idosubaru

I've used Royal Purple, other suggestions, and general auto parts "Engine Degreasers", i guess they help but weren't magical. I know heat helps and @GeneralDisorder has posted about using a hot water heater and pressure washer. Maybe I should try my pressure washer and see what happens and plumb a hot water fitting into my basement for hot water since I'm about to do plumbing work anyway.

check clutch slave cylinder and hose and fork like GD said, they crack and have intermittent issues before complete failure. also fluid can change shift characteristics - proper weight sytnhetic all the way. also the slaves can be notorious for bleeding/air bubbles if air is introduced but i wouldn't suspect the increasing symtpoms like you described with that.

I'm not sure - but if I had to guess I'd guess the 2005's also have a higher failure rate of wheel bearings. i don't see enough Subaru's to know, but all things being equal (which is nearly impossible now due to age/miles of older stuff) but i'd guess like somewhere in the 90's and earlier fail less often at lower miles than late 90's until now.

Got it - a higher bearing failure ***rate*** is the new norm for *a wide range* of vehicles, not just crosstek's or Subaru's. Plenty still make 150,000 miles without issues, but it's no surprise to see a few early failures like this. For illustration purposes only, these numbers are inaccurate, but 20 years ago let's say early bearing failure happened 5% of the time, now it's 15%. That would mean it's a crazy high 300% failure rate increase but plenty still never see issues either.

i don't think so - don't seem any more prone than anything else. how many have you seen - all on the same vehicle?

Not necessary on this swap, if you swap intake manifolds you'll still have a non-starting engine if the trigger marks mentioned above are different. This is a well known engine there's no need to guess about intake manifolds. Swap the p/s cam and crank sprocket and those two engines will swap every time.

yes those are the same long block and interchangeable if you're positive of the engine year/model. there are two style cam/crank triggers - one for manuals and one for automatics. so either: verify they're the same, or swap the passengers side cam sprocket and crank sprocket from the old engine onto the new. it should be getting new timing components anyway so it's not really any extra work, not that it's hard anyway relative to an engine swap. manual transmissions get a timing belt guard above the crank sprocket, swap that if needed/desired as well.

yes, AISIN is commonly used by those wanting a one-stop shop for nearly subaru parts. it's $260 +shipping with a 5% discount code at rockauto while the coolant is empty and you have to remove the thermostat anyway, it's a good time to replace that with Subaru as well. If possible - check first before buying parts. we're assuming unknown age/brand but is there any possibility some of it is new subaru once you get in there?

no one is. we're essentially meaning the same thing and clarifying through discussion. that's all.

We basically said the same thing - get OEM supplier parts. No one is saying he has to use the dealer, it's an option but not a requirement. But more importantly, on a discussion forum one expects a discussion, not a treatise. The OP can ask for options if they're not accustomed to sourcing parts or pricing is an issue. It's a discussion and that'll come out as needed.

this: Get them from Subaru or Aisin kits on rockauto/amazon. I'd replace the cam and crank seals too and reseal the oil pump while the timing belt is off.

Nah keep the original axles. The originals are robust and can last the life of the car if regreased and rebooted. New axles such decaying trash. Problems all the time. Timing pulleys replace at regular intervals. They’re ancient and lack grease and will strand you if they fail. I use a needle fitting and pump them with new grease in XT6s where pulleys aren’t available , if you can’t get parts.

you won't be swapping it due to the CANBUS debacle mentioned earlier. buy a manual transmission vehicle or enjoy an automatic for what it is - less maintenance, more flexible, easier to replace, and more reliable.

This is all going to sound more confusing that it is if you haven't looked at one, so we might be ahead of ourselves. Get the FSM and look at pic's. it's available free online. Basically it just comes down to: 1. getting the entire center console, buttons, and shifter assembly. 2. make sure the transmission has the actuator assembly on the transmission - large disc shaped part with vacuum hoses. most transmissions should just come with it, so it should look like it's part of the trans and come with it. 3. get all the associated wiring, vacuum tubes for the 4WD actuator mentioned above, and the switching solenoid in the engine bay associated with those vacuum tubes. There are two different manual transmissions for XT's, often referred to as FT4WD (which is the referenced 'diff lock controller') and PT4WD. PT4WD is FWD and you push the button in the stick shift for 4WD. The button is in the stick shift, so you'd want a PT4WD shifter and linkages/wiring. I think in the US this is 1985 and 1986 XT's. FT4WD is 4WD all the time but has a locking center differential button which is in the center console. If you get the entire center console assembly you'll have all that stuff. Then you just need to pull all the wiring/hoses/solenoid for the 4WD mechanism on the transmission. And make sure you ask about wiring - I'm not sure what wiring you'll incur. You'll need to wire in a reverse light switch for sure and the ECU's are not transmission dependent so that doesn't matter and the main harness i think doesn't matter but you'll want to read/search more or ask someone more familiar with swapping and wiring than me.

jesek - you're so talented just press in new bearings into the timing pulleys and all you need is belts and tensioner springs if you want to replace those.