idosubaru

Wow. crazy series of events, Great troubleshooting. frustrating when there’s a cause and people are just blindly regurgitating some idea that’s not it. Are you nervous with the third attempt?!

Agree look up reviews, those are common tires. If they’re all the same id guess storage or exposure to something may have been an issue. I may be off on this but i think those are low end or average at most snow tires and not 5 year superb quality snow treads. I don’t think it’s normal but not shocked either.

LEDs are sometimes problematic in newer vehicles. Revert to your old bulbs, try different LEDs, or try swapping them all but the cargo area light.

What about them being expensive OEM, low grade aftermarket, and 25+ years old used?

Woah crap - I didn't see the pics. That's not from running tap water which is evaporating off and calcifying like a distiller does is it? Looks to chunky and loose for that?

99 is Phase II EJ25 (not EJ25D). This is of course presuming they listed the year correctly. 99 and 03 forester engines are interchangeable. EJ251/253 doesn't matter for interchange, just swap the intake manifold and drivers side cam and crank gear and anything else necessary, the long blocks are interchangeable.

Hard to decipher online if this is an engine issue or transmission one, they can be easily confused. Is there an easy way to test AT fluid flow - pressure test at the AT lines to the radiator? engine Compression test?

clutch job, rear output shaft seal though they rarely leak. there's not much access to anything else when doing a trans swap. resealing the engine oil pan would be a little easier and already close to having complete access as you tilt and support the engine. and you probably don't need a part as the cork gaskets suck, can probably just right stuff it or RTV it properly.

Before any thing else is done I'd want to know: 1. Was it doing this before the head work? 2. Is the AT light operational and does it flash 16 times at first start up? I'm pretty sure Subaru has an orange/red sealer, but i'm not sure which applications should look like what, but I'd check before assuming the pan has been removed before. Those internal pan screens are nearly pointless to check normally, it's just a screen and not a true filter as you seem to know. they pretty much can't be clogged and if they are you'll need a new transmission soon. every 200,000+ mile screen i've seen had basically nothing in it, maybe one piece of something...certainly nothing that would impede movement of the vehicle. can't you ohm the solenoids from the trans connector without pulling the pan? otherwise yeah the solenoids are right there when you drop the pan, easily accessible. is the AT light operational and does it flash 16 times at first start up?

is it the fronts or rears or both? test drive another on the lot and see if it does it - they either *all do it*, or they don't. i'd just have another brand brake pad installed if it's the pads making the noise. I generally am not around turbo Subarus but Subaru brakes are robust, noiseless and effortlessly make 250,000 miles with very few issues, so it shouldn't be hard to navigate this. "service managers" are mostly "customer service" and "marketing" positions, not technically astute mechanically trained. they know just enough to get by and know more than customers which in most cases doesn't take much. that's not always true of course, but it's the norm. audi's can suck !(%)*! to use and maintain over a long period of time so take your pick or pay up.

I've never heard of an induced steering rack failure. looks like Gloyale has some experience above regarding what is going to fail if it does. this is an indirect comparison but i've rebuilt wrecked and totaled subarus. the control arms, struts, rims, tires, knuckle get mangled all the time and i've yet to see a damaged rack.

A steam engine woah! I’ve disassemble compressors before they’re nifty to look at inside.

Does the conditioner only do this when the vehicle overheats or runs low on coolant? Both instances here suggest that it happened on overheating engines. Hopefully it wasn’t k reheated terribly. A few percent of blocks loose the lower end bearings shortly after a job like this due to the prior overheating. Hopefully the prior owners didn’t limp it around like that too bad/much. You’re right don’t ever sit a Subaru blocks. It’s not worth it and GD says you’ll end up not getting doing it right anyway the first time. The crosshatching is almost always visible on Subaru blocks, it basically doesn’t go away outside of catastrophic issues. Good to see it and know they’re clean but also that’s not where the first isssues, if any, will present.

