idosubaru

Verify no external leaks that have been missed. Sounds like headgaskets, they've probably been replaced before or were overheated this summer during all that playing around adding fluid, etc. I guess someone could be very diligent but it's hard to hit it perfect every day. In any event previously replaced gaskets or overheating can cause non typical symptoms and failures like you're describing.

I'm not sure if EA81's are similar but On EA82's it might not appear possible but you don't have to remove the cluster to replace the cable. It's not easy and you gotta stand on your head while inserting your hand into darkness to get it in. I'm slightly exaggerating and it doesn't take that long if you have a flashlight and scope the area out to see what you're doing befor attempting it.

There are states with inspection/emissions that only happens on transfers and it happens exactly like you're thinking. Transfer, inspect, emissions testing - and then do whatever you want for the life of the vehicle, it doesn't matter. Very common.

Warranties are basically insurance - so determine if they're a good deal for you, opinions on insurance vary. Services/plans - those are basically marketing and I'd avoid them. With that in mind I would suggest focusing on: It's simply insurance - you're paying for something you're unlikely to need or use, but it may be a 4 digit item if it is needed. Engines and transmissions are expensive - the cost for that plan will be less than replacing those (or large repairs), but clearly cost you more if you never need it. Subaru's rolling the numbers - and the cost/offer is reasonable to them - they can't be paying out inordinately more money than they're taking in on these deals. The prices for those can be somewhat negotiable as well - so if you can get it for a reasonable rate, that's more attractive.

does it matter that 89 would be an EA82, his 83 is an EA81?

I'll make improper automotive enthusiast comments manuals have distinctly one quantitative advantage - can pop the clutch when the battery is dead. Otherwise it's largely personal preference and manuals still exist for that rugged cool feel of moving a 4" wow stick in a *two* dimensional space instead of just one like an automatic (since they too can be shifted). LOL Amazing wow #epiclife IMO Autos have more benefits than negatives and can offer conveniences for towing and clutch work input shaft bearings and synchros be gone. To me autos seem best at 250,000 miles on fluid changes only.

We don't know anything about your mechanic but if they're not well versed in Subaru's, particularly 90's Subaru's and SVX's, then they're going to know a fraction of a percent of what is possible with an SVX and many other Subaru specific conversions, interchanges, and swaps.

yep. even the small ones are enormous compared to the stock dinky cylinder submerged inside the ATF inside the transmission - it gets no direct air flow at all. technically you should sample some actual temps (ATF or engine) and see where you're at before and after installing but most people just guess. they're typically installed in front of the radiator/A/Ccondensor

Newer stuff doesn't have an external filter. There's a screen/strainer inside the pan that is 100% pointless to replace. They never need replacing at 10 years and 150,000 miles, it's almost comical to consider replacing them any time before that. 1997 and earlier - no external filter and Subaru's had decades of reliable service with no issues and the 4EAT was blowing away the ideas that "AT's aren't reliable" 1998-2000'sish - added an external filter which was considered lifetime and never needed service They went away from external filters with the CVT or newer vehicles. External filters add additional failure modes - more clamps (typical failure points) and greater proclivity to damage during minor fender bender due to proximity to the front fender. None of those alone are big deals at all, very minor points, but considering 4EAT's were rolling 100's of thousands of miles without them with few issues, it's unneccessary.

Great you got it narrowed down to no spark, someone will lead you in the right direction, i haven't ran into that with new gen except for coils/igniters but that's unlikely here. You definitely used the original timing sprockets that were in the vehicle? Coil and igniter are all connected and original?

You need to tell us exactly what you did - you only swapped an NA 03 short block into an NA 05 vehicle? Nothing else? Vacuum leaks are common- brake booster for instance, and any small ones around the throttle body/intake hose/intake manifold area. Here's a 5 minute diagnosis to start: Check for fuel Check for spark Check OBDII codes Check all the sensor connectors

Any 99-04 EJ25 long block will run if you have all of these parts from the same vehicle: Intake Wiring harness Cam/crank sprockets ECU Presumably in this case it's all from a 99 forester - so I'm thinking you only need to ground your identifier PIN. And I'd personally be prepared to swap the D/S cam and crank sprockets to the alternate style just in case. There are two styles of cam and crank sprockets but they are entirely interchangeable. It's common on 99-04 EJ25's to swap an engine and it doesn't run until you swap the D/S crank and D/S cam due to those trigger marks. I'm not sure I've ever heard definitively how to tell which 99-04 vehicles have which style trigger marks but i've heard it said, that it's an AT or MT difference and it has seemed true to me - but it's not super common (which I always assumed was because of how few MT's exist) so I'm not 100% convinced of the reason. But the reason doesn't much matter - there's only two options, if it doesn't run, just swap to the other set. Ah right - MAF verses MAP. I think this is usually true: MAP has the big air filter box bolted right to the throttle body - air filter resides just behind the engine. MAF has the long intake hose to the air filter on the passengers side of the vehicle/engine bay. Which one do you have? I think 99's are usually MAF but not always. If you start swapping intakes/ECU's/wiring harnesses you may be mixing and matching stuff. I'd try to retain all of the 1999 Forester set up together as much as possible and only replace what's absolutely necessary.

others have modified the pin to work though. Are you saying this because the part numbers are different - because those are essentially meaningless as Subaru has changed part numbers on ECUs hourly for decades, or are you saying that for some other reason? Here's someone that modified the pin and CCR employee mentioning doing it all the time on conversions...which also happens to be VW related! http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/157949-ej25-sohc-ecu-difference-for-manual-or-automatic-transmission/

Error -

unlikely. Just check the fluid and better yet drain/fill. Not a big deal as there's nothing to repair there. its all nominally sealed except for the top vents tubes and it sounds like it didn't get near that high.

