idosubaru

Sounds just like an H6 or EJ25D headgasket. I'm not, those tests are easy for anyone to use and available but can easily give false negatives particularly on early failures that aren't huge problems yet (car still drivable, intermittent, etc). The gas analyzers ($$$$ electrical equipment) that can test for hydrocarbons in the coolant are much better here in the hands of someone who knows how to use them. Radiator needs to be confirmed full, no air, no leaks or the symptoms are somewhat ambiguous. If those all check out - there needs to be an accurate assessment of "bubbles in the reservoir" and "bubbles in the radiator", and "boiling in the overflow" - *bubbling* is too ambiguous of a word - it can describe both boiling and bubbling which both mean distinctly different things. Check for obvious things like a clogged radiator, fans, leaks, air - but this is common H6 headgasket territory. Doesn't probably matter - what why was the radiator replaced? If due to overheating - describe those symptoms. If due to failure - how badly did it overheat/loose coolant?

I usually sit in the rear of the car (even the trunk if i have to) and usually then it's obvious if it's the front or back. If you just sit up front it's more ambiguous but if you hear it from both the front and far back it shows itself. And then while you're back there you can tell left/right while you're at it too.

Give the bolt head size and length and some of us here probably have them.....for $8 each. LOL Oh yeah -those are 17mm bolts? Subaru has them for $4.88, then shipping but picking it up local....? http://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru__/BOLT--WASHER-ASSEMBLY-------------------09----ITEM-N06--N0809----ITEM-N09--N01/49301506/901130011.html

CCR Gloyale and GD are two members here that own shops in Oregon, they would certainly be a great resource for Subaru's.

your steering column ujoint is seized. used ones are $35 and it's like 2 bolts to replace them, very easy...though tight space and rust doesn't help get them off, but not hard at all.

it can need freon, that's a classic low refrigerant symptom. the system requires specific fluid properties at various points of the system - sensors turn it off if the fluid gets out of a range . or a warn clutch - but the predictable nature of it points heavily towards freon. if it's low this also means it's slowly leaking - often from the orings at the compressor or schrader valves or hoses at the compressor. all easy and cheap to replace. it's possible for it get worse or stay the same for the next 6 years and just need randomly topped off.

The couple people i've heard about/read about online that ran turbo blocks without any forced induction said the cars ran and drove fine to get from A to B, most people say it's a terrible idea. I think it comes down to your usage and evironment. i swapped an EJ18 into an EJ25 equipped automatic legacy. i went from 160hp to 110 hp. probably almost identical to the change youll see. when i traveled to flatland - it wasn't even really noticeable - not a fast car but did just fine, i'd do it again if i lived in Ohio, central/easter maryland, down south... in the mountains where i live now - 6% grades with large 16" wheels and tires and 4 adult heavy male passengers - it was struggling and couldn't maintain interstate speed, had to downshift. So I installed smaller wheels and tires to effectively change the gear ratio and that helped a ton. i wouldn't do it again if i needed it for significant weight/mountain usage. so look into smaller wheels/tires if you can. if you're towing, carrying lots of weight/passengers, or driving up lots of steep grades that's going to be the deciding factor if it really matters or not. So if youre concerned about speed then bad idea. if you just want to get a quarter million mile vehicle drivable again as cheap as possible, then it'll definitely drive and move.

What about the additive I mentinoed? You might be $5 away from repairing it? Dealers often don't resurface the heads, which is unwise for surface finish reasons - they'll say they "check them" and "don't warp"...which has nothing to do with surface roughness/finish. Most don't use the turbo headgaskets either. The cam seals are more likely to fail than EJ water pumps, but the words "water pump" have more airplay and familiarity so they are typically included even though there's no statistically quantitative reason to do so on EJ engines.

