idosubaru

you probably didn't replace that oring. you probably did the cam CAP oring, the one held in place by a couple 10mm bolts right behind the cam sprocket? it's easily replaced with a timing belt job - if that's the one you replaced, that's not the one that's being discussed. the cam TOWER oring is a small metal-reinforced oring at the lower corner of the cam carrier. you have to completely remove the cam case assembly and all the rocker arms fall out (or you know ahead of time and plan accordingly). it's a much larger job than just the timing belt/cam cap oring. but nonethelss - i've never had to replace those to fix TOD so i'm doubtful you'll have to.

On EA and ER engines I use the yellow aluminum discs in a drill for cleaning up aluminum. but be gentle, don't bare down on it and get crazy. just as an example, this may not be what i used but this is the first thing that came up in google as an example: http://www.grainger.com/product/6RX80?gclid=COXphOr_8b0CFeRlOgod01MAog&cm_mmc=PPC:GooglePLA-_-Abrasives-_-Abrasive%20Wheels-_-6RX80&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=6RX80&ef_id=U1VHLAAABS3L9Vtl:20140421162828:s get one that's not aggressive and good for aluminum.

do this to the heads and you can do it to the block as well: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/122588-diy-head-resurfacing-or-post-apocalyptic-machine-shop-techniques/

good job cranking it all out. you can only do that in an automatic with the FWD fuse in. or alternately if the Duty C or clutch plates are sticking - then you can do it without the FWD fuse. it would be disastrous to do that to manuals which have a viscous center diff. it's not "if" there would be issues, but when.

i remove hoses all the time from throttle bodies, they're intended to bring the throttle plate up to operating temps quick so it doesn't freeze/stick. if it's like that, which is sounds, it's pointless unless maybe you're in the arctic. i routinely remove the throttle coolant hoses if i'm already removing them or the intake for something else, fewer hoses and clamps to leak. gets a little below zero where i live and i've never had an issue.

Thanks, will do that Wednesday.

simplest explanation is the most likely. so i'd start with Gloyales suggestions above. still curious how you know it's "2 quarts to full" - i don't think there's any way to know that.

nice to just get the Subaru hose if you can on tough molded/curved stuff. like you said they kink if you don't. if you do just use regular hose make it a lot longer depending on space. sometimes too long can even make it kink if it then runs into stuff where it does bend. but in general additional length can allow any degree of turn.

i sat for a second thinking about that and it doesn't seem like it could, or if it was "that" bad he'd have other symptoms too.

what's the current gas mileage? does the oil smell like fuel when it's reading high, or at all for that matter? are you checking on level ground? what do you mean by "2 quarts over full" - how do you know that if there's no such indicator on the dipstick? has there ever been any major engine work like headgaskets? this shouldn't be possible outside of someone leaving a shop rag in one of the lower head return passages. even then i can't picture it happening like this.

that's odd, you must have a good relationship with these guys or they don't care? LOL that exemption applies only to 1996 Subarus due to monitors not setting properly, usually they can't exempt a vehicle due to equipment from another year. 1996's do have exemptions due to monitors that will never full set and show as "ready". did you swap the ECU? i always assumed that exemption was due to the ECU and not the engine, but i never tested for it. good idea at some point to replace the complete timing belt kit, pulleys, tensioner, and belt. the kits are only $110 on amazon and as you now know it's easy. i'd reseal the oil pump while you're in there (easy). not only did you come in way under book value, you did it and have ended up with about the cheapest most reliable 100,000 miles you can get. not that your highschool son may rack up that kind of miles but good stuff nonetheless.

Easy. get a 10mm ratcheting wrench for the rear lower drivers side cover bolt(s). without that it's much more annoying, otherwise they're easy. replace the grommets to while you're at it, they're old, brittle, and in horrible shape by now usually.

+1 to uberoos brake suggestion, that's basically the standard way to do it. +1. pry it open. liquid wrench, PB blaster, penetrant in there. if it's stuck, once pried open a bit you may even find enough room to get a small driver of some sort - punch, screwdriver in there and impact it from the top down. may be hard to get any bite though. hammering/prying on the vehicle is tricky as the suspension takes a lot of the impact rather than the part you're trying to get to.

bad sensor? if that's for the rear sensor, it can't affect gas mileage. you can completely remove them and it can't affect gas milegae as it's not even used by the ECU for any fuel or other mapping calculations. it's simply a dummy light. somewhere around 2005 or newer that changes slightly and it starts getting integrated into actual ECU algorithms.

I think it's a case where it doesn't matter, so you both could be considered right based on personal preference. Given that it's not needed, never came that way from the factory, many millions of miles have been driven over decades giving many orders of magnitude of statistical weight on one side, and it causes no issues, there doesn't seem to be a compelling reason to recommend it as a standard procedure to a generic audience which would include less skilled/experienced people who would be more likely to improperly use it and induce risk. On an interesting side note, the XT6 has gaskets on all of those ports, all 3 (6 total/3 per side) in the XT6. One could buy the ones for the XT6 which are identical and use them in an EA82.

