idosubaru

wow that sucks. why undo the head bolts? well, doesn't matter... they can be done in the car...and hey, you already know where the headbolts are. resurface the heads and i'd also use Subaru headgaskets on this motor. there's a thread on here how to resurface heads yourself, take a glance, it is unbelievably easy. once you have a piece of glass (see thread) it takes like a minute. so it can be done very inexpensively as well. headgaskets, intake manifold gaskets are about the only necessities to doing this job. get intake manifold gaskets, many of the aftermarkets are thin cardboard and prone to leak.

the fuel pump pressure dropped to zero so you replaced the coil and igniter? i don't know the connection between fuel pump pressure and oil and igniter?

humidity = usually ignition related. i'd check the following. and when were #1 & #2 replaced and what brand is used: 1. spark plugs 2. wires 3. coil you probably know but EJ engines are not very forgiving of non-OEM plugs and wires...or they at least need to be high quality wires.

leave the ECU, doesn't matter. you can swap it...it just doesn't matter. crank sensor and cam sensor are only on those two sprockets, there is no sensor or associated trigger marks on the passengers side pulley. wise to install a complete timing kit, very rare to have like new pulleys in there. ebay kits are only $200 includes all new belt, tensioner, and pulleys. theimportexperts or gates kits are better than the el-cheapo's that are only like $10 cheaper.

ebay knock sensors are like $15, hardly worth installing a used one. unsure about EGR code. is this recent, just popped up? or has it been there for awhile? any recent engine work?

good job, well done cranking that out.

1. chase the existing threads with a tap, clean, chase again. (M8x1.25 threads i believe....or possible M6x1.00, those are small 10mm bolts i think) 2. use a longer bolt 3. use washers to space the bolt if it's too long. you can cut the bolt but that takes longer and you gotta chase the threads again to keep them clean. helicoil is last resort, longer bolts should hold it.

you'd be very surprised how easy it is to swap fenders and doors. even if you had to pull the fender rail a bit with a come along that doesn't take long either. i wouldn't rule out fixing the forester, i can generally get most accidents back on the road in an hour or two, not perfectly aligned and all, but panels bolted on and in enough shape to run, drive, and passe inspection - way under what a motor swap takes. but yeah that engine drops right in. to be safe keep the drivers side cam and the crank sprocket *with the vehicle*. in other words install the OBS drivers side cam sprocket and crank sprocket onto the Forster engine, just to be sure. 1. . there are two different sets of trigger marks and i'm unsure what the differences are (which models had which). you can either check or just swap to be safe. all you have to do is look at the back of those two sprockets - the trigger (simple hash marks) are either identical or way different. 2. you'll also have to swap the forester exhaust manifold into the OBS as the EJ25 is dual port and EJ22 is single port. 3. if emissions matter you may want to verify if the engines have EGR or not. EGR into EGR and non-EGR into non-EGR are obviously the same. EGR into non-EGR is easy, just block off the EGR pipe hole. the only tricky version is installing a non-EGR engine into an EGR vehicle . that's not a show stopper, there are work arounds for the Phase I 1990's swaps, but might be nice to know ahead of time and check, i haven't heard of someone doing it in a Phase II vehicle. Last resort you can bolt the EJ22 heads to the EJ25 forester block - that would save you the exhaust swap and EGR concerns. but then you'd be using oil starved heads i guess....

i've seen others reupholster before and i've supplied the material. don't see why it couldn't be done, you have to get some hog nose or hog ring pliers and hog rings or whatever they're called. you'll see write ups on taking the covers off in heated seat repair threads, there's a good one on the forester forum. Gravity Man (steve) has a massive write up on removing it all and installing new foam in his as well too. i believe it's on this forum or subaruxt.com

2005-2009 EJ25's do have headgasket issues. best not to assume one particular instance means anything universally. GOBS of information online, it hardly needs covered *again*. http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gaskets-problems-explained-part-ii/ more to the point of this thread, the car he is asking about doesn't come with an EJ25 as i already mentioned.

