AdventureSubaru

It should, if you also get the rear differential from the legacy and swap that in. There was a difference in final drive ratios between the outback and legacy and they need to match. Automatic or manual?

Don't do head gaskets or rear main unless you are sure they are leaking. Valve cover gaskets are not a bad idea but these motors can swap heads without touching the valve cover gaskets. These are simple and very durable motors. Unless it is showing fault, there's not much to do. I'd prepare for the usual oil leak places - cam and crank seals on the front. And if hasn't been done yet, the oil seperator plate on the back of the motor is notorious for leaking oil down onto the exhaust. There is a dealer upgrade stainless steel one that replaces the old plastic ones. Water pump is a good idea. A reseal on the oil pump is also recommended by some.

If it's phase 2 - any 2000-2004 Ej25 or Ej22 should work. You'll want to swap your drivers side cam pulley and the crank pulley from the original motor to be sure the hash marks on them match the engine computer. Also bear in mind that the EJ25 is dual port exhaust and EJ22 is single port. If you swap to a different one, you'll want a matching y-pipe as well

If you've confirmed that the motor in the 99 is a phase 2 then the easy answer is NO. not without a lot of fab work. I have seen most 99s though seem to still have phase 1 motors. Either DOHC 2.5s or SOHC 2.2s which would have the head bolts on the outside of the valve covers and 3 piece timing cover.

Yay! Congrats. Ours will be 16 months in 2 days.

Glad it's still chugging along. Have you painted it yet?

I built a cherry picker out of 6 2x4s and 4 steel castor wheels. Just use a come along and some rope or chain. Good looking car. I'm about to drop a SOHC 2.5 into a 99 like that. They have a lot of pep!

correct. Ditto to the spark plugs. Stick with the 96 setup. Works just fine. As they say - "If it aint broke, don't fix it.'

Try that disarm function if you haven't already. Turn the key on and off 3 times as mentioned. If that doesn't work, disconnect the battery, turn the key to the accessory position, reconnect the battery and see if it starts.

No check engine light? Does it smooth out at higher RPMs and then lose power at low, under load? - That would indicate plug wires. Bucking/surging without explanation or after warm up can be fuel pump.

Rock auto has some good prices for struts. You can go with used springs/new struts and use the tophats from your car. Monroe, gabriel and KYB are all good brands with KYB being the more expensive but also better reputation of the three. Avoid the cheap stuff. Lots of reported failures within 20,000 miles.

Sounds like the trans that came in my 2000 wagon. The gears were stripped, center diff was bad and the clutch disc was sheared 3/4 of the way through the center and nearly broke into 2 pieces. Takes a special kind of abuse to do that I think

Time for some pics. Adventure car II towing Adventure car 1. Been a long time since these cars were side by side. The impreza towed behind rather nicely. Doesn't seem like the suspension or subframes were bent. That rear door was also an assumption. It was not latched all the way and the door was locked. Once I opened it and closed it, it sits flush, so the body may not be as bad as I thought. Here's the real damage. The fenders both bent - not big deal. But the roof has caved a bit on the drivers side. All the doors and glass are fine. The thought is - cut a roof and pillars from a junker, weld it in with some structural reinforcements. Add a roll bar as I doubt it would yet be strong as stock. Then maybe a camouflage paint job and a new roof rack. I'm going to clean out the inside of all the busted glass and junk the kid left behind and take it for a drive up the mountain to make sure it's not tweaked by much if at all before decision is made. But this may NOT be the end of the adventure car.

This may not be as bad as I thought.... maybe I wont scrap it.

Happy 4th! Hope there is much time spent with family and friends today, that many great grill outs and barbeques are had and that we each take a moment out of our day to reflect to ourselves or offer a prayer of thanks for this great country and the men and women, past and present who have given so much to keep us safe and allow us to enjoy days like this. Is America perfect? Heck no! But it's our home and it's still a great country to call home. Let freedom ring!

