idosubaru

my piston pin puller is for an EA82/ER27, it's just a carriage bolt with a small lip machined into the end. with only having dial up at home pictures aren't easy.

Both times I had this happen - the distributors seemed to be working...I just found one post from one of those incidents and I see that I mention I did have spark and everything "seemed" to be working properly - both of those times the car started when i installed another distributor. I would have never tried it in this case posted below had i not seen it happen once before. not likely to be your issue but if you keep hitting dead ends on more likely areas might be worth a shot to clean your existing one out or find another to test. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/119886-xt6-turns-over-does-not-start-or-try/?hl=%2Bdistributor+%2Bstart

igniter? distributor (swap in another one if you have it), it houses the crank angle sensor which i think the ECU requires to trigger spark? i've only seen two "go bad" and in both cases it happened on a motor that sat...coincidence or something inside gets corroded....

early legacy's have a problem with the trans lines clogging..at the radiator or cooler or filter or something - this is probably your issue. i'm sure you can search to figure the problem out. subaru even addressed the issue with an add-on filter for the ATF lines. i think it's only like 1991 and 1992 subaru's. the simple and quick solution/test would be to simply bypass the radiator altogether - just attach the hoses together put a nipple/pipe or something to clamp them both to and not go through the radiator. or just install an aftermarket ATF cooler in it's place.

to the original picture - that rust at 1 oclock looks bad. i'm sure someones' tried it before, be nice to hear from one of them and see how bad their oil consumption was...etc. is it possible to pull that piston to it's lowest point and hone as much as you can? i think 'ive heard folks talk before that on some subaru engines (i thought it was the old EA/ER stuff) you can pull the pistons without splitting the block. pull the wrist pin, then rotate the engine so that the rod pushes the piston skirt up the cylinder bore further....something like that? a friend made a piston pin puller out of machined carriage bolts and made some extras so i've had that for years but haven't used it yet. thanks for the feedback, i hope to get into one some day.

i'm glad to hear it's not too bad, it's about the only Subaru work i haven't done yet but i want to some day when i have time. glad to see people tackling it. i was turned off by block rebuilding when i heard about cleaning, assembling with plastigauge, measuring tolerances, determining if oversized bearings were needed, having the crank checked.....though i guess you can skip bearing size and crank stuff if you're just honing cylinder walls. you're obviously familiar with it, but not everyone works the same. some folks are really slow when it comes to doing something the first time...or just slow in general. then there's seized fasteners, rust, and parts that require inordinate time to remove, align, or otherwise work with. i've split a few blocks and it took longer than i suspected...not a surprise, that's how it goes sometimes. for many this could take far longer than you. a recent head job took me forever...the valve spring compressor i had sucked, the new one i got sucked (after recommendations from others), and getting the springs and keepers all aligned took way too long. never again...or i'm getting a subaru specific valve spring compressor. and even still all those valve stems, guides, grinding, cleaning...it was a laborious and lengthy process. i'm sure some would say that job is also easy.

hey, western, MD! i'm from MD, live in Morgantown now! whatever filter you want. bypass is not a big deal practically or statistically speaking. it's a big deal to discuss and theorize...things that essentially never happen in the real world. if you're the type to think about it a lot and worry...then use a Subaru, it's only a few dollars. If you want plain, simple, practical use for the life of the vehicle get whatever you want. i go with WIX and Pure One, but it doesn't matter, i'm going to make however many miles the rust around here affords me..... around here Subaru oil filter usage is a really tiny percentage of Subaru's on the road, but i rarely work on anything 05 or newer, i'm sure newer ones frequently have them from the dealer. i can't remember the last time i've seen a Subaru oil filter on a Subaru, it almost never happens. "subaru oil filter only" philosophy is much heavier online than in local circles, in my experience. oil and filter questions have been asked a billion times, search google or any subaru forum. there are thousands of responses that are all different. bottom line is that everyone is right because it doesn't matter, get whatever oil filter you want. i avoid frams, or used to, and i thought cardboard components at first was weak sauce but obviously they work and i've used them when nothing else is available and not really that concerned about it.

