idosubaru

H6 head gasket failure is seemingly less than H4's.

same engine, easy. follow their directions. install a complete timing kit, they're $130 on rockauto or amazon for a gates kit with all new pulleys and tensioner.

you can order two bearings 6203 or 6204 (i forget, easy enough to google it)...they tap out super easy - hammer and a socket and they pop right out and back in. i don't have the part number handy but i've posted it before - if you found my posts - that's it. i've seen people install them wrong, i'm not sure how that's done though...washer, bolt, backwards, something. just pay close attention. tensioners dont' fail too often. i've seen it once on one with about 170,000 miles. most people just replace the pulley bearings or pulleys.

i would almost trust yours with all those known miles on it more than any EJ25 that has unknown history. the way they overheat causes lots of overheating scenarios. yes the transmission is usually replaced. a really good mechanic can swap front diffs by retaining all the important parameters to hopefully retain the backlash and bearing preloads. if he's comfortable doing that, it can be done. most places just swap the transmissions. a used transmission would probably be the best route. www.car-part.com lists all the junk yards in the US just about, check there for options. if you swap transmissions keep your center differential from your old transmission in case you ever get torque bind.

what year EA82? what size oring did you use? Is it exactly OEM size? i would vote for this. you had zero issues before hand - suggesting everything is working properly. then you repaired it but inserted one "less desirable part/method" into the process of course it's totally possible it could be something else yet hard to ignore the one glaring thing that most people wouldn't do. that being said i think people say 85-87 models used to come with regular orings.

i attempted a write up - i posted pictures of the results, but not me holding the hammer/chisel and orientation but it's fairly simple really. just imagine hitting that bolt in the picture "down aiming right towards the center of the bolt to create the first notch. then angling the chisel towards the edge of the notch you created to give it an impact area to "loosen" on the next strike...or three. takes one or two hits to create the V then 1 - 5 to loosen. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/122882-alternate-method-removing-stubborn-rusty-seized-bolts.html#post1309338

strut mount wheel bearing tie rod ball joint sway bay end link front crossmember rear transverse bushing that last 4 should be easily tested in short order. can you jack the tire up and check for play yourself in any of those components?

H6 3.0 engine has 60ish hex bolts for the timing chain cover. i am destroying almost all of them via chisel to get them loose. unless there's some compelling reason not too i'm going to replace them with normal bolts like transmissions/oil pan bolts.

0420 is a debacle of a code unfortunately. becuase it's tricky to diagnose and most shops just throw thousands of dollars of exhaust parts at it to get it to go away. which often just covers up the issues rather than fixes it. and you new converters can again be trash in a few years. anything cuasing the car to run innefficienty can trigger it. plugs, dirty intake, PCV, 02 sensors. i'd start by replacing the PCV valve and seafoaming the intake. cheap, easy, and probably not a bad idea to have them done. there's some threads on how to do both. PCV valve has probably never been replaced anyway - really easy to do. it is a benign code - you can drive the car for 100,000 miles with it on and have zero issues (i've done it before, happens all the time in WV where the check engine light is no requirement for any inspection). my 02 has had the 0420 code for 100,000 miles now and i just ignore it. ideally you don't ignore it because if the engine is running poorly that's not good for the engine. mine still gets great gas mileage so i'm assuming the engine is running well. if it was getting poor mileage i'd be more concerned. cardoc has a fantastic thread on how to properly diagnoses it on subaruoutback.org, it is the *only* legitiamte source i've ever seen for properly tracking and repairing this code.

