Fairtax4me

Lots of things that could have happened. Previous owner could have installed the belt wrong and bent the valves. If it's been running rich for a long time it cluld have severaly worn piston rings. Either way, leakdown test will tell. If you want to confirm, pull the passenger side head and check the valves and cylinder walls.

How long have you owned this car?

If had the same issue with my 95 for a couple years. Also have had the needle stick at various speeds and it will suddenly jump up or down by 5-10 mph. If you find the fix let us know!

If those numbers are right it has jumped timing. Backfire makes sense if it has bent valves. Need to do a leak-down test.

Use one from an Impreza. There's a brace on the spare tire well that you just have to hammer/cut a section out of and the Impreza bar will fit. If you upgrade the rear bar, be sure to upgrade the shrimpy mount brackets as well. They bend.

If you have voltage on the ground side that means the ground has high resistance somewhere. Need to fix that because it can keep the signal voltage high. If that reading is testing at the ECU, you need to check the ECU grounds on the intake manifold. On the older engines the ECU ground is at the base of the rear of the number 4 intake runner.

Is it a repetitive knock or does it only happen once?

Needs a new belt for sure. Replace all the idlers and water pump as well. Yes, the crank is off.

806946030 Its a dealer only o-ring. Parts stores don't list it, don't carry it, can't match it.

It's under pressure so when the o-ring splits it will puke oil. (which is what happens after they get old and dry) Valve cover gaskets also leak at the lower corners. The oil tends to run towards the back of the engine. Rear mains don't leak on these unless someone has tried to replace it before. An oil leak from the center at the back is usually the separator plate or the access cover in the bellhousing. Pics and write-up here http://beergarage.com/Subaru.aspx

Does the knock go away once it's warmed up? Those blocks are known for being clunky due to piston slap. Generally quits after the engine gets warm. Doesn't hurt anything, just an annoyance. I wouldn't trust a 25D that had bad head gaskets. Rod bearings are small and they'll be eaten up if that engine overheated.

That's a 10 minute fix. O-ring is about $3 from a dealer.

Higher trim models are more likely to have it. LS LSi, Outback, GT. L models it was optional.

What size are the tires that are on it? If all 4 are worn the same, I wouldn't suspect an alignment issue. More likely that the tires are under/over-inflated, or the tire size isn't appropriate for the wheel size.

Depends on the flywheel. The original flywheel on my 96 had a step on it where the clutch disc made contact. Not much of a step, it was only about .005" higher, but it was enough to be noticable. After 165k miles the flywheel was worn down lower than the step height, so the flywheel needed to be resurfaced to restore proper clamp force for the new clutch. If you can feel that the flywheel is worn where the disc rides, have it resurfaced. If it isn't worn, scuff it up to remove any glazing and it should be fine.

If it's leaking that much... Walk. Gasoline doesn't play nice. Short term, you could probably run it with the return plugged. It'll run really rich though. Where the fuel hoses meet the intake manifold, top is supply (from the filter) bottom (smallest) is the evap, middle is the return. Pinch the hose with some vice grips. Use a small piece of cardboard to wrap around the hose to keep the vice grips from cutting the outer layer.

Part numbers galore on opposedforces.com The oil pump o-ring is different, much smaller than the cam plug. Rear cam plug on passenger side and front cam support o-ring on the drivers side are the same.

For true remanufactured quality, go with CCR.

The monitors on 95 and 96 model year Subarus reset every time you turn the key Off. Therefore they are exempt from emissions monitor testing. There may be other types of testing (tail-pipe test) that may be required depending on your locality. Subarus generally pass those with ease. Print out that EPA exemption list and take it to the inspection station. Page 31 in this article: http://www3.epa.gov/obd/r01015.pdf Subaru TSB: http://graywarrant.us/manuals/Subbie/State%20IM%20Adv%20PRogram/On%20Board%20Diagnostic%20System%20Check%20During%20State%20Emission%20Test11-68-0233865.pdf Page 3, near the end of the 5th paragraph.

Just because GR-2s are the lowest on KYBs line-up doesn't mean they're bad parts. I've always been very satisfied with KYB Excel and GR2 struts and shocks. If you want stiffer springs, King makes heavy duty standard height and lift springs for the Baja and second gen Outback. You can get them through Primitive racing.

The lines going up through the floor under the seat to to the engine. Going back from there they go to the tank. Go in the trunk/cargo area and pull up the carpet and remove the access panels over top of the tank. Feed two sections of new 5/16 or 3/8" (whichever macthes what's there. Only do one at a time.) fuel injection hose through the passenger side access hole and across the top of the tank, fish it into the corner where the lines drop through the floor. Cut the hard lines off inside the cabin, flare the ends so you have a lip for the hose. Pop the new hose up through the floor and stick it on the line here, then cut to length and attach it to the corresponding line on the fuel pump cover. I think (don't recall exactly) the return line runs to the transfer tube on the drivers side first, then across to the passenger side. Napa has about the best injection hose you can get. Rated for 300 psi. The junk at autozone/advance is only like 50 psi.

Agreed on the 90-94 seats. They're a bit less cushy, but they hold up much better over the long run. Have a set out of a 91 in my 96 and I love them. Only thing you have to change is the seatbelt buckle on the side, but it just unbolts.

Not much point putting an old clutch back on IMO. Might as well replace it since you have to take it off to get to the separator plate anyway.

Kinda sounds like a head gasket to me, but with the overflow hose being plugged off, the cooling system has to have somewhere to vent when the coolant gets hot, it's going to just push out of the cap. I wouldnt pay $1500 for it.

Spark plug wire loose? Pull the plugs and see if any are wet.