idosubaru

Easily. can fit in a sedan trunk as well, just harder to get up and over. i've fit an EJ engine and transmission in a trunk before at the same time...couldn't close it but just strap the trunk lid in place. have a pair of gloves. Have some cardboard/old rug in the rear that you can drape over the bumper which you'll probably have anyway to keep the carpet clean and it also aids sliding the transmission around once you can get some of it's weight on the bumper/floor area. It can be loaded, unloaded by yourself but be careful and make sure you can, it is awfully awkward and offers no range of motion since you can't hold the weight out in front of you at all. Use an engine lift or helper if you can. Or have a dolly to transport. Weight is no big deal for the vehicle, it's comparable to two full size adults in the back or an average load on the hitch.

still under warranty, take it in. i worked on a 2010 that had a stopped up drain. condensation from the heater core area was not able to drain and therefore dripped steadily into the car when the a/c was on, which comes on with defrost mode. i pulled the drain hose, ran wire through it, reinstalled and it's been fine since. i did not notice any debris, bugs, anything come out, so it may have even been simply kinked. i suppose it could even leak if it wasn't fitted tight or was disturbed.

1. if it's coolant leaking, the first step is to add a bottle of Subaru coolant conditioner. Sometimes you can even add two. Often alleviates the external leaks very quickly. The stuff is sold by Subaru and required for all 2000+ EJ25's (and some 1999's). 2. there is nothing imminent about it. just keep the coolant (or oil, that year can leak both) topped off. it's not urgent, i've seen them go 100,000 miles with externally leaking headgaskets. though your year does tend to get worse quicker...but still, you've got lots of time. 3. use the turbo headgaskets as it looks like was already mentioned. do not reinstall the same 67,000 mile subpar stuff that was in there. crack smokers.

yep, i've done it. still way easier than swapping a trans. with two used/bad axles as donors and disconnecting one wire it's a quick job, could be done in no time. but of course this is all silly talk and not what he wants to do.

front diff noises get worse rather quickly so this sounds about right. pull the front axles and run RWD!!! that should verify front diff/pinion once it's not loaded.

One common failure point that can give little warning: alternator. There's a roughly 1996 version that you can buy for your Legacy new/remanufactured directly from Subaru for only $60 - $70, they're so cheap I'd buy one and install it and keep the old used one as a back up in the spare tire area, etc. I installed new Subaru alternators in two of my daily drivers at 190,000 and 200,000 miles just due to age/mileage and I figure they aren't likely to make the 300,000 miles I'm going to drive it and I travel long distances - Maine to Florida and everywhere in between, Colorado, New Orleans 3 times...1,000 mile trips are frequent for me. Change the transmission, front diff, and rear diff fluid. All fluids are nearing 20 years old if it's never been done. Spark plugs and wires should be stock OEM, that particular motor isn't very forgiving otherwise. Knock sensors are the next most likely sensor to fail - they crack at the base as the plastic/rubber gets old. For $20 - $30 you can get new ones on ebay. *but* - they almost always give a warning, check engine light, and can be replaced later. rarely have severe drivability issues with them, so it's up to you. 30 minutes or less to replace. Brake fluid isn't a big deal on Subaru's...as long as it's not 20 years old as mentioned earlier. I've never had a failed brake component on my daily drivers and it's not because of maintenance, it's because Subaru brakes are robust and rarely have issues. I would recommend every 60k - 100k for brake fluid change. I change it one time around 150,000 miles and I own them until 300,000. I'm not recommending that, that just what I know I'm comfortable with from decades of experience with hundreds of Subaru's, it won't be widely accepted by most. But I rack up miles quickly too so that may make a difference. I also tow (above the limit) in the mountains with mine as well....so they're getting a work out. Although the rust belt around here can do some damage to brakes. So caliper pins and bushings need to be properly cleaned and greased. I have gotten into the habit of just replacing the hardware on mine around 150,000 - 200,000 miles - new clips, new boots, new pins if available. They're so cheap via rockauto.com it just makes sense. The norm around here is rusty clips which can hang a pad and seizing caliper pins are nearly expected any more too, so boots, grease, and pins are a good idea too. Mostly I do it for good braking performance, longer pad life, and easier changes in the future.

