idosubaru

Cold weather - others will be more versed but run appropriate weight old and have a good battery. If you're going to let it sit for extended periods in cold then maybe there are batteries with better capabilities for that use? Trickle charger? Solar charger? (lol) Oil - follow the owners manual. I think that calls for synthetic 0w-20 in the FB engine so that should be an excellent winter performer. Performance - will be as good as the tires you put on it. The AWD should perform excellent, up to whatever tires you have equipped and the conditions you experience. Sleeping - I haven't slept in any newer ones but have enough padding to mitigate the hump where the seats fold down.

They vary wildly - can come out relatively easy (for east coast terms) or very hard - and even "hard" has a lot of different levels, I mean, a lot. In the worst condition - no tool can actually remove them. Tools will break and strip. And - these cases are rare but they can shatter/break the ball joint insitu. the stud rips out of the ball while it's still in the knuckle The stud is out, with some other bits and pieces,and you think you got it - are finally excited to have overcome!!!....but then you're left with part of the remaining shell of the ball rust-welded in a layer inside the convex portion of the knucle. the new ball joint wont' fit until you get that out. so then you spend an hour chiseling and drilling that shell out. That's very rare of course - it's not like I've seen that more than once or twice and I didn't try a torch - so I'm not sure if a torch would work or not. Torch experts in the rust belt - how would a torch work in that situation?

Pretty classic EJ25D symptoms here. But I'll be more thorough since you seem uncertain and reluctant to believe that. Hopefully you can follow along on this very rough overview. Start with basics: Radiator clogged? Are the fans coming on? How old and what brand are the radiator cap and tsat? Is the mating surface in the radiator - where the raiator cap should sit and seal at the base - clean and devoid of compromise? Is the rubber line from the radiator to overflow tank restricted or too close/flat to the bottom of the overflow tank? All that simple stuff should be checked and you hope you get lucky but all of those are very unlikely candidates for "It won't overheat for one hour, and then it does." Those failure modes are rarely time dependent and ICE's create so much heat in an hour that waiting an hour to overheat is thermodynamically and physically impossible. I'll come back to this in a moment.... It's not uncommon for EJ25D's to do this. It only seems weird to someone who doesn't know the specifics of EJ25D's really well. Sure - they often have clearer signs - but they also often have very subtle initial signs that avoid detection by most means. Initial leaks pass most/all tests you can throw at it. Sometimes initial leaks (usually of OEM installed gaskets IME) can pass every single possible test available. Without writing a book about all the nuances I've seen and theories about each one - I think it can be reduced to the idea that they start off leaking internally very very slowly. Not fast enough to give typical indicators. And a few overflow filling up or overpouring conditions like you're experiencing obliterate the ability to see a slow coolant loss over a long period of time...if any is happening at all. Exhaust gases enter the coolant very slowly, not enough to cause any major symptoms but enough to compromise the fluid flow - if it's not cavitation (in fluid dynamics terms), then maybe it's something close to that. Where the water pump is doing all the work on the easily compressable air and very little on the fluid. Or the exhaust gases are somehow preventing the thermostat from opening properly. A slow leak like this, like I've seen before, is more in alignment with your symptoms too. It slowly leaks - just a bubble a minute. Not enough to do anything in 15 minutes....but after an hour...you've got a balloon with no envelope in your cooling system. Sometimes that balloon may only locally form or cause issues under very specific events/circumstanes/conditions. I've seen EJ25D's and EZ30's go 6 or more months between overheating events and a year or two before getting worse enough or exhibiting signifciant enough symptoms to warrant people finally diagnosing it. I've seen multiple mechanics (friends that live across country and I tell them it's headgaskets but they can't find a mechanic to address that) throw every cooling system part, swear they found the problem, pass every test, and not fix the problem. One thing about your description that doesn't make logical sense is that you're saying: 1. it won't overheat unless driven for an hour 2. the coolant comes out cold. it's thermodynamically impossible for an ICE to run for an hour without overheating or making the coolant hot. they generate A LOT of heat in an hour. So what's probably happening is after an hour - the coolant flow finally locks up (reread my description of fluid flow as an illustration, not as a scientific treatise) - then the coolant quits moving so the fluid in the radiator just sits there for a moment and is quickly cooled down by air flow - and that's pushed out and noted to be cool. While the coolant in the engine is overheating. So the bad news is - that should be highly convincing that you are 99% likely to have a headgasket issue. The good news is: A. you still have a 1% chance of getting lucky B. EJ22

If it's not getting properly burped between all this cooling system work - it could just keep having air in it.