Headgaskets: Reuse headbolts Use Subaru headgaskets Resurface the heads (you can easily do this yourself, google or search here for the thread on it). No need to check or pressure test - they don't go out of limits or crack. Install a timing belt kit with new tensioner and pulleys Check valve clearnce while it's apart Cam seals, reseal oil pump/tigthen backing plate screws Replace rear separator plate with metal stamped version if it's currently running a plastic one - they crack and leak. At 200k a water pump probably makes sense though they rarely fail. Use an OEM water pump gasket only, aftermarkets are thin cheese ball cardboard like. I'd do the valve cover gaskets and spark plugs while it's out but they can be done later and aren't that hard or cause major issues. Plugs NGK stock number is best and wires should be OEM, NGK or good quality, they're not very forgiving otherwise.

this "lip" - if it's on the new ones and not on the old original rotors then it's probably no supposed to be there? i'm not seeing it clearly on the picture...any side by side shots?

may need to readjust your parking brake shoes first, retract them for install and then expand them back out so they're adjusted properly with the new rotors? or it sound like you may be saying something is wrong even beyond that? i'd keep the OEM rotors if you can or get a set from a yard, ignore all the crazy rust. i'm still rolling 260,000 miles on my original rear rotors, i never replace them, the stock rotors are robust pieces of metal. i resurface if i have to but i've never had to on a rear rotor...well i probably have once or twice and am forgetting but it's rare.

What he said. And OEM water pump gaskets every time, the afermarkets are paper thin. Mizpah engineering cleans yours or sells remanned HLA's for like $3 or $5 a piece if you want to go that route too. I have some EA82 gaskets - Fel Pro headgaskets and various valve covers and seals. Want me to put together what I got and make a deal? I might even be able to head that way soon as I'm trading cars with someone in Somerset, KY.

additive, it's avialble locally for cheaper probably but just for illustration: https://www.amazon.com/Subaru-SOA635071-Coolant-System-Conditioner/dp/B00IGZP2UE/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1469560029&sr=1-1&keywords=subaru+additive follow the directions on the bottle. it's required for your engine and Subaru put it in every EJ25 they sold/worked on.

1. this might cost $5 to repair. The Subaru additive repairs nearly 100% of intitial leaks of OEM factory installed headgaskes. So if this is the first time it's started to leak you're a coolant change/$5 bottle away from repairing it. 2. $2,500 seems high. but if the vehicle is in good shape/been well taken care of it should be worth it. a. use Subaru turbo headgasket, they're more robust, others use the stock and Fel Pro gasket with good success. b. resurface the heads only. do not get a full on valve job, pressure test, etc - that's unnecessary on these heads, basicaly a waste of money, they don't warp, they don't crack, etc. it's pointless to check them because you resurface for finish too, not just flatness. *** The main hard part is machine shops will respond with "we won't warranty the heads if you don't do the full valve job/pressure testing, you could have cracks or warped heads"....and then that's compounded if the mechanic is using a 3rd party shop (often the case) because the mechanic is the 3rd person go between "well th shop said... so we have to". if i go in person, since i do the work myself, i just decline the warranty and tell them i'm totally comfortable with whatever happens if they just resurface it because it's totally pointless anyway - subaru heads don't warp and crack or have any issues that need inspected. You'll just have a hard time navigating that without any control of the situation and that's about a $500 difference for something pointless. The shop should be able to walk through that for you or you can talk to the machine shop yourself (the dealers routinely will tell you which machine shop they use/send stuff too) and call them yourself. Or pay me $150 and I'll navigate that for you. c. install a timing belt kit at the same time - they're a bit over $100 on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gates-TCK304-Timing-Belt-Component/dp/B002R8HMAY d. install new cam seals and valve covers while it's all apart. plugs and wires would be smart too but they're not going to cause any break downs or major issues if you're trying to go cheap. Can a used/older car have issues? Yes, of course. But done right you have a great chance at another 50-100k without any big surprises.

