ccrinc

NEVER use a coolant additive like Blue Devil in a Subaru. I'm not the only one who will tell you this. Subarus are finicky about this stuff. That stuff is now all throughout the engine coolant passages as well as the heater core and everywhere else coolant runs. I know this isn't any help with your other issues, but geez...how many times do the old timers here have to say it? Don't put that "stop leak" crap (any of it) into a Subaru! EVER!

Are you, by any chance, near Harrisburg, PA? If so, I highly recommend Faulkner Subaru. I can give you the name of the Service Mgr. there. He knows his stuff and we've done business with them for years.

What makes me even more suspicious is why they even touched the valve body. You needed minor electronic work done, they did not have to open up the transmission at all. It almost sounds like they got 2 cars mixed up and did work to yours that should have been done on another. Why else to even consider the VB? Were you charged for the ~8 qts. ATF they would have had to replace? I'm sure you know that they have to remove the pan to get to the valve body. Doesn't your state have a law that requires explicit authorization for any repair costs over a certain amount? If they do, that's grounds for a suit right there. Lots of questions here that need to be answered.

I know Safety Products makes valves. They really aren't too expensive from Subaru either. Pretty much if they aren't Chinese and fit correctly.

The Chinese made stuff is garbage. Absolute crap. Recommendations: all can be found on Ebay: NPR Rings ACL Race bearings or Clevite repackaged NDC bearings We won't use anything but Subaru Genuine on the gasket kits (btw, use the 860 turbo head gaskets), but several people say the Gates/Rock Auto kits are good. Of course, they aren't offering a warranty like we do, so take that into consideration.

Rick has put a toggle switch on the dash of 2 of my now long gone Subarus so that I could flip between AWD and FWD as I wished. I ran my '92 Legacy Turbo Touring Wagon LE in FWD most of the time and only flipped into AWD when the conditions required it. I had that car the longest, so it was like that for several years and still no transmission troubles when I finally sold it.

Won't hurt anything either. Most mpg you might gain would 2-3 anyway.

Take the back seat bottom out, spray a bunch of orange cleaner on it and then hose the crap out of it! Seriously. (Oh, and stiff brush to it before hosing.) Frankly, in CO, any running Subaru for $450 is a righteous buy. But, dayummm...what did they haul in it? Pigs. Like real ones??

The thing is, he already had a rod knock. Now, it sounds like a rod bearing has spun and taken out the internal idlers and tensioners as well which was bound to happen. The idlers and tensioners are internal on this engine, which has 2 chains, not a belt. Just getting to the idlers, etc. entails taking the front of the engine off (114 bolts, IIRC). They must be taken off in a specific sequence. We're building one right now...it's not for the faint of heart!

No. Only the left head has that. Phew...had to think about that one for a minute! It's been years since I built those heads.

Well...neither, actually. But, you do have to sort of "rotate" it off after you pull the bolts. Rotate counter clockwise. There's a seal on the front and an o-ring on the back of it. When you replace the o-ring, don't stretch it: sort of easily roll it back on the shaft and make sure it isn't rolled or twisted when it seats.

Kinda going out on a limb here, but it sounds like there is a problem with the teeth on the starter and flywheel engaging properly. Like a small chunk may be chewed off the starter pinion gear or the gear is worn (it is a normal "wear" item). The problem would have to be on that side or the issue would be intermittent (like my mom's old Ford which had a tooth missing off the flywheel). What makes your situation more curious however, is that you can replicate it daily and that temperature affects it. It's obviously not electrical/electronic in nature due to lack of CEL and the fact that you've pretty much checked all that and verified it good. Therefore, it must be mechanical. Come to think of it, the starter solenoid wouldn't throw a code either, nor would worn contacts.

They are the same IF the engine is a '90-98 EJ22.

Trust me, you don't need a lab report to find those metals. Just take off the oil filter: it'll be very obvious!

The EZ36 may be the better engine (runs on regular, not premium), but I doubt it will be a direct swap. Even the EZ30 had 3 iterations. For instance, the placement of the oil pump is completely different, you'd need the EZ36 intake manifold and all that entails. Either way, I don't think you're going to get off cheap on this one. Emily

There are 4 bolts (at least) holding the the seats.

If it's for an EJ22, it will fit as long as it's not the Phase II ('99-03).

Not to try to rain on your parade, but if you have to ask a question like "a list of what's needed and how to go about doing it", you're not ready to do something this insanely complicated. In the long (and short) run, you would be better off in every way to get a Forester XT. Emily

Gears in reverse always make more noise than in forward. Only you can judge if it's exceptionally noisy for your car. While the level may be good, when is the last time you changed the fluid? It needs to be done about every 12-15,000 miles. These are both high mileage units, so a fluid change may be just what the dr. ordered.

You won't get codes from a rod knock. That is mechanical in nature. Codes only come from electronic devices on cars. You could get to the point where the rod is about to come out the top of the block, but if nothing electronic is involved, no codes, no blinkly lights.

Sure sounds like a rod knock to me. Does it go away at all? Respond to rpms higher or lower?

For a "daily", go with the simpler one, especially if the owner can provide good maintenance records. The newer one may be appealing, but you'll never get back those extra 44,000 miles. My .02.

Just as a footnote here, but Subarus are very picky about their electronic components, even spark plugs and wires. Honestly, for the few dollars more vs. the price of a tank of gas and the improved reliability, go for the NGK plugs and wires. They last longer and give better results. You don't want to "cheap out" here. Emily

Since everyone here has already given good advice (my bet is on the battery too), I'm just going to leave this here: AZ is the pit of hell, with all due respect to where you live. If one lives in the pit of hell, one needs to expect that bad things are going to happen. Emily

The '02 EZ30 is a MUCH more reliable engine providing it's had the required oil changes. We have had a run on 2005 turbo engines over the last year. None of which were STi or WRXs. All were engines which died of oil starvation, leading me to believe that somewhere there is an issue with that year and that engine. Of course, SOA isn't going to admit it. And, it would be a very small percentage of the overall sales for that year. But, if a co. like ours sees that pattern, you know there's an issue with that year and that engine.