ccrinc

It's nice to find a "stupid-simple" solution sometimes, isn't it? Emily

You call that a problem?! You only paid $50 and got 20 THOUSAND miles of service from it!! That was a bona fide Bargain. Here in Colorado, I can't buy an EJ22 core engine for $50. If I could, I'd be on it like white on rice!! Hell, I'd buy 10. Today. Emily

There are some things aftermarket that are fine on a Sube, and some things that just don't work right. PCV valves are one of them. THermostats, nearly anything electronic (except stereo), gaskets: all fit into the go Genuine or go home category. Maybe it's the quality of the part that makes the difference, but at that price vs. a new engine, I wouldn't take the chance. Emily

The Rear Wiper Motor Fuse. Sorry. I couldn't resist. I think it's going to be one of those days. (Check the owner's manual: there's a complete diagram for every fuse in it)

I found a website today that looks good! www.justsuspension.com KYB struts and shocks at a fabulous price!

You've obviously maintained your car very well! If it was me, I'd put a '95 EJ22 into it.

Two things can cause 0 compression in one cylinder: Burnt exhaust valve: EJ22 engines have tiny exhaust valves and it's very common to find this. Seized oil rings or even broken ring landing. Also very common, especially in a turbo engine. Either way, you can test it any way you can think of: it's gotta come out and have some work done to it.

No. IIRC, the turbo cuts in at either 2600 rpm or 3500 rpm. I think I'm mixing up my memory on models. In either case, it's way more than low idle rpms.

No offense to this guy, but any JDM engine that's a "direct drop in" would be a first!

You've probably tested them without the turbo running.

After overheating so many times, it's for sure your headgaskets are blown now and the heads are warped. Don't even bother with block test for combustion gases. It's a waste of time. If the radiator is cold, then it's not getting warm coolant circulated through it. Therefore, the coolant in the engine is not circulating to where it gets cooled. You have a blockage somewhere, and it's likely the "cheap radiator stop leak" has something to do with it. Subarus don't like that kind of stuff in their systems.

I highly recommend Quidam's place, Mizpah Precision. They do great work. Read my post where I said "drive it like you stole it" on pumping up the lifters.

Frankly the only way to really pump up one of those lifters is to drive the car like you stole it. You know, hit a freeway on-ramp a few times kind of driving. If the plunger moves freely and pops back up to its original height, it'll pump up, but only by driving it. I agree that putting all that stuff back on and driving is a good bet for right now. And yeah, if it was me, I'd be keeping my eye out for a good deal. Even as good as the 2.2 engine is, their life is still finite.

The PCV may look fine, but it's the most likely culprit. They go bad with no warning. It's only about a $10 part from a dealer: you don't want to go aftermarket. Oh, and clean out your breather hoses too.

Needle nose pliars. After you get it out, look at the bottom: you will see a tiny hole. Hold the lifter upside down, with pressure on the plunger head and stick a small instrument into that hole simultaneously. This will release the small check ball and squirt the old oil out of that hole. Careful: it really does SQUIRT! Submerge the entire lifter in either mineral oil or some kind of solvent and work that plunger in and out until it frees up. If if won't free up in about 5-6 tries, it's not going to (usually).

I had a 2001 Forester L also which we bought with over 200K miles and a known bad head gasket. Being who we are, we put a rebuilt engine in it. At that point, it also needed front brakes, a new PCV valve and new O2 sensors. Other than that, I drove it for several years trouble free. It had nearly 270K on it when I sold it. It got good gas mileage, has tons of head room, lots of storage cubbies (boy, do I miss those!), a comfortable ride and handles very nimbly. My husband thought the front seats were uncomfortable, but I didn't notice anything wrong. Yes, the EJ25 SOHC engine is prone to leaking head gasket: if you have them done, make sure they are replaced with TURBO gaskets. In your price range, 2000-2002 are going to be your most likely options. I'd buy another one if I had to give up my LL Bean.

The Subaru stock head gaskets for the EJ25 SOHC engines are too thin. We used to have leaking problems after a couple of years, so we switched to turbo head gaskets. (Not sure of the part number right now). Since then, we have had zero issues.

The EZ30 (H6) has a metal cover with approx. 112 bolts to take it off and they have to be removed in a specific order. It has 2 timing chains. The only thing I have heard of that causes them to break, especially at 70K, is lack of regular oil changes and/or low oil. The tensioners and idlers are inside that front cover and are lubricated by the engine oil, therefore it is absolutely critical that this engine gets maintained religiously. Yes, it's interferential. Extremely so. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do to help your neighbor but break the news to her gently. If it's still under warranty, unless she can prove proper maintenance, it won't be covered by a dealer, and these are hideously expensive to rebuild. How do I know? I have one in my car, and every one we have rebuilt that had low mileage went bad due to lack of maintenance.

Honestly, I would recommend finding a donor engine for your car. Any work you do to the heads, especially valves, is going to raise the compression ratio. With the number of miles on that engine, it's not a matter of "if" but "how soon" the rod bearings will give out and that will be a waste of $100 and your time plus busted knuckles. At 283K, that engine is nearing the end of its life expectancy. Put that money toward a decent junkyard engine. Any year from '96 to '98 will work as long as you match the EGR. We're Subaru engine remanufacturers, and I am offering you the same advice I would offer anyone who called our shop and told me what you have here.

Eh?

How many times have you seen someone park their car, leave it in gear, take their foot off the clutch and it will roll slightly? All the time, that's how many! That bracket is there to help keep the timing belt from "jumping" for people who aren't careful. Sure, you can use the same oil pump, and in an automatic, it makes no difference, but for a manual, it does. BTW, early Legacys weren't interferential, so it didn't matter back then. Are you being argumentative for the fun of it, or are you just uninformed?

Not to be snarky, but it's "SHE is right". Signed, Emily

The oil pumps are different. There is an extra bracket on the manual oil pump which helps the timing belt keep from rotating backward and therefore, jumping time.

Larry, Here's what you need to know: As posted in a recent thread: These are the 5 things that absolutely MUST match up. You can use any year from 2000-2004 2.5 SOHC North American engine as long as these things match the original engine (don't even think JDM-the "plumbing" is all different): Left cam sprocket Crank sprocket EGR? (or not) breather tube on block (there are 3 styles) oil pump for automatic or manual You can swap stuff from the original engine long block to make it match.

It is a documented fact that the EJ20 engines have problems with oiling to the rod bearings. Even the cross-drilled cranks haven't really solved the issue. If you weren't in Canada, I might buy a couple decent ones from you.