No need to, here's how you do it: 1. repin the wiring harness to identify it as an MT (Subaru ECU's run either one) 2. Install an MT drivers side cam sprocket and crank sprocket. Without going into massive dialogue and explanations and years and Phases which would likely pop into your mind - just follow those directions and that's all you need. But a cursory explanation of why goes roughly like this: Subaru ECU's are not transmission dependent - they can run either one. They see one identifier pin that tells it whether it's an AT or MT and adapt and run it accordingly. So even if you bought an "MT" ECU - your donor wiring harness would be pinned incorrectly anyway. Your options are to swap the intake manifold and wiring harness (a silly amount of parts and work and effort) or modify that one pin at the ECU (very easy). For SOHC EJ25's around 99-04 the AT's and MT's have different trigger marks - so when you repin the ECU it will be looking for "MT" trigger marks. But the engines and everything are otherwise identical so all you have to do is swap the drivers side cam sprocket and crank sprocket where the trigger marks reside. Don't let this freak you out - it's just as easy as I've just explained. Every other timing pulley, sensor, and everything are identical. Just swap those two parts, that's it. Buy used from the forum here, ebay, or new from Subaru might be worth checking. or www.car-part.com and look for a core engine. That's a SOHC Phase II EJ25 which is the same as the following engines: 99 Forester and Impreza RS 00-04 all EJ25's. There's a couple minor differences like the AT/MT trigger marks mentioned above and I think there's a MAF and MAP set up - but the intake manifolds and long blocks, all the timing gear, heads, etc are all interchangeable.

If I was paying Labor or heck even since I do it myself I'd be installing a new clutch. That's a big job - new clutch, throw out bearing and pilot bearing every time as well as the resurface.

http://www.sjrlift.com/index.php/catalog/lift-kits/0-2-lift-kit-2000-detail on older models people would migrate OBW parts over to their legacy's for additional lift as well, since yours is the same suspension layout that's worth looking into for 2005's as well.

listen to this: +1 it's fixable...but it's going to take some initiative, amazon priming "magic flood remover" to your doorstep is not going to work. Get it some dry circulating air as quickly and as soon as possible. Get everything you can out of the vehicle and get it opened up and airing out as soon as possible. Put fans inside the car to move air on low humidity days. Ideally you have it in a small garage with a dehumidifier running - not sure you can run a dehumidifier inside a vehicle, might get too hot. Ideally you pull the seats and at least pull up most of the carpet around the edges to get airflow under it. The seats are actually easy to pull - just a couple bolts and electrical connectors. Check all your fuses in the engine bay and cabin fuse panel - take note which ones blew, if any, before replacing them. Write it down. ECU is under the passengers front footwell carpet area. pull the carpet back and there's the ECU. If it's fried they're a dime a dozen www.car-part.com That's the starting point and it's not much work and essentially free. Once you get it running: Check rear diff for water - or just drain and refill. Front diff shouldn't have any water in it, but given the complexity and cost of repairing those verses ease of changing fluid I'd change it as well. Same with ATF. You're going to hear gobs of comments about how atrocious flooded cars are and usually from people that have never owned/bought/repaired totaled/damaged vehicles with their own two hands. Don't let that deter you, it's just foreign territory for most people. And from what you've described and how little cost there is in trying - yours certainly sounds worth a shot.

I'd get KYB struts, and either 1" spacers or a 2" lift from Scott (SJR), and maybe springs depending on your goals Aftermakets generally don't support loaded atruts for Subarus. Just about everyone in subaru world uses KYB unless they're going coil over/conversions. I think mid to late 90's legacy and OBWs had occasional front spring failure and I believe it's covered under a campaign like recall or TSB. Might be worth verifying that and checking or replacing those springs while it's apart. Subaru springs often don't need replaced and show little difference if they are. That's not to say you won't notice a difference, just don't usually. You can buy rallitek springs any dimension and spring rate you want to add an inch which the strut should allow.

Why would that feel better? What's the difference?

Over here basically any Phase II engine without the VVT will interchange. So basically 99-04 engines. Earlier are DOHC and clearly won't swap. Later have the VVT. The ones between those two book ends all can be swapped.

Thanks, that is exactly what the measurements showed last night. I couldn't pull hardly a millimeter difference between the front and rear. But it's sitting well below stock (lift kit is already on my garage floor waiting) so what you said would explain how the FSM shows .2" wider (.1" per side) but I'm almost dead even. Thanks again - I'm glad I didn't follow those FSM numbers. It's been out of alignment since I got it - toe was way off - got it back last night.

That's a good point. Older gen engines are very reliable - it's only age that works against that: hoses, clamps, timing belts (if equipped), timing pulleys, water pump, coolant hoses, clamps, rad caps aren't 20 years old, cap, rotor, wires, plugs. and then things that will almost always strand you if they fail - alternator, starter, fuel pump (wear items that are hard to find on a trip and poor quality from aftermarket sources anyway). one of those will strand you - not the wheels.

that's hysterical