idosubaru

No worries, you can drive it indefinitely like that. I have a write up about it - find that write up. TOD approach: #1 reseal the oil pump #2 replace the oil pump Sometimes it's simpler to just skip to step #2 if you don't have tons of time or are paying a mechanic and don't want to pay them twice. That has fixed every single EA/ER HLA ticking I've ever encountered - it is highly successful. The only one it didn't fix was one that had been driven thousands of miles with a blown headgasket - there was a huge chunk of aluminum missing in the head where the HG breach was from the localized overheating. that one had two seized HLA's.

+1 can't confirm but i'd guess them to be the same. google image search or use ebay for images - and compare the two? if the crossmembers are the same - that's encouraging for sure. rack boots the same? rebuild kit the same? steering rack bushings the same? P/S lines the same...maybe not if they have to make up for the "lift" difference.

brakes shoudl work as normal with ABS fuse pulled. so if there's issues with the ABS fuse pulled I would assume there are issues with the brake system, not the ABS system. check caliper operation

i'm usually suspicious when someone has a non or poorly running car and has tried work/parts like that. timing belt - broken, jumped, tensioner or pulley failed and compromised timing MAF sensor Cam/Crank sensor Fuel pump Cylinder misfire (plugs, wires) Idle Air Controller

i wouldn't do that on an interference engine. the sprockets and pulleys rust faster, maybe a bit faster here due to northeast rust if we want to guess it's partially chemical related and not just water exposure. if you replace all the timing components and check it before 100,000 miles, then it would be no big deal. be nice of the under cover was still in place to protect it from snow, traffic cones, debris, etc. an equally simple approach is to attach them with only two bolts and/or attach them with zipties so you can cut them off in 15 seconds next time.

a 2.5 in a junk yard is a scary monster, i'd go for the other one if it is indeed a 2.5. but a base 2.2 also leaves a little to be desired in terms of seats, power gadgets, etc. will they let you swap the 1996 engine into the 1995!? lol 2.0 engine was never offered in the US - did you mean 2.2? 2.5 was not offered in 1995 - did you mean a 1995 Ej22 or a 1996 EJ25?

it sounds very much like an alignment problem. you don't say if the alignment helped at all - did it?

got time to throw in some new rod and/or main bearings and see what happens to the current block? i assume by 99 Ej22 you mean just the short block? i'm sure you know that engine isn't interchangeable like earlier 2.2's. 99-2001 EJ22's are identical. 99 are found in legacy/impreza and 00-01 EJ22's are in impreza only.

ah, i should have titled this thread "XT digi-dashes" - the EA82's are notably different, i should have known that.

thanks Gloyale. all i have on hand, i'll investigate more...

wowsers. it's new so it didn't "come out" of anything and i'm uncertain of anything except it's an XT digidash (i think!) i scoured it for part numbers, nothing. FWD/AWD, auto/manual should be obvious at least. **** were FWD turbo XT's air suspension or not? year may be tricky to determine - unless it plugs into my XT6 or XT Turbo then i'll know it's an 87.5...maybe. guess i'll have to plug it in and see what it does or try to inspect some of the text on it.

LOL dave. glad you're around to tell about it!

that sounds like a coolant leak. or it started as a coolant leak. hard to guess anything else with all your coolant loss, blown radiator...that could be causing the overheating. given what you've told us it would be hard to say it's a headgasket, there's nothing to suggest that yet. that engine is REALLY easy to do the headgaskets. all the headbolts are external and super easy. remove timing belt, intake, exhaust manifold - and then the heads bolt right off and right back on. they are so easy. if it was worth recently doing a timing copmonent job, it may be worth replacing the headgaskets. you can resurface the heads yourself, find the thread on here, it's REALLY easy. you can usually reuse the exhaust manifold gaskets - so bare minimum you'd only need two headgaskets and intake manifold gaskets - very minimal cost.

