idosubaru

it is doubtful that you "need" a valve job. is the engine running poorly, knocking or buring oil? if none of that has been an issue yet then it is unlikey you need to touch the valves. listen to the rest of the group about heads being machined. i would guess the heads are not warped bad enough to "need" milling but it's not a bad idea. the newer head gaskets should alleviate any future problems, so if they weren't milled i doubt yo'ud have a problem. that being said, milling isn't that expensive, $40 per head around here. much cheaper than a valve job at least. it's standard practice on a blown gasket, but on these tiny leaks caused by design flaws...i doubt it. i can't think of a reason to not have them milled, so if you can afford it, do it. i just had a valve job done and heads milled on a perfectly good running engine before i install it in my car. would rather do it all right now then later.

unfortunately he doesn't talk (figuratively speaking).

i leave for a week and look where this thread goes..... not sure i see the benefits of all this control of the solenoid. this has already been done in a 4EAT. a guy built what he called a "paddleshifter" for his 4EAT. includes the ability to manually shift and dial in the DS C exactly like you're talking about.

be advised, when you lock the transfer clutches the car will buck, bind and hop around like a truck in 4wd on pavement, so be careful running it in dry conditions on pavement, it won't be good on your trans. that's why i installed the light. it feels and drives just like a 4WD truck with it's hubs/diff locked.

subaru really should have made this option available from the factory. i have done it, it's not that hard. need someone with an FSM to tell you which wire to splice into in the engine bay. i'm out of state so i can't look at mine right now, but there's only one wire you need to splice into i believe. run it to a toggle switch in the cabin and use a two pole switch so that you can also wire a light in line with it. i installed a light that comes on when it's engaged that way i know if i accidentally turned it on (or someone else) or forgot to turn it off. being that there isn't a true center differential in the automatics, the Duty Solenoid C controls the rear transfer clutches. THE AUTOMATIC TRANS ROCKS WITH THIS MODIFICATION!!!!!!! anyone driving an automatic does not know what kind of snow, mud, off road kind of machine they are in until they install this ONE switch on one wire. it's unbelievable the difference it makes, the tires will never slip this way. i hated the old days of relying on the TCU to control lock up....it didn't lock up nearly enough for how much i drive offroad, in mud and snow. all you need to do is find the wire in the trans harness in the engine bay for Duty solenoid C. that's it. cut it, splice and run wire to the cabin to install your switch and pull 12 volts from somewhere (radio or fuse box or cigarette lighter). it's super easy, i'm an electrical idiot and did it. someone with an FSM can look up the wiring diagram and post "Terminal 34" "Red wire with Green Stripe"...whatever it is, and that's all the info you need. i can't say enough how great this makes the auto trans. DO IT! i have an impreza OBS that i'd like to do this too as well, so if someone figures out which wire it is on the newer generation 4EAT trans, post it here. i've done it on an older XT6, the earlier 4EAT trans so it'll be different than what these newer trans are. good luck, hope someone posts this info....and post how happy you are after you do it. it's awesome.

routing the throttle cables and engine wiring harness would be annoying as that's all attached to the intake assembly. that would also swap around the injectors...so the wiring might need to be changed IF the injectors are dedicated to a particular cylinder. good luck, sounds like fun!

check out the offroad forum hotdog, should be tons of stuff there. there are lift kits, lift installs, pictures and other goodies...

it's been 10-20 a dozen times or so this fall/winter. single digits is about the bottom around here, rarely gets below 0. hard to shift like it won't come out or go in gear or the shifter won't move at all?

it could be alot of things, i doubt it's trans fluid. but possible, yes. only at idle...that doesn't tell you much. a subaru puking oil all over the place and smoking crazy won't necessarily smell at all while driving, it all blows back behind/under the cabin. check your CV's and report back. best to attack most common items, most likely then go from there.

check your axle boots. one likely broke and is spewing grease on the exhaust, it burns off and stinks. not an immediate concern, like anything bad will happen. have a look and let us know. where the front axles attach to the trans and the wheels there are boots - so 4 up front, likely one by the trans has cracked.

two belts

the answer is "yes". i don't think anyone will be able to tell you exactly how long it will be before they start making noise. 10 miles, 100 miles, 1000 miles, 10,000 miles, who can answer that definitively? and i don't think you have "no" oil pressure, you have some. some at higher rpm's and who knows what at low. so at least the higher rpm driving will keep the lifter lubricated and pumped up it seems. but i also don't think you can get much further than speculation on this.

thanks ,and i should....already had another good motor ready to go. but i tore it down and am resealing from the block up before i install it. machine shop is done with the valve job, machine of the heads so i just need to slap them and the cams on and i'm good to go. not fun doing it twice in a year, but what do you do?

these guys have two of what you need (AWD auto non-turbo) for $325, maybe you can talk them down and into shipping from colorado. 1866 356 3924 might be good to see if any other 4EAT trans will bolt in, plug and play. i think yours is a tough one to find, but some newer more popular 4EAT's might be easier to find, i just don't know if they will plug into your harness.

post in the marketplace for the trans you want (auto or manual swap) - be sure to include FWD or AWD and Turbo/Non Turbo.

i'd install an auto or find a manual trans vehicle that's wrecked/rusted to swap parts with. you could probably find a manual trans vehicle for 500 that would have all the parts you need. swapping is annoying, i've pulled all the parts for it before. the pedal cluster swap is no fun, the shifter is different, the driveshafts are usually different, the clutch linkage, the rear diff is probably a different gear ratio and needs changed out. i'd buy a manual trans vehicle before trying the swap myself. if your friend is willing to do the manual trans work, why can't he swap the auto trans in for you? swapping an auto trans is much easier than converting auto to manual. have you checked around on that $500 install price, that could come down a little.