the new imprezas have the 2.0 engines, no Subaru engines have ever had headgasket issues except the 2.5, so i wouldn't worry about it. as far as headgasket issues, headgasket issues have only ever affected 2.5 liter Subaru engines, and the suspicion is that they have fixed it with an updated MLS style headgasket. that being said - there's a recent thread with a 27,000 mile FB25 with a headgasket leak. it will take time to determine if that's an outlier or legitimate rearing of the same 2.5 liter Subaru headgasket "tradition".

yes - remove and reinstall the belt properly. that's your test. you won't hear any bang or notice anything if the valves bend. resistance is normal, from cam lobes and compression in the cylinders. cams feel really hard to turn...and them WHOOSH, they pass the crest of the lobe and swing a few degrees hard and fast, i've lost skin numerous times when my hand just clips the cam edge after slipping off. 1. turn the crank mark to it's alignment position (use the correct mark, folks often use the wrong mark for some reason on the sprocket). *** what do you mean you can't turn the crank, i think you said? you may be feeling compression. if you're not sure then you'll have to pull the spark plugs out, with those out the crank turns much easier and encounters no resistance. or - try moving your cam marks to their proper position too? again - stiff, hard contact is bad - interference possible. a gradual ramping up of resistance is just the cam lobes. if you can't go one way with the cam, go the other (start with shortest distance to alignment marks?).

you tear up your seats, you did this once before? http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/127024-swapping-drivers-seat-sedan-to-obw/ can you do whatever you did that time to this set up too? looks like a few threads out there about repairing heated seats, those may have some helpful info. this guy did it with impreza seats: http://www.rs25.com/forums/f105/t119820-write-up-jdm-sti-v8-seat-cushion-swap-usdm-seat-base-height-adjustment.html

coolant temp sensors do fail from time to time so that could easily be causing the 0128 code, in general that's a fairly simple code to resolve. tires aren't a big deal - ever, no matter what. most of the information you see/read is well intended and that will certainly protect you but is nowhere near practical reality in terms of what you can do. but yeah, replace that one tire and put the new tire up front. if you're super anal rotate the other 3 for awhile until the tread depth of the new one matches the other three...but that is insane overkill. If they used an ebay headgasket kit or some other lesser unknown brand I'd pass. Did they resurface the heads and what brand headgasket? all that stuff you mentioned is benign. i'd be more concerned about the headgasket job and timing belt components....tensioner wasn't replaced, none of the pulleys either? oil pump and no other seals were replaced? much of that stuff is routinely replaced by many of us on here. not huge failure items but if you're wanting this thing to go another 100k - that's a quarter milllion miles and a bit much ont he original pulleys/tensioner. they're usually devoid by grease, msot of them, but the 120k interval/age of that car. still not a reason to walk, but i'd want to know ahead of time and would consider replacing the timing belt and those components at like 200,000 miles instead of 250,000.

as you turn crank and cams, just STOP immediately if you feel any resistance at all and move on to the next. the ones that spun around on their own spun to rest in the closed position so those should be golden...at least now.

video is showing up in your thread. i can't view it tonight though. the lucas and racing additives are a waste of time and will not help. this particular Subaru engine (not all, just this one) is prone to piston slap. if the tapping is louder at start up and diminshes as it warms up that's classic piston slap and is benign. fuel injectors can click. mechanics stethoscope should narrow that down, place on each injector and compare. the timing belt tensioners get old and can slap - creating a noise hard to distinguish from engine knock even to a mechanic because it slaps metal on metal. generally gets worse under load...accelerating, up hill, etc. any engine run low on oil will eventually eat bearings, usually rod bearings in this motor. if it was 2 quarts low when you got it, who knows how low it's been in the past.

what he said - the VLSD's are everywhere. sorry i meant clutch type LSD's, as the title suggests "XT type" meaning EA82, not EJ VLSD stuff, which as he mentioned isn't that desirable. in theory it was an option, but none have one and they are next to worthless as a "source". i mean check them, but i wouldn't go out of my way assuming it's a good chance. if one did, it would be an outlier. no one on the subaruxt.com forum has ever had one, none of my 2 dozen XT6's had one...nor the other dozens i've looked at and never bought.

