idosubaru

+2 ujoints i've seen generally go away or lessen vibration in nuetral though i'm sure anything is possible.

LOL, that's how i felt posting this. yes, have never looked at the rear O2 sensor until now, at 202,000 miles, got the car at 130k. no one else works on my cars, i don't even take them in for new tires. it looks very much like it's welded in place. I bought the vehicle salvage (wrecked) and repaired it. Front exhaust had some welding already done to it when I got it - so it's not too surprising maybe they also did something with the rear O2. I would like to find the stock rear O2 sensor location and picture if i could. Haven't gotten anything from google images yet.

not much. winter driving also means letting the car warm up while you deice, driving different due to road conditions, thicker oil, cooler/denser air, worse gas blends...there are so many variables i don't know that it's much of a practical hit that you'll notice, i never have. if you're that worried about it then get a thinner tire to compensate a bit.

that settles it - i'll just pull the driveshaft with cardboard on the cement and a large pan to catch anything that might come out. might save a drain/refill. LOL, been there, done that!

that's probably the way to go not much space on this tiny area it's on anyway and get the old one outta there.

same intake manifold through all the issues? those are easy enough to swap might be worth a shot. i've seen 88-91 XT6's have wiring warn through and the metal is exposed or a wire is infiltrated with green corrosion and both can create wildly erratic symptoms. fixed one last week - green corrosion at least a foot up the wiring loom past the connector. 1 or 2 times out of 10 they won't show a check engine light for some reason. the one i fixed last week never had a check engine light but was nearly undrivable. the green corrosion the car would drive fine, then not...drive, buck, stumble...then take off like a rocket...and somehow even when it was nearly undrivable, couldn't pull an incline it would have no check engine light. that's actually fairly common on XT6's for one wire in particular, i've seen it multiple times so I was able to work around it fairly quick and get my friends car home. I have never seen it in a newer gen car but they're aging to the point where it might be possible?

if it's not far above pan then with the rear up in the air, fluid up front - that rear seal is already above the pan so might be possible for very little to come out? i'll probably just drain some, simple enough, i just didn't have any on hand tonight.

Rear output shaft seal has a very slow drip leak, been that way for years, about time to replace it. 2002 OBW H6 VDC. Any Subaru will probably be in the same ballpark. I'll jack the rear of the vehicle up so more fluid will stay in that way too. A quart? A bunch of quarts? Been awhile since I've done it and I usually had the nose way up so more comes out.

I've heard of folks hitting the water jacket as well trying to drill those out. Just tap into the exhaust pipe and plumb it up to the intake. It's actually really simple just a matter of figuring out what kind of pipe fitting and pipe you can learn how to work with really quick. Just run a pipe and attach it. It's not structural or high pressure so as long as you get it to seal you're golden.

I have always bled every ABS equipped subaru just like an older non-ABS subaru and have had no issues. I wouldn't think it's bleeding unless it needs bled because of some problem. There is a valve somewhere in the vacuum line I think - maybe that is wonky? They freeze on some folks every winter and cause issues...I forget what. Subaru master cylinder failure is very rare..... On other cars folks would say one of your flexible brake lines at the wheel is failing and "expanding" internally - ballooning. Expands to a point then firms up....repeat when it contracts. They can also collapse. I've replace those hoses on other makes but never seen or heard of one failing on a Subaru. It would be one of the 4 flexible brake line hoses at each knuckle assembly. I have seen rockauto have some crazy cheap brake hoses before....just cross reference the part number and make sure it's the right one.

My 2002 H6 OBW daily driver. The rear O2 sensor is welded to the bung, nice size bead. I tried removing it but no budging. Cut/grind the weld off? If I cut midway through the bead or a bit lower I'll have to cut below the hex part on the O2 sensor and then can't remove the sensor (easily). And the threads will probably be mangled and unusable...except that's the same threads as a spark plug so I can use a spark plug thread chaser to clean those up. That's probably the best option. I could add another bung somewhere maybe. That sounds difficult unless I just have an exhaust shop do it. They might not even weld into the catalytic converter though?

95 legacy should be a 4.11 final drive ratio. There are 3 available final drive ratios for automatics - 3.9, 4.11, and 4.44, you have to match that. Some early years, imprezas, or legacy turbo's have 3.9. EJ25 vehicles (Outbacks, LSi's, GT's, Forester, and Impreza RS) come with 4.44 final drive. Those will both bolt up and work just fine but you would need to swap the rear differential to work as well. If you do that - then you can use any Subaru automatic transmission. In 1998 the bellhousing bolt pattern changes but you can still interchange, just use the 4 bolt holes that line up. They also added a spin on external ATF filter, no big deal, just change it.

oil on the cam sprockets doesn't matter. oil on the timing belt at all is very bad. i've seen oil/coolant leaks onto new timing belts cause failures in a matter of months, it degrades the material. if you're doing the timing belt the $100 - $200 ebay timing kits with all new pulley is the way to go. the 15 year old pulley bearings are devoid of grease by now.

