idosubaru

too tight? how can you make it too tight? i make them about as tight as i can get them (not including jumping on my 3 foot pipe extension) and have had no issues.

kevin has a summit pump and aftermarket FPR, he has some good dyno plots with varying the fuel pressure though it's on an NA XT6, not a turbo. might be interesting to look at his results with fuel pressure though if you can find his dyno plots. i purchased the same freaking fuel pump and it would not work in my XT6 for some reason. reinstalled the stock pump and all is well. kind of annoying, i want something less than 20 years old in there!!!

oil pressure can be compromised by a bad gasket/o-ring between the block and the oil pump. pressure will bleed off when one of the o-rings gets "sucked in" to the wrong port. it'll bleed off internally, so oil loss isn't an issue. i've pulled at least 3 or 4 oil pumps with a sucked in oil port, happens all the time. i've saved them a few times to take pictures, but have always ended up discarding them...one just a couple weeks ago. it'll come and go depending on many factors. occassionally you'll find thicker oil (20W-50) will alleviate the TOD temporarily, some have had it go away switching to thinner oil. depends on alot of things.

have an extra TCU to swap in? your tires all match good? driveshaft doesn't have a bad ujoint? rear diff issues? i have that pictured we talked about awhile ago scanned into my computer, brought a disk to work today to email it to you and the disk is bad...grrrr.......

$1,000 for a dealer to fix a center diff sounds cheap as well. that is no easy job. if it were me i'd find a used trans for 300-400 and have someone install it for 150-200 and be done for around 500 bucks. if it's still driving you have time to source a used trans. check your tires for matching. sounds like the center diff is binding, i agree. check the fluid level in the transmission and differentials. actually i have one. i have one from a 1997 impreza, if that would work it's yours for $300 (rear diff included). i drive to canton, OH about once a month (wife from there) and could deliver it.

i pulled all the parts for an Auto to manual swap and that convinced me never to try it. the only tricky part can be the wiring for the reverse lights and the pedal assembly was a PITA on an XT6. but lots of people have done it. most say to get an entire parts car with good drivetrain so you have everything you need and don't need to gather parts. with the car being down that's the easiest way to go. accumulating the parts can be tricky. i just picked up two wrecked impreza's for parts, both with good motors and trans. that's what i would do if i were you. i'd sell you the one with manual trans but you're too far. be sure to swap the rear diff if the ratios are different (they usually are manual to auto).

as keys wear down they are more and more likely to fit other cars if they are "close" to begin with. i've had a few keys that could fit other cars. more than likely if you had two brand new keys for each car they would not work in each other. on the keys that worked in multiple cars, it was only the high use, worn down keys that would work across mroe than one vehicle. if i used a "newer" identical key it wouldn't work (except in the one it was for obviously). if they get worn enough they can be removed, slide right out, while the car is running. that's quite funny as well.

sorry you missed out on that one. can you travel? i bought one 800 miles away for a great deal and flew there one way for under 50 bucks and drove it home.

if you have a heavy foot your mileage can drop substantially depending on driving conditions. what kind of driving are you doing? if this is all highway miles then somethign is wrong. if you're accelerating and decelerating all the time with a heavy foot in stop and go traffic then it might not be too far off. check your brake calipers. make sure they are working properly. make sure the calipers slide smoothly and the slide pins are greased. check the pads and look for abnormal wear. turn each wheel by hand and look for abnormal or uneven resistance. post anything out of the norm. check tire pressure (though it shouldn't bring mileage down that much). how many miles on the car? any CEL lights, any recent work done to the car? any noises? manual or automatic? AWD or FWD? how many miles per week are you driving? gas cap might not be sealing tight. when was the last time the spark plugs were replaced?

like just mentioned, lots of variations. his subaru is AWD, i'm guessing the saturn was just FWD, that can make a huge difference right there.

gear ratios are different between legacy and impreza so the rear diff would have to be swapped as well. the 4EAT auto trans changed in 1998.5 is what i'm getting. so best way until i find out more would be to make sure they are on the same side of that manufacturing date. got this info from some xt6 guys. still researching. thanks

if you're looking to keep the car awhile, pull both hubs (or all 4) and have them all done at the same time. if you're not, consider a used knuckle then you can do all the work yourself. swap in a used (newest, lowest miles you can find) and you're done. they can be found for very cheap as well.....35 dollars at most. buying bearings and having them pressed in may cost up to $100. shop charged me $100 to install new bearings/seals in two front XT6 hubs, but it can be done cheaper. i'll be in canton, OH in a few weeks and i'll have some 97 or 98 impreza hubs to sell if youre interested.

