idosubaru

HA HA! indeed you did not. well i don't need to say that's a lot of coolant. is that all leaking from the long block? if it really has been leaking that much from the block for an extended period then the heads or block will likely be questionable if you disassemble it. even if it doesn't overheat, over time the coolant begins to "wear" a groove through the aluminum if you put extensive miles on a car leaking that badly. i've seen it happen and someone else on the board just had it happen within the last couple months and i believe posted pictures. an engine swap may be easier and with some creativity could be inexpensive. a gallon sounds extreme but it was driving well enough for you to still be driving, drifting, and chewing up CV axles so a $30 axle replacement doesn't sound like a big deal to get a few more miles out of it.

1. replace axle with used Subaru oem axle for $25-$33 2. get a bottle of Subaru's coolant conditioner - can even try two bottles on a bad leak. this stops* initial external coolant leaks nearly every time. 3. piston slap is benign, turn the radio up *sounds like you may be well beyond "initial" but for $2.47 a bottle it's worth a try. axles are incredibly easy. once the wheel is off it requires removing 1 bolt (and loosen another) to replace an axle. you don't get much easier than that in terms of car repair. www.car-part.com and get a used OEM one for $25-$33. aftermarkets are a waste of time and money. google or search any subaru forum if you're unsure of this. this Phase II EJ25 headgasket that you have generally leaks externally - no oil/coolant mixing, overheating, etc. keep it full of coolant and oil and they'll keep on trucking along. if they've ever been replaced before or over time they may start to exhibit issues. friend had like 200k on his and it was rusted, bought at auction, then wrecked, rebuilt, leaking like a seive out the headgaskets. knowing this particular motor doesn't really catastrophically fail, i told him it wasn't worth all the work it needed. i told him to just keep adding fluids - he had like a 160 mile daily commute, got to like 280,000 on it before moving on. james bond smoke screen by then but it was still running.

i've never worried about it and have mixed/match oil pumps/rotors/motors with no issues.

sometimes there's options for mitigating issues but in this case the offending $5 seal simply needs replaced and there's no short term fixes or remedies except to keep dumping oil in it. at the most inexpensive this can be repaired in about an hour for $5 - remove timing belt and replace seal, reinstall. best case scenario you replace the timing kit as mentioned above and all the seals in that area for $150-$200 in parts. +labor good luck

that usually means it's a $5 seal. replacing and rebuilding the engine or $2,500 in repairs is quite silly. assuming it's the original EJ25 - it has 5 front engine seals, you can likely tell which is leaking by where it's the wettest (though sometimes it's hard based on the oil pooling behind the timing covers: CENTER - crankshaft seal PASSENGERS SIDE - one of 2 camshaft seals DRIVERS SIDE - one of 2 camshaft seals Ideally you get a timing belt kit for $120 off rockauto and replace all 5 of those seals, reseal the oil pump, and the car is ready for another 100,000 miles. $150 in parts and whatever a timing belt replacement costs - $400 - $700 depending on area. Or do it yourself/have a friend do it - there's additional work with seals - but that timing belt can be done in one hour.

sounds about right. LOL

brake fluid needs to be hard line in general. cut out all the rusted line, run new brake line and join them together. if you're uncomfortable joining them together i've even had a shop finish that part up - i run all the line and simply let a shop to the flared fitting/joining together. cheap as it only takes them a few minutes to do that one fitting.

I just measured 1996 EJ25 midpipe 1.88" and muffler pipe 1.89". So 1 7/8" it is. Surprised the exhaust pipes are all the same size. copy, i'll look for 1 7/8" hopefully they have that. maybe i should try 1.5" pipe for the EJ18 LOL

yes you're crazy and yes you can do it! so yep, do it! i've done it before. pull it. you'll need more vertical space as the lump is longer to get over the radiator top support but no big deal. i might be doing it again this weak actually.

copy - EJ25 is also 1.875 or 1 7/8". so all EJ18, EJ22, and EJ25's have the same exhaust diameter?

i'll look into those mufflers, sounds like a good fit. it rusted off, there's nothing to leave in place. CEL doesn't matter in WV or to me. resale!!! castrated from EJ25 to EJ18 and 4WD to FWD, and: it's not worth anything in terms of selling it.