Welcome! Ignore almost that entire list. Very little of it is near immediate or even likely in the near future. Step #1. Get rid of the thermostat and replace it with one from Subaru. They are pricey compared to store parts, but are the only thing that work consistently with these cars.See if this fixes the temperature fluctuation. Subarus do not fluctuate. I've had several of these 2000-2004 outbacks and the temperature warms to just below halfway and stays there. Even on hot days with AC on and a full load going up a mountain. If it climbs above halfway, something is wrong. Not dangerous yet, but wrong. Step #2. Find where that coolant is leaking. It can be from a number of places. possibly the rubber hose from the water pump to the pipe or a bad seal on the thermostat or lower radiator hose. Have also had the coolant hoses on the drivers side that go through the firewall to the heater core fail and drip. Climb under the car after you find the drips and follow the trail to find the source. Post back what you find. Leaking coolant/ lower coolant levels will contribute to the fluctuating temperatures. Engine "reseal" is only necessary if/when headgaskets need replacing. Compression test should say that this is not yet necessary. P0420 hardly ever means catalytic converters. It can be loose vac hoses etc. MANY things cause this code. It's the most common and sometimes most annoying code. If there are no runability problems, ignore it. A Subaru thermostat and fixed leak will likely solve the temperature problems. As for the future - look under the car at the boots of the axles by the transmission and see if they are torn. If they are not, the dealer was just running lines for $$$. If they are torn, but not making clicking noises on turns, they can be given new boots. (Cheap boot but some labor costs to pull them and reinstall) They can be driven for a LONG time like this though. Eventually they will click on turns. If they click on turns they need replacement. Searches on here will list the best sources for good axles. Knock sensor - if it's not throwing a code it's probably fine. These are a common replacement between 100- 150k. The cheap $10. replacement ones on ebay work just fine. This is a 2 minute fix when it happens. One bolt and one wire plug on the drivers side under the manifold. 12mm bolt. Swaybar links - unless you are an aggressive driver you wont ever need to replace these. They can improve stability in corners and turns and lend smoothness. But I have run my cars with them removed all together at times and they still drive fine.

Good brands will last longer. If $$$ is tight, go used. You can find good tire sets from shops that sell used or via craigslist for a fraction of new cost - often in close to new condition. I got a set for my outback a few months ago - $100 for 5 tires!

I once used a soup can and 4 hose clamps when this happened on my old toyota pickup. Held up just fine for 6 months as a minor leak (It really was pretty quiet) until I found a good midpipe from a yard.

Check and clean the connection points at both the battery terminals and the starter nut and clip. Corrosion can give a faulty connection. The battery cables themselves can go bad. Not common on subarus but a possibility. It will be something simple most likely.

Love the look. How are you clearing those tires without hitting spring perches?

LOL. Just re-read this. That would be something to see. Piston coming through the block - I see a massive explosion and aluminum flakes everywhere.

On a 25 year old car you can probably count the thermostat, fresh coolant (anything green) and radiator as preventative maintenance if it's original. If this cooling issue originated before you bought the car, the previous owner may have tried one of the "fix in a can" products which are awful for gunking up radiators and thermostats. Water pump is possible but not nearly as likely given the symptoms described. They are a pretty rare fail point. Head gaskets also unlikely unless the motor was overheated. Look for coolant useage/burning and look inside the overflow/coolant reservoir with the engine running for bubbles. Doubtful but worth a peek

Sounds higher pitched than a rod knock, unless it's the sound quality. Does it seem to come more from one side of the engine than the other?

cam sensor wouldn't cause what's described here. It's running fine on starter fluid. Fuel pump, fuel filter, pressure regulator or blockage. It's going to be something simple. A good used pump from a junkyard will run you $25-$50 and only takes about 30 minutes to swap. Access panel in the trunk and 8mm socket and extension.

Fuel filter is another preventative maintenance that can cause those symptoms. Can be a crapshoot when there's not a check engine light.