idosubaru

correct - noninterference use a Subaru water pump gasket - they're metal stamped/far superior than anything else. no sealant needed it's fairly simple really - the timing bolts like to rust and stick inside the inserts int he rear cover and just spin, so the bolt never comes out. that's annoying. the 22mm crank bolt is a beast - you gotta get it tight when reinstalling or it'll back off - a lot of people don't install it tight enough. easier on an automatic since you can lock it in place through the bell housing access hole and flex plate holes. tighten the backing plate screws on the oil pump, one or more will be loose for sure.

i've never heard of VA and T type diffs? i've heard of open, LSD, VLSD, and inner verses outer stub styles?

Why is this EZ30 head taking forever and many sheet changes? I've done a few heads - takes 20 minutes and a few sheet changes. This EZ30 i've changed the sheets 4 or 5 times and still has light markings around center cylinder. Can I speed things up with 100 grit first? If it's taking this long it hardly seems like it would matter? This head was just that far off?

yep, i've had them with zero symptoms as well, slightly unnerving guessing and hoping you're right! plenty make it 200,000 miles without ever being replaced as well (i have 220k and 190k on my OB's and haven't had a failed bearing yet on mine), so there's no practical reason to preemptively replace them. wheel bearings always give ample time for diagnosis and planning a repair. if you replaced every part that has failed by 75,000 miles you'd have a lot of parts to replace. but i can understand feeling good about a car too based on a past experience.

yes indeed it was. happens more often on newer stuff that actually have spark plug tube seals. is power steering fluid leaking down into the top/front of the engine? that seems most likely, i'd check there.

"no rear wheel drive when fuse is in" - that's how it's supposed to work. remove the fuse 1. is the AT light flashing 16 times at start up? 2. does the AT light work - does it light up with ignition on but engine not started? 3. car drives perfectly fine other than being in FWD? 4. is the rear driveshaft in place? did the wheel speed ABS sensor code go away after replacing the wheel sensor? what's the history of the vehicle? has the engine/trans ever been out? how many years/miles have you owned it?

based on the front differential being an open differential, it is normal for one wheel to spin and not the other. maybe someone more versed in those can comment but i don't think how the tires spin is necessarily definitive. the collapsed hoses i've seen (in american vehicles) - i jacked the car up - pressed brakes and the brakes locked...let off brakes...and the offending wheel would still be locked up. i forget how we'd disengage the brakes...maybe bleeder screw like you said. repeat and it'd do the same thing. replaced hose and all good.

it's very simple numbers: turbo has seals and bearings that can fail which a non-turbo doesn't have. turbo has coolant lines with gaskets and/or hoses that can leak and a non turbo doesn't have turbo has oil supply lines that can leak there are solenoids, waste gates, controllers for turbo's that can fail add to that higher pressures, faaar more heat management and turbo's also become much less forgiving than non turbo engines, inherently. a turbo is identical to a non turbo engine except it has an entire system of additional components to it. to suggest additional components don't add more risk, maintenance, or possible failure modes shows how little someone knows technically/systems/mechanically speaking.

excellent engines - make sure it doesn't have headgasket issues - these things are a beast when the headgaskets fail in them. it is "thought" that they have fewer headgasket issues but enough people have had HG issues in the H6 that you want to be careful for sure. it's twice as expensive to repair as the 4 cylinder headgasket to repair due to the significant chain cover labor. check for external seepage at HG seem under engine and look for bubbles in overflow tank while driving, after spirited driving/uphill acceleration, while hot, or immediately after shutting off. any small bubbles in the overflow tank and you might want to avoid it.

i don't think they will - 03 is around the time Subaru went to the larger of the two earlier rotors...there was like a 10.7" and 11.3" or something like that.... but 15" will clear some dual pot front calipers - in those cases it depends on the wheels - some 15" will clear and some won't - i think 15" steel Subaru wheels will not....jamal's brake caliper thread has a fairly extensive listing of brakes and what wheels clear them.

you want to put a 2WD automatic 3AT transmission into a 4WD automatic or 4WD manual or either one? that shouldn't be a problem at all. i've installed 2WD 4EAT's into a 4WD 4EAT and it all plugged right up and ran without even swapping the computer. you don't have a computer to deal with in the 3AT so sounds simple. swap away!?....I75eye just confirmed it as i typed...