All 2000 and up Outbacks are the Phase II EJ25, not the ominous EJ25 DOHC engine. If it's that newer 2000+ body style, it will not have the older EJ25D engine it. they still have headgasket issues though. they leak externally coolant, oil, or both. at least closely inspect the underneath engine to headgasket mating area - any sign of leak (or super-clean like they ust cleaned up a leak to sell it) and you might want to move on. at lesat start with one that has zero issues. Subaru requires a coolant condition additive (stop leak) for all 2000+ EJ25's - be sure to change the coolant and add a bottle as soon as you get one to make sure it's been changed and added. due to age and mileage (10 years/100,000 miles) most in that era need a complete timing kit replacement - tensioner, pulleys, belt. unlike your old 82 GL EA81 engine, this is an interference engine - if the timing belt breaks you'll bend valves. a new belt is not good enough, the tensioenr and pulleys need replaced too. it's easy to do though - the timing gear only can be done in less than an hour. double that for a first timer. i'd get an EZ30, H6 engine myself. awesome engines for cheap, inexpensive reliability and maintenance. do plugs, VC gaskets, and oil cooler gaskets and that's a bout all they need for 150,000 miles.

that sounds like a very benign bolt. sounds like it should easily hold even with JB Weld which is a low grade repair. i've repaired lots of threads and found JB weld to be a poor long term option. i've had it fail on stripped out/broken off chunks of bosses for bolts before. i avoid it unless there's no other choice. another possibility, if it looks like there are any deeper threads, use a longer bolt with some locktite. almost every bolt hole in the vehicle is deeper than the original bolt and using a longer bolt accesses clean/unused threads. use a thin screw driver to approximate depth, get a longer bolt, if it bottoms out use washers...etc, really simple.

i've been talking to the OP via phone and looks like they are moving right along on sourcing parts/shops. should be a success story and they can move on with life and take the least hit possible.

same, i've used mizumo kits. gates kits are very inexpensive on amazon and rockauto as well.

***short answer - i'm guessing front wheel bearing. *** I'd ask for your old axle back if they still have it - no point in throwing away a perfectly good axle that wasn't bad that you paid for. It can be rebooted in the future (they are same left and right) and will be higher quality than any aftermarket axle. are you positive the symptoms are identical to what they were prior to the job? no change at all? i'm wondering if the new axle is bad, that's fairly common but it would be uncanny to have the exact same symptoms. why did you post a couple other threads? was it hard to diagnose or no consensus? sounds like it has to be under load - which is typically front axle or front differential but this doesn't sound like front diff so axle is high on the list. will the noise stop when you push the clutch in and then return when you immediately let the clutch back out? if it's not then an axle i'd be thinking wheel bearing . Subaru wheel bearings can be very difficult to diagnose, i've seen quite a few give no indications of typical "bearing" failure symptoms, including front 99 hubs exactly like yours. clunking is not a symptom i typically see on front subaru bearings but i would suspect it's possible. **after driving i'd hit the front hub with a temperature gun and compare it to the other side - if it's notably higher your wheel bearing may be suspect. unfortunately doing a repair and not having the problem fixed is not rare. if you had 100,000 in tools and the training to use them and build a 3 car garage at your home you'll have the same thing happen. it is possible for what is normally a very common issue to end up being something else. i've done it before inadvertently, many things can share similar symptoms. to "properly diagnose" would take 2 hours and $150, then you'd call them crooks for fixing ever job for $150 more than anywhere else. everyone would go elsewhere and they'd have to close their business. it's a balance between quick diagnoses and proper repair - in cases like this it's usually easy....sure sounds like a CV axle.

H6's are excellent engines. i'll largely assume 04 H6's there are similar to US market, so you'll have to bridge any gaps. the next version H6 isn't that different though - same basic engine just with valve controlling gadgets on it. plan on "not good" and you won't be disappointed. somewhere around 21-23 for most people. 24-28 is possible on lower speed highway trips without mountains or with conservative driving. no. who ever said that i would never listen to again about Subarus. octane doesn't matter on US model EZ30's anyway. i always run low octane and my engine runs great at 220,000 miles (350,000 km). i've tried higher octane a few times and never noticed a difference. a few have had headgasket issues but not like the EJ25. one common issue - which essentially effects them all is the serpentine belt pulley bearings. luckily they take 30 minutes and $10 in bearings to replace. super easy. do it immediately when you get the car and consider it maintenance every few years or 50,000 miles.