/thread HA HA

1. There's a 150% price difference (or more) between those vehicles. Compare everything you own to 150% higher cost products and it'll likely not be very comparable. 2. The cheap Subaru ranks better than the legacy in safety ratings: 2010 Subaru Legacy safety rating: 10.0 2013 Inifinit G37 safety rating: 9.4 "Marginal rear crash protection" http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Infiniti_G37/Safety/ http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Subaru_Legacy/2010/Safety/ 3. I would never own an impractical infinity or german vehicle. I'll spare the details as you obviously came here to rant, degrade, vent, belittle, and offer zero constructive discussion or value at all

copy, i'll get a muffler on it. don't really want it to be annoying, currently has y-pipe only so straight pipe would at least be a huge improvement from that, LOL. i think the store i frequent only has one size under 2" anyway i'll probably just get that. been wrecked 3 times, totaled at highway speeds twice and rebuilt both times. it's been beat. but engine, trans, and mechanicals have lots of years/miles left so it's worth keeping on the road as a beater or to let friends borrow.

that's fine and works sometimes if you do it before all the fluid drains and you only need to push air out of the one line that was opened. it would seem that the entire system needs bled now to make sure it's done and done right.

Searching multiple forums I'm seeing guesses of 1.75" and 1 7/8" exhaust diameter as stock for EJ18. Anyone know?

What size is EJ18 exhaust? My exhaust needs replaced from the headers back due to rust. It's an EJ18 in a 96 Legacy which originally had an EJ25. Other threads mention that the EJ25 exhaust is larger than the EJ18. I may run straight pipe, no converter, no muffler. What size exhaust should I run for basic gas mileage in a daily driver? I'm thinking I should downsize from the larger EJ25 diameter?

it's all about the grades of the roads you'll be traveling. do you know what kind of boat ramps you'll be using? nice, consistent, the same one(s)? or lots of different ones? the FWD on boat ramp is definitely an interesting question. due to the angle you'll have less weight on the front tires as well. it's going to greatly depend on the boat ramps used. some places have really sweet, smooth, perfect, low grade boat ramps. i have no doubt you'll come right up the really nice ones. others have really wonky, tight, slight curve, very steep, and big drop offs for the boats...i wouldn't want to have FWD on the one i used earlier this year. should be easy enough to google it though - i'm sure lots of RWD trucks have comments about pulling boats up ramps in RWD verses 4WD - i'd look for those kinds of discussions. if you're towing flatland you can do whatever you want. flatland = weak sauce for towing. i wouldn't think twice about it. a properly balanced huge trailer can be moved ***by hand*** on a flat parking lot. pretty amazing actually. even a small engine easily moves huge loads on relatively flat ground. i've towed other cars, 16 foot car haulers (i do not recommend that at all) with Subaru's...in mostly flat areas. as soon as you start driving in the mountains everything changes. have you ever ridden a bike - the difference between flat and a grade is enormous - same thing on your vehicle. also - when are you likely to be towing? boats are often towed in the summer which = heat which is hardest on fluids, transmissions, engines. that's the problem for me towing a boat - i always want to use it when it's like 85+ outside which is always harder on the car. on 2000-2004 Outbacks the cooling system is the weak part, but i'm towing a huge boat through the mountains.