Thank you much GLoyale for clarifying that. On a hydraulic clutch is there anyway to "move" the clutch fork to make sure it's not the throw out bearing partially engaged? It doesn't sound like it is but I'll test it if there's a way to do it. I see other threads with "noise goes away when clutch pressed" - where folks say replacing throwout bearing fixed it. Or the noise - grumble/chirp - is the most telling?

it's the oil pump. i wouldn't even think about HLA's unless you have a compelling reason. oil pumps fix this countless times for many people/vehicles, i'm not talking from like 2 experiences/vehicles, it's many vehicles and forum members too. here's a write up i did: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/136547-ea82-er27-ticking-tod-hydraulic-valve-lash-hla-noise-diagnose-and-repair/ if you still want to diagnose, stick a stethoscope on the valve covers and tell us which HLA's are ticking, which side, which cylinder, or is it all over the place.

Not sure on grumble/high pitch, looking at friends car Wednesday. When in neutral without pushing the clutch pedal, is it only the input shaft that's supposed to be spinning? Technically the throw out bearing shouldn't be spinning unless it's midadjusted right? So noise while idling in neutral can't be the throw out bearing? Pilot bearing? When is that spinning?

Noise goes away when pedal is pressed in. So it's the throw out bearing or input shaft bearing. How do you test this in a hydraulic clutch 2003 Legacy sedan H4? In a clutch cable you loosen the clutch cable and see if it goes away or not right - if it goes away then it's the throw out bearing. if not - it's the input shaft bearing.

definitely a 4 speed. what issues is it having? any check engine or AT light flashing?

I'll add that they're almost never to full torque with one order. i usually hit them three times in a star pattern but i'm using air tools so it's easy. they almost always move a good bit more the second time through. third time they almost never do.

if the symptoms changed when you changed distributor (sounds like it may have definitively went from intermittent to constant), then that probably points to your issue. ferox knows what he's talking about so wiring sounds like a good place to start and could change symptoms with the work you did, needing to be moved, unplugged, etc. another bad distributor? seems unlikely but if you're at a loss can you install the old one again to test? the justy's are tempermental with oil pumps right? i'd assume that's a real issue and do something about it right away. pretty sure you can google that and find out about justy oil pump/pressure/supply. with those existing check engine lights i highly doubt the converter is the issue. for every 10 times people say "catalytic converter", more than 9 of them it ends up being something else.

I found some instances on line of people tigthening to 70 ft-lbs and having them come loose - so that's too low. What value did he use? If we can confirm he used a value that others have used and had them come loose - that's telling. *** I think yours calls for 81 ft-lbs but I'd torque them in a proper alternating sequence to 90 ft-lbs as Subaru allows for that on other models (i probably use even more than that i just have a setting a find higher than needed on my air gun and use that 100's of times without issue). One day I'll test it maybe and see what mine are at. The dealer can confirm or it should be in your owners manual as well. Subaru is flaky with their changes over the years: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/81-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension/15339-lug-nut-torque-2.html Unlikely to be wheel related. 1. they're coming loose on wheels that weren't previously an issue. 2. Subaru wheels are robust and this would be an unheard of symptom/failure mode. hard to imagine that stastical improbability outweighing the far more probable idea of improper torque. if you google "subaru lug nut torque" or loose lugs, etc you'll get myriad of hits on the subject. One could suggest rotations may spread the issue but that's statically improbable. Experience tells us that subaru wheels don't cause lug loosening. Many people have wobbled around on a loose wheel, flat tire, been in wrecks, I've repaired wrecked/salvaged/recertified cars many times, people in the offroad crowds lift, modify and abuse these things and wheel damage that causes lug loosening is not a normal failure mode under stress. As an engineer with stuff I've built on NASA birds flying right now, I can be as technical as need be and make guesses materially, structurally, etc...I see no need for that here. All that to say, It almost has to be a simple torque issue. it's actually normal for the lugs to loosen all the way, that's what they always do if they loosen. Retorquing is not an attempt to abate a loss of 10 pounds, but an attempt to mitigate complete loosening. Granted you *might* catch it when it's a "little" loose, but more often than not they're hand tight. Good luck and thanks for the feedback, hope it works out for you.

true and still common issues on 20+ year old subaru's.

probably fluid resonating, vibrating, or otherwise flowing through/around some passage. they don't make noises unless it's some weird ball outlier, they're just a metal tube going through a can with desiccant inside. Subaru A/C systems are extremely robust - failure of any component is almost unheard of, though compressors and clutches can fail, but it's pretty rare and it seems you've ruled those out. so far all symptoms point to having too much refrigerant in the system. have you checked the pressure - what was it?