idosubaru

Standard Dexron (used to be frequently labeled as Dexron/Mercon) used in Subarus for about 50 years. It is confusing - some labels downplay the 50 year standard Dex/Merc labeling standardized by the entire industry and owners manuals. I see “Asian Fluid”, “Foreign Vehicle”, “Compatible with…” and trademarked brands where you have to read the small print to find out it’s just the same old Dexron. Lame sauce. Subaru has good fluid too and it can be cross referenced to Idimetsu

They do have great purchase value. 80% of good priced subarus I see are manual trans. In my searches MT Subarus 15-20 years ago weren’t so differently priced. Extra annoying when they needed a new clutch shortly after purchase which wasn’t hard to have happen. Good point ! You’ve convinced me to teach some folks. what’s the easiest Subaru to do a clutch on? Might be fun to teach a bunch of folks on the same vehicle!

Any 4EAT transmission is beast. 99-00 are arguably worth avoiding for minor issues. A 2002-2006 Forester has the 4EAT Manual trans plain suck anyway. They offer no net advantage to ownership except popping the clutch on a dead battery, secruity, and often they can be bought cheap since no one wants (to deal with) one. Support is waning, parts and replacements getting hard and $$$$$ to get. older ones need a clutch or synchros warn, torque bind has no easy solutions, it was driven hard or the new clutch sucks or wasn’t done with TO or pilot bearing or cheap components and input shaft bearings…and just the time to replace a clutch is a waste. The better question is about engines, not transmissions.

The widely accepted norm from people that have done *many* Subaru headgaskets (and not just 1 or 3) is no spray and to do the following: Subaru gaskets or possible MLS equivalent Resurface the heads (it's pointless to "test them" and you can resurface yourself - it's insanely easy) Clean the head bolts and receiving holes in the block Lubricate the head bolts None of that really costs anything to do it the same way the most prolific and highly rated Subaru speciialists have been doing this for many years. So there's almost zero reason to not follow that protocol except laziness, lack of planning, anecdotal types who just like to think they're finding some new trick to solve a well known quarter century old question. I only do that so I can't comment on trying to deviate or follow some other method except that it just doesn't make sense to do so.

Itll be like getting a new refrigerator by buying each part one at a time and assembling it at home. It's much easier to get a complete engine. There's an incredibly amount of plumbing to make a turbo work to try and assemble it from scratch. Find a BLOWN complete turbo engine or vehicle so you can just swap blocks with it. You'll need all the up front exhaust, down pipe, intake, turbo crossmember or cut/modify yours, and stand alone ECU.

Too far and no time but man I was tempted to call my shop owner friend who's got a frame puller he deals with, that's such a sharp ride, too bad it's hit so bad.

What do you mean "the dealer"? If a Subaru dealer - who did you talk to? They various staff at dealers have a hard time keeping track of 10+ year old Subaru's and options availabilities/changes. So I'd be more inclined to think the person you talked to was guessing if the picture shows buttons. Did you type your VIN into google and check cars101.com to see what they list as equipment? It's not perfect or offical Subaru info, but he's a Subaru employee and has a lot of good information posted here about trim/options, etc: https://cars101.com/ Do you know if this could have been a dealer or owner add on? Years ago I fished lake Talmadge many times a few miles north of Hampton.

Well done! Don't know about the VSS. What issue are you having with it? Did you swap into an auto or manual vehicle?

The only RHD Subaru's i've ever seen are 1990's legacy's. So the simplest guess would be a 1990-1994 and 1995-1999 difference. Only 1990's legacy rack difference Im aware of is the gear ratio, maybe that's the difference here - are the number of teeth/splines on the shafts that would change steering ratio different? Maybe the quicker rack has beefier gland or something to support quicker steering ratio? CARDONE has a rebuild service listed on rockauto.com - for $218 you mail them your rack and they rebuild it and return it to you. This link may not work - but just drill down to your vehicle on rockauto.com and under rack and pinion is a rebuild option: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/subaru,1996,legacy,2.2l+h4,1269873,steering,rack+and+pinion,7388 I assume it would be unavailable if you ordered it but here's Subaru's RHD rack: https://www.subarupartsdeal.com/parts/subaru-rack-assembly-gear-box~34116fa000.html This place appears to have sold rebuilt ones before: https://www.detroitaxle.com/shop/steering/rack-pinion/complete-power-steering-rack-pinion-assembly-right-hand-drive/?vyr=1996&vmk=Subaru&vmd=Legacy&vsmd=Postal

Wow I thought tearing one down would take longer. Good to hear in case I ever tear into one of these XT6 racks I've always meant to try. I don't know - but RHD being largely JDM - keep in mind their years/generations/models don't line up with ours if you end up comparing years here to years on JDM equipment.

