idosubaru

Take a picture of the source of the leak so we can see it. No need to replace the timing chains on these. They're robust and breakage is not statistically relevant enough to bother with it. To repair you'd remove the timing cover and clean it up and run a 25 foot bead of sealant around the perimeter and bolt it back in place. It's a huge annoying job. It can be done without pulling the engine...barely. But let's slow down, answer my other questions in the previous reply and see a picture.

1. Replace your PCV valve with one from Subaru immediately. Easy, an hour and not hard, no special tools: Subaru part # 11810AA100 2. Check the oil cooler gasket - they leak ALL THE TIME. Take a picture of this area annd post it here or a link to it and we'll help diagnose the leak source. Subaru part #: 21370KA001 Easy to replace, just annoying that some of the coolant drains out. If you did all that other stuff you can definitely do this: 1. remove oil filter 2. remove coolant hoses attached to cooler 3. You need a 24mm socket to unbolt the oil cooler bolt 4. Remove cooler, clean up all the oil on the cooler and engine, make sure the old gasket isn't stuck to the engine, throw it away 5. install new gasket and put it back together. It would be wise to buy the coolant hoses from Subaru and just replace them while you're under there. You can look them over before you do the job and see how pliable they look and maybe get away with reusing them. Do to the tight bends and catastrophic nature of a hose that low to leak, I'd buy them from Subaru. They may not have them in stock - another reason to have them on hand so you're not stuck waiting for them if they are in poor condition. The two cooler hoses that attach to the oil cooler, I think should be: 21338AA060 99078AA570 Now - those are just guesses, so let's start from the beginning: A: did any of those prior valve cover gasket, "drive shaft seal" (is that the crank seal?) - actually reduce the engine leaks? I can't tell if it: i. had multiple leaks ii. wasn't diagnosed correctly (replacing parts that did't need replaced) iii. new leaks keep popping up Do not use stop leak. That stuff is terrible. Whatever aid it might render for 2 month won't be good for long term. There are very rare cases where additives are helpful, this isn't one of them.

They didn’t change “to” HLAs but “from” HLAs in 1997. 95 and 96 HLA 97 and up is not This is all well known by folks mechanically familiar with EJ22s. There’s a couple of imprecise 97 transitions or caveats but they haven’t even come up in this thread yet It’s mostly confusing like any other car info because people who owned three Subarus with very little EJ22 experience comment anecdotally and make incorrect assumptions. after all these decades the cars may not have their original engines or the year engine the current driver was “told” or “remembered” in it. people search and regurgitate inaccurate info. Wash rinse repeat, internet convinces thousands. I hear so much bad info when people call or ask me in person and tell me what they read online. it’s not worth my time to listen to what they read online, it’s more confusing and wasteful trying to explain or counter or include that in an actual diagnosis…easier for me to ask lots of questions and diagnose myself. Most of the other Subaru forums are filled with inaccurate info and ensuing messiness. It’s a nightmare trying to participate in them for accurate high level information unless you can recognize the few users who are good. And most people can’t because they don’t know enough to know the difference. They’re nice for “community” whatever that means “online” but otherwise I find them annoying, though I’m admittedly practical and have an engineering background to a fault when it comes to Subarus.

Ah, that's unfortunate. Those external head bolts would make it the easiest Subaru head job to do insitu if you wanted to try to crank it out quick in the engine bay without pulling the engine. Remove lower 2 14mm engine mount nuts and pitch stopped and jack the engine up on the side you're working on to "tilt" that head up for easier access.

Size. The safest car to be in during a wreck is the biggest one. It's the heaviest Subaru ever made.

No, this is a confusing moving target of guesses - 1996 is single port. Also single port does not signify interference engine: 96 single port non interference. 97 single port interference

EJ22s: 95 dual port heads non interference, HLAs, old style tensioner 96 same as 95 but single port heads 97 single port heads, interference, new style tensioner (some old style rarely seen), Solid lifters. 99+ Phase II

98 is always new style unless it was swapped. Pull the drivers side timing cover tk check - 3 10mm bolts really easy You can order the bracket for like $25 and use whatever tensioner you want. Get the bracket new or used to match the tensioner. It attached to the engine with 2 12mm bolts. so if you ordered new style and it turned out to be old style because it was engine swapped previously or something then just buy the cheap bracket to go with it.

