idosubaru

Yours is a Phase I engine for this thread and practical purposes. This is intended for this thread/the OP to keep things simple. 99 OB's use Phase II short blocks but are Phase I in every other way - heads, intake, electronics. So the OP needs to know he has an EJ25D (what most of us call Phase I) vehicle. Not compatible with later EJ25 variants (what we usually call Phase II). They are plug and play interchangeable with 1996-1998 EJ25D's. They are not plug and play compatible with later "Phase II" (electronically) engines. The odd one-year block distinction doesn't matter, and confuses things for a noob, since all the blocks are interchangeable anyway and interchange is based on electronics and intake manifolds, not short blocks. Since all 1996-1999 EJ25D's are easily plug and play interchangeable they are usually referred to as Phase I, even though that 99 year used one part that was a Phase II part. The confusion comes from semantics - does Phase I & II indicate any part, a percentage of parts, short block, long block, or electronics?

This code is benign and will cause no issues - if you're that bad off you can't put your head under a hood I would strongly urge you to listen to the dealer and ignore it. If you want to concern yourself with good maintenance - replace the timing belt - you're over due. if that breaks the valves and pistons will collide and you'll have huge repairs on your hand. And your stranded and the car wont' run at all. Orders of magnitude more problematic than an EGR valve. That's like worrying about the color of the paint on your walls while the house is on fire...one is a non-issue - the other is catastrophic and coming. I would clean the EGR valve and passages out. That's simple, easy, and not rare (like "connections" would be rare without any other compelling reason to think so). Given the fact you're driving so few miles over so long a time - probably short trips, engine sitting for long periods of time - i wouldn't be surprised for something to be gummed up. As for connections - that's rarely an issue unless they've been chewed on by rodents or previous work done, etc. It would be hard to pinpoint connections - particularly since it's intermittent you're not going to find anything obvious and egregious. And the risk to benefit ratio isn't very good. You have maybe a 20% chance of finding an issue there....i'd guess 10% or less unless you give us some more history on the vehicle. You want to pay good money for a 10% chance of sucess? I doubt it, they're wise to avoid that work. As for the dealer repairing it: The dealer has a diagnostic flow chart to test those codes. Clear the codes and see which one comes back first or do both if they're always in unison. Go through the Subaru FSM diagnostic tree - it's step by step in the FSM - that's what they should do.

1997 L is an EJ22. There are no exceptions unless the engine was previously swapped - unlikely given the scarcity and cost of EJ25's in the past. L & brighton models are EJ22. www.cars101.com I'd install a gates timing belt kit soon. they're cheap on amazon for belt and all pulleys. 97 is an odd year in the US - usually the newer style tensioner but sometimes the older style. EJ22's don't have headgasket issues.

idling is one issue as the idle controllers aren't the same/compatible. propping the throttle open is one work around but cold starting is problematic. Gloyale has posted a good description of the after-effects, look for his comments to see if that was phase I to phase II or the other way around.

Woah - $500? That seems high but I guess $150 part and 3 hours at $100/hour? I'd install a new timing belt kit while you got the thing apart replacing the oil pump. Only $70 or less for both belts and all the pulleys. The belts have to be removed to replace the oil pump anyway - so it's zero labor. Water pump maybe as well, those EA/ER pumps aren't the most reliable pumps ever made.

hmmmm.....the efficacy of diagnosing a noise we can't hear? your description looks like TOD - comes and goes, varies wildly. that's standard TOD. lower end knocking won't go away like that. ah the rattling - the marbles in a can while you're driving up a hill? that's common and largely benign - downshift if you're lugging the engine too much. that's not TOD though, you can have the rattling and no TOD.

probably a bad bearing - might be fixable if you have the time. pull front diff off - retain every part/shim/orientation to retain backlash and preload.

http://www.sjrlift.com/index.php/catalog/lift-kits/0-2-lift-kit-2000-detail these are properly offset for camber correction. he, and others, are also contributing members here and great guy(s).

any 00-04 legacy or outback lift components will lift them. SJR, HiGuys and others on here build them in 2" and 4" flavors I think. there are 1" strut top spacers available, baja turbo springs are a little stiffer maybe pushing you another 1/2" and you can get bigger tires. King Springs are often suggested but i personally wouldn't spend high prices on a wear item you have to leave on the vehicle in the future. In my eyes they are by far the lesser option of them all...and expensive.

www.cars101.com - are those cars supposed to have premium? i don't think they are. an engine is either designed for it or it is not. otherwise there's no benefit. (unless you're going to crack the code and plan on advancing ignition timing manually yourself to push the limits?) I never run premium. I have tried on ocassion, i think my EZ30's are "recommended premium, but not required" and notice zero benefits, even when towing loads well in excess of the towing capacity. Without any physical reason, I see no need to run it personally.