not many texan subaru's. they may want to post on the subarutoutback forums and look for cardoc and Luckytexan - those are two frequent subaru specialists and cardoc lives in austin and is a mechanic and works/owns a shop there. what you typed may not be the whole story - but if it is then the likely culprit is: 1. . a fan or two not working or 2. it got low on coolant. both of those anyone capable of driving can....and should....check immediately. the "leak" might be a leak or it might simply be the car overheating, boiling, and pushing coolant out the overflow tank - which is not an issue, the overheating is simply cuasing it to puke it up. that being said, there are some easy tasks that require only having eyeballs and movable hands: 1. when it's overheating - pop hood and see if both fans are running under the engine. 2. engine cold - make sure the radiator is full of coolant.

what he said - were the codes read via the wires/pins under the steering column on the drivers side? those will flash the codes. also make sure the ABS light works so that it can blink the code.

is the idle controller working properly? i'd swap another if it's so linked to gas/throttle opening and closing. spray starting fluid around the engine to check for minor vaccuum leak? i found a cracked vaccuum hose on one of my daily drivers the other day...though oddly it drove fine. knock sensors crack at the base...though typically throw a check engine light if causing issues. it shouldn't cost too much to diagnose if you can do it yourself - MAF, TPS, and those sensors almost never fail so they are commonly replaced with used for pennies, particularly as a troubleshooting routine like this. never buy new costly sensors unless they are common failure points and you know they are bad. i had strange shifting issues in my 1997 automatic impreza EJ22 (in which case the engine and transmission are plug and play compatible with your EJ25). there's a hose that goes from the engine to the passengers side strut tower with a quarter sized piece in the middle - that's a filter. i replaced that years ago and the shifting went back to normal - a friend has driven that car for years since, no issues. i can't think why that would cause issues, no one else ever seems to bring it up on Subaru forums, and maybe it was coincidence, but easy enough to check.

well that is officially nutty, i have no idea how that could have happened unless it was compromised...which lines up with recent major engine work and that part coming out of the vehicle. it got bumped or someone tried to do something with it inadvertently. i went and looked at one and see no way to work on it insitu. even if there was clearance to get a drill in there to drill and tap, which i doubt there is, there's not enough clearance between the coolant pipes, bellhousing, engine block to do any drilling. and i've done a ton of insitu tight space drilling on subaru blocks...right angle attachments, right angle drills, and shearing off drill bits to small lengths...doesn't look even close to possible to me. left with removing the intake manifold for a proper repair or trying something simple in place. only option i can see insitu is trying to place a cover plate over top of it. you could fasten maybe a self tapping screw from the side if you folded a piece over top of that hole. use right angle drills or drill attachments. typically right angle drills have more clearance/more compact. if removing the manifold the options are endless. that boss is deep enough to easily accept a few threads from a tap and simply install a bolt with sealant on the threads. done. it's fairly large and would require a 14+mm tap i believe...maybe a 12mm but i doubt it. or cut a piece of metal and glue it in place and drill tiny holes in the edge of the boss for self tapping metal screws. or replace the manifold

you mean the circle just an inch to the left of, and just below, the 90 degree left bend in the fuel supply - 6 oclock under the "G" in EGR valve text on the picture? i don't think that is anything but a benign casting mark. you're probably feeling something there but the source is .....EGR pipe is closest to it, i'd suspect that. is the pipe fitting tight? after that i'd suspect the EGR valve/gasket, but that's getting far enough away that i doubt it would be confused with that casting mark.

+1 and also to what was said earlier- seatbelts are lifetime replacement so the dealer will do it if the car hasn't been wrecked, worked on, modified, etc.

that's untested territory - but yes different motor so presumably quite a lot of differences. you can attempt to swap the entire engine/wiring harness/computer..... presumably the car was totaled and the insurance will be writing them a check for the car- and will then own the car. you have to get them to ask for a buy-back and see how much the insurance charges to let you keep the car. being so new i bet it's going to surprise you how much they want.

woah crap, that's crazy. you can't get quick struts for Subaru's. used is the best option if cost and immediacy is required.