idosubaru

HA HA! here here! i just ordered like two hours ago, two ball joints to have on hand. mostly due to rust making it impossible to ever get the ball joint out for other work without damaging it, not because they fail that often.

subaru bearings seem to fail in multiple ways or with multiple symptoms at least, pretty common for them to look different each time. sounds like a bad bearing to me - the axle if moving with it - woah! i'm not familiar as to when hub damage happens and requires replacment. i had 3 failed rear bearings on my LSi and it didn't quit failing until i installed a used hub, i suppose the previous one was bad and causing the bearings to wear?

it's hard to see from pic's but if you can cut out large sections and weld in new good sections from a parts car that's the easiest way. fabricating and piecing together and getting it all out is a chore. i think milesfox has some good rust work threads and pictures if you want to check his out...i think his is on an EA82 body.

1. check coolant level/properly burp/bleed air out of the coolant 2. Subaru OEM thermostat only 3. what brand headgaskets were used and were the heads resurfaced?

no ride adjustment unless it was fitted later by someone. both sides or is one more pronounced? are the rear wheel leaning "in" at the top - this is what i've seen them do when the rust takes out some of the rear suspension. maybe just warn struts/springs. i had a 2002 Outback with 200,000 miles riding low on one side rear, something was rubbing when loaded in the trunk. i disassembled it and everything looked fine but replacing the spring fixed it. the old spring had no visible breaks, bends, nor was it even shorter than the new spring.

EJ22 swap. EJ25's suck, particularly that EJ25D variant, it's the worst, probably one of Subaru's worst engines they've ever made in terms of reliability/cost of repairs. Get a JDM or used junk yard engine and you still have failure prone headgaskets. Granted...he apparently almost made it to the moon and back in mileage but who knows how many headgaskets/engines it took in the past 15 years too.

Sounds like a bad front diff. if car is capable of many more reliable miles and in decent shape then it's worth fixing. Here's the best option and most commonly utilized by folks on this board: 1. $1,000 = $600 used transmission + $400 labor and new gear oil/transmission fluid. Those transmissions are robust and if one is in good condition when you buy it it's likely to last a very long time, change all the fluids immediately when it's installed and thereafter. Or: 2. $1,600 = $600 new ring and pinion and parts + $1,000 labor to install You'll need to find someone that's familiar with replacing a front diff though - a skilled shop or transmission shop. It requires some set up that many won't know or won't want to do. Most shops jump straight to rebuilds or replacements...not necessary, these transmissions are very reliable and a full rebuild is overkill. Just replace the transmission or the front diff if you can find a shop that knows how to do it. You can also source a used front differential but that's more effort than most people want to get into. There are numerous used transmissions in Utah for $500 - $600: 801-732-8400 1-888-832-2108 1-800-624-7062 1-801-252-0400 1-801-252-0400 expand your search to other neighboring states and maybe you'll find even cheaper: http://car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi

2.5 liter legacys should also be 4.44 - like GT's and LSi

happens all the time on older ER and EA engines - those intake/coolant bolts shearing off in the heads. 12mm bolt = M10x1.25 threads 10mm bolt = M6x1.00 threads i'd never even vice grips on these, they're usually in there pretty good. 1. spray it with penetrant 2. weld a nut on top that stud (which you said you can't do) 3. put another nut or two on the remaining thread if you can and lock them together? 4. drill it out with left handed drill bits - once it's widdled away enough the heat and left handed motion will back the remaining bolt out 5. drill it out with right handed bits when removing these bolts normally and if you feel tension - or if you try #2 or #3 above a huge help in making this successful on these bolts is to work them back and forth many times- loosen, tighten...then take a break, loosen, tighten...take a break. go very slowly and it'll come out. the point of the breaks are to give the metal time to cool off. if you loosen it all at once the metal heats up, fatigues, and shears. *do not use bolt extractors - they absolutely suck, throw them away. if they do work then it'll easily come out with some other means, like vice grips or drilling. bolt extractors are excellent resources for well trained machinists in a controlled shop, but should all be thrown away for automotive mechanical work IMO. they are extremely brittle and hard - but break very easy with any impact at all. if you break one of those off inside a drilled out bolt...good luck getting it out, they're a real nightmare as they're nearly impossible to drill through. just google it, people break them all the time.

