idosubaru

i bought a subaru XT6 a couple years ago from the original owner and i independently contacted Subaru of Annapolis Maryland (because that's where they told me they had all the service done) and they provided me with all the service records for the vehicle.

also like to hear about a related topic - to retorque the heads bolts or not?

i would definitely install it, i install used cv axles if i got em.

sent my fuel injectors off to RC engineering for all that they do. total was 154.97 including shipping: here are the BEFORE and AFTER flow rates (cc/min) and PATTERS for my 6 injectors: BEFORE/AFTER/PATTERN BEFORE CLEANING: 185/187 dripping 146/185 fair 140/184 fair 170/186 good 169/185 dripping 150/184 dripping all spray patterns were EXCELLENT after cleaning/rebuild. these injectors had 196,000 miles on them.

ben, i don't think that will affect the diff at all. i know you can run the 4EAT's just fine in FWD with the rear axle removed. the rear output shaft turns just fine, it's just not driving anything. no worries about different tire sizes or binding. i think the front diff will be the same. seems to me that you can probably crack the front diff open and gut it out, but talk to someone who knows about that. that would get rid of the *bad noises* you're having up there and your trans might be fine. tony in charlotte swapped front diffs in his 4EAT, so you should be able to tackle that. i always wondered if the axles provided any lateral rigidity for the suspension, but i guess not because i've never heard anyone mention that before. if it did affect that at all, then gutting the diff out might be something to think about. remove whatever gear drives that front stub axle in the diff so that the axle is there for rigidity but not actually being driven and putting any additional stress on the front diff or trans.

there is room to drop the diff and wiggle one end free, then the other. the rear diff stubs come out fairly easily i think. do they just pop out like the front differential stubs? if so, you may be able to pop them free with a pry bar and just use your stub from the diff you currently have. i've never had to do it on the rear stubs but datsun guys do it all the time and i know they aren't too bad to remove on the front diff. just yank the snot out of the axle and it will pull the stub out. anyone know if the rear is the same? a pry bar between axle and diff would pop it right out if so.

from what i've read, the actual pertroleum may not break down but the products they use in combination with the oil to create different weight ranges and properties do break down. oils with larger weight ranges say 10w-40 require more of these products than 10w-30 to create that wider range. therefore it is best to stick to oils with less weight range because it is actually more oil and less other stuff. i'm sure the differences are very minute, so it's really not important and i'm not by any means saying 10w30 is better than 10w40. if you're coming up with a one-size-fits-all approach (which none of us would believe that 3,000 miles is a necessity because at 3,500 the motor doesn't blow up), then you're going to debate all day because it isn't meant to be a perfect fit for everyone and everbody. some of it is attributable to advertising and marketing. a quantitative way to change oil is to have it chemically analyzed and tested every 1,000 miles or so and once it reaches some predetermined saturation level (again, some number someone had to come up with) then it's time to change. do this testing through a couple oil changes and average it out to 2,345 or 4,562 or 7,432 or whatever your oil change requirement is for your vehicle, geography, driving style..etc. but who wants to do all that?

i know you're running MS, how does that deal with knock? speaking of MS - if you drive up in the mountains or different times of year/climate do the maps or variables need to be changed or will the car run fine? MAF should take care of that right? *hijack finishedd*

it is very possible that the leaking air suspension could just be old, leaky orings that cost about 7 cents each. and properly taken care of the struts will last a long time. sand the rust down on the metal bottom part like mentioned earlier. the rust wears the crap out of the bags, they will last a very long time if you keep the rust off. paint it with a few coats of black enamel and then put some silicone over it. you could also try some rubber compounds or something on the air bag to protect them, haven't really needed to do that yet but i'd like to. i know a guy that owned an XT6 (that i now own) who was an aircraft mechanic. he used some kind of aircraft grade sealant to coat the entire air bag with that would work on very small leaks. and yes i've heard of people using tire sealant before as well. last resort, who care, tear it up. be sure to replace those orings first, this might be a much easier fix than you think. bad air suspension does not mean bad air bags at all. it might, but there are plenty of others things that can go wrong as well.

the cv joint could be in bad shape. turn the wheel by hand back and forth and see if you can notice any play in the cv axle shaft. friend had similar problems you're talking about on his jeep cherokee just last week. noise finally got really loud and he crawled under there this weekend. the cv axle just pulled right out of the joint! wasn't even connected anymore. he had had problems with that axle before. his was particularly loud and created vibrations around turns, which sounds similar to yours. i guess being AWD the car was still able to drive *fairly normal*, minus the noise and vibrations even with a broken axle. bad ujoint in your driveshaft can cause the symptoms you are referring to as well. driveshaft is very easy to remove and check the ujoints. you can check them on the car if you know what yo'ure doing, but if you've never done it before best to just pull it off seeing how easy it is to do.

