idosubaru

I’m no expert on timing but definitely time it to non turbo fuel injection specs if they differ. Ive had a 1987 turbo XT for years that I converted to nonturbo. Dropped in a nonturbo engine and nonturbo ECU. It has never run well. Barely drivable. I’ve driven it 30 miles once and that’s it. Bogs and stutters bad. I never figured out if it was a mechanical issue or swap issue. Maybe some Briton isn’t happy with the swap or maybe the gas tank is full of rust. Who knows. But I always suspected some of the wiring or ECU wasn’t happy with me converting it to nonturbo. I wonder if: A: the Turbo ECU isn’t happy with something B: if you swapped ECUs - If the ECU you choose is compatible with the wiring in the vehicle. between carb spfi mpfi flapper and MAF and disty changes jr seems like getting mismatched wiring or ECU is a possibility.

Sounds like you've thoroughly gone over this thing so I doubt this is it because you would have already noticed, but....since this isn't normal... I would guess that mysterious ring may be the culprit - there shouldn't be anything movable by touching it residing behind the oil pump sprocket. Maybe it's shaking or rotating or interfering in some way? I can't see the picture at all - I'm just going by your description.

I dont' think that makes a noticeable audible difference to the extent that you'd wonder "hmmm, is something wrong? The belt guide? It's not loose, bent, or rubbing is it? That guide, or lip, can get bent when people try to pull the sprocket off. If the noise is coming from the front and only the timing belt is causing it - then it sounds like the covers need to come off and hit every bolt of each pulley with a stethscope while it's running.

DOHC Forester can only be a 1998. crack I keep forgetting yours is a 90-94 EJ22. For 1995-1998 EJ22 and EJ25 swaps you don’t do anything. Just pull the engine out and install the other. Any ECU runs any engine for those. I haven’t done 90-94 stuff but I think the connectors are different? I think you swap the 90-94 intake wiring harness onto the EJ25 intake manifold. If you do that the EJ22 will run the EJ25 beautifully, they’re the same an interchangeable. I’ve even swapped them out just for kicks - for no reasons except to see if there’s performance or gas mileage differences - nope - I’ve put thousands of miles on a bunch of different ECUs - exactly the same. 90-94 EJ22s are dual port exhaust so the exhaust will bolt right up to a 1998 EJ25. 1996-1998 exhausts don’t bolt up so they also need an EJ25 exhaust manifold. But your pre 1995 will bolt right up. No exhaust needed.

GD says the port matching doesn’t matter. You could probably search for his comments on why. He’s given detailed explanations why. I figure you probably did this already, but if it is listed online that far out, maybe try to call?

Okay, I still don't understand. You'll probably clear that up after you go check things out this time. The gauge seems way off...although I can't see which metric units it is in either.

1999 has two different, noninterchangeable EJ25's. Earlier you mentioned a 99 Forester Ej25, now you're stating 99 DOHC - which is outback/legacy. You need to pick one in regards to any questions about 1999. The answer is different for each of those 1999's. 1996-1998, and 1999 Legacy/Outback: All of these EJ25's are plug and play compatible with your EJ22. The EGR will need worked around if they differ and you'll need the EJ25 exhaust manifold. Easy. 1999 Forester and Impreza RS: the plugs are different, it is not plug and play, and the idle control mechanism is completely different and if you end up working through all the issues, getting it to run without a check engine light will be problematic if that's a local inspection/emissions issue. I would rering the Ej22 or use the EJ22 heads on the EJ25 block. It's highly unlikely the EJ22 heads are bad - statistically whatever EJ25 you buy probably has more chance of being problematic than your EJ22 heads. It's not like EJ25 blocks don't fail frequently enough - most of us that have been around awhile lost count of failed EJ25 blocks a LOOOOONG time ago and have never seen a failed EJ22 head. So if you're just going to guess and not leak down test or do a pressure test - you're best gamble is to go with the EJ22 heads over an EJ25 block. Although it is true that if you know the person selling the Ej25 block maybe there's some more complicated calculus to that equation....