get the gates kits off of amazon or rock auto. importexperts has good parts and sells on ebay. EJ25 and EJ22 tensioner, water pump, and pulleys and oil pumps are all identical. so you simply buy the kit that has the timing belt you want. the only difference is that the tensioner change around 1997, but that goes for EJ25's and EJ22's - there's a new style (1997 and up) tensioner and an old style tensioner. they are even interchangeable by swapping the bracket (2 or 3 bolts) they attach too. the old style tensioners are more reliable and generaly dont' need replaced. but they're getting old too. the new style tensioners are now much cheaper than they were a few years ago so it just makes sense to replace them. someone just had one fail last week that was brand new aftermarket. i'd stick with the gates kits.

parting out can be a pain. you'll get people interested...wanting pictures, asking questions, condition, mileage, previous owner, smoker, pets, kids, more questions, low balling...then they'll back out and never buy. or then they'll want shipping cheaper or to meet, you arrange it, it doesn't work out. it can be a lot of work and annoying. i'd first see if you can find local (non-shipping) sale for the engine since it's most valuable and then go from there. then decide if you want to deal with smaller items. if you're intersted in shipping then list in the parts wanted forum here and subaruoutback.org (since lots of suspension, drivetrain, transmission, engine, interior largely interchange)

WOW. found a method to get them out besides drilling but they're too far gone for everything mentioned. Nothing works. I used a chisel. Knock a perpendicular "Vee" shape into the outside of the bolt. Pound the side of the V to loosen the bolt. Not too steep of an angle or the bolt metal just shaves off. That worked on a few in a row so that will get them out. Be careful to leave plenty of room that you're not close to hitting the aluminum timing cover. Plan on the bolt "turning" some too before it's loose. It'll mash/wedge the metal up a good 90 degrees of the bolt head before it finally loosens, so you'll work your way around to close to the timing cover in some case...or start over and get a deeper cut to dig into so you're not pushing the metal along/shaving it and actually loosen it. Maybe i'll take a picture of one to show how to do it. I think it beats drilling.

the 3AT sucks for some reasons but others familiar with subarus also say they are reliable if you take care of a few minor issues - governor or something, i've never owned one but Johnfromky and others have said they can be decent for plain daily driver use. swapping a 4EAT would require a complete wiring harness and grafting it into appropriate signals - at least the TPS and probably more. it would substantially more work. if you're capable of doing a transmission swap then you're capable of also buying a car cheap needing work and fixing it - which would take less time probably. there is one simple 4EAT option that would be very easy but you may not like it. if you swapped a 4EAT in there and ran it without any wiring or TCU it would function fine. it would run in purely mechanical mode and always be in 3rd gear and always have the 4WD locked. i've done it in XT6's with 6 cylinder engines and they have plenty grunt to make them fine as daily drivers even around here in the mountains. slowest off the line obviously but not too bad. an 80's 4 banger may not. locked 4WD is easy - just splice into the one Duty c wiring and control it yourself - FWD or locked 4WD. indeed i wasn't saying to run without a cluster! that would be awful for anyone. i was just saying it would at least be movable with an instrument cluster and driveable for testing/finishing up, not that you'd want to keep it that way in any case. it is odd driving not knowing your speed or volts, or oil pressure or anything. sometimes i like to know, with a project, what is going to get me on the road driving and what's going to hold it up.

if it's protruding enough, with a bolt that big you might even be able to get a chisel angled in a "loosening" kind of position/angle and knock it "lefty" to loosen it. but for that to work you need: 1. a sharp angle so it's actually "loosening" 2. yet enough material that the chisel doens't just skip off when you hit or take a chunk/dent the metal you're striking clear as mud?

it's not opinion - it's fact that you do not replace Subaru head bolts. suppliers are providing a "one size fits all" bag of kits with more parts. don't use them. i wouldn't generally buy the kits that supply the bolts either, most of those ebay and amazon specials i've seen come with cheap head gaskets that fail in short order. depends on the motor of course but buyer beware.