i think you have an interference motor. i was told the 97 and up model 2.2 liters were interference motors. but pre-97 motors were not interference. i'd like to clarify that as well since i just bought a 97 OBS with 68,000! could be the original belt for both of us.

great motor. the timing belts will need to be changed or at least checked if you don't know the condition. fortunately these motors pre-97 i believe are non-intereference 2.2 liters so if the belt breaks you shouldn't sustain any engine damage. slap a new belt on and drive along.

go buy an XT6 distributor from NAPA, it will have 4 points. never been back.

www.thepartsbin.com has always been my goto parts place. rockauto.com has great prices too, but the parts listings are somewhat confusing so i never order from them. XT6 water pump for $8.99.

the cam carrier oring part number from Subaru is: 13089AA010 you can also order it from www.thepartsbin.com i've ordered a number of them from these guys before and it's the correct part. they are the only aftermarket source i've seen for these orings. being on the EA82 though, subaru usually has them in stock.

if you're not loosing coolant, it should not be the heater core. heater core leak will smell like antifree, should be recognizable. i'd check the carpet, seats and trunk for moisture leaking into the car. if the floorboards or trunk or some material in the carpet or seats is holding alot of moisture (from window being left open or flooding or something), the moisture will condense on the interior windows. and the bad smell will be mildew and mold.

if it's just leaking tell him to put new seals in it that cost a couple dollars instead of replacing the whole rack. he can still wreck you on labor hours, but seals are much cheaper than racks.

sorry scott, i forgot you were putting this in a brat. the XT6 can sustain 3 inches of lift with only a steering extension. not sure about the brat. nice picture, that is sweet.

wheel bearings can be tricky for a number of reasons. if you want to save money, buy the bearing (subaruparts.com maybe, super cheap) and take the hub to an automotive machine shop. they should pack it and install it for about 50 dollars. then install the hub yourself. removing the hub is easy and straight forward (In my oppinion) compared to wheel bearings. i did this last year and they charged 100 dollars to do both front hubs.

in that picture shown i think he got 3 inches by leaving everything stock except he made a steering extension. i don't think you need to touch the control arms.

the axles do go over the lower control arms in the XT6. 3 inches is possible while retaining the stock air suspension if i heard this guy correctly. only modification needed is a steering extension.

possible? of course it's possible. i've never heard of anyone doing it. i've heard of people talking to air bag companies about options and seen people talk about ideas, but never seen anything attempted. the stock air suspension has two height settings, the canadian models had the height switch standard on all XT6's. change height with the flick of a button.

in porting and polishing material that i've read it suggests to grind metal cast flashing from the coolant ports (though like just mentioned, i don't see why). never seen mention of oil passages being touched while doing head work. if you're talking about the large passages at the bottom of the head then smooth away, that is just drain back into the oil pan anyway i think so grinding something smooth won't matter there. i'm getting ready to start working on some XT6 heads as well. just got two junk heads to practice on. how did it go? one thing i don't like is the intake gaskets seem to be almost smaller than the actual intake openings. i'd like the intake gaskets to be larger so i can open the intake passages up some. any good way to *cut* the intake gasket to make it larger? i'm cautious about doing this, i want the gasket to remain nice and clean when i bolt it on. have you noticed this scott?

drooling and rubbing hands together.....awaiting responses. gravitman - there is a way to splice in a toggle switch to get the car to lift up about another 1.5 inches with the air suspension. you only have to splice into one wire under the drivers seat. i guess technically that's a *body* lift not a suspension lift so that might not be what you're after.

lower intake manifold and head gaskets are all that are necessary. the exhaust manifold gaskets are extremly resilient, so i doubt you'll need those. i replaced head gaskets twice on my XT6 (did it wrong the first time grr....), still using the original 207,000 mile exhaust gaskets and header with no leaks. wise to replace the cam carrier reinforced o-ring as well. 2.45 from the dealer (or thepartsbin.com) and you only need 2, one for each side. just did an EA82 last summer, very easy if you've never done it. wasn't bad at all. i'm used to the 6 cylidner ER27, the 4 cylinders are much faster and more room to work with. could easily do this in less than a day without air tools.