okay verified they will swap. anyway to find out the diff ratios? thanks all!

i'm almost positive. i just did my 97 OBS this summer and i think i used sealant on the oil pump. if the FSM shows sealant and you didn't use any then yes it's causing your issues. this shouldn't apply to you at all or any newer models, but just in case, be advised that reusing any formed gaskets/o-rings is a bad idea. i think (this is conjecture) that they can expand after use and taking it apart and reusing they won't fit too well. i've noticed on a few older soobs that the oil pump gaskets (which are o-ring material) don't seem to fit too well if attempted to reuse even if they are very new. they can leak, at the same time i don't think yours (the newer design) has this issue as it's just a straight o-ring, not a fitted one that goes in a designated groove like the old ones. but if it is, i'd replace it.

i don't see mileage or date posted, i'd replace the trans fluid. otherwise start sourcing a new extension housing (used possibly) or clutch pack.

use anaerobic sealant, ask for it at the parts store, they'll know what it is if you don't. it's pricey but it's your oil pump, don't go cheap there. gasket makers will work but are sub-par for that application.

i agree, something doesn't look rigth. great idea with the pictures, i would have never gotten that in my head with words. i'm not sure what to say, but looks like something is wrong. did you ever remove the brake caliper completely? i think on some the mounting holes of the brake caliper can line up to the inside or the outside of the backing plate (the two bolts that hold the caliper assembly to the hub). make sure it's bolted up to the right side of the backing plate...inner or outer as that would cause an issue somewhat similar to what you have here. might want to doubt check on the rotors too, see if there are difference between AWD, FWD, ABS and NON-ABS...might be slightly different rotors. or take them into the store and compare to the same set (i've seen the part in the box not be what the box says it is).

it's hard to detect, often undetectable, that's the scarry part. but a trained person will pick up anything obvious. you're aware of the issue so you should be fine, you can make your decision based on that info. it only sucks when people don't know then end up here and find out the issue later. nice to know ahead of time. there's no telling what the actual failure rate is of the head gaskets. it's more than any other subaru motor, but still probably not that bad. a site like this will get all the complaints and issues while the cars rolling around with 100,000, 200,000 miles never ask any questions or go poking around for solutions to issues. if it's 10 percent...that might be a high rate compared to most soobs, but still only a 1 in 10 chance for not a *huge* issue. and it's not a "blown" gasket type of failure in the typical sense, it'll run for a very long time with minor internal/external leaks. so you're not going to get stranded and have plenty of time to organize/plan for the repair if you do see symptoms. i actually had good luck calling a dealer once and they went through the service records with me, a Subaru dealer even. it was a 10 plus year old car, one owner and he went through all the records detailing the major maintenance done to it. worth a phone call at least. you'd have the mechanic install the motor. a motor swap only takes a few hours, much less time than a head gasket job. head gaskets are cheap, labor to install them alot because it's a long job. yes a motor swap can be cheaper if you get a good deal on a motor. motor for 200-500 and 200 to install you're looking at 400-700 price tag, half of what a head gasket job costs. with overheating/head gaskets you have the possibility of head damage, even block damage or heads needing resurfaced/machine shop work, so installing another motor removes those possibly very expensive risks and reduces time as well. installing another 2.5 is a horrible idea unless it has new head gaskets. i didn't mention ebay or look there, but i've bought a few that way. only really good deals as i plan on them needing *something*. i wouldn't buy a 2.5 that way unless it was a smoking deal. good luck with the search.

what he said - oil coolant mixing most likely. check under oil cap too for unusually colored mixing in the oil as well.

i have never seen any information posted on this board about a 1.6 liter subaru motor, you might be hard pressed to get much information about it. didn't they make 1.6 liter motors in the 1970's or something? i'm confused.

without tools, time, money i think EA82T is your only option. with some inexpensive mods you can get alot of power out of the EA82T. people are running much better quarter mile time with that than the 6 cylinder XT6. the EA82T is easy to modify. exhaust, turbo upgrade and intercooler on stock everything else can get you serious increases. check WJM's dyno thread, he's got some great numbers on a bone stock long block. somewhere around 150 hp AT THE WHEELS. you can't beat that for the price you can get an EA82T for. that's a straight drop in. anything else will require serious wiring modifications, computer replacement and/or fitment issues. which means time, money and more parts. the EJ22T is probably the way to go for serious horsepower. they can make alot of reliable power. the price different is a completely different category from an EA82T swap.

