Fairtax4me

Good to know. I never figured on the cheapo belts lasting longer than the 60k interval, but some people I know have used them on cars with the 105k interval. I have one on my 95, but it's running cover-less so I can see the belt get dirty and the idlers get rusty! Texan, yes, Mitsuboshi are high quality. They're fine. The generic belts I'm not even sure have a manufacturer name stamped on them.

Anyone using or have used in the past a custom driveshaft from The Driveshaft Shop? Driveshaftshop.com I've got a bad carrier bearing on my 96. A used driveshaft is more expensive than I want to pay for considering the probability of having another failure (20 year old dry u-joints). New Dorman is about $380. But I kind of wonder if it's worth it to simplify the whole thing and cut out the center u-joint and the carrier. I got a quote from DSS to build a steel one-peice shaft for about the same price as the Dorman. Wondering if anyone here has used them?

Change the old fluid first. If it has the spin-on filter change that as well.

Not much of a specialist is he? The engine is just a source of vacuum, it doesn't care what's hooked up to it. The components (MAP, evap, EGR, etc) need vacuum at the correct times. The various solenoids (PSSSV, evap purge, EGR) control that. The vacuum hose routing on the engine just needs to look like the diagram that's on the bottom of the hood, then all of the components are happy, and that makes the ECU happy.

No difference in the block thread or material between turbo and n/a that I'm aware of. There is a difference in the length of SOHC and DOHC head bolts, so the person complaining either installed the wrong ones, installed them incorrectly, or the threads in his block were already damaged. I agree that there isn't much point spending the money for these unless you're building a high HP engine. Nothing wrong with the regular head bolts.

You don't need to remove the condenser to get the engine out. Put a sheet of plywood in front of it to keep it from getting damaged.

Just removing power from the remote start module doesn't eliminate the possibility of that being the problem. That box is still part of the circuit from key to relay to starter solenoid. Have you checked for voltage reaching the small wire on solenoid? That remote start box has the wires labeled, but I can't see exactly what it says by the wires. One of those wires going in is the signal from the key switch, the other goes out to the starter solenoid. Need to check both of those for voltage when the key is turned to start.

Two small green connectors under the dash. One wire each. Make sure they are UNplugged. Plugging those in puts the ECU in test mode which will cause the fans and all other relays and solenoids on the car to cycle on/off. Yes, reconnect the battery with the key in the On position. That remote start module may be causing your trouble. Looks like an aftermarket add-on. Those are notorious for causing problems.

Disconnect the battery - , turn the key to On then reconnect the battery. That will disable the alarm.

Piston slap is annoying but generally benign. It eventually wears the piston skirts and the cylinder walls (eventually meaning like 200k miles), and may cause higher than normal oil consumption. Rod knock will blast a hole in the engine if the rod breaks. Then you're stuck wherever it happens. Rod knock is very loud, and will drown out any other noise from the engine, and it doesn't go away with the engine warm. It usually gets louder.

Rule out any other leaks first. Hoses, water pump, thermostat housing seal, crossover pipe o-rings under the intake manifold. The 2.5s from that era are known for having external coolant leaks from the head gaskets. Subaru 2.5 turbo engine head gaskets are often used to fix that. 6-Star and Cometic also have updated head gasket designs that will take care of it.

If it goes away or gets less noisy when its warm, probably just piston slap. Rod knock tends to get louder once the engine is warm.

and just yesterday it threw codes for the TPS and Idle Switch. TPS needs to be adjusted. Other symptoms match up with a bad knock sensor. Easy to replace. Usually under $20 on eBay. Last ones I got were $8 each.

Paint can chip off. Wipe the bolt head with brake cleaner or acetone and use a permanent marker. It's much easier to torque all 6 bolts from the top. A standard length socket sticks out just far enough for the torque wrench to clear the rocker shaft bolts.

Mark the top of the bolt head. Start with it straight up, or straight down. When its 180° opposite you know you're done with the final torque.

Don't worry about the pistons. Run some Seafoam in it later on, they'll clean up on their own.

That's the "good news" part! 0.o Good luck! Hopefully just a bad relay!

Tacometer and Speedometer are controlled by a separate module inside the cluster. Tachometer signal comes from the ECM I believe, but it has to go into the cluster CPU first. Dunno what kind of signal it is though.

The 2.5s have a funny emissions setup. Is the hood original? Should have a VIN sticker and an emissions/vacuum routing label. You need to make the vacuum hose routing match that label. That will get rid of your MAP and Evap codes. No good news on the p1520. Connect the green test mode connectors under the dash and turn the key on, then check to see that the Main fan relay 1 clicks and the fan operates. If the relay doesn't click, you can try swapping with one next to it. FSM says this code could be because of a short to battery voltage of the control circuit for the main fan relay (12v applied direct to ECM). To check this you remove the relay and check for 12v on both terminals for the control side of the relay. The last step of the diagnostic says, "repair battery short circuit in radiator fan relay 1 control circuit. After repair, replace ECM."

Maybe enough people will complain and Subaru will issue an update, but for now I don't think there's anything they can do to help you. Might be better off with an aftermarket head unit.

You were right the first time!

Probably a compatibility issue with firmware in the head unit. How old is your iPod?

When it cranks, does it sound smooth and fast?

Alarm is disabled if you connect the battery with the key In the On position.

89-98 all EJ motors are 4 bolt bellhousing. 99-up EJ motors are 8 bolt bellhousing. Engine swaps are common in the 96-99 Outbacks. No surprise to find a 4 bolt motor paired to an 8 bolt transmission.