idosubaru

I've always assumed if they don't have drivability noises/vibrations they're fine? Or i've always assumed if it's a Subaru axle anyway....if it's aftermarket i'm much more likely to move on and get a Subaru axle in there. Technically speaking wouldn't it vary between: 1. inner and outer joint (CV verses DOJ) 2. front and rear 3. which style front inner joint - the one where the balls fall out as soon as you pull the cup, the one where the balls don't fall out when you pull the cup, and then the newer 2005+ style. 4. This may be more practical than technical but which model/vehicle - angle of the axles Higher vehicles are less forgiving. I've put noisy/vibrating axles from higher (OBW/lifted Subaru's) on lower (legacy/imp) vehicles and they performed fine for years with never an issue.

good advice from John! they can be reliable vehicles if properly maintained. new timing belts, water pump, oil pump resealed, cam seals, crank seal, valve cover gaskets/grommets, drive belts, spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and PCV valve, and have a spare alternator in the trunk since those commonly fail. all of that isn't hard to do. the coolant loss is the scary one. i'd want to know where it's going.

The CVT has had few issues so far, not many issues with it. Ask friends or go to local lots and test drive some automatics. It's nearly impossible to convince someone to change their distaste for an automatic, so probably not a good fit. People that love manuals love manuals. With clutches, synchro's, input shaft bearing issues, and center diff failure and the robustness of automatic transmissions - auto's have proven less maintenance and more reliable for me, so I prefer auto's now.

wheel bearing. sit in the back to verify. you'll hear/feel it more specifically that way - though it sounds like you already are fairly sure. Subaru wheel bearings routinely avoid being detected by standard tests. I don't even bother checking for play any more, it's such a crap shoot diagnosis on newer Subarus. I test them after driving with an infrared temp gun - compare to opposite side - it will be notably higher than the other. take 5 - 10 readings per side and compare high/lows/averages. they can even avoid detection that way as well. there's also the carrier bearing and ujoints in the driveshaft - but those are centrally located. noise while accelerating/under load is often the front axle inner joint or front differential, being rear and not central rules those out.

yes - for the fronts you just tap the tone ring off and it works fine on older models. i've never seen rear axles fail so i've never bothered.

rear differential failure is extremely rare. not impossible, but it's usually a mis-diagnosis. they fail so rarely that they're nearly worthless to keep if you're parting them out and there's zero demand - so you should be able to find one inexnepsinvely used. www.car-part.com

welcome, yep correct forum. i'm an engineer too, AE. 99-2009 non-turbo Foresters have head gaskets that externally leak coolant and/or oil. check head to block mating surface underneath for leaks. they get worse over long periods of time, so you can drive them 10's of thousands of miles by simply keeping fluids topped off. they don't mix oil/coolant so there's no worries about catastrophic failures. you can get a good deal by buying one that's already leaking, known bad and buy it inexpensively. resurface the heads, use quality headgaskets and you're good to go. i took a friend who was looking for 2004-2009 Subarus three weeks ago and 8 out of 10 on the lots locally had failing headgaskets. inspect carefully. rare, but check for torque bind.

replacing the muffler won't help that. you mean "the exhaust system", not the "muffler system". Subaru catalytic converters last the life of the vehicle unless they're abused. you should not replace it unless you have issues. if you're having issues, start by describing exactly what issues you have.

an ER27 6 cylinder XT6 engine is identical to the EA82 - it's the same exact pistons, bearings, rods, valve train, cam seals, crank seals, etc - it just has two more cylinders added to it and a few timing belt and other differences. since the cylinders/pistons are exactly the same, this should be interesting: mr.radon bored out his ER27 here: http://www.subaruxt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3575&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=bore&start=60 finished in 2005 - needed headgaskets by 2013. google EA82 bore and you'll get more hits here and elsewhere depending what/why you're asking.

That's a lot of codes, first 3 steps are: 1. clear codes and see which one comes back first - read it immediately when the check engine light comes on. 2. check and clean/tighten battery terminals/clamps - low voltage may be making dirty signals. 3. check voltage at the battery with engine running. the codes may be an artifact of the low rpms/low alternator output clean idle air controller. best to remove it and clean it, but sometimes you can blow cleaner into them insitu. knock sensors often crack at the base. replace them with a $14 ebay knock sensor. questions: how long have you owned the car? was it working perfectly find before this - amazing performance, gas mileage, and history? how many miles are on it?