Probably headgaskets - but you can hope it needs an OEM tstat and radiator cap, and absolutely properly burped (no air at all, zero, none, in the cooling system). Fairtax is right these internal headgasket failure symptoms aren't normal - but these engines will ocassionally have this issue if the headgaskets were previously replaced - so tell us the history of the car? How long have you owned it? How long did you own it before symptoms arose? Were the HG's ever replaced? Where did you buy it from?

Heating is a back up option for sure but one i've never needed. One difference is It's not like other bolts that are just rust welded from the back side, through the middle, or the entire shank. That doesn't really happen here and they're large, beefy bolts/nuts. So once the initial movement happens, it should come out. The nuts can be worse because if the studs/nut threads are rusty then it'll grab and bite on the way out too even after loosening. The rest - never had an issue after the first movement.

***What did the dealer say? Take it back and demonstrate the issues. Take it to a another dealer. The defroster runs the A/C - so this sounds like it may be directly linked to the A/C. Does it change if you switch the setting from interior air to external air (if equipped, i think every subau i've ever owned has that functionality?). I know this is entirely impractical but it sounds to me like you need to stop driving the car immediately, no matter what that means. You're endangering yourself and others. If something is lasting two weeks, creating films, and noxious fumes, and has those large directly linked to the A/C system - I would think this should be easy to demonstrate in person at the dealer.

Engine = 200 CFM's. Large compressor = 20 CFM's You'll have to run 220 volt electric service in your Subaru and strap 10 of those compressors to your car. https://www.craftsman.com/products/craftsman-professional-80-gallon-4-7-rhp-oil-lubricated-professional-air-compressor-155-max-psi-230-volt-high-flow-single-stage?taxon_id=1642 That's an illustration, nothing more. What you're missing is the difference bewteen a fan and a compressor - they are not even remotely close to the same thing. It'll help in the long run to learn a little bit about ICE's, the difference between fans and compressors, and how and why FI works. It's basic physics and no cheap trick, part, or technique is going to change that.

i've rarely seen Subaru wheel bearings exhibit play when they're failing. i've even seen them feel tight on the car and not after i have it removed...not sure how/why, but they just seem unpredictable. two wheel bearing determination "aids" - though nothing is ever definitive with wheel bearings: 1. listen with mechanics stethoscope on hub or strut spring while turning wheel - listen for noises 2. hit it with a temperaure gun after driving - after hearing the noise. compare both sides in the same areas - usually takes a few readings to get a feel for what's happening since temps can vary wildly across a short distance. here's a thread i made: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/143097-is-that-my-wheel-bearing-easy-diagnosis/ pictures don't seem to be showing up for me so here's a repeat: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/111946-easy-wheel-bearing-diagnosis.html but again - that's not definitive either - it only sometimes shows ones that exhibit no other symptoms.

are you talking about the bellhousing or the actual trans mount bolts at the rear of the trnasmission? are the lower mount nuts by the axles really rusty and flaking? issues are rare here. the two worst culprits are the two lower nuts behind the axles - those are the most prone to issues. if they're badly rusted remove the axles and make sure you go at them straight and with a quality 6 point socket at perfect 90/180 degree angles of applied force. as soon as it starts slipping - stop and reassess. i forget what i've done in the past but i've never had a problem ultimately getting them out either. if they're tight - turn it once or twice (depending how tight) then go do something else to let them cool down. come back to it - washer, rinse, repeat, never letting the bolt get hot - therby expanding, exaccerbating the issue, and compromising the materials properties as you go. i ocassionally run into one bellhousing bolt that's a real beast - and galls and really tight on the way out, for no reason, no rust - but heat wouldn't help those. just follow the wash/rinse/repeat method listed above and have a tap and die to clean the threads of any of those tight bolts so they go in without stripping during reinstall.