You're positive the cooling system was completely full and burped when it overheated the first time? No recent work was done to it before the overheating incident? If so that's going to be a clogged radiator, tstat, or headgaskets.

Ended up taking it to a shop and they fixed it. I tried asking her what the issue was but she had no idea.rrrr There were a ton of metal particles in the reservoir so there was a good chance of something ominous, I really wish I knew what it was!

how are you testing flow of a hot engine? disconnecting hoses of a hot engine results in explosiveness.... as said: radiator is clogged tstat is stuck incorrect temp gauge subaru water pump failure is very rare and would be one of the least likely items you can think of.

+1 valve covers, very commonly leak on any vehicle with age and Subaru's are particular prone to it and have two valve covers (twice the probability) instead of 1 like some vehicles. no doesn't require lifting engine. remove various hoses/wiring in the way remove COP's remove valve covers R&R gaskets need a 10mm ratcheting wrench. generally best to replace spark plugs then too - they're $100 for a set but easily replaced with the valve covers off. annoying with them on. as to the coolant loss - if there's no bubbles in the overflow and no overheating then you may just have a leak somewhere. keep it topped off.

Right on, I meant to put an LOL in the ridiculous commentary about someone getting it.

you better not put that sweet rust free, southern, cheap, EJ22 outback on here - someone will go get. have i bought a Subaru from Texas before? yes. if it passes basic inspection - major engine issues, etc. Buy it. It's about the best engine you can get, particularly in a situation where money is tight. reliable, cheap to maintain, noninterference.

So in summary - depends what the OP wants exactly - if it's just HG, what brand, and entire gasket set. For Fel Pro Advanced is cheaper. That's the most commonly recommended non-OEM gasket on this forum for Subarus and what was mentioned earlier. If you buy smart it's only $15 and change for Fel Pro from Advanced. Advanced ships as well, order online, free shipping over certain amount or with various coupons. With Advance - there's the chance you can get it the day of - they can get nearly anything the next day - which would be my guess with an EJ22 headgasket. Until recently I would be surprised when I saw a Subaru around Canton, so yeah up there good luck! OP is in PNW so might have good supplies. In the end, Rock Auto has zero chance of getting you the product that day or the next. I rarely do entire engine gasket sets for a variety of reasons but there's multiple ways to skin that cat if the OP is interested. ebay shop for cheap kits, buy the HG you want, or rock auto for a full kit.

I'd lean towards Gates or Subaru as well unless you can verify a good quality belt. The Gates kits on Amazon are inexpensive. As to the car dying - if it's doing it when your foot is not on the gas pedal that is usually the idle control mechanism. 1. clean it on the vehicle 2. clean it off the vehicle 3. install a used one (clean it first) - they rarely fail so this is a great and inexpensive option.

Very rarely fail. When they do they don't always leave you stranded. I wouldn't replace them. They're so easy to replace, buy two used ones. Fuel pump, alternator, coil pack, starter...probably a few other things are probably more likely to fail and leave you stranded.

You replaced the brake booster and it's still doing this? Has it always done this? What's the history - when did the issue start, any accidents, major work...?

You're talking 40 or 50 mph? At interstate speeds I can set cruise control at 70mph or 80 mph and it retains that speed. Set it on the flat stretches though, setting on incline or decline is less consistent. Secondary roads here are too winding (or unmarked, or gravel, or unmaintained, or potholes....LOL) for cruise control. I might get a chance Friday to drive our automatic, I'll try to find a stretch straight enough to run cruise at a low speed.

How is it different? What do you mean? Yours has more expensive EJ22 headgaskets? Because that's the topic of this thread. But as to your experience, I already mentioned that: Yes, exhaust products are rarely worth buying from Advance Auto Parts. This thread wasn't about exhaust parts.

i've never done that on front ebrake XT6's. install new pads and go and the ebrake mechanism adjusts itself. lousy pedal feel could be fluid or sticky caliper pins (extremely common here in the rust prone parts of the US).

could you just make that wire switch via a relay - so that it's only "connected" when the engine is running or key is turned on?

What?! Sloooow down (pun intended)....6 people think this is normal to gain thirty miles per hour down a hill? Am I misreading this? Sounds way off to me, none of my automatic Subarus do that and I live in the mountains. 2002 H6 automatic, it holds fine down mountains at interstate speed....is it maybe slower speeds that don't cooperate? How steep? How fast?