Thanks! poor word choice. Good to finally get that right in my head.

it didn't occur to me that the fire ring could be confused for cylinder sleeve so the history probably doesn’t mean as much although that information given isn’t celebratory. Good luck knocking that lip down. Can the block halves be resurfaced as is like heads without splitting? I guess debris in the oil passages is the main issue?

EJ is an engine family from 1990-2012. The last two digits refers to engine displacement so EJ25 is the largest, a 2.5 liter version available from 1996-2012. Oil cooler is the engine oil cooler. It is sandwhiched between the engine and oil filter and receives coolant from the water pump. Look at yours and follow the pipes and you’ll see the cylinder stacked under your oil filter. The transmission cooler is a standard radiator integrated unit and completely separate system.

Like what - to rebuild the compressor?I’d Google it. system parts are available from Subaru and/or aftermarket. Condenser evaporator drier...etc. No one does it because it’s not remotely economical. Subaru AC is so easy to repair and maintain it’s pointless for most people.

probably low on refrigerant. on Subaru's i've repaired every non working, non-wrecked A/C by simply replacing orings and refilling with refrigerant. Subaru's use roughly 20 ounces which is basically two small cans or one large one.

have you driven a vehicle with an open cabin like this, maybe it is just more noise than you might get with a sedan or larger vehicle? sit in the back trunk area and put your head to the floor if you have to - try to identify if the sound is: 1. actually in the rear (under trunk) or more central (center console/rear seat area). 2. is it left, right, or center? if this is an issue normally it's a rotor lightly dragging something (bent dust shield) or a wheel bearing, which would both be identified as left/right instead of center.

AT/MT is not a usual timing belt distinction for Subaru. 01-ish EJ25's do have two style cam/crank triggers so maybe it has to do with that difference, which is also an MT/AT difference. There's been discussions over the years but I forget where it all lands in the end.

Yes, get Aisin, you can't get a better kit and the parts may be, or are, OEM. There may be no difference - why are you asking? Are they listed on the same sight or different? If you're looking at two different websites then their algorithm or database might just list it differently. EJ251 is a particular EJ25 so "251" probably means "EJ251". As to compressing the pin - you should be replacing the tensioner anyway so you won't need to compress it. It'll come pre-pinned. But yeah if you want or need to for some reason just compress it slowly and keep everything square, I've used a vice or c clamp before. I never mark belts or worry about belt markings. They're just a guide and a help to verify. What matters is the crank mark and both cam marks, that is it just like you suspected. Just make sure to use the correct marks.

Easy - economics. As value decreases, scrap chances increase. Higher mileage cars are lower value by definition (not many people are looking to buy 250,000- 350,000 mile vehicles), typically older and at some point reach nearly worthless values, particularly in rust prone areas or areas outside Subaru hotspots like Denver and the PNW. External causes: Inspections/emissions - AKA _0420 Shop costs are higher than DIY. Many DIY folks would approach car ownership differently if paying for every thing we DIY. Large repair quotes Vehicle causes: Rust (resulting in exhaust, brake, suspension, and body work) Blown engines - caused by poor oil maintenance, headgaskets, overheating, or blown timing belts. Blown transmissions

By stronger you mean “more reliable”? Someone with experience can describe the “why” behind a suggestion, what is this persons reasoning and experience?

They fail so rarely I wouldn't buy new OEM or those expensive aftermarkets, I'd go with used OEM or that one you just listed. I would have given them away when I've had scrap EJ's as they're worthless with zero demand. Get two of them, one to replace and have a back up. They don't fail much so I haven't seen enough to say anything about trends or longevity but that being said the cheap $7 ebay knock sensors have fared well for years, so I wouldn't hesitate to try an IAT for that cheap on what is otherwise a benign part.

Get another block. Confirm it first but start looking for another block if one sleeve looks different than the others. The wrist pin holes can be misaligned and the sleeve can crack too if you want further symptoms to look for. What is the history of this block - this usually means a significant overheating event in the past or high boost. Was this cylinder #4?