Ricearu

http://engine-codes.com/p0026_subaru.html http://engine-codes.com/p0028_subaru.html along with the cylinder 3 misfire, I would say that it was ran out of oil and traded in before it died :-\ 10 bucks says the dealer knows what happened and what is wrong. I wouldn't buy it. Go buy a used one from a subaru dealership with extended warranty.

that oil leak is A BAD HEAD GASKET, and wouldn't trust just anybody to do it. they might use ebay junk gaskets and not say. Those ej25 sohc motors have a external leak head gasket issue. If they are selling it, they may throw some "stop leak" in and say it's "fixed". I would require DEALER or independant SUBARU shop recipt for the head gaskets. They can refail if not done properly :-\

even if somebody knows of a shop who provides lube when it comes time to pay? That would help alot.

how does the transmission fluid color look, bright red, red, burgandy, brown-red, brown, or black? sounds like a sticking torque converter lockup solenoid. Does it ever jerk hard when downshifting and decelerating for the stop it would die at?

my subaru with "minimal" (seeping sep plate etc) oil leaks with 180k used a quart every 1500 miles. Pulled the heads on that motor after it blew a HG and still had beautiful crosshatching. I drive 400-500miles a week so a quart goes quick.

my uncle had that happen to him at an ammco. I won't touch the place with a 10 foot stick. My uncle is a diesel cat tech. He diagnosed the transmission as one thing, using pressure gauges and info found online. Their stupid tech (not all are stupid, i know) "couldn't figure out" what was wrong with a GM 4T60. What a clot. They gave him the same speech, that they would have to take it apart to figure it out. they told him he needed a whole new one, and when he refused they gave him a box of parts with junkyard markings on the trans case. HE THREW A FIT, told the guy to find his transmission or he would kick his @$$. My uncle is 6'6" 275 with caterpillar field tech build. He "one mans" hydraulic cylinders like a champ. anyways, Low and behold, it was on a shelf in the back with the front pump already replaced in it. Sneaky dirtbags.

too close and those pistons will contact the heads. how far do the pistons clear the block by?

So this really nice kid bought my wife's forester from us last year and has driven it back and forth to San Diego a few times. Well about 10k into owning it, the trans shat a seal, lost it's oil and siezed up. He is stuck. The shop it's at wants 2400 to replace the trans and clutch. I told him it did not have to specifially be a forester transmission plus he could get one from a junk yard much cheaper. Basically, he needs help and is stuck and cannot get to college. Can anyone in the area help him out? its a 5mt 1998 forester with 130k on it. The clutch should be replaced and the seperator plate has leaked since I owned it (big supprise). He is no mechanic, but willing to help, learn and PAY. he just doesn't have $2400. It would make a good weekend project for someone to make some extra cash.

you are wrong. to advance ignition timing, you must run high octane fuel to prevent detonation. The electronic (computer controlled) ignition advances itself as far as it can until detonation is detected. my old legacy had a bad knock sensor and ran like a dog. I thought I would be smart and install a 560k ohm resistor in place of it to get the power back, and with premium fuel, the first thing the computer did was advance the crap out of the timing and it ran like a scalded dog. It detonated like a bish too. I removed that thing real quick and bought a knock senso. The computer looks for detonation as a limit for ignition timing. this is all automatic, every drive cycle. I am not saying that you shouldn't experiment, but don't come on here and tell every open minded individual that they can squeeze power out of it by modifying it. the ignition timing is set by the crank position sensor, all you are doing is modifying the valve timing to lean the engine out. the computer cannot tune out your modifications, so if it takes your engine out then that is your own fault.

the main cam caps are 15lb/ft the fronts are 7-9lb/ft if memory serves

honestly, for medium duty stuff, the rear drums are more than adequate, and if it were me, I would go for the front upgrade before I worried about it too much. twin piston calipers up front with "track style" fade resistant pads make all the difference in the world. Plus the rotors are bigger, which reminds me, that if you wish to upgrade the front brakes, you must have 15" wheels

im not sure about the abs system but if I were doing it, I would swap out the proportioning valve for one from a legacy or one from a impreza with rear disks to get the pressures right. also, I personally cannot think of a single 1st gen legacy ever having rear drums. hmmm The easiest way to upgrade is grab the whole hub assys with brake parts connected and swap the whole thing as a unit. oh and be sure to grab the rubber brake hoses too. i used outback limited brakes on the front of my legacy,(fronts are direct bolt on, just need calipers/brackets and rotors, stock rear discs with hawk pads all the way around and i was happy as could be.

sorry ma'am. I am really supprised how much torque 15lbs is on a tiny bolt. the torque rating ls lots lower than it can handle due to heat expansion. that can stress a bolt to a higher torque number

did you put all the buckets in their original places/cam lobes? I bag all of mine and label them pass in 1, etc etc. then put them back exactly where they came from. I can tell you that adding a pint of marvel mystery oil will unstick the stickiest of hydrolic lash adjusters.

use gt/limited brakes from a legacy for the fronts, and rear disks from a first gen legacy. it all bolts up, just grab the ebrake cables too, it makes it totally easier. hawk hps pads for 02-... wrx fit the gt/limiteds and I can tell you they WORK

that car is barely broken in. FIX IT! my outback has 117k, my wife's has 160k, my old legacy had 202k, and my roommate's legacy shot rod at 300k+

Those fuji engineers that wrote the FSM's didn't know what they were talking about.

http://www.crankshaftco.com/crankshaft-welding.html

are they ej201? N/A? what is wrong with them?

yeah that is the conclusion we came up with. they are about half the thickness of mine. he is just gonna knuckle down and buy the cometic hybrid gaskets tonight (or whenever his check clears)

they torque them to 15. galvanic reaction makes them so hard to remove. that and 15+ years of heat cycling.

get a ratchet wrench, and when you tighten, the spec is only 7lb/ft. make sure you replace the grommets too. the bolts are shouldered, so if you overtighten, it will only break them off.

just put a large socket over the back side of the stud and clamp straight on the stud from the front.

what kind of spark plugs are in it? bosch platinums? if so, put NGK's in it. just a thought

lololol I love stock photos too, just as long as the gasket is correct I dont care. here is the post with cometic info, that just happened to be the only place I could find to buy it online. I would probobly buy it direct from cometic http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=631527&page=11