Ah. Subaru did its job, glad you’re okay. Used. Rebuild places are probably intended for the SRS single time use newer belts like found in 2001+ Subarus. Maybe they can do older ones too but I’d imagine it’s not economical since it’s intended to serve as an option for more expensive parts. Worth a call to see but I’d go with used. eBay or car-part.com

Any 95 auto from imp or legacy is ideal. if you call a yard tell them 1995 legacy or Impreza. Don’t tell them you’re swapping they’ll tell you it’s not possible bexuse that’s what they’re computer says. Don’t waste your time. Ask for a 95 legacy or Impreza automatic. 96 is great too but will require some hand holding to get the easiest one although neither is hard.

No one company has any lead on getting exceptional quality 25 year old wreck or rusted cars. They all source from auctions and buy whatever is cheap and fits their business model approach. Some yards tend to have lots of Subarus. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes less good. The yard with the most Subarus around me is unequivocally the worst. Locally is best in case you need the warranty. car-part.com is a database of all yards in the US. Id get one anywhere but many of us know our way around subarus. I’d try to find one known running lower miles from a wreck so you know why it was junked. you may have to expand search because they’re old and getting less common.

Yes they hold up better in H6s. the labor to replace is extensive and cumbersome to do inside the engine bay - so it’s much easier to do now. I do H6 water pumps only if I’m already taking the timing covers off. If the covers are dry and I’m not removing them I don’t replace the water pump. Disclaimer - That was my approach 10 years ago when I did a lot of H6 engine work and swaps. I haven’t done many recently so it’s getting more prudent to consider replacing based on age. I’d still do the same today outside of any significant additional info like if the engine was suspected of sitting for a very long period of time or other gaskets seem deteriorated more than normal. Their only, rare, failure mode is leaking at the weep hole slowly so it’s not typically a dangerous or a stranding event. While I’m not a shop or mechanic so I’ve only been around a couple dozen H6s, I’ve never seen a failed H6 water pump. But of course it does happen.

I've towed with 80's, 90's, 2000's Subaru's well over capacity. Most commonly towing another Subaru and very large (for a Subaru) boats with Subaru's in all those decades. Usually short, safe trips except taking the boat on vacation. The limit I hit with all of them has been running hot. Drive up a mountain grade in summer and they've all started to run above normal temps or overheat.

Oh wow, well that certainly paints an interesting picture of events. It sounds like they were over their head trying to diagnosis and repair something they really weren't capable of doing in the first place. Sorry you're in that mess. Yes, they usually will settle before going to court. It's just not always a fun process but good grief yeah you've already spent the entire value of the car on repairs they couldnt' do and now a dead engine. What a mess.

Good list. That is exactly what I would do to it. Maybe radiator hoses depending on visual check. A new radiator and hoses isn't a bad idea at some point particularly considering the lower availability of H6 parts.

1. You’re first strategy is already loosing a court battle by showing your bias - you are assuming “no metal showed up in the oil when they changed the gasket”. There very well could have been metal in the oil they just didn’t look or see it. 2. Less than year old vehicle, unknown history, 24 years old, copiously leaking oil, worst engine Subaru ever made - it’s not surprising for an EJ25 under those conditions to loose a bearing EJ25s frequently fail after purchase like this because the former owner had hints of issues. Those hints prompted them to sell. That’s why I asked “how long have you owned this car” - because it’s an EJ25 prone to MASSIVE headgasket issues and overheating which compromises the bearings. You’re not thr first person to buy an EJ25 and have it blow a bearing in less than a year. Lots of online threads of the same experience 3. The only way it could be “proven” to be their fault is if you find a bent sump. So the good news is you don’t have to be a sluth or engineer here to figure this out. The chief issue will be pulling that pan and inspecting the sump in a way that verifies legitimacy to all sides, including Midas and thr court who will have to weigh one professional business “Midas” against a second professional business “Whoever you pay to pull the engine apart” Best to let Midas pull the pan and see and let you be there when they do. They probably have insurance if they see an obvious flaw. Not that they want to abuse it and have rates go up They can’t be liable for unsavory people who pull the pan, bend the sump themselves in order to try to blame Midas and get a free engine. I know of a Subaru dealer in an economically blighted urban area that quit working on Subarus more than 15 or 20 years old due to issues like this. I’m not saying you will do this but you have to be prepared for this reality if you think you’re going to prove this to anyone other than yourself. All of that said - I guess you’re in good shape because the judge will be mechanically, and Subaru, illiterate and knows none of this. So they will just roll the dice and guess or force a settlement that’s not great for both parties probably. Id put the money and time into getting an EJ22 instead - they’re plug and play interchangeable for the EJ25 in that engine and incredibly reliable.