If it's an alternator that should reveal itself via the test Cougar described, can you do that test he listed above?

suspension stuff doesn't matter in the northeast - "about so" is good and rust will fixate it for good shortly afterwards.

indeed, sounds like you're on it. you headed used or find any new that are tempting?

Mechanics stethoscope on the rear carrier bearing while turning the driveshaft via the rear wheels?

Not necessarily. The threads very well may be damaged beyond hope, but it's worth a shot to tap it with the original size to clean and properly orient the threads, sometimes that works. A new bolt or at the very least, chasing yours with a die to clean the threads to match also. You don't want old damaged bolt threads going into your newly freshened up nut threads. If that doesn't work then you'll be looking at using a slightly larger tap. In that case a little research might yield a size slightly larger that requires no drilling. once you have a tap and die for the original size threads you just oil up the threads and run the tap through the threads in the vehicle and the die on the bolt threads (the die's i've seen are all 1" so you need a 1" socket). ask around, post on facebook, maybe one of your friends has a tap and die set? if you have to or want to bump up a size to avoid doing this work twice...basically the same process except you drill out the hole first for the new/larger tap. won't be much to drill though since you'll want to bump up just a little bit. then you'll need new bolts to match. you can also helicoil the threads to repair them to the original size. google that, very common and info has to be everywhere.

positive those can't make noise still? they're still turning with the FWD fuse in as they're driven by the rear wheel, axle,diff turning, they're just not driven. i would expect a change, less, or complete disappearance of noise in FWD but unsure of that.

how do you know?

Fairly simple, these are the "must-do" items: Clutch, retaining clips, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, pressure plate. Resurface the flywheel Reseal the rear separator plate with a new metal stamped one and the corresponding screws.

I'd have the alternator tested again too. Maybe it's frying the batteries or otherwise taxing them somehow? Low mileage/age for an alternator though... Might even ask the local store that tests alternators and batteries if they can test for a drain - I think some of them may be able too with their testing stations that can be rolled out to the car and everything tested on the vehicle instead of in the store. Can't think of any common issues, Subaru's aren't known for drains/wiring issues. On a car that new, it's often the case that it's just an oddball issue that needs tracked down. They tend to crack insulation where the wiring for the trunk pivots up and down...over time cracking insulation, exposing wire, etc. I've seen it more on the hatch/wagon versions than a regular trunk, probably longer range of motion. But that is unlikely with such new and low mileage vehicle. Usually you'd have other symptoms too - like lights not working, etc.

Sounds like you have an electrical drain somewhere. Any aftermarket electrical items installed? Need to check for a drain, sounds like something is draining the battery. Remove the positive cable and put a multimeter between the battery post and cable end and see how many milliamps it's pulling with the key out of the vehicle and nothing on. Somewhere very roughly around 50 milliamps is normal. If you have hundreds....you have a drain.

I explain to the machine shop and they do the work, they just won't warranty them. No use in a warranty anyway, it's not like I'd ever use or need it.

what he said - depends what your mechanic charges for labor, for engine swaps (some mechanics like to do them more than others, some not at all), etc. doing the headgaskets with the engine in the car could be the cheapest, gaskets are the only parts cost, then resurfacing ($50) and no pulling hte engine so it could be least amount of time....but you'll be hard pressed to find a mechanic willing to do those heads in the car probably. also depends what you find an engine for. i gave you everything you needed to know above to search car-parts.com and see what the cheapest motor you can find is that will work. add the cheapest motor you can find to your mechanics rate for installing an engine and you can compare that to the $700 figure he quoted for the headgaskets.

have to buy new gaskets, so costs about $50 and time. to each his own on what that's worth to an individual and time could depend how far you went...if cam carriers were installed and motor installed, if it was pulled to begin with, etc.