the "lugs" should not be loose and wobbling around, those are press fit and part of the hub assembly so like Gloyale said something else is wrong with the hub/bearing...and maybe *that* was loose and not the ball joint or that caused the ball joint problems? of course we only have words to work with so we're still trying to get what you're seeing...so keep helping us if it seems like we're not getting it! online forums are like marriage/dating....what is said and what is heard are often two different things. LOL i have a 900 ft/lb 3/4" monster air gun and i've had a couple axle nuts that it can't get off. not sure why but it takes a *really* long pipe and jumping up and down on it to get them off.....a little heat around the nut will help immensely too - just heat up the nut really fast and then hit it with torque immediately while it is hot but he surrounding metal is not. a friend of mine even just uses propane camping bottles to do that and said it helps them come off easier. but the seized ones i'm talking about are usually due to time/corossion/rust or something like that and don't move at all...very odd that yours moves a little bit, never seen that before. could you get a used knuckle and reinstall your new bearing in a used knuckle?

indeed - we first need to find out what the problem is. if the front differential is bad one option is to remove the front axles so that they aren't connected to the front differential. that may take the load off the front diff (like neutral and reverse does) and it may last a long time as a RWD vehicle. it's not a great option because then you don't have 4WD but i mention it because that can be done without buying any parts...so the cost is zero dollars in parts...which fits nicely in your budget. but since you don't seem to have much mechanical help it might not be a reality. if you want to contact me via PM or email (my username here @yahoo) i might be able to arrange coming to look at it.

I'm having a hard time following what's wrong - the symptoms haven't been described much and one post still says "passengers side" which doesn't suggest transmission. If the front differential is bad you could convert it to RWD and not fix it, it would likely last much longer that way with no load on the front diff. but you'd have to have someone that knows what they're doing do it as the front axles needs disassembled to insert the outer joint into the hub - or just have someone here send you the outer joints and you bolt them on (one nut) after you remove the axle).

$3,000 is a decent price for areas where Subaru's are abundant, sell quick, and worth a lot. there are car buyers with fat wallets planning on spending their tax return. in general $3,000 is a substantial amount for an older impreza with a headgasket leak....but "headgasket" leak is such a general term it's almost impossible to say on that particular motor because of how slow they start leaking and progressively get worse. where is this one on that time line? case 1: when this era EJ25 first starts leaking it's some wetness on the block that attracts dirt and will run for another 50,000 or 100,000 miles before it gets really bad, sometimes they take a long time to get worse and leak/drip any significant amount. if that's the case it's not a bad deal and should be a great candidate for another reliable and inexpensive 150,000 miles, that's well worth $3,000 and some minor repairs for many people. case 2: if the headgasket has already been replaced 3 times and it's pouring oil on the ground and the motors been low on oil and has a risk of loosing the bottom end soon...it's a terrible deal. obviously it falls somewhere in between but we can't guess where that is.

have you checked the transmission fluid level? yellow dipstick behind engine under the front hood on drivers side in have you checked the front differential fluid level? dipstick on passengers side behind engine under the front hood as well. $1,500 sounds way overpriced, i would not take it to these guys again. drive to morgantown and i'll tell you what's going on or PM/email me. i can't make that trip though, i'm way too packed right now. if you end up selling it, PM or email me. 1. if the sound is notably "on one side" like passengers or drivers, then it is highly unlikely to be the transmission. 2. if one of the axle boots are broken (just look at them, very easy to see) this thread has pictures of what the axles look like, the one end is right behind the wheel, the other side attaches to the transmission. look at the two rubber boots on each end and see if those are cracked. there is one axle on each side/wheel: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/21119-diy-front-cv-axle-boot-replacement.html

sikaflex is highly regarded for marine and other strenuous applications, might want to look into a high grade sealant like that. is it rust related? if it is then sealant will likely continue to be a temporary repair.

