idosubaru

read the codes - real simple, just search for the threads showing the connector above the gas pedal. ground the proper pin and it'll flash the codes. some years - like 95 and 96 have a relay/ABS pump issue. otherwise they're usually simple - just one of the sensors are compromised. there's one sensor at each wheel - they can be dirty/need cleaned or need replaced. with an FSM you could test the values of each ABS sensor via the connectors and a multimeter.

and do not touch that ball joint unless you absoultely have too - they can be a tremendous debacle. if your hub is questionable you can buy a used knuckle assembly, do the bearing on it, and then just swap it with yours. www.car-part.com

sounds like a steering rack boot - replace that immediately. dirt getting past that boot can cause the rack to leak and need replacement. just do a visual check and replace what's broken - most of that stuff lasts a long time up front. check the inner axle boot, outer axle boot, ball joint boot, tie rod boots, caliper side pins for rust/grease, caliper pad clips for rust/black build up. at 200,000 miles the pad clips can often be in bad shape, rust, build up, bent - check rockauto and see if they're cheap enough to make it worth replacing. i usually try to replace them once in the course of 200,000 or 300,000 miles. use Sil Glye brake pin grease or some other quality silicone based grease. it's far superior to regular offerings. The H6 outbacks of that generation have a slide pin bushing that is prone to swell and restrcit or seize the caliper. i pull them off and throw them away, they're unnecessary. CV's don't need any maintenance - they'll last the life of the car just by rebooting them when the boots crack. you can reboot it while it's off - the inner joint is far more likely to fail, so you can entertain just replacing that inner one and inspect the outer boot. grease does get very runny/watery with age so regreasing a joint would be a good thing - but since subaru axles routinely last the life of the car there's no real need for preventative maintenance. subaru's don't have upper ball joints.

an xt6 distributor is mechanical - it rotates and is gear driven? what do you mean?

ha ha ha, that's awesome and great news.

yeah patch it. lasts only a few months - you've done it multiple times? is this is regular hole in the tread? it's not in the sidewall right? i've never had a plug not hold. you can use also use two plugs at one time, that might help. 45,000 miles is a lot, surprised they still have good tread.

yep should be the same. if the driveshaft is removed and the AT light is blinking and the car is otherwise running fine - it sounds nearly gauranteed it's the Duty C solenoid.

wow, what a crazy mess. 12 point bolts? that's definitely not a Subaru bolt then. i was going to say what larry said and just shear them off - but - if the tigtheness is due to the wrong sized threads/pitch then the bolts are probably galled in place, not just tigth at the seating surface of the heads. although releasing that tension at the heads should still help. is that why you're reluctant to shear them off, or what else are you thinking/seeing? have you tried a 3 foot extension or 5 foot extension? what happens? are they all like this - or just one or two? if they do start to turn and they're very tight I would go very slowly - turn them half a turn, then go do another one or take a break. there is localized intense heating which quickens the shearing process.

here is Phil's install into his XT6: http://www.subaruxt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8805&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=EZ30

do not replace headbolts, no vote is needed, it's a fact. people that say replace them are OCD, just borrowing ideas from other platforms/manufacturers, always have and always will, or armchair quarterbacking. no dealer replaces them, no one that has done significant Subaru work for decades on many motors replaces them. it's obvious. GD is very busy, that's all. 1. resurface the heads (view link above, you can do it yourself, it's really easy). they always have high and low spots, don't even test them. 2. if it's a DOHC EJ25 - use the Subaru Turbo EJ25 headgaskets. the tensioner really needs replaced - not just for the bearings but for the hydraulic mechanism. have you checked amazon for the Gates timing belt kit? there's no need for kits if you're trying to keep costs low- just buy what you need, not a $300 engine kit. if funds are short i wouldn't replace the water pump, they rarely have issues and catastrophic failure is nearly unheard of. i wouldn't replace the thermostat either. i'm the oddball on this but for all the talk abuot thermostats - i've yet to see a failed Subaru thermostat, or even aftermarket, I'd just leave yours until you have issues. i think thermostats get replaced all the time as a first, cheap, easy step - and that almost perpetuates the notion they often cause issue when they really don't. start driving 200,0000 miles without replacing one and i'll bet we'd see very few failures - i haven't. granted they're cheap so it doesn't really matter - but the thing either opens or not, i'll wait until it doesn't open to replace one - so far i'm at 200,000 miles lots of times and never replaced one and routinely have friends/family that don't care about cars/maintenance and never do anything but oil/air filter for 150,000+ miles and they never replace them....whatever they're failure rate is, it's not big. but i understand the notion of replacing them and often have if it's for other people or cetain cars other than my own, for those i routinely replace them as a matter of caution. subarupartswarehouse.com and others are 20% cheaper than Subaru dealers and ocassionally, around holidays, have big sales. they've had like 30% off for Halloween recently. if you're buying the EJ25 Turbo headgaskets.

