idosubaru

Airbag light is on with two codes: Control Module and Seat belt pretensioner. 61 (Seat Belt Pretensioner R Side Circuit Open, Short, Short to Ground) 25 (Air Bag Control Module is Faulty) I disconnected and reconnected the seat belt connector with no change. My plan now is to: 1. Check continuity of Selt Belt pretensioner ground wire 2. Replace control module Anything else I could do to test or determine if the computer is actually bad? I bought this car salvage/totaled and rebuilt it, including replacing the this pretensioner and the control moduel - many years and 100,000 miles ago with no issues since then.

i wouldn't worry about the strut - those aren't terribly hard to replace and mostly benign - just replace it. 97 can be EJ22 or EJ25. 97 is interference so i would be replacing the timing pulleys and tensinoer immediatley - they're ancient and i can gaurantee one or all of them are not in great shape, they're all devoid of grease and likely freewheel loudly. they don't fail terribly often but if they do it's bent valves on 97+ engines. if it's an EJ25 (OBW, GT, or LSi) then make sure there's no headgasket issues. i'd wonder why the radiator was replaced? granted it was 2 years ago - but was it replaced then sat? the 1997 EJ25 is the worst engine Subaru ever made, good to proceed cautiously and google "EJ25 headgasket" if you're unfamiliar with that issue.

"done this swap"....i've done swaps but i'm unsure what swap you mean since we've mentioned a few options. i haven't done a VVT swap. I've heard of people putting the VVT engines in older vehicles - like yours. It just won't be able to use/actuate any of the VVT stuff, so you'll have no gains. they'll just sit there unused. Woudln't want to pay a premium for it, but if you found one really cheap it might be worth looking into. People swap from 2.5 to 2.2 because it is a more reliable and cheaper to maintain engine. Google "EJ25 headgasket" and you'll see the 10's of thousands of hits that make peopel want to avoid that engine. Considering it's only 165 hp anyway and has slow 1/4 mile and 0-60 times a performance minded person won't like either of those engines so power only matters to a select few - for novelty or towing or other aggressive use.

i've never plugged them, the extra air flow = 0.000000000003% more cooling efficiency.

there's a great thread on here with pictures/measurements/references as to what is really close but not seated and what is actually fully seated. simply put it's this: the flexplate and torque converter DO NOT touch when the engine and trans are pulled together. the torque converter bolts actually pull the TC slightly out of the trans to pull it flush to the flexplate. so based on that same illustration - you can simply measure the difference: 1. distance between flexplate and bellhousing mating surface on engine 2. distance between torque conveter flexplate mounting surface and mounting surface of bellhousing on transmission. if the numbers add up such that they'll touch - it's not fully seated. i have never added that way - it's just an illustration and a definitive test you could do for a first timer unfamiliar with Subarus wanting to get it right before they drop the engine into the car.

+1, most of them i've pulled have multiple screws loose, yours must be all of them. nice catch - how did you catch this? noise?

are you sure the engine isn't worth repairing? do a leak down test - maybe the block is good and you need valve stem seals? google search it - others have swapped those engines. you won't get the benefits of the VVT so your 173 hp engine will only be 165, those components will go unused. your EJ22 intake manifold bolts up to the EJ25 engine just fine. the EJ22 exhaust manifold is only a single port exhaust, the Ej25 is dual port exhaust - you'll need a EJ25 exhaust manifold. you could entertain bolting your EJ22 heads to an EJ25 block - your Phase II EJ22 and Phase II EJ25 heads are essentially the same - same valve part numbers and intake manifold bolt pattern. replace the valve stem seals first. swapping heads would be a work around for the exhaust issue and any VVT stuff in the heads.

why are you feeling the front wheels? can you smell them or something? if both sides are the same temperature - maybe it's normal? if it's not normal and being both sides, it's almost certainly the slide pins need cleaned and regreased. they would be the most likely culprits to have a double failure so to speak since they are so common. anything else I'd only expect one failure. clean and replace. f the pins are atrocious, replace them if you can't get them clean. caliper pistons do seize but doubtful to be both. I'm sure it happens but Subaru's have far less hose collapses than other manufacturers, i've never seen it on Subarus (but have other manufacturers) nor is it often seen in forums. two would be highly unlikely unless the thing sat with chemically tainted sewage in the brake lines for years. lol

1. timing KIT, not the belt. Gates kits on Amazon are only $115 - replace all the pulleys and tensioner, they do fail and at least one...if not all...of the originals will be devoid of grease and spin freely. the water pump is overkill but not a bad idea, but the timing pulleys/tensioners are far more likely to fail than the pump. if you do replace the pump use Subaru water pump gasket - the aftermarkets are flimsy cardboard. 2. trans fluid. 3. clean and regrease caliper pins 4. if the radiator fluid is drained (hose replacement) - that engine requires Subaru Coolant Conditioner - order a bottle on line or local dealers have gobs of it. follow directions on label.

1. XT6 power steering systems had a recall issued by Subaru - look for a single light blue wire running across the back of the engine bay from center to a bare two (or three) row connector above the drivers side strut tower. look for that light blue wire to verify the recall has been done. 2, the brushes normally need replaced and internals cleaned up. follow that link above. 3. the power controller sometimes goes bad - the triangular black box thing located centrally under the windshield/back of engine bay.