This says “Right Hand Drive” but not sure how accurate it is and it says 1994-1996 legacy https://www.ebay.com/itm/353792747490?fits=Make%3ASubaru&hash=item525fb0e7e2:g:zNIAAOSwVJVhqAh1

I wonder if you can call these JDM importers and ask if they can get 90s legacy racks? Probably take two months to ship. Lol Heres a 2000 legacy rack. That’s as close as you can get to 95-99 generation legacy. But it’s a turbo and that valve looks huge. Not sure how to tell if it would be adaptable. Id also wonder if rack reseal kits are available for it? https://www.ebay.com/itm/175162166896?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338722076&customid=&toolid=10050 Im wondering - What vehicle are they being purchased for in the US?

Well that’s bad news. How long did it take to take it apart? I’d probably look into getting a newer model JDM RHD EJ rack and retrofit it. It may not be clean and easy though. The angle of the valve where it passes by the cross member is often an issue. And from what I’ve seen (which isn’t much) WRX STi dominate the supply over legacy so they may have a propensity to vary more than normal. Can you swap the entire rod and valve assembly into the LHD rack? I see the two rods are different but can you swap the entire rod itself? I imagine the entire LHD housing length, ID and OD are probably incapable of accepting the RHD guts? Bearing suppliers can take dimensions and find bearings to fit an application. I wonder if there is a similar supplier for seals? Call them and give them some dimensions?

Yep good thinking to try it. Most of the parts look symmetric such that left or right doesn’t matter. I guess the seals are available? It’s usually not recommended to use seals once they’ve been installed.

That's a good idea for acquiring less warn parts. Can the rack housing get scored and need finished as well? Here's the only two Subaru rebuilds I'm aware of that exist - the first one is your exact steering rack. I have it saved because XT6 steering racks are also NLA although we do have non-XT6 options that will work which you don't have: https://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=45717 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nlnYUjx_TvJvtbzorMoIWHBv24T7WUMi/view

If you're trying to do this as cheap as possible: $200-$300 for any of the various cheapest 2000-2004 short blocks on www.car-part.com, or look locally on craigslist/facebook for a wrecked car, ebay, etc. $150 for Subaru head gaskets $100 for a new Subaru timing belt and lower cogged idler. Resurface the ej22 heads (you can even do it yourself it's really easy). No need for a full valve job. Install your ej22 heads onto the EJ25 block properly (clean cams, heads, head bolts, and head bolt holes, lubricate head bolts, torque properly) You have an EJ25 for about $500 in parts that's way better than any EJ25D option. It drops in and plugs and plays without any electronics or other work. It's super simple. Some notes: You have to keep searching for a good block - just keep calling all the listings until you find a good block. Also use car-parts.com to search for 2001 auto and manual and 2003 outback - they're all the same eventhough they list them separately. Or instead of getting a used one buy a brand new block with a warranty from Subaru for $2,000 or these guys for $1,200: https://sunwestautoinc.com/product/subaru-ej25-short-block-2-5l-sohc-1996-2011/ You should also install new subaru timing belt and all new pulleys. $150-$250 for 2 pulleys, belt, tensioner. But the timing belt and lower toothed/cogged idler is the bare minimum as they're by far the most likely to fail and are a non negotiable to replace in a new expensive enngine/repair. But I'd do all the pulleys.

There are two different tensioners. 1996 has the two piece style, 1997+ has the later one piece style. I don't think AISIN makes a kit for the DOHC EJ25. There are also 2 different EJ25D valve cover gaskets. Make a list of all the parts and part numbers - write them down - and go buy them one at a time. Buy them from Subaru - the online suppliers are discounted 20+% and reasonable. Sometimes ebay has them too - I've gotten the lower idler (the most common one to fail) many times on ebay for $15 or so. Belt, two pulleys, lower idler, tensioner pulley, 4 cam seals, crank seal and oil pump oring and sealant for oil pump. Tighten the oil pump backing plate screws while you have it apart. If cost is an issue skip the water pump. They rarely fail and if they do they just start slowly leaking, nothing catastrophic. If yours was already replaced by a lower grade aftermarket then it's more likely to fail. I don't see any reason to go with lower grade parts but if you absolutely have to here's a kit: https://www.ebay.com/itm/275271470337?fits=Year%3A1996|Make%3ASubaru&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4017754d01:g:F3YAAOSwamBiWczn&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA8IErHmMC%2BxGnUBa5qjfQVrtcz4QJiZGrzjIYtw1Zd%2B%2BNBDARlBe52BhIHQc7EAfemc4T55faczmGYZB8WlPuNbkyndXeHl3skIaU7qNU%2B197UVoPyVsb9Oc%2FvVQC068t4n%2Fsm8UolyKoj9KVqXgMltCsvMRWTNRdqdkJ0vhYqGZzUpfWX4n780r8BzvZbpQnwfBMnhpELt2vyrJNLk3uCOYtQ9Pw3twYDuIHtlYWuUdRgplgTFYVbFZ%2B5q7YAv2VBSZ7TpSJF2satnSfR9TECZPwU3o%2F0WxqqX2%2BWEyLDRmwDFXvWXXXZ3sEjbA%2BSIoDWQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBM4qyzholg