all the time. amazon probably more often, but yeah for used it's a good starting point. searching is a debacle - sometimes it's too much effort to searching for something I'm obvoiusly looking for....but I get it. i've had two bad parts. "OEM Subaru ball joints" - not only not OEM ball joints, they weren't even the right size. a brand new cheap strut mount - in about 10 miles the top of the strut rod, the metal part the strut rod bolts too - pulled out of the strut mount and pushed right through the top strut mount, into the car cabin and bashed up the rear deck of a legacy sedan.

phil swapped an H6 EZ30 into his XT6 years ago on subaruxt.com, check out what he did over there.

nice job figuring it out and fixing it. not sure about calculating final drive ratios, never done it. 3.7 and 3.9 are the only MT EA82 final drive ratios. no 4.11's until they showed up in EJ's.

max pressure - once it's to the height you want you're done. measure stock height and add air until it's there and that's gonna be real close to operational pressures.

WOAH! car did it's job, glad you're okay. that's some serious damage, that second photo is nuts - the rear gate looks almost parallel to the side doors. i dove, moving quickly, horizontal to the floor and slammed my head against a wall earlier this year, tight neck for a few days and odd feelings in the neck for a couple months. take care of it and get it checked out, second opinions if necessary, and do whatever they tell you for PT and beg for more.

i hear you on that - I suppose you might be able to google pictures of the cam sprockets and maybe the differences are obvious enough to tell by feel? or pull the crank or cam sensor and try to peak down the holes and see them that way? or can you get your fingers behind the cam sprocket and feel for the marks?

Here's a picture and more details from pointing him to the problem: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/303354-ej25-ticking-valves-clearance-set-not-rod-knock-what.html

your car and the donor - AT or MT? I think the trigger marks different between AT and MT's? those are the trigger marks - the drivers side cam (for the cam sensor) and the crank sprocket both have them. check part numbers/cross reference online. opposed forces call subaru and get your part number fo rthe drivers side cam sprocket using the VIN, or stop in and look at one if they have them in stock? might be able to look up part pictures online once you get a part number.

if not much feedback here - could you ask your local part supplier for recommendations who to ask locally places that service fleets - rental agencies, school buses, city buses, corporate...?

timing belt teeth are the same, i mean the trigger points on the back of the sprocket. i'm not sure you can see those by just looking at the front. the crank sprocket is easier to look at - just pull the cover and look. the trigger points stick up and can easily be seen on the back of the sprocket. ***you are not counting the teeth the timing belt rides on*** - the trigger points in the back. look where the cam and crank sensors are - it's sensing the triggers.

Remove the most problematic engine Subaru has ever made that's in the car now and install one of the best engines Subaru ever made and drive it inexpensively and reliably another 100,000 miles: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/153118-ej22-or-ej18-swap-into-ej25d-dohc-vehicle/ EJ22, new timing kit, valve cover gaskets, cam seal/oring, reseal the oil pump, new water pump, plugs, wires, new ebay knock sensor, and drive it another 5 or 10 years. $500 EJ22 (here is one in CA with nly 114,000 miles (805-343-5552) $200 timing kit, seals, valve covers $500 install/labor -($300) Sell your old EJ25 $1,2000 (or $900 if you sell the EJ25) repair, cheaper than replacing headgaskets on an EJ25 and you've done all the major maintenance items on the engine - drive it another 100,000 miles. I installed a $150 engine in one years ago at 125,000 miles and a friend is currently driving it at like 230,000 or something, thing has been a beast for 100,000+ miles.

if the check engine light is on you need to read the code - it's telling you the problem most likely. 1. read the code 2. check for spark 3. check timing marks, make sure belt hasn't jumped a tooth - the side covers are easily removed in minutes - 10mm bolts, that's it. check both cams at least, ideally crank marks too. stalling guesses: vacuum leak timing belt is off cylinder misfires - plugs, wires burnt valves MAF knock sensor is cracked converter clogged fuel not getting to injectors coil pack is hosed something is disconnected rodents chewed through wiring

i sent you a 2002 FSM and the Auto trans section of a 2000 - that's what all the "loose" pages are.

$370 is a steal for a subaru independent too. that's great. can still get you that FSM if you get a dropbox, too big to email

if that's a turbo forester, i'd want really good prior maintenance/owners records or something on it. those engines are huge expenses to repair when they incur turbo and engine issues. and guess which ones are most likely to be traded in and end up back for sale on a dealer lot? right - ones with issues. someone on another forum is juggling a problematic turbo OBXT he bought in June and the turbo exploded right afterwards and now there's more issues. not the first time i've heard that story. i'd rather buy one of those from a private seller where I know exactly why they're moving on.