idosubaru

you can do it yourself, it's actually really easy. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/122588-diy-head-resurfacing-or-post-apocalyptic-machine-shop-techniques/

Look at the metal stamped plate in the engine bay and get the paint code and post it here. Give that to Subaru or google it. Your car has a specific identifying paint code - start there.

Not worth looking at. Rust - no way. There's more where that came from. The running rough and oxygen sensor code may not be related. If it's a P0420, the most common oxygen sensor code, then replacing the oxygen sensors will not fix the rough running issue like you may be thinking. Worst engine subaru ever made - carrier significant chance of major issues - I'll pass. I was offered a free EJ25 a few years ago, not worth my time. It's not a legacy - it's an outback. Legacy of that year gets the EJ22 - for reliability and practicality that's desirable - though I still wouldn't want it for the rust. The outback gets the 2.5 liter which is the worst engine Subaru ever made, it's not a bad engine necessarily but this one isn't worth looking at IMO. Granted, looking at $1,000 cars is not a walk in the park particularly with school in session, winter, and tax return season coming you're basically shooting yourself in the foot. wait til next summer to buy, expand your distance, look for older EJ22's or even a loyale, or wait. Also be advised depending how he "pinched it", if that comes undone in anyway you'll loose all ability to brake except for ebrake which on EJ vehicles means rear craptastic drums, not the front ebrake of the EA vehicles you're used too.

you must like challenges! my favorite thing to buy at RA is brake clips - they're so cheap compared to just about anywhere else.

+1 i go OEM or Beck Arnley for ball joints and tie rods as well.

Someone replaced the fluid in their struts a few years ago - I think they were air struts so they were worth keeping and refreshing unlike normal coil overs. Person detailed drilling, measuring, fluid type matching, choosing and refilling. That thread might be useful on a project like this.

I’ve almost always used Fel Pros in the past as well for the same reason. I’ve heard others shy away from them though not sure why and maybe failures cracked abuses or sloppily installed. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again, I even have a set in my garage. Lol.

Be sure to apply it carefully so as not to get sucked into the pump and then lodged in a passage where oil flow will be restricted.

no one is listening simply because it’s not logical. you do not avoid every business that gets a bad review from a person or three on the planet. You surely have shopped at a local auto parts store, wal mart, gas station and more that have countless stories of hosing someone. Now If you 3D print every product you use and grow all your own food and live off the grid and grow silkworms and cotton to make your own clothes then I apologize. It is highly unlikely the places you shop don’t have some horror stories. There are people that have horror stories about me so don’t listen to me either. Lol. Here is what that is like - you want to tell others how to shop but you don’t “listen” to others? That doesn’t make much sense. It is not odd that no one would listen, that attitude generally isn’t socially, or commercially, helpful. Rock Auto has plenty of good reviews and customers (I use them). and killer deals you can’t get elsewhere. Do they have short comings? Yes. So do I and Online Subaru retailers convoluted shipping sometimes, Advance Auto online is clunky and amazon doesn’t always sort vehicles as you’d expect, online anything can be more problematic, and in store staff might be unhelpful sometimes, so what. Better to be flexible and understand how and why things work and make your decisions appropriately. If you prefer to avoid a place or two, I totally get that. But desiring anecdotal experiences to be universally accepted is futile for the logic reasons outlined above.

exactly the same in concept layout and process. Those engines and trans would physically swap places rather easily. So it’ll be the same process. It’ll have a hydraulic clutch which was just starting around 1997 so good chance you’ve already seen it. But that’s a minor difference anyway.

Yep. As long as it’s the same generation (style door), there’s usually 4 or 5 years of models that all work. It’s like - couple bolts and the hinge pin and electrical connector. Very easy. I think 2010 was a new model year so somewhere around 2010-2014 should work - but verify the exact starting and ending years first, I’m just guessing. Verify generation (what years work) and color match. Ideally you use the color code as sometimes Subaru has changed colors mid-generation or there’s a White and Pearl White. But that rarely happens. Legacy and Outback may or may not interchange. I’ve done it before on older models and it works but sometimes the cladding or pin striping is slightly different. And I don’t know if newest gen leg and outback are still interchangeable for certain. The junk yard database should tell you. Then you swap away. You can transfer interior panels to match. Install old interior panel on new door so you don’t have to worry about matching interiors.

+1 I usually cross reference as well. Quite a few incorrect listings over the years and probably worse with older gen stuff which can be confusing.

interesting, nice hit. 99 is a phase II trans so the Phase I ECUs somehow accommodate that?

Internal filters are pointless to replace. It’s just a screen and other than a couple flecks they’re never clogged. If it’s clogged your trans ain’t long for the world anyway and would probably fail with any increase or improvement in fluid flow LOL.

I would use Subaru headsgasket but I have used Fel Pros before on those engines. I haven’t done enough engines or miles to know if it matters. Subaru for intake manifold for sure. Cam tower orings - are metal reinforced, get them from Subaru as well.

They’re actually pretty easy to do in the vehicle. I wouldn’t even think about pulling an EA82 for just a headgasket, they’re too easy. Remove two lower 14mm engine mount nuts and top mounts and jack the side of the engine up that you’re working on. Plenty of room and if you have electric or air tools you can get all the bolts out easy. You can have the head off before you’d ever have the engine out. Swap on another head or resurface that one with a new gasket and call it good.