Cracked glass that's so frustrating! Good work !

No, it's not. Research shows a 50% molecular degradation after 100,000 miles in radiator plastics. Replace or leave it be, but I wouldn't try "building it up" or repairing it. What you saw is very common, the outlets do this all the time. I've never worked at a shop and still seen it a bunch of times.

Got it. Failed timing components can't introduce visible, demonstrable amounts of metal into the oil. Metallic sauce in the oil is usually caused by oil starvation to the affected parts.

"Power" is relative. No one can tell you what you'll be doing with the car, how much weight you'll be carrying, or what your expectations are. It works fine for many people. Tires aren't permanent and can be changed. Go buy cheaper used larger tires. If you don't like them, just drive them until they're ready to be replaced. Then replace with the same size if you liked them, or smaller if they didn't scratch your itch. If you're worried about it - load it with a ton of weight and drive it up some road or trail and see how it does on the current tires. If it's intolerable to you then you probably won't like larger tires. Your previous thread is here:

Absolutely, it was a great idea to post here. I've been all around these engines for decades, so my questions and comments are aiming for clarity to help you.

It wasn't tampered with. The speedometer is off because the transmission was swapped to another gear ratio transmission. It's common. It's impossible for the timing belt to cause metal shavings in the oil like you're describing. You never told us what you meant by "timing slip". You never said it was fixed - just that you had it looked at, they said it was fine to drive, and you drove 400 miles. That doesn't sound like a problematic timing slip. It doesn't matter what happened, we know it's unrelated because when a compromised timing belt damages the engine it can't in anyway introduce metal to the oil. So they are unrelated. Also, if it slipped enough to cause damage - it would have needed repaired the moment it happened. If timing belts slip on an interference engine (which yours is), the pistons bend the valves, rendering the car undrivable, or it drives terribly, or no damage at all. It wasn't undrivable and you didn't say any severe performance issues. So there was no damage. The moment the belt "slips" (ambiguity notwithstading) it's either damaged or not. It can't cause issues later.

Nope. I wouldn't do it unless you're ready for an engine swap. H6's swap exactly like H4's if you've ever done a subaru. Cooling system anomalies like you're describing are classic H6 headgasket sypmptoms. They can also be intermittent, so I wouldn't trust one week of it running with no symptoms/coolant loss. It ran hot or smelled funny...someone topped the coolant level off...and thought it was "fixed"...it prompted them to sell when they're getting a whiff of looming potential issues/costs...but still think it's "fixed" because they topped it off or someone (a shop/friend) told them it was. But it's not. Proceed cautiously

Yes - i've done it. You're exactly right - just swap the matching rear diff. TCU doesn't care. You can swap it but I've never noticed a difference.

For all practical swap purposes it's interchangeable with all 1996-1998 EJ25's and 99 Legacy/Outback EJ25's. The better option for reliability. 1995 Ej22 from an automatic is the best option for reliability and ease of swapping. Plug and play, bolts right up. 1996-1998 Ej22 is the same as the 1995 but you'll need an EJ22 exhaust manifold and to make sure it has EGR or work around the EGR. It's very easy and a non-issue for anyone that knows these engines.