1998 Legacy GT 1998 Impreza Outback Sport are these automatic AWD transmissions interchangeable? (swapping rear diffs is an option, not a big deal) on a larger scale.....any info on a wider range of what swaps are possible for AWD manual and auto trans?

i would be sure it's a head gasket leak before going futher. can you post pictures of where you see it leaking? could be other things....water pump maybe? drivers side just about the driveshaft (that's a crankshaft right)...sounds like water pump area. i'm not saying it's the water pump, but i'd sure inspect this closely before assuming it's a huge repair. can you post a picture of where it's leaking?

look at your axles, a broken CV boot will spray oil on the exhaust and it burns off and smells like burning something...oil you might say. pop the hood and look down where the axle (only shaft that goes from the tire to the transmission), there's a rubber boot on each end of the axle. inspect it to see if it's broken. note, the broken or cracked portion could be on the side you can't see by looking under the hood, inspect all the way around. usually it'll be obvious by grease spattering and coming out of it. it'll be wet. the grease gets on the exhaust and smokes off. this isn't a huge deal. $150-$200 to replace but it's not urgent...except the smell. you can wait a looooong time to replace axles. any oil spots on the driveway, in the garage. that would point to an oil leak. small leaks are not the end of the world, nice to know where they are coming from though. i would not suspect a rear seal leakage though unless someone had the motor out previously (unlikely with low mileage). do you know why it was salvaged? that might help to know.

all 98 era 2.5's are phase I and are prone to the head gasket issue. hit or miss and can happen at absolutely any time to any phase I 2.5. i'm mostly leary of these motors for people like you that have to buy one...because the head gasket issue is so hard to spot at first that it's a very easy car to sell when the issue first comes up. (someone on the board just bought one and had the head gasket issue shortly afterwards, look up the post if you're interested). my guess is the head gasket issue was there before he bought it and that's what motivated the seller. that's what i'm leary of. the new OEM Subaru headgasket does fix the problem, so if you do have to get them replaced (there are two head gaskets), they should not give you any more issues if installed properly. $1,000 - $1,500 dealer installed, independent shop might do it a little less (be nice if they're familiar with subaru's though!) be sure they install the Subaru gasket only. make SURE it's timing belts that were replaced. alot of people confuse accessory/drive belts with timing belts. by "all belts" replaced that could easily mean just the drive belt(s) and the unknowledgable owner assumes that also means timing belts but really he doesn't know. and maybe he did have the belts done early, but kind of weird to do a $500+ job earlier than it's needed. that being said someone may have incorrectly informed him or he may be accustomed to older cars where the belts are changed at 60-70,000. that used to be the norm and maybe he or the mechanic assumed it best to do it then on this one. best to clarify and be positive it was replace. these are interference motors, if the belt breaks other items could be damaged...valve/pistons. i've heard people refer to transmissions as "transaxles" before, so clarify that as well. maybe the transmission or the transfer clutches were replaced and he's misquoting? if something was replaced, i wouldn't consider that an issue. check the tires, if they are matching or not. if they are grossly different in tread that's not good for the trans. not gauranteed problems, but not preferrable either. i'd shop around a bit and see what prices you can come up with. another option is to swap a 2.2 liter motor in place of the 2.5. you can pick up a 2.2 liter motor for a couple hundred and end up well under $1,000 (the head gasket price) and you don't have to worry about damaged heads, blown gaskets, etc. a little less power, but an excellent motor. the 2.2 is very robust. EDIT - in less than one minute i just found a 1997 Outback with 82,000 miles for $5,000 and all service records over the past 4 years (and they would likely come down lower than that, private seller). so i'd look around and see if you can get a slightly better deal. Double EDIT - i found the one you're looking at, looks nice! if you do test drive it, drive it for an extended period at highway speed and watch that temp gauge. if it moves or wavers at all i'd pass on it. may want to read past threads, these things run a little hot in weird circumstances, like at highway speeds or something.