Probably just the headgasket from the brief info you told us. A nonturbo daily driver that isn’t significantly overheated and has head issues is almost always just a headgasket. I know it happens but I’ve never seen a non turbo crack a head. You can drop the exhaust manifold and look for coolant up in the exhaust ports of the heads. EA82s crack through the water jacket and into the exhaust where you’ll see coolant in the exhaust ports of the heads. When you drop the manifold pressurize the cylinder again and look into the exhaust ports.

zip ties and rubber hose as a spacer/cushion?

Can you weld or beg someone ? If you can’t weld...then Disassemble tow and Pay someone Call around and ask if any machine shops would do it for you on the car. For some it may be so easy they may not charge much. I’ve gotten lucky before and had machine shops work on stuff insitu for various reasons, and do it very reasonably, there’s done great people out there. I’ve even helped friends 1,000 miles away calling shops until one says they’ll look at it and they fix it cheap. Its worth a few calls. $50 tow and $80 to remove would be well worth it. In the rust belt corrosion and sheared and previously mangled or problematic fasteners are commonplace. Another crazy thing I’ve done - drill the hole on the oil pump housing a little bigger and drill and tap a smaller bolt hole right next to the original bolt. I’ve done that before for light torque 10mm bolts. Get a high grade bolt clearly. Totally unorthodox and I can’t recommend it, never heard of anyone else doing that but I have and its worked. But I’m willing to try, if I’m not failing then I’m not pushing the limits to see what’s possible what’s not and why not. LMAO. But that’s all easy for me to say. If it’s your only necessary transportation and finances are tight you shouldn’t be gambling and should repair it properly.

I wouldn’t worry about it. 4 our of 5 bolts, it’s not going anywhere. The 5!lug wheels will drive all day Long thousands of miles with 3 lugs and all that rotational force. I would t even sweat an oil pump. I mean - I’d also attempt to repair it and highly favor that but I get where you’re at on this and it’s got a good enough chance of succeeding that is try it if I had too. I’ve drilled those ten mm bolts out like that before. Drill a hole just adjacent to and touching the broken shaft right into the engine block and make it just big enough you can bang the bolt into the “new” adjacent hole enough to wiggle it out. It’s crazy and I’ve never seen anyone else do it and I had blocks to pre-drill to make sure I wasn’t hitrjnt anything internally but metal. Then repair the hole or use a large bolt, etc. Throw away every bolt extractor you own - they are the most worthless equipment in a garage. If a bolt comes out with those things it’ll also come out by some other means. They’re okay and have a place in a well controlled machine shop but such institu and garages and most practical situations. Again if one I them gets it out it’ll come out some other way. I through mine all away about 10 years ago and have been all the better for it.

start another thread. Before you start that new thread, pop the hood and look, it’ll either have huge black plastic timing covers over the entire front of the engine (EA82, or you’ll see the belts) or it won’t (EA81). If you don’t know how to do that google pictures of the two engines and compare. This all takes about 30 seconds for someone that knows a little bit. And 1 minute and 30 seconds with internet if not.

I’d wait for or travel for a 2.2 that hasn’t had the headgaskets replaced. Easy to find and worth the effort. If you prefer rolling the dice: *** Both of those engines first symptoms are usually overheating, so the main question is how bad we’re they overheated? You can nearly guarantee that they were, definitely the 2.5. That would be my determining factor - how much can you learn, or not, about that? Previous posters 2002 usually leaks externally and doesn’t overheat initially and so is more benign than the two engines you’re talking about in terms of headgasket failure modes. I’d lean towards the 2.2 but verify headgaskets parts/resurface and try to find out how badly each was overheated before being repaired. 2.2 has a few pluses for longevity, practicality, and cost as well. As an example - If one is original owner and they fixed it right away when symptoms started years ago I’d feel better about that, than one which someone picked up cheap on craigslist and repaired to flip it last week. 1. What brand headgaskets were used? Needs to be OEM or *maybe* another high quality. 2. Were the heads resurfaced. “Checking” them is frankly stupid, they should be resurfaced every time. 3. Does either come with a warranty? - 12 months-12,000 miles is normal shop repair warranty if this is a shop that’s flipping it. 4. They’re interefernece and need a complete timing belt kit - belt, tensioner and pulleys. Can you replace those (they’re easy) or ask about it. A shop will charge $400-$800 for that job. If any of the pulleys or belt fail you’ll have bent valves.

he's already got another pulley to fit it. tack weld it or set some self tapping sheet metal screws (i would just weld it, but i've seen that done before) between the two and you can keep it as a spare.

I consider them an upgrade since they can’t fail, removes an uneccessary SPF (single point of failure). Ive done tons of Laplace transform calculations vibration analysis, blah blah blah so I’m not asking about “theory” or the obvious “why” - but why do people get away with running without them all the time? Do any manufacturers use single piece pulleys?

Larger wheels/tires is a good suggestion! GTs in stock form I think have nice 15” wheels, I was even thinking 16” but I don’t think subarus had 16” until 2000. I’m surprised no one has suggestions on the effects and differeneces between 2” lifts an 2” lifts on taller strut swapped vehicles. They must not be seeing it or something. Scott who replies earlier with SJR lifts is who I buy my stuff from, he can certainty get you what you need.