Subaru nonturbo internal oil loss is almost always through the rings - not the heads or valve stem seals. I think you can pressurize the cylinders (like a leak down test) and see where the pressure is being lost to confirm. But it's never the heads. An additional option is to re-ring your current EJ22 - you don't have to split the block to do that. Buy rings, pull heads, swap rings, reassemble.

What's going on with those units - the red units look like they're labeled as metric, not PSI, but those metric numbers aren't the right order of magnitude if that's the case. What are we looking at in terms of units?

no it's not. i can't tell what you're trying to do or why you're asking but you have a couple options: 1. bolt your EJ22 heads and intake manifold onto the forester block - then it's all plug and play and easy. it's just removing an engine and installing another one. nothing to it. 2. swap the EJ22 wiring harness onto the 99 forester intake manifold so that the forester engine then become "plug and play" in your EJ22 vehicle. But it'll need some creativity, the idle control mechanisms are different and there might be a few other glitches that need work arounds. the idle control is the big one - wiring alone won't solve that as the idle controllers are completely different. I've always just swapped heads and haven't done this method.

Could be hydraulic related or clutch fork...? But clutch fork will still be mad labor and I'd replace the clutch while it's apart anyway. +1 to GD - clutches can go out at almost any mileage - depends on city/urban/driver/mountains/towing. price +1 to GD again - get a local subaru independent - you'll get a better price and similar quality. you price was high but not unexpected and you don't want a lower cost local shop slapping in a low grade local box store clutch kit. Manual trans is pay to play - they're less reliable and more maintenance and often more problematic to replace if needed. I assume a manual trans will need work way before it's likely so I'm not surprised or enamored into a purchase.

1. Could it be the 3AT and not the engine? All of mine have had 4EATs so I’ve never had those early XTs with a 3AT. 2. What sensors can you unplug as a “test”? O2, knock sensor, CTS - it the car runs with those unplugged id try disconnecting them and see. I wonder if the knock sensor is old and too sensitive or lazy when driving? An acquaintance had a Forester I couldn’t diagnose that would stutter and stall a lot. I swapped the entire intake manifold and wiring harness and it ran perfect. Still annoys me that I never figured out what caused it. You could convert to carb if somehow you couldn’t track this down. Bolt an EA82 carb and manifold up and go. I hate carbs but that’s an easy solution if the problem can’t be determined.

That's a solid looking EA82 wagon. Enjoy!

solenoid contacts or the power issues described by GD. do both for good measure. replace the starter solenoid contacts and clean everything up on reassembly. it's really easy and the contacts will be all black and burned up. these may or may not work in your car but I think these are for many older subaru automatics and i used them in a 2002 outback: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031HMS7C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1. Does it start up right away every time you turn the key or does it ever struggle? 2. How sure are you that the car is running better now than it was? 3. . What do you think improved it? I'm wondering if maybe something you already did has some connection, offers more insight, or needs more attention. 4. I'd massage all the wires you can find in the engine bay. Start at the sensor (coolant temp sensor, MAF, knock sensor (if you can reach that?!?!), Throttle Position Sensor) and massage the wires slowly as far back as you can. Do it multiple times for each sensor. Do this while the engine is idling. If it revs, bogs down, smooths out, stalls - you'll know you hit a bad spot. This is annoying - I had an XT6 that i think did what you're describing, feather that gas pedal or push it all the way down when it's "stuck" and nothing changes until it randomly wants to - but I can't recall what resolved it - too many Xt's over too long of a time. I detailed earlier how on one XT6 I had to replace the wiring roughly 6 inches behind the throttle sensor. I found this by massaging the wires at sensors in the engine bay - start at the sensor and work your way back as I described above. When I got to the TPS the engine would flutter, stall, smooth out - so i knew to replace that. I unfortunately don't recall what symptoms that XT had, but I do know it didn't have any check engine lights and was barely drivable, I was concerned about getting to work. It may have been the one i fixed with the TPS sensor wiring...or maybe not. Again - too many XT's and too much time...don't recall.