checking lug nuts is a great idea. vibration on acceleration is usually inner DOJ. i'm slightly surprised that it doesn't do it at slow speeds but it's got some years on it and if it's aftermarket anything is possible. is one of the inner boots broken on the cv axle, next to the transmission? if it's an after market axle then that's likely the problem, they're awful and have lots of issues. if the axle is no good buy a used OEM axle and reboot it, preferrably with Subaru boots, they last longer. www.car-part.com. problem is finding an original OEM axle after all these years. FWE in colorado is about the only 100% solution other than used OEM.

Transmission can definitely come out easier and quicker - fewer items to disconnect, no coolant to deal with. Pulling engine is much simpler/easier in nearly every way though. If you have lots of energy, a get-r-done atittude no matter what, don't get easily frustrated, don't mind crawling in and out from under the car (or planning ahead helps) every time you need a socket, part, rag, and don't mind lying on your back and wrestling in confined spaces on a frigid concrete floor while rust and dirt falls in your eyes and your nose is black when you blow it when you're done, and you're allowed free reign of any language necessary to get the job done....then pulling the transmission can be quicker and not require a lift. but there's a lot of reasons to hate working on your back, so pulling the engine is ideal for most people.

there's a work around for simply not installing EGR as well. that's the simpler route.

there's a simple work around, JCE probably linked to it. in the end if you leave the code and ignore it - it is completely benign and has no effect.

you can drive as long as you want- but yeah it really doesn't matter, just mixing the fluids.

really bad idea. keep your OEM axle as long as you can. remanned axles are notoriously inferior. you'd be throwing away a perfectly good axle for a lesser quality product. if you're unsure whether to believe me or not simply google or search any subaru forum about aftermarket axles, they're awful, even from Subaru. here's the best process for avoiding axle debacles and issues: 1. reboot OEM axles 2. use Subaru boots - aftermarkets have shorter lifespans, particularly the inner boots by the exhaust heat 3. if you must replace an axle for some reason buy a used OEM axle for $25-$33 and reboot it www.car-part.com

those modules don't fail on Subaru's, no point in replacing or worrying about those. if the airbag light is on that means it has a stored code. simply read that code and it will tell you which circuit is the issue and more than likely it'll be something common. probably simply the clock spring in the steering wheel. very simple, they don't fail terrible often so used is always the way to go with Subaru air bag stuffs. clock spring is the most common air bag related issue since it';s integrated into a moving part - the steering wheel.

if you mean the small quarter sized filter in line with a vacuum hose - i had that filter cause a check engine light on a 1997 Impreza EJ22. i tracked a bunch of stuff, replaced EGR, solenoids, and had that code for months or a year and couldn't get rid of it. i think someone mentioned it here and so i replaced it and the check engine light never came on again. i think it was an EGR related code on mine but that was a MAF car and i've never really seen or heard of anyone having that happen.

the ECU's never fail, Subaru ECU failure is almost nonexistent. what that means is buying a used one is cheap because they're not worth anything and a good bet. they're also really easy to replace and might be worth a try. i know of one ocassion where ECU replacement did fix an oddball issue - i just can't recall what the issue was. post in the parts wanted forum here. i've got a few EJ25D ECU's but i don't know if the 99 may be an odd ball year due to a few changes in 99. someone will have one or www.car-part.com

removing everything to get a good look sounds like a great idea at this point.

any engine work in the past year? vacuum hoses - you're positive there's no leaks? have you checked the brake booster hose? those sensors never fail, you would be wasting money on a new sensor if you've tried three others. you've hit some extensive areas - the FSM seems to indicate testing the pressure source solenoid valve and associated vaccuum hoses, i'd walk through the FSM to diagnose something that you've spent so much time on, diagram from the FSM for that valve is here: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/11297-cel-p0106.html

power steering pumps have a shaft seal and rear gasket as well. there's a rebuild kit for them from Subaru. failure is very rare, rebuilds or used pumps are the alternative to the high cost of a new Subaru one. you got that oring from Subaru? i didn't even know they sold it here in the states!?