Cardone failures are mentioned in the threads linked below. it would be months, not years. i work on dozens of vehicles so i use other peoples vehicles/parts too, it's not always ideal and i don't always get to choose. last new aftermarket set i installed vibrated on acceleration..classic inner DOJ aftermarket issue. used OEM axles. i use aftermarket parts all the time. if you do enough axle work and see the vehicle long-ish term, it's all over the internet and any subaru forum, a simple search...like all these in like 30 seconds. i'm not reading them all but just as an illustration i'll copy and paste how common this is: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/23162-aftermarket-axle-print.html http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/109-gen-3-2005-2009/42191-vibration-idle-not-due-axles.html http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/37399-vibration-idle-after-replacing-front-axles-solved.html http://allwheeldriveauto.com/seattle-subaru-cv-boots-and-axle-problems-explained/ http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/120391-braking-vibration-after-replacing-cv-axles/ http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/130439-vibration-after-new-axle-04-legacy/ Here's a USMB thread by Numbchux who does tons of Subaru work and he's seen Cardone failures. i recall him having Cardone failures so it was easy to look up. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/114729-gsp-axle-rant/

you have a serious lug nut problem. they shouldn't be coming loose all the time like that. tighten them properly (harder?) or find out why they're coming loose. if it's one wheel in particular then replace that rotor (i've only seen/heard of that issue being on the rears though). if it's more than one wheel then it's not likely that's the issue. if the brake caliper bracket bolt broke - those things are huge and no extractor is going to work. more than likely an extractor will break off inside of the bolt and you'll have a bigger mess. i would avoid them at all cost- no matter how fancy they packaging looks or makes you think they're work. they suck for on car repairs. the good news is the bracket is *not* threaded, so if the other bolt came out i'd just knock it off, the sheared bolt is only passing through the bracket and should come right off. chisel, rotate it the bracket around to loosen it - it should come off. last resort - cut that sucker off there and weld it back on. LOL you can drill and tap the inside of the bolt and just use a smaller bolt to hold the bracket it on. it would hold with just one bolt (i've done it before) so if done properly it would work just fine. use a high grade bolt and gobs of antiseize. if you're still gang buster to get this miserable remaining bolt out, once the bracket is off you might have enough metal to work with if it's not flush with the hub and protrudes somewhat. 1. soak it a lot in high quality penetrant, Liquid Wrench or PB Blaster available at nearly any store 2. brief impacts with a hammer/punch 3. weld a nut on top of the remaining shank to pull the bolt out ideally you get that bolt out because if it's rusted so bad that a brake caliper bolt sheared off that ball joint is going to be a real debacle. maybe remove the entire control arm/hub as an assembly.

welcome. i'll be in Oak Hill tomorrow! 1. fill the oil up. 2. clean both battery terminals and make sure they're clean, tigth, and good. checking visible grounds would be wise too. with all those issues you may simply have low voltages issues everywhere screwing up the signals. if it's not that your best bet is to clear the codes and see which one comes back first. start the car - and as soon as you see the check engine light, read the codes and see which one came back first. get a code reader for $35 on ebay/amazon or have Advance Auto, Autozone, etc clear them for free, or disconnect your battery cable for 20 minutes, that should clear them. P0325 is knock sensor. normally the sensors just crack at the base and need replaced. Ebay = $15 new knock sensors 303 and 304 are misfire codes. in general, in order of most common causes for misfires 1. OEM NGK plugs 2. Subaru or at least high quality wires, these engines aren't forgiving otherwise 3. Coil pack 4. Igniter 5. Major engine issues P01507 and 1540 I would assume are a phantom or a result of the others/stalling/etc. Rare code, i'd focus on this one later unless there's a compelling reason otherwise...obviously we know little of the car and it could have all sorts of things going on.

i'd change the coolant if it's unknown and freshen up/clean up the batter terminals. it is said this helps mitigate headgasket concerns, though the H6 doesn't seem as likely to have headgasket issues. change transmission fluid and front diff oil would be wise too.