They twice noted future leaks at the water pump - maybe that's the source of the coolant leaking? Aftermarket gaskets are terribly flimsy and prone to leak- they're not much more than paper. The Subaru gaskets are robust stamped metal and excellent quality. If they tried to use a cork gasket - those things suck. If the pan is bent or the holes are "concave in" from previously being tigthened then get a new pan and reseal it. I'd just get another used pan and RTV it and properly torque it down. If it's just the water pump causing coolant loss then the thing looks like a great car - new water pump/gasket, axle boots, and reseal the AT - not bad at all.

I finally figured out how to edit mobile posts - good grief just click the post body first for a second for the edit option to show.

96 2.2 will run forever and outlast everything else on the car. About the cheapest, easiest, most predictable 100,000 miles you can buy. full timing belt - belt kit with pulleys, reseal oil pump/tighten backing plate screws, new cam seals and cam cap orings. Easy job. New valve covers gaskets, NGK plugs and wires and cheap eBay knock sensor. New coolant, ATF, front diff oil. Then drive it another 100,000+ miles with hardly any maintenance oil and air filters. Struts, rusty exhaust, alternator, brake caliper pins (rust/grease) and fuel pump are standard high mileage maintenance items. Have a used lower mileage pump and alt on hand to avoid stranding or low grade aftermarket units if they fail. I'll replace those two items around 175k but I realize most people in the 96 price point are hoping to get lucky and not worried about like-new reliability. Www.car-part.com and list by price for cheap parts Subaru had $70 alternators for that car at one point.

Those engines don't have a distributor in the US market....or any market? Knock sensor - just install the one that was on the vehicle. It had to have a knock sensor. Install it. If it doesn't reach post a picture something else is wrong not swap related.

If you bought it for $500 without issues then there's a good possibility the HGs are bad just because that's a common path for those engines. I've seen unbelievable numbers of EJ25D's with blown headgaskets for under $1,000. A few years ago I'm pretty sure I could've bought one a week.

Yes it's normal for the AC to turn off when it runs hot. Either a self protect design or the Karnot cycle is thrown off by the excessive heat, my guess is the former.

Radiator or headgasket. That engine has common headgasket issues. it more than likely has issues now or in the past in which case you have to wonder how badly was it overheated, did they run tap water in it for a long time, clogging the radiator, was the repair subpar. that is most definitely not normal. There's a problem unless you are towing a huge trailer you didn't mention. People routinely drive these on those conditions for the past 20 years like that. I've done it. ask around you'll find lots of examples on 100 degree interstate driving on 6% grades. Google it. won't find anything particularly back when these things were new and under warranty, people would be seriously offended if they're new car couldn't do routine summer road trips in the mountains. There's people pulling boats in them from California east on those huge long grades to Tahoe and more. Couple people been doing it for years on subaruoutback.org subaru cooling systems are typically undersized so if the radiator is clogged it'll degrade quickly.

I mean the passengers side needs to go up and over something, not drivers.

I got it through. It would be hard to get two or three through I think. Coat hanger first then attached it to fish wire from a TriBeCa hitch which I threaded into the ID of the hose. It stopped twice and I had to back and forth multiple ways to get it past those problem areas. The drivers side needs to go up and over something shortly under the lip of the access hole, make sure it goes up and over to start.

Thanks fairtax I picked up Napa hose today. Going from passenger side pump cover to drivers side is not immediately working. Not much room and those lines snake everywhere. With some effort maybe it'll go. Anyone done it and gotten one hose through? From drivers side down to underneath is cake, wide open.

Mastercrafts are really popular around here as well, i see them all the time. i should give them a whirl some time. Kelly Safari Signature on my friends XTerra are amazing - i assume it's mostly the tires. He's ran them forever, warn down to the bars, rubber is looking old showing signs of cracking, and did great this winter for his profession where he can't adjust or not show in bad weather. They're meant for SUV's and larger vehicles and "light off roading" i presume and maybe would resist rock chipping from offroad use.