There’s like 13 different ways to do this and you haven’t given us any background. Do you want power or cheap or easy or reliability or what percent mixture of those? Each of those is a huge determining factor in how best to proceed. I’d want reliability first and ensure I’m getting new headgajseys on any EJ25 swap Buy a newer (and better) phase II Subaru EJ25 OEM block for $2,000 and bolt your Impreza heads and intake to it. Then there’s guaranteed fitment with no questions or concerns, new headgaskets, brand new block with 36,000 mile 36 month warranty. They probably won’t honor it on a swap depending on your relationship with your dealer. If you want the plug and play used long block option then get the matching exhaust manifold and EGr configuration from: Any 1996-1998 EJ25 Any 1999 Legacy or Outback EJ25 (not a 99 forester or Impreza RS) You never said if your Impreza has EGR. If you don’t care about check engine lights or can do a little extra work around you can ignore EGR and make any EJ25 work. All the engine I listed plug in and run the exact same in your car even if you ignore EGr. It’s just CEL and emissions and there’s easy work around b If you bolt your Impreza heads to an EJ25 block use 99 Forster/Impreza or 2000-2004 EJ25 block (phase II) I mentioned earlier. You’ll get a compression and HP bump doing this over just using an entire EJ25. And you don’t get tjose bizarre EJ25 DOhC pistons that stick out about the block plane and seem worse than later block variations. You may need to run premium gas but I’m unsure which combos end up needing jt snd which don’t. Even early 96 complete EJ25s sometimes need premium gas too. I think 1996s.

“Performance” here means “how high do you want to lift it and what size tires you running? Jokes aside - Rallitek and others carry performance parts. Adjustable, coil over, etc. Those aren’t very attractive to the practical off road lifted crowd that dominates here. Super Pro makes bushings. They have some Subaru kits and stiffer base materials.

Reseal it - Subaru head gaskets, valve covers, cam seals, cam cap orings, oil pump, install new/rebuilt HLA's, all new timing gear or bearings in them and call it a day. Is there some other issue you're chasing besides oil leaks and valve train noise?

First post digs up an 18 year old thread, were you looking for something?! You're right to discourage using the FWD fuse beyond anything except the intended use or by those very familiar with Subaru's initiating repair options. There's no reason to and it won't offer any gains, mpg or otherwise. Subaru didn't design this system for long term use - that doesn't mean it can't do it. Subaru's more pressing reasons would be money. No reputable business wants a feature like that easily accessible by occupants of the vehicle. They would be too easily confused about when/why it should be used. And it would be perceived as dangerous in the event of a wreck/lawsuit. No way in a billion years Subaru would put that functionality at the whims of whatever person or pet is in the cabin, particularly given the general consumer focus of Subaru's offerings. This lesson Subaru was *reminded* of when they got sued for Subaru brat rear seat injuries in the 1980's. Subaru also didn't design this system to be used *at all* while driving. So the location of the fuse is indifferent from a design perspective. It just needs to be found by anyone with minor mechanical reasoning or willing to read the owners manual in the event of a tire blown or accident on the side of the road. Many people have driven in FWD for long periods of time with no issues. It's silly to do it for "gas savings" reasons though. I have done it for repair reasons, both short term and life of vehicle (far more than 6 months), but definitely not for performance or gas mileage. If you take these transmissions apart there's nothing noteworthy that running in FWD will do. As a matter of fact there's almost no difference between the 4WD and FWD automatics. You can take one out and plug and play install another one they're so similar (I've done it). The computer doesn't even care. If you run FWD all the time The Duty C does stay activated constantly so that could be argued as a downside, but that would be like arguing you should wax your car for improved aerodyanmics and gas mileage. so far those that have done have noted zero issues. And electro-mechanically it's in an ideal environment - as near to a NASA clean room as an average consumer will get. transmissions interiors are essentially closed systems that stay incredibly clean and the Duty C will maintain nearly consistent temperatures due to being submerged in fluid. Electronics hate heat. Also turning electronic devices on and off can lead to premature failure (usually it's at such a small rate it's not noticeable but sometimes it is), due to the way the electrical loading happens at *on* and *off* moments. This is why bulbs frequently blow when they're turned on (or off). Power conditioners can make light bulbs last much longer and provide better performance for anything that requires a signal..even devices (antennas, boosters, etc) in your own home. This might be minor, but so is trying to debate the efficacy of leaving the Duty C powered all the time verses cycling it over and over and over and over.

I’ve got that all-tel EM29 or whatever scanner, it read 4 transmission codes. Will post them tomorrow.

Yeah it seems problematic. It has a bunch of trans codes and whining. Not sure if fuses can be trans related but it’s missing one or two. Seems like bad trans but I’ll check to make sure trans plugs are all connected and no wiring issues, check fuses and drive it some more. want to make sure I avoid replacing the trans and have the same issues.

It ran and drove, that’s where the good news ends. In reverse it drove totally forward like it was in drive, until I cycled it through all stops on the trans selector. Now reverse works. Is that indicative of: 1. Compromised CVT? or, 2. That’s what they always do when fluid gets low and they’re refilled? There’s also some whining and rattling type noises. I’m guessing the transmission is shot but I’ll investigate a little more and look up failing cvt symptoms.

That’s a good options thanks, it has the “original fluid” mixed with whatever I topped it off with.