this sounds like a timing belt issue. if you here a faint "slapping", it's a broken belt and the pieces are flying around inside the covers. not a good idea though as the belt could wrap around and possibly damage something. quick - pull distributor cap. the timing belt drives the distributor so if it's broke the rotor won't spin. this is the most likely belt to break, but if the other (passengers side) belt is broke this one will still be fine and you won't know it by using this check. a more thorough check is to take a 10mm socket wrench and pull the left and right timing belt cover. they come off very easily, have a screw driver handy in case you need to "pry" them off at a rusted screw/bolt. couple 10 mm bolts and it's magic, there your timing belts are. this will allow you to check both belts and also their alignment (in case one jumped a tooth). this definitely sounds like a timing belt failure. non-interference engine though, so slap another on there and be on your way.

i'd stop in and ask a few more places. i already mentioned it, but a local shop said $150-$200 to install a new filter and install a trans that i supplied. 800 is insane. try some more rural shops if you're now checking prices in a large city. i think it would be hard to find that good of a price in DC where i work unless i got really lucky.

have you checked the pressure sender wiring/connector yet? i haven't seen anything saying you've checked that. complete loss of oil doesn't make the lifters noisey (at least in the instance that i experienced), so i would imagine low pressure could easily slide through with little to no indication either. i hit some firewood in the interstate a couple weeks ago. ripped all my exhaust off the car and dented my trans pan pretty good. everything else looked good and i didn't see anything leaking, so i continued to work. no noise, no nothing, car ran fine. next day or two the motor locked up. again, no noise right up til it locked up. no oil....i'm guessing there was a small leak (as i had put a couple hundred miles on it in that day or two)...in the oil filter or pan or the pan is dented enough to restrict the sump. the oil pump is brand new and the engine was compeltely resealed this summer. now it's locked up, havent even looked at it yet. i towed it home and am putting another motor together, heads were just finished at the shop. so..like i said, complete loss of oil doesn't have to cause lifter noise, i wish it would have in my case.

they're full of (insert bad word here). they definitly didn't pull the heads to check. this usually points to headgaskets, but anyway, replace the thermostat and radiator cap and follow what these dudes mentioned for testing/checking. i wouldn't necessarily rely on the "oily" residue in the overflow tank, those things aren't a very good indicator of much of anything unless you see bubbles coming out of them (headgasket). head gasket jobs run $1,200 at the dealer and can be done cheaper. the new headgaskets solve the phase I 2.5 liter head gasket issues. don't run this thing hot! it'll run much longer the less you overheat this thing.

it's not bad, i did a 2.2 and 2.5 for the first time this summer. search on this site, you'll find more info than you need and some awesome links to details/tips, pictures. i searched, printed, went home and did it. no problems.

can this stuff make much difference in a perfectly running manual trans that doesnt' have any problems and has new synthetic gear oil in it...comments? is this more a function of replacing old oil or a help for poorly shifting transmissions or something that even a perfectly running/shifting trans can gain benefit from? i always drain/fill with synthetics on my manual trans and have never noticed a lick of difference in anything.

i'm with miles. non-interference motors so no worry. if you've done timing belts enough, have the needed tools and a spare set in the trunk and do it in a couple minutes if they break. EA82's are easy to work on so i'd reuse as well if they looked decent.

i know people have done "home alignments" with string before, apparently if done right you can get it "pretty close" or see a problem area at least. i'd look up "DIY alignment", "home alignment"...or use some other creative words on Yahoo and google and i imagine you'll come up with something. i've also seen laser attachments for sale for this purpose (kind of like the laser leveling tools for construction purposes). alignments are rarely needed....i've driven mine from 105,000 miles to 220,000 miles, swapped in rebuilt hubs, pulled the struts off more than once, done cv axles, replaced all the suspension bushings and ball joints and have never had an alignment, i dont even get alignments when i get new tires. my tires wear perfectly evenly and i drive off-road, through fields and the car gets a good exercise. alignments are rarely needed in my oppinion. i used to get them all the time until talking to a guy on a car group that has worked in tire stores for awhile. he told me alignments are rarely needed.....obviously something is needed in your case though..... if you have a bad problem on one tire i'd try to find a trouble spot - tie rod, wheel bearing, ball joint all come to mind and can all be fixed relatively cheap. maybe a bad bearing in the strut top or a bad strut? you can get a used hub, control arm or strut for 15-30 bucks and be done with any of these issues....just need to find out what it is. has this happened to more than one tire? could be a bad tire...or wheel (though the wheel isn't likely).

also....get some of that airline fish hose from walmart or the pet store that will fit over the bleeder screw. put it over the bleeder screw and wrap a big loop in it, big enough that fluid sits inside the hose and never allows air bubbles to get back in the caliper. run the hose into a bucket to catch the fluid. make sure the brake master cylinder is full and never run it below the LOW line where it gets close to the bottom of the reservoir. i usually keep pumping the brake until the reservoir is about empty...if all bubbles are gone, move to the next caliper. if not, fill brake master cylinder reservoir and do it again. screw and unscrew the bleeder screw with the hose always attached so air bubbles don't flow back through the screw. try to make a loop in the air line and trap fluid in there, if done right, no air bubbles can make it back into the system and it's very easy to do yourself. be careful of the hose though...when you pump the brakes the fluid rushes out with enough force for the hose to flop around and brake fluid can get everywhere if it's not held in place.....and you may (will) loose your loop to keep the air out.