i'd aim for the new FB engine. it's new and i'm hesitant about platforms we don't know much about (in terms of 10 year/high mileage reliability and lots of quantitative statistically relevant examples) - but it's a seemingly great platform with no timing belt maintenance. and Subaru hit a home run with their timing chain driven H6 engine in 2001 which is one of my favorites. both are a great fit depending on YOU. if the newer engine i just mentioned interests you, that comes in 2011 Foresters. the 2010 EJ25 engine still has the possibility of head gasket issues which aren't a huge deal but if you haven't bought yet and there's a compelling reason to think it can be avoided - i say go for it. i'd lean towards 2011+ Forester (or the FB25 engine instead of the EJ25 of 2010 and earlier). in the end, it's mostly opinion and depends on quite a few variables/personal choices - how do you view risk, how long you plan to own the car, how you do maintenance, are you a service package person, are you an independent or dealer person, do you do any of your own maintenance, how good of a purchase can you make on a used vehicle, how you trade in or how long you plan to keep the car, what your local market is like in terms of used Subarus...there's a lot of variables. warranty is nice but not much is likely to happen before 100k or even 150k so you're also not getting much for your money. you're paying a premium for a 0.5% incidence...are you the type to mitigate every tiny bit of small risk? *if you're the kind of person to say "Subaru is a big pile of junk, i hate this car, and will never buy a Subaru again" when you have an issue, don't laugh as those types of people exist in numbers and post to every Subaru (or any manufacturer) forum online, then you should probably buy new with warranty and mitigate the miniscule risk. if you're the type of person to drive a car 200,000+ miles then the differences are probably minor in terms of "cost/mile" as most Subaru's can easily do that with minimal maintenance.

lesser vehicles are a good fit for many people. can get a low mileage, not very old Taurus, or other american vehicle for really cheap. that's a good fit for some people. make an informed decision and go for it...which it sounds like you did, so keep at it.

i have an EJ cup holder sitting aside to see if i can fit it in my XT6 which, it's not a perfect or simple fit, take a little fabricating, but there does appear to be enough depth. careful with drinks - 95-99 legacy's and impreza's have cupholders just below the heater controls and they are notorious for ruining the control panel and getting into stereo components below when drinks are spilled. it's a mess and a terrible place for a cupholder. i would totally put one there in my XT6, hot coffee on my dash instead of my #(*!)*$&()$$$ when it spills is much better. the legacy cupholders have two screw holes facing you where the ones you posted picture of look better as they're attached via perpendicular holes which would fit inside the stereo holders if the width works.

if it wasn't plunged into the red and abused a lot it should be fine. will depend on oil condition and how it faired during the overheating process. they are often replaced without issue. the heads never crack or warp so simply resurface them and install new Subaru gaskets and you're done. pressure testing and checking for warpage are a waste of time/money on these heads. if it was like this when or shortly after you bought it, the condition was pre-existing.

*** Were the brakes working perfectly prior to this? *** Why was it worked on/in the shop? 1. there is still air in the system 2. the caliper is leaking - the process of pushing the caliper pistons back in can compromise a weak or failing piston seal 3. the master cylinder is hosed #2 and #3 are highly unlikely, so assuming we know everything there is to know about the brake system on this vehicle, #1 is highly likely.

1. are the overheating symptoms identical before any of the radiator/thermostat work - or are they different? 2. properly bleed the coolant - they are notoriously unforgiving if any air in the system. 3. test for combustion gases/hydrocarbons in the coolant. that will verify head gaskets are bad or good. these tests aren't helpful on this engine, don't waste your time with these: a. compression b. leak down c. coil/coolant mixing your symptoms don't sound like head gaskets - they sound like a cooling system not flowing enough which would suggest a clogged radiator or stuck thermostat. radiator is out since you replaced it. so thermostat - if it's an aftermarket then get a Subaru or Xacta tstat, aftermarkets are like childs toys and problematic. i don't honestly think that's your issue but it's cheap/easy enough that it should be checked.

i PM'ed you my contact info. i have friends headed to Frederick and Mt. Airy like tomorrow and this weekend so I may even be able to get these too you really quick if you get in touch with me.