two years, maybe even longer. Do yourself a favor though, crawl under the car and make sure it's not the drain plug or oil filter that's leaking. It never hurts to double check.

:Cough: Star Trek sucks :cough: So did you figure out which code(s) are coming back after the last reset?

Oh deer! Funny because I just hit one last night. 4 of them ran across the road in front of me and the last one didn't make it. Hit at about 40 mph, sent the thing flying about 10 feet in the air and 30-40 feet down the road. I was watching it spin and flip around in the air like it was in slo-mo. It landed on it's head, kicked jumped and flailed around for a second then somehow got back on its feet and stumbled out of the ditch and back into the road, staggered over head first into the passenger fender of the car, fell over again, then finally got up and hobbled/wobbled off with what appeared to be a broken leg into the woods on the other side of the road. (the side that it came from) Broke drivers side headlight housing and dented the hood. Think it tweaked the radiator support as well. Plus it knocked the perfect center emblem out of my perfect grille!

He's got my wheels! I bought a set of those to put on my wagon. Might get around to those and the WRX brakes some day. Kinda like the lowered look, but my car won't go where I go lowered. Too many humps and dips around here. It already scrapes on stuff!

Good plugs and wires. Worth every penny.

When decelerating down hill the engine is pulling high vacuum for a long period of time and it sucks oil past the stem seals and past the pistons rings. Not gonna hurt anything. Just a typical trait of an older engine. If it starts smoking when driving normally, you drive it until it starts to foul the spark plugs, then replace the plugs and keep driving. :-p You do need to address the cam seal issue though. Coat the outer lip of the seal with anaerobic sealer before installing in the block to help hold it in place. Also be sure to check the Y fitting in the PCV hose that comes out of the block. Make sure it's not plugged up. And check the breather hoses that come from the valve covers for blockage.