+1 just buy from your favorite store. Subaru OEM is excellent quality material that stands the test of time. they last 10 years in the rust belt instead of 3-5 like aftermarket. but you're down south and OEM is really expensive so just buy whatever you want. if you're going to be plunging through marshes and salt water than get the cheapest thing possible and replace often or buy OEM to get an extra couple years.

of course. that something has been done doesn't mean it's a good fit for average daily drivers. you could use your example to answer every question every posed "couldn't someone retrofit brand XYZ component to replace this lesser one?" that's generic, incomplete, and short sighted.

are you positive the strut has a hole in it? in that case just get a used one. i may have one, i've got a pile of XT struts. the air system is quite challenging to diagnose, but i do prefer it and they ride well and last a long time when properly operating. but there's about 50 ways in which they can fail due to age so it's tedious keeping them reliable. if you get all the rust off the front strut bodies, replace about 20 orings in the system, and make sure solenoids are good and replace the rear strut mount bushings...they can be reliable. you can convert the suspension to conventional coil-spring struts. Fronts - Impreza's/legacy can be used - have to spread the lower flanges apart for it to slide over the hub. Rears - EA82 rear struts are a direct bolt in. Flip the rear top mounts upside down to bring the rear down as the car will then sit raked with rear higher than front and overall it would sit a little lower than air ride. that's only true for the front. that won't work for the rear.

you need a 2000+ EJ25 (or 99 forester, impreza RS). if you want to sell the vehicle as-is, PM or email me a price.

what he said - order one for a 1990 loyale. its an EA81 or turbo axle. an 88 GL hatch is an EA81 and quite different from your 88 GL wagon.

yep, just cut the Duty C solenoid wire. install a switch - with the circuit "cut" - it's "locked". with the circuit complete it's just like normal. this is how you normally drive. good to have a light or something to remind you it's on in case someone or something (a pet) accidentally flips it.

yes, comes with the shaft seal. you'll be able to see it though so you can check first of course.

1. how many miles? 2. any recent engine or major work done in the past year or so? read codes with OBD scanner - there may be pending codes. check fuel pressure when it's ***not*** starting. if it's low fuel pressure/volume - then you can also do the ghetto test and pull the fuel line and notice very little fuel coming out. in this case the fuel pump cap has cracked tabs and the oring is pushing out. you need a new fuel pump cap and oring.

i have a set of 1998 Impreza RS rear caliper brackets. these are the rare 2.5 liter Impreza's, not the more common 1998 2.2 imprezas. i don't have the pins for those, unsure if i may have a set of matching pins or not. they are the same rotor size as your forester and being the same year, probably the same. but variations in Subaru calipers, brackets, and pins are enormously common, so you may want to verify.

what he said - contact them directly.

oh yeah, he's got you covered. points to exactly what he said - spark plug tube seals. replace them.

how many miles? overall condition? by three misfires - you mean "Cylinder 3 misfire" or three different cylinders are misfiring? cylinder misfires: 1. plugs - this engine isn't very forgiving of non-OEM plugs, should be original NGK's spec'ed for an EJ25. 2. wires - same, they're not forgiving of cheap wires if multiple cylinders are misfiring then: 1. coil pack 2. timing belt tensioner

replace the orings on compressor and recharge. 20 minutes and $20 and done. vacuuming is completely unecessary, i've done it a billion times without issue. one issue with having a shop do it is they typically want to replace more than necessary like the compressor and/or lines. they'll see a leak, test, and see the orings leaking and mis-diagnose as compressor and/or lines leaking when it's only 50 cent orings. but yes - i would just do the simple 20 minute and $20 repair or have someone else do it. dabbling in between in terms of effort/savings isn't a good fit many times.

copy. i was thinking it would share more parts with something.

Has it been properly burped? Could be air in the system. Refill with nose up, use bleeder screw if it has one (passengers side top of rad), top off radiator after driving...etc. That's probably the issue. How long since the headgasket job and how many miles? Are the fans coming on? What brand head gaskets? Was the required Subaru Coolant Conditioner added after the work?