Subaru is usually a good option for easy/simple parts like this - plugs, wires, VCG's, the cost difference is meager relatively speaking. Rockauto Fel Pro valve cover gasket set: $27.59 with the eternal 5% discount code + shipping. $25.193 with 30% discount code at Advance auto parts I can get it for $21.59 at Advance Auto parts using the 40% discount code for the other parts and typical necessary items like washer fluid, gas treatment, cleaners, rags, etc. cheaper, shows up locally to people who know me and help me out routinely, or free delivery to my house.

you haven't told us what vehicle - though i can kind of guess... are you talking about parking brake (in the rear) or the actual braking system? we can't see it "rear brakes non-existant" - what does that mean? you should have asked them, not us. pads, shoes, drum, parking brakes, or they're not effectively operating? 1. jack up the car 2. step on the brakes 3. can someone move the tire by hand while stepping on the brakes? 4. if yes - fix it 5. if no - video tape it, ask them, or go somewhere else

i would be moving on to another engine too. EJ22 swap all the way.

something like 1995-1999 legacy's (maybe others) have a recall for the front coil springs. you might want to call and see if it's: A. covered B. can get the potential upgrade after you repair it - or get it on the other side at least

i'd just go simple if low cost is the goal. i'd put the cam money towards an EJ22 instead, they're not hard to find cheap.

1990-1991 are the same part 1992-1994, and 1993-2001 impreza are the same part 1995-1999 are interchangeable i'm unsure of the interchangeability between those three groups.

there's no interchange really - it depends on parts and what you're trying to do - there's too many variables. "be able to use these parts" - depends what you mean... body parts - forester and impreza's and SVX's are out. 1995-1999 outbacks same body, legacy wagons similar, front of legacy sedans the same. engine, trans, brakes, interior, suspension (and how much of the suspension)..all have different answers. the engine is directly interchangeable with any 1996-1998 EJ25 vehicle and 1999 Outacks and Legacys with EJ25, as well as 1995 automatic EJ22's, and 1995 manuals EJ22's with a minor work around with vacuum lines. that engine and the exhaust manifold is plug and play compatible with 1996-1998 EJ22 vehicles, impreza or legacy. suspension and brakes generally interchange all day long on subarus but there are some notes depending on years/models/goals. wanting to swap "A" often means also swapping "A" and "B"....

or if there were timing belt issues - broken belt, tensioner, etc. then you're wondering which valves are bent or not. but yeah on an uncompromised, normal looking engine, i've never even thought about it.

replace the valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals/gaskets. if access is tight for spark plugs- like the H6 engines - i replace them at the same time. they go from a pain (see all the threads started about them) to easy with the valve covers removed. takes minutes and done. concur - overfilled oil likely not a contributing factor. you can always crank the drain plug a little bit and let some oil out to get it down to normal level and see what happens if you think it was overfilled really badly.

swap the oil cooler over to the new engine or just install it without an engine. pull engine plug, install oil cooler fitting.

is there a reason to test them? broken belt or some other compromising situation? i don't routinely test heads during a head gasket job, there's no reason too. i've tested a couple for various reasons - i think it's said not to use water as it promotes rust. pretty sure minimal seapage, weeping, isn't rare on nominally running engines. at thousands of RPM's and thousandths of a second internal combustion temps/pressures, the losses are probably immeasurable. but that is just guess - it may come down to more nuanced questions and answers.

test drive one that isn't borked from the start (missing gears, etc)? It shouldn't have any problems driving/passing cars as needed. I mean "driving/passing" are somewhat ambiguous - but what you described doesn't sound normal and that DOHC shoudln't "stand out" in poor performance in any significant way. it should feel like a very average 2.5 liter 165 hp sedan. they're not a smoking 2.5 liter or 165 hp but they're not gutless or notably slow/poor either. it sounds to me like you weren't impressed with ***that car*** rather than that engine...and the little we know alraedy suggests it's got issues - missing gears, so i'm not sure how many wide ranging universal assumptions about an entire platform would be helpful from that one experience.

great, thanks scott, love it. i recommend your stuff all the time usually on subaruoutback, awesome to hear the recent updates.

aluminum sounds like a great fit Why the switch?

Run a tap through it and see what happens. Sometimes you get lucky. Slightly larger tap, i'd probably go for it, it's benign enough i wouldn't be too worried about it, but I'm weird if it was my personal vehicle I wouldn't even care to run it with just one bolt, it's not going anywhere. that hood plate will rust in place in due time around here anyway. LOL I assume being a captive nut and thin hood there's no room to work with - but on the engine you can often use a longer bolt that accesses threads that are deeper than the orginal bolt. Done that gobs of times, but captive nut situation that might not work.