"dead system" - meaning everything is flat and has been non-operational. okay it sounds like it's trying to work as normal then, so computer/wiring should be good. 1. it starts at start up because the tank is low on pressure 2. it quits after 10 minutes as designed because the computer shuts it off to prevent overrunning/overheating the compressor It sounds like: A. there's a leak - right at the compressor or tank or a really bad leak at the air strut such that all the pressure is bleeding out and not airing up anything B. the compressor isn't putting out enough psi to pump anything up You can use soapy water around fittings, orings, connectors, air bags to check for leaks. the soapy water will bubble where the leak is.

I have two different pieces of hardware to manually inflate the struts: 1. is simply an adapter that threads onto the top of the front struts and then a schrader valve fittings screws on top of that. so you simply have a schrader valve (think tire) that you can drive right up to any air compressor and fill the struts with. 2. the other is an inline Tee - you cut the plastic air line and each end of your cut line screws into compression style plastic fittings - and there's a T at the top with a schrader valve as well. again - simply use any air compressor to air up each strut. I can't verify size or part number but mine (#2 above) look exactly like this: http://www.amazon.com/Monroe-AK18-Air-Shock-Accessory/dp/B000CD5QHM doing a quick google search shows another option: http://hildstrom.com/projects/easrd/index.html basically - just splice into the air line at the front strut to get a direct way to air up the struts. The T fittings are nice because then it doesn't disrupt the stock system while you work on it.

if you need the vehicle to run - honestly you should convert to coil overs. air suspension is not worth it for most people. it's often like this - troubling to troubleshoot. 4 readily coil overs struts and you'll never be here again...it's the best option for most people. 1. when you put the key in - does the air compressor turn on? it should fire up immediately on a dead system... 2. how long did the compressor run the first time you started the car? 3. jack the car off the ground while airing up the steruts. this can get the struts to extend after being slammed for a long time. once you removed the old compressor, you're positive you installed the one i sent you? that has happened before. the pump should be fine but anything is possible on a quarter century old part. *** You said you heard air moving when applying 12 volts to a solenoid...so that means the compressor is getting air into the tank. But it may not be enough. I'm not sure how to test that... I'm curious for you to answer #2 above - when you first started the car what happened? compressor turned on...for how long....then what...any blinking lights after 10 minutes? the compressor shuts down after 10 minutes as an overheat protection.

because there are countless consumers with varying opinions! in the marketing/business world a phrase that some use (unfortunately) is "the best consumer is an unhappy one"...of course technology and innovation drives the market too but so do savy marketing peeps - lots of options, frequent changes, frequent make overs....it keeps the machine going. if you're into novelty then you'll want gadgets that appeal. if you're into practicality then you'll want practical options. if you're the type to get really annoyed if something is lacking later on - better get it now. if you don't get easily bothered you can ere towards not getting something you're wavering on. if fiscal responsibility is big on your list you might keep it short, if you'd rather pay now and know you have it later, stack the options up. if you're the rear type that hates things that can break, don't get expensive/costly gadgets that cause more maintenance/costs - heated windshields/seats for instance. if you're a tinkerer then most can be added later yourself or via independent mechanic cheaper, if yo'ure the type that shouldn't be caught with a anything more than a butter knife - get the options now. and i can come up with more....so which of those 10 personality types are you? make a list of what you like then ask questions about some of them.