the oil pump either needs resealed or replaced. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/136547-ea82-er27-ticking-tod-hydraulic-valve-lash-hla-noise-diagnose-and-repair/?hl=hydraulic did you say how many miles you have yet? I'm not sure we know for certain that oil pressure is strictly to blame. What if it's volume and not pressure? Or air bubbles introduced into the supply via the oil pump (though GD i think seems to think this not the case)...anyway, I'm unsure of the failure mode of the pumps, ever replaced pump that I've had showed no visible or other signs of wear/issues. everything you're saying is common and expected. it comes, goes, some things seem to help, some don't...it's still there. folks on here would have told you that you can try various oil treatments, changes, types, brands, synth, dino.....and it'll come and go...some things help more than others. the problem is still there.

look on tirerack or other sites with tire reviews,reviews are already there. there are plenty of below average bridgestones and the Potenza RE92's are widely regarded as like the worst tire Subaru has ever installed from the factory, they are well disliked in the Subaru community. If I had to narrow it down to one brand - Michelin is the one company you can generally buy any tire from and get decent performance out of it. But they're too pricey for me and i never buy them because there are other good alternatives. I wouldn't favor any particular brand if you're cost conscious, read reviews and go from there.

i've never changed anything with the work you're describing. what do you mean?

how loud is it? have someone sit in the bed and tell you if it's left, right, or center. left right would indicate a probaly wheel bearing or dust shield/brake issue center would indicate the driveshaft ujoint or carrier bearing. rockford makes replacement ujoints for a shop willing to install it. machine shops are best, many mechanics won't do it. new driveshafts are waaaay overpriced, many hundreds of dollars. www.car-parts.com for lowest priced local used one

his is the previous version EJ25 but similar in many ways.

3,400 miles in an XT6 from WV to Meeker, CO towing a huge trailer. I did the 1,500 miles round close to 30 times between MD and Atlanta when i was in college in XT's/XT6's. i tried to limp a badly slipping clutch back to atlanta once. lost the clutch completely. that was the only time i was stranded and was purely my fault. an XT6 also served me well for a 120 mile round trip commute. have the tune up stuff and timing belt (on EA82/ER27's) stuff well maintained. my preferred spares are alternator, coil, igniter, fusible links (though you can usually switch one or other work arounds in an emergency), crank pulley (due to separation), and fuel pump. though i've only had fuel pumps fail that have sat, i've never had one fail in a continuously running EA/ER vehicle but obviously it's possible. i've had a zillion failed pumps on vehicles that sat. XT6's should have the CTS connector addressed, not applicable as much on EA's. not too hard to keep them reliable. most things give some warning signs...small leakage first, noises, check engine light...etc. of course it's an old vehicle...so disclaimers apply.

resurface the heads yourself, it's super easy. if you can do a HG job you can easily do this: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/122588-diy-head-resurfacing-or-post-apocalyptic-machine-shop-techniques/ the good news is EJ25 non-turbo heads are never damaged or suspect for major issues so testing or cracks aren't a concern at all. the bad news is in my experience they always have high and low spots as you see when you resurface them yourself. with their known propensity to fail i would not want to install one without resurfacing...but at least that can easily be done yourself. I'd use the Subaru EJ25 Turbo headgaskets - those motors have zero headgasket issues and enormous numbers of vehicles/miles on them. unbolt the engine mounts, there are only 3 fasteners (2 14mm nuts underneath and one bolt for the engine pitch rod stopper up top) and jack the engine up. this makes extracting the head bolts go from impossible to easy. removing the heads with the engine in place is extremely difficult, i've done it on a 2003. i can't imagine getting the heads back in place properly without scratching the headgaskets up or dirtying up the surfaces. i've removed the heads in place, but ended up jacking up the motor to install them - much simpler.