Ah ha - that's an Impreza. Typically if you say "Outback", that would refer to the legacy based model. That changes quite a bit - you just went from having the worst engine subaru ever made to the best! They don't have headgasket issues unless they've been previously overheated, neglected, or real bad luck. At some point you should replace all the timing belt components - tensioner and pulleys. One or all of them are always in poor condition by that age. Gates kits on amazon are very inexpensive for all those items in one kit. The 1997 2.2 liter engine (and all 1997+ Subaru engines) is an interference engine. If any of those pulleys fail, which happens, the belt will break and you'll have bent valves.

no good pans in seattle? weird. post in the parts wanted forum/section. www.car-part.com

ozone generator. run it overnight in the vehicle. run it for an hour or so in the vehicle with the HVAC on and all matts removed. do not get in the vehicle when the ozone generator has been running in it. tool equipment rental places have them. can even be rented on line - they ship and then you ship it back. hotels and fire departments typically have them.

Cheaper and quicker to repair, sell, then buy the 5MT you want. Create a 4EAT simulator and then install the MT?! If someone were bent on this - start comparing FSM wiring diagrams and delineate wiring differences?

squeal may not be starter and the throttle control module almost certainly has nothing to do with your idling. diagnose first then repair or you'll be throwing parts at it. keep your eye on the temp gauge - those engines are the worst Subaru ever made due to an ominous headgasket issue. many of them that hit the used car market or get traded in do so because of headgasket issues. your particular engine only has one symptom - random overheating events. Idle issue: any check engine lights? have the plugs wires ever been changed? how many miles on the vehicle? clean idle control valve (or install a used one) replace plugs with stock NGK plugs and wires with Subaru or NGK or other quality wires. not sure what you mean by "clutch pedal squeaks" - is it squeaking any time you move the pedal or there's a squeaking that goes away when pedal is in or out?

+1 wheel bearing. was it properly greased? was it properly installed? if so - if the hub is hosed it'll ruin the next wheel bearing. if everything else checks out and you're replacing the bearing again - replace the hub as well. it's unlikely a brake hose. Subaru hoses are robust and rarely fail like that.

replace the pump before cam tower orings. i've never had to replace the cam tower orings to fix TOD.

Actually it's the opposite - a very easy subject - because it doesn't matter. follow the owners manual. Since it doesn't matter - the allure of being right means people can be partial, tell you their stance, and what has worked for them...and they're always right! so attractive, so addictive..i might make a website called "Garyistheoilguy" for people to academically pontificate themselves into inactive boredom...it gets confusing if you over analyze it. That's why there's so many opinions, discussions, and different approaches...it doesn't matter. My secret to having no blown engine in the dozens of Subaru's I've owned...got a note pad ready, this is cutting edge oil protection...buy whatever is cheap/on sale. *** Turbo engines, towing, racing (and maybe some newer Subarus) - severe use conditions - those are different discussions.

+1 drive it some more. 1996 Subaru's had IM monitors that would never reset and are exempt from emissions, or that part of it anyway, because of that issue. Emissions give you a waiver on that - it's a known/documented error. It's not uncommon for ECU's to also be swapped when engines are swapped - so if it has a 1996 ECU in there the IM's won't ever be ready. Just swap in any other EJ22 or Ej25 ECU (i've noted zero performance difference swapping them). They're cheap and readily avialable, i can probably ship you one for $20.

try swapping the crank sensor just to rule it and the cam sensor both out. fuel pump? they don't fail terribly often but hey it is 20 years old now. test for fuel next time it does it. either just pop the fuel hose in engine bay and see if anything comes out or rig up an actual fuel pressure gauge.

the oil seals generally don't leak such that the belt gets wet unless they're just gushing oil out...which is highly unlikely. the only one i've ever seen do that was an aftermarket seal on an older Subaru which were known to not be well-fitted and the seal was a fraction too large. It puked oil out all over the new belt which failed in about 6 months due to oil saturation. And when I say saturation, it was saturated, he must have been dumping oil in it weekly. as much as it's talked about - i've never seen a failed thermostat in a Subaru. it obviously happens but i wouldn't be terribly concerned. that being said - the thermostat is easily replaceable right under the vehicle regardless of the timing belt job.

It's not HLA's or piston slap? No way the oil pump was damaged. The timing cover damage/interference is very typical, not a big deal and doesn't suggest something more ominous. Pull the cover and reseal whatever is leaking.

you don't understand what is meant by swapping the cam and crank sprocket? what do you mean you don't understand? you're doing an engine swap - surely you can swap one sprocket! swap the drivers side cam sprocket: 1. remove sprocket 2. install other sprocket same for crank sprocket there are two different style trigger marks on the cam and crank sprockets - to verify you have the correct one it's generally advisable to swap them so you keep the crank/cam sprockets TO THE VEHICLE (even if you swap engines). this is true EVEN if you install another EJ25 - they can vary as well. since you don't have the pulleys you'll have to try the EJ22 and see if it works or otherwise try to narrow down which pulleys you need and get them.