I have a Subaru digidash - unsure what it's for but I can't imagine buying it unless it was an XT dash. Anyone know if the digidashes are the same or different for these items: FWD/4WD? 86, 87, 87.5 model years? Were all XT's green...or some of those orange? auto/manual?

i wouldn't be terribly concerned, but would be nice to know what happened - was the harness chewed through, shorted for some other reason...etc? did it cause an engine fire? did you look at it - was it obvious what was replaced. insurance adjusters can essentially total a car if they want to...so it's not always about the numbers...but even still that does seem like a high price tag. if you look up the carfax it'll show where prior work was done, you can call the mechanic or shop and get more information, sometimes find out the previous owners name. that would help tremendously. i've also found prior owners info in the glove box, in the owners manual, or call the oil change place on the sticker in the windshield and start there.

yes, that's odd, not normal. i'd repair, maintain/freshen up the engine, something doesn't sound right. my EJ18 swapped legacy traverses 6% interstate grades at highway speeds, though it starts to slow down if i change the gearing (large tires) or carry 1,000+ pounds. a side note, that elevation you described is almost a 25% grade (2,500 ft divided by 10,560 ft). that's 4 times more than the legal grade for interstates without a special permit, which is like 6%. if indeed you travel one of the steepest roads in the country then maybe you need more power.

Yep, you said it - run it until it's annoying. i've never seen one just randomly start puking heavy amounts of fluid. Rebuild is done off the vehicle - it's rather involved. look up the process and decide if it's for you. there's a guy on another forum...like LegacyGT (just a guess) documenting how to reseal one. This would be ideal then you keep the robust Subaru OEM rack and get new seals. I dislike and avoid additives but Subaru steering racks are one of the few cases where I would consider a "stop leak" product. A non-leaking used rack from a member or www.car-part.com isn't a bad option either...though with 3 leaking ones you probably want a more "known" solution. Wow, probably the heat and low mileage. Every low mileage Subaru I get seems to have leaks, seized speedo cables, buttons not working, and other oddball issues that are typically rare and I wouldn't expect with a low mileage car.

when swapping any 1999-2004 era Subaru (even if they're both Ej25's) it's a good idea to swap the drivers side cam and the crank sprocket onto the "new" engine. there are two styles of triggers and i think they vary from manual to automatic but i find it simplest to just keep the d/s cam and crank sprocket with the vehicle. if the trigger marks are the same then you can not swap them. best to install a new timing belt kit with the new engine. kits are like $115 for a Gates kit on Amazon for all new pulleys, tensioner, and belt. makes swapping the crank/cam sprockets almost zero extra work anyway.

they bolt up just fine - same bolt pattern. the tires should clear the front strut mount - that's where the issue i think would be. it may matter if it's FWD or AWD - sometimes the spring seats are different sizes/location, is yours AWD?

an EJ22 struggling to go 40 mph is not running properly

1999-2001 EJ22's can work your 1999 Forester. they came in 1999 Legacy's and 1999-2001 Imprezas.

the 2.2 is orders of magnitude better...it's worth a slight reduction in power IMO. the EJ25D is a terrible engine. they're hard to find in great condition without the unknown "how often, many times, and badly was it overheated over the past 15 years?" if good, reasonable cost EJ25's were available that would change my tone.

generally replace pads as a set - that's just standard protocol. but you definitely don't have to do it that way. why didn't the shop just resurface the rotors since they were new? technically speaking the rotors don't even need resurfaced, but most people prefer it. you could have left them as-is - more texture = more braking! A seized pad/caliper is one of these three things: 1. rusted/corroded brake pad clips - places never replace those and they degrade with time 2. seized caliper pin 3. seized caliper piston # 1 and #2 are far more common than #3 and don't require replacement of the caliper. #1 - replace the pad clips #2 - clean and regrease the slide pin or replace the slide pins or caliper bracket #3 a seized caliper can also be rebuilt - the rebuild kits are like $3 - $15 and really easy to do. push out piston, clean up, reinstall piston with new seal/boot/clip.

1. battery 2. battery terminal/posts are corroded or loose 3. battery cables are corroded or compromised starter and ignition come to mind as said as well.

the oil pump is easy enough i would do it now. 1. oil pump seal (crank seal) 2. tighten backing plate screws (one or more are almost positively loose) 3. oil pump oring 4. reseal the mating surface with RTV or anaerobic. it's just 6 or so bolts to remove pump, not terribly hard.