impreza EJ22's are identical to legacy so expand your search options: 1995-1998 impreza Ej22's will also work. no. if you install a non-EGR engine plan on having a check engine light. i've swapped the entire intake manifold and non EGR ECU, scoured the Subaru Factory Service Manual engine EGR sections and wiring diagrams, cut the EGR wires and somehow still get EGR codes. to my knowledge no one has figured it out. one of my daily drivers is a 1996 is an EJ22 swapped EJ25 equipped Legacy LSi. 1996 Legacy LSi's have EJ25's. a 1995 EJ22 from an automatic will have EGR and you don't need the exhaust manifold. some 1996-1998's have EGR, many don't. another option is to get an EJ22 EGR intake and route it into the exhaust pipes instead of the head, that's been done before. lots of extra work/parts though...

Subaru catalytic converters almost never fail. the P0420 code is a debacle of a code, benign, and nearly worthless. unless you want to do some extensive reading (http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/49537-p0420-diag.html is the only in depth trained technician write up i've seen online), it's best to follow the advice of folks with experience verses the dealer. dealers don't often do extensive testing, regardless of what they've told you, how they explain it, or how definitive they make their test sound. maybe they did do extensive testing but usually they don't so it's hard for us to put much weight into that diagnosis knowing how they normally operate. you seem to hold the dealer in high regard, but they generally replace catalytic converters far more than necessary. and i'm not faulting them for that - proper diagnosis of this code is a mess...which means time and money if you're paying the bill, so they gotta tough job balancing customer satisfaction. replacing is the simplest and easiest solution even if it's not the most proper. a $5 spacer will also get rid of the code. you'll pass maryland emissions sniff tests just fine (i'm from Maryland). replacing the converter is probably the same fix as the $5 spacer. it's a band aid. both will work and are likely covering up some other small issue (read the link posted above). if something bad enough caused the code, then it could come back in a few years with your new converter...so replacing isn't the high road it may seem.

they usually look "warn" inside but are not bad. are you sure yours is worn? if it was just a broken boot with no symptoms then rebooting it will almost certainly last a long time, probably the life of the vehicle. the original Subaru axles are robust and rarely need replacement. are used parts available? if parts are hard to get then get a used Subaru OE axle and reboot it. i do it all the time and get the axles fro $25 - $33 and they last forever. same approach can be used for parts...get an OE used axle with boot intact from a yard and use the bits you need from it.

that is an interesting supposition. i found some other threads with a quick glance online of folks sliding a bit down an incline on snow/ice in Park..... one even mentioned seeing the differential action in the rear...where one rear tire rolls down the hill and the other spun the opposite way "uphill" so to speak...but on ice it didn't matter. the same way our differentials work if you put both rear wheels in the air and spin it by hand - the opposite side spins the opposite way. Essentially Park may be "more effective" with the vehicle off than the vehicle on. With the vehicle running it may only "lock" one front wheel practically speaking. With the vehicle off it may "lock" two. In older Subaru transmissions in park the rear gets almost no power when the trans is running. when the transmission is off the Duty C Solenoid is unpowered and provides full "lock" of the rear clutches - that's how those of us that have manually controlled the 4WD ourselves have done it - simply tapping into the Duty C circuit.

there's an SVX forum, you might peruse that. windshields are crazy expensive but probably not worth pulling. my friend was going to buy one with a cracked windshield until he priced it at like $900. if it was cheap the trans would be an option in my book. heat grenades the transmissions, with an aftermarket cooler they're fine. they are also just 4EAT's so pretty sure you can use them in any other 4EAT Subaru....though they have the goofy 3.54 final drive. you can search ebay completed listings to see if something sells/how much. i tried finding TPS and maybe Idle control stuff years ago and couldn't find any available for a friend i knew that had issues with his. i struck out on the subaru forums and couldn't find a used one anywhere. looks like a few TPS's sold on ebay for $50 - $60 recently and one is listed now. they loose wheel bearings all the time, not sure how often people buy used knuckle assemblies but i'd buy one and have for other Subaru's before rather than doing a bearing job. the SVX has the 114mm stud spacing so they are SVX specific.