logic23

I hate subaru for this and following the trend to increase amount of cheap plastic parts on the cars and engines. It was for this reason that I quit buying/working on VWs past MY91. I have talked several people out of a newer subaru because of these issues.

Right. So what makes the 2.2 so indestructible? the HG? lower compression? less HP?

Yep Im using dealer "updated" HGs. Resurfaced block and heads. I built a jig for my machinist that allows him to kiss the block surface to ensure a flat mating surface. I dont trust anything subaru says. The dealer is a whole different matter. Ive re-done several dealer warranty jobs. They used a dual action sander to clean heads and block. Then they put it back together with the hope that it would last until the warranty expired. Ive seen this from several dealers from different parts of the U.S. At this point i dont trust a HG job unless i've done it myself. Too many things to miss/screw up.

You would think that the design team over at fuji heavy could design a HG that would last longer than 100K. Dear design team, YOU SUCK. Sincerely, the customers. Who do they think they are? FORD?

one is as low as 87k( 03 outback) the 05 was 110K. one impreza 130k teh other is 170K. the other outback is 165K. seems like the gaskets begin to fail around 90k and many go unchanged/fixed because a mechanic/owner is going with the " if it don't overheat then it can't have a blown gasket". This leads to the knocking lower end 2.2 and 2.5 engines(phase 2) you see on craigslist and here all the time. Total bummer subaru.

OK... i'm starting to get real pessimistic about these subaru headgaskets. I just replaced the HG on a 05 outback. im also replacing 4 phase 2 2.5 HG right now ( 2 impreza and 2 outbacks) I thought they were supposed to be fixed by 2003 or something like that. I'm sure its been posted by what is the issue with using a composite HG like the ej22 (95-98) used. They rarely fail. It seems like all engines with the multi layer gasket have HG failure. Anyone here doing research/testing in this field?

yes the phase 2 engines can have internal leakage too. they start as oil leaks and progress to internal. I have 4 apart in my shop 80k-170k. All have varying internal leaks. when no dealt with : A.oil gets thinned by excess gas from a rich mixture caused by burned coolant fouling the o2 sensor or B. coolant mixing with oil. Both lead to spun bearings. just replaced the engine in one that wasn't fixed in time.

These trannys rarely fail so odds are that you l get a good one. Changing the tail cone if it has torquebind is pretty easy. To remove tranny is not that hard....unbolt and take it out the bottom. Ive also taken them out attached to the engine. I put several straps around both engine and tail of trans then using an engine hoist take them both out. The axles are held in with roll pins...knock them out and push axles off the stubs. getting the shifter cable off the selector can be tricky if its rusty. does your trans have the spin on filter? some 98's have them.

sweet. Are those yours? I cant tell from the pics what the difference is. Is it the styling on the sides?

The outback impreza is where all the WRX stuff is going. The OB impreza has high miles but a SOLID body. They are both wagons. The WRX was a one owner (103,XXX miles) car that looks like no one has ever sat in it except the driver. If I was able to find the front drivers side body panels I was going to put all the worn out OB impreza stuff in the wreck and make a beater. I know little to nothing about imprezas body differences etc. Thanks for the infos. How are the wagon fenders different? Longer? I saw the lower control arms are different too.

The engine/wiring is all good

its not the body parts im looking for its the stamped pieces that the fender,core etc support are all part of. Didn't know if earlier imprezas would work. Ive seen swaps where a 96 has the front end of a later impreza.

So i finally made the jump to a 2003 2.0 turbo wrx. The car was wrecked and I need to know what years of imprezas will work for donor cars. The wreck took out the section from the drivers headlight back to the strut tower. The frame horn is ok and the strut tower is ok. I wasn't sure where to post it. Thanks all.

could also be a vacuum leak they are the #1 cause of high idle. You can check the coolant temp sensor with a scan tool. It will tell you the temp that the computer is seeing.

water pumps are different some of the time. The flange faces forward instead of down. Wiring should be the same but you can always swap old manifold on to jdm engine. Do the timing belt, water pump and idler pulleys before installing.

the loud noise could be the rear transmission mount. The mount has separated into two pieces and is letting the transmission jump up and hit the stop. Pretty easy to fix. As far as the heatercore...check the connections at the firewall in the engine compartment. It could be leaking there and seeping into the car. if it is the heater core they aren't that hard to replace. The dash comes out pretty easily.

Actually both solenoids that were bad were from the same dent...opposite sides of the pan. also had a cracked rear trans...mount replaced it I drove it around yesterday seems to shift great and no torque bind. This car has been driven in a rural setting (no salt related rot) lots of cinders etc on the underbody. When I get rural cars the struts,tie rods and ball joints are usually hit but these have already been replaced along with both front axles. I threw on new rotors, pads and upgraded the interior to heated leather and wood grain trim. New owner are coming tomorrow to pick her up.

welcome to the tribe...drive it in the worst weather you can find and you will have a serious crush. A "writing your name + legacy on your notebook crush"

Well the verdict is out on whether the 2001 solenoids work. Will be test driving tomorrow. I had to replace 2 solenoids: first the 2-4 shift solenoid( its wire was broken clean off) and then the line pressure solenoid (looked good but upon inspection/testing it was bad) replaced both with the 2001 parts. they are super easy to get out. they are held in with two bolts( 10mm) and have 2 o-rings. easier than fuel injectors.

Ok so i opened the trans up and found a second bad solenoid. The one that was throwing the CEL code. line pressure solenoid An interesting note: all the solenoids are grounded in their resting state. So you can check between the harness connector (by the bell housing) and probe the pins with a meter that will beep when the two leads are touched ( continuity) and have one side touch the pins and the other touch ground and they will all beep ( the ones that go to the solenoids) this is a quick test to see if they are broken...no beep=broken wire or crushed,broken solenoid . You can do this with out taking off the pan.... I thought it was a good discovery. I will reinstall pan and hopefully drive into the sunset.

I agree with the above... there are few individuals that I feel are detail oriented enough plus have a true love for subaru to do headgaskets... There is a lot of issues to be dealt with and hoops to jump through. I like the hoops. I would get a 2.2 and keep the old girl.

mine has the load bars so you can still attach Thule acessories. This one is mounted to the factory crossbars ( no adapters ) Its rugged. Im always hauling tons of stuff around.... Ratchet strap ladders, 2x10s, plywood...alkinds of stuff.... also keeps the dogs from jumping out the rear sunroof..

especially if you have to take it back off... I used high temp red but it seemed to no dry in the valleys of the sealing edge on the pan... lack of o2?

its the wrong radiator for your brackets but there are tapped holes for both style brackets.

I use anti seize on everything too... i was just listing the ones that I've seen with loctite from the factory.