120k is low mileage in Subaru world. That motor makes 200,000 all day long and higher mileages aren't a big deal. 200,000+ on my H6, I'm maintaining it for 300,000. I get my friends to buy a Subaru with that motor because it's so good...looking for another for a friend right now. Spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter. Probably already done? Transmission fluid, coolant, front differential, and rear differential fluid should be replaced if it hasn't already. If you're wanting to keep the car to 250,000 miles, which that motor and transmission is easily capable of, then at some point your struts are likely to need replaced. If you plan on keeping the car to 250,000 or 300,000 miles then it's good to replace the struts around the half way mark to get good useable service out of them rather than right before you get rid of it. If you only plan on 150,000 out of the car then don't worry about them. This is a *must do* on this engine: The H6 engine has serpentine belt pulleys that eat bearings like crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if you replaced them already. At that mileage, if they've never been replaced yet I would consider that a must do item, they fail with absurd regularity and strand you. Fortunately they are cheap and take half an hour or less to repair. Buy two bearings and have a shop install them rather than price out new parts. The pulleys can't fail - that's just a hunk of metal, the bearing is what needs replaced but Subaru doesn't sell those. So you want (2) 6203-2RSJ bearings. They're about $12 each. Don't buy new pulleys from Subaru I'm sure they're insane expensive. Entire job takes 30 minutes for both pulleys, tapping out the old bearings and tap in the new, very simple and takes 3 minutes. These aren't that important as if they are a problem, you'll wear through brake pads quicker and the mechanic will replace them when the pads are changed...but, this is what i do: If you live in the rust belt I prefer to buy brake hardware kits off rockauto for dirt cheap and install new pad clips as the originals get rusty and the pads can to hang in them. Buy a set and hand them to the mechanic for the next brake job. They're cheap and take 30 seconds to swap out, no bolts or anything required during a brake job. Also the brake caliper slide pin bolts need properly cleaned, greased, or replaced (rarely on something that new). It's often the case that shops don't grease them. They at the very least need checked. Ask for this to happen at the next brake job. It takes a matter of seconds and should also be checked.

i break them off, they're not needed nor worth my time to mess with. if you want to be careful...hair dryer sounds interesting...you can strike the very top of the tab that encapsulates the lock nut with a screw driver and hammer and just crack that tab...hopefully, and still have a timing belt cover to reinstall. you don't need all the bolts in place to reinstall, there's a ton. reinstall them with zip ties so you can easily remove it next time. or don't install it at all, i run naked on my XT6 and Legacy. makes for quick timing belt changes.

the fuel pump on EA82s and ER27's has a sock, filter, screen, whatever you want to call it on it. It's integrated into the pump inlet so replacing the pump means you're replacing the sock/screen as well or removing it if the new pump doesn't have one.

Those headgaskets are actually unbelievably easy to do as far as headgaskets go, just about the easiest subaru headgasket job there is. Blow by possibility mentioned earlier I have no experience with how prevalent that is so no comment. if you want to replace the engine: http://www.car-parts.com Option 1: You can use any 1996-1998 EJ22 from a legacy or impreza If yours has EGR, you need to get an EJ22 with EGR. You should ask the seller as there is no rhyme or reason as to which have it and which don't in 96-98's. If yours doesn't have EGR you can use either and block the EGR hole. Option 2: You can use a 1995 EJ22 from legacy or impreza as well if you get the exhaust manifold with it. Same EGR rules as Option 1. In 1995 only auto's all have EGR and manual trans do not have EGR (this rule doesn't apply to other years though for some reason). Option 3: You can probably even use older 1994 and earlier EJ22's - your intake manifold bolts to the engine and I'm not sure which exhaust they have, but if it's dual port you'd have to get the exhaust manifold with those too. I'm unfamiliar with the 94 and earlier models so not sure what else you need but it can be done. Option 4: Another cheap option is to get an EJ18 - available in 1996 or 97 and earlier imprezas, but you'd have to get a dual port exhaust manifold with it. Those can be had really cheap, I got mine for $150 with only 100,000 miles and a warranty. They're basically identical to your EJ22...timing gear, water pump, cam seals, crank seal, oil pump, valve covers...everything is the same. Just bolt Ej22 intake manifold to it. *All Ej18's have EGR (that I know of), so any Ej18 will work on your car, you just use the EGR if your vehicle has it or block the hole if yours doesn't.

If you want rebuilt is rebuilding yours an option or then you got too much down time? Have you checked with Subaru? this place lists them at only $6,000.....$7,000 dollars. LOL. really, who is buying that? http://www.trademotion.com/parts/2003/SUBARU/OUTBACK/?siteid=214857&vehicleid=1418172&section=AUTOMATIC%20TRANSAXLE i got a Subaru remanned for mine out of a yard - I guess it was replaced under warranty?

the resistors are always right down around the blower fans, easy. can probably google it and find an image...