"simple" "effective" "modifications".....you said a lot of words and never stated what you're trying to do? in general an NA motor doesn't have much room for power/speed improvements. the good news is that if you're just in it for the fun and novelty then do whatever you want because it doesn't much matter, it's all really small gains and will still be a slow vehicle no matter what you do. so it doesn't matter - do whatever you think is cool and fun. delta would be a good first start - that is "simple" to some and not at all to others. DIY CAI, cone filter, spacers, tune up, lighten the car, remove the a/c belt, lightweight single piece aluminum crank pulley

get all the rust out that you can and then POR15 it.

It's not normal - Ask Subaru they should be very aware of it, it's a widely known issue with a TSB and maybe even litigation associated with it. Technical Service Bulletin 02-147-13R Subaru replaces the piston rings i believe - if your vehicle falls within some symptomatic framework of some sort i would imagine.

EJ water pump failure is very rare. Rarely they will weep coolant. I have never seen myself or locally any other type of failure, you can google it and see the relatively few instances of failures. While I often replace them for good measure since it's an interference engine - if there's a compelling reason to ignore the water pump until 200k I wouldn't talk someone out of it.

Exactly - the painted marks don't matter - but if you line them up they're a second verification. (keep in mind they only line up after the engine is turned over once every so many thousands of revolutions so to speak) The flash from the camera makes it hard to see but the drivers side cam looks a tooth or half a tooth to the left in the picture. Is the tensioner released when you took the pic?

Why was the engine replaced? Are the fans coming on properly? Clogged radiato - it sounds like it has lessened cooling ability. If it varies with loading - A/C, up hill, acceleration - then maybe it's just reduced capacity of a clogged radiator. Cap/thermostat

Preference abounds but +1 to running the 4EAT too at least until it breaks and makes you swap it. I use mine for practical reasons offroad, pulling a tractor out of the mud/pond, hunting, climbing to 10,000 ft elk camp, etc...i don't go looking for trails and wheeling so my uses are on the lighter side and i prefer auto's anyway so of course i'm going to say that. the switch is really easy - imagine one wire to the Duty C. Cut it - and you're "locked". reconnect and you're back to normal AWD. so you just cut one wire and install a switch in between.

if the tires are old - they'll also blow out together, having been subjected to the same conditions, age, use, etc.

i wouldn't fight the rust either. but, there may be some hope or in-between solution. the picture is fuzzy but as far as rust belt cars go it looks quite a ways from the end, and salvageable/drivable as a beater. can you get clearer pic's? if you can brace it some with some steel plate, etc - that's not a big deal for a couple year daily driver to get some use out of it or couple months while you look for another. at first glance - i haven't seen the underneath and pic's aren't clear - it doesn't even look like it'll blow through in 2 years to me even if you did nothing. but i wouldn't put much time into it like modifying it....but if you got gobs of time and this is your hobby then that's different. you could cut that out and replace or brace it with metal. i'd do minimal work on it and only plan on having it 1-3 years, not 5-10.

there's probably a situation for trailer tire use - a short and slow commute to get by and try them out. otherwise i'd avoid them too. i've run spares for extended periods of time on short commuter cars and they did wear fast and were prone to leak for sustained daily driving. i'm not super familiar with trailers but my trailer tires wear out quickly which doesn't give me confidence for using cheap ones on a vehicle. the age of many spares would deter me, a lot of them are old. regular tires can start blowing due to age around 7 or 8 years.

As he said - vibration is generally not engine bearing symptom. I hear misdiagnosis almost weekly, give us the symptoms and some more details and we'll help you track down the actual issues. Depending what you mean by "wobbling" it could be a misfire or engine mounts - both easy repairs. Generally don't rebuild Subaru engines but you certainly can and it's done often enough. Generally cost intensive to do it well and for that price you can generally just get a used engine that will last 100,000 miles or more just fine, so there's not a compelling reason to rebuild every time.

As he said, good eye. Swap the drivers side cam gear and crank gear and you're golden. You didn't mention it but make sure you grab the crank gear too. Same long block minus those gears. Some of the aftermarket intake manifold gaskets are flimsy and thin - make sure they're decent or get Subaru.

it's so easy on that engine, yes adjust them while it's all apart before fully assembled.

check door locks too - did any of the doors get wet recently (door open while working on heater core)? if the door gets wet the contacts in the switch can get freaked out and lock/unlock doors randomly. but i'd anticipate it to go away after a day or so of driving/use/not exposed to moisture. otherwise yeah it's probably the timer. get a used one www.car-part.com not sure you should dare yourself to price one from the dealer....they don't fail often enough to warrant insane prices. someone on here probably has one for you, they're nto very high demand. post in parts wanted forum if neeeded.

There's another option that's easy and free! Do it and run it another 100,000 miles! Leave the FWD fuse in and disconnect the rear half of the driveshaft so you're always in FWD. If the Duty C works - the FWD switch is in. If it doesn't work - then it'll be "locked" in 4WD which is only FWD if the rear half of driveshaft is disconnected. Alternately you can just cut one wire to the Duty C so it's never powered and always "locked" in 4WD with driveshaft disconnected. You could even make money off this repair - sell your driveshaft for $50.