I have a 1999 LS or LSi wagon that's really nice and has the EJ22. Might want to see if you can find any of those if he wants a wagon? i guess it's an automatic? if it's a manual it's the only Outback ever offered with the EJ22 - 1996 MT OBW's. that is a fine price,sounds really nice for one with zero rust. that would be a really good price for a well maintained, great condition one in the Subaru rich northeast or out west. it is random, any number given is only an average containing all possible mileages so it's anecdotal and meaningless for purchasing. there is no mileage "where it tends to happen". there's more statistical analysis and comments but suffice it to say you'll see numbers tossed around - "120,000 miles" and what that means is that's the mileage most of them, in good shape, worth fixing, tend to have right now. it's not really indicative of when a headgasket will actually fail. not all. i don't know of a quantitative number. someone who has owned a Dodge neon would guess 25%, someone who has owned a 1995 EJ22 would guess 95%. LOL In general, what vehicle is more likely to end up on the used market?: 1. A perfectly running vehicle with no issues 2. One with ominous signs of looming issues Every week EJ25's are hitting the used market with the first signs of headgasket issues. Common thread starter on Subaru boards: "I got this Subaru because I thought they were reliable and a week later it's overheating"...there's one on subaruoutback.org right now and that's failure regular. First step is to make sure you're not getting that high percentage of used market that's hitting the market due to this issue. I have relied on the newer gasket but my limited experience falls wwwaaayyyy short of the millions of older gaskets that have been around for over a decade. to put an EJ18 or EJ22 in it. they're good though, just personal preference, try it out and see what happens. it's just a car and just a gasket.? my hang up for the EJ25D is the complete random nature of the overheating episodes. this detracts from ownership in two significant ways for me: 1. reliability. don't want to (or my wife) to get stranded. when the EJ25D starts to overheat it is random and can not be mitigated. in the past few years i have driven to colorado, maine, new orleans 3 times, florida, missouri, south georgia...almost ten 2,000+ mile road trips, and shorter distances often, so I'm a bit picky. No engine break downs and those Soobs all had 150k+ or more. 2. lower end issues. they occasionally loose rod bearings and i have always assumed it was due to prior overheating, the random nature and not being able to drive without it overheating lends itself to folks trying to "limp it home" since nothing else will work. some with blown motors i have gotten have already had the headgaskets replaced prior...not a huge sample size and could mean other things...but either way it's a concern. ideally you get an EJ25 that has never had headgaskets replaced, then you have a strong case for suggesting the block has never been compromised. I have done the following. Pull the perfectly good EJ25 in it now....then buy an EJ22 and install it. you can probably pay the mechanic and make money on the deal...and end up with a better motor. A friend bought a 98 outback, EJ25D, last year...this summer the headgasket blew, he had it less than a year. The motor is sitting in my office right now. i picked up an EJ22 for $300 (there were cheaper ones, i went low mileage) and installed new timing gear, seals, etc and gave it to him. by the time i sell the EJ25 he won't be that far in and might even break even.

Not that I'm aware of. He's had it 30,000 miles and had the headgasket replaced, that's it. no, that is what i was leaning on and normally I would replace but for them it's not a good fit to throw part$ at it, be nice to diagnose and with such specific symptoms I thought that might be pointing to something. For instance the fuel issue naru mentioned... But - I have never checked plugs/wires before, didn't really know visible signs were common enough to make it worth looking for, good to know, thanks russ. maybe plugs/wires will be my christmas present to them. LOL

you cut all of them you can find and i'll sell them up here for you. LOL kidding aside - cut me a few, we need 'em!

good call. multiple cylinder misfires result in a flashing CEL. but the inverse probably is not always the case though it's the only cause i've ever seen of a flashing CEL - makes sense there are others. he's going to text me if the code comes back so i can check it. thanks!

great, thanks naru.1. where/how do you put a fuel pressure gauge on an EJ engine? I've never had to use my pressure gauge on a Subaru yet. 2. replace the injector or reseal it with new oring/seal? Check engine light only "flashes non-stop" during multiple cylinder misfires so can't be just one. when it does it - it's after a few days of sitting - and always results in a flashing CEL - every single time - never a constant "normal" check engine light. seems like those symptoms point to something specific, hopefully naru has it covered and i figure out how to use my fuel pressure gauge on a Subaru.

have you seen this? why would one leak cause a multiple cylinder misfire?

Friend has a 2002 Subaru legacy sedan EJ25, 135,000 miles. ***Only when the car sits for more than a day. He said it never happens if the car is driven daily. Misfires, apparently quite bad, car is jumpy, won't shift right and the check engine light blinks and then once the car is warmed up it goes away and runs fine. That's how I surmise misfire. It has only stayed lit consistently once, usually it's always flashing or off. In some ways I think plugs and wires in others I think it too coincidental that it's always (except once) multiples. Coil pack? I always have in my mind that fuel pump cap oring issue bleeding off pressure when the car sits but that also seems far fetched.

right on, hopefully you get that old style fixed and can just keep that. They are about $100 from online Subaru dealers. Dealers can match that price if you ask and they want to. $109.76 from here: https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html $85 on ebay, free shipping, in California: http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-08-Subaru-Hydraulic-Tensioner-NTN-JAPAN-13033-AA040-EJ20T-EJ22-EJ25-EJ25T-/261098819843

you could also buy a new tensioner for $100, Subaru would have them in stock. they aren't as reliable so I replace them with every timing belt change or every other if you have a 120k change interval....assuming the car is worth it.

you my friend are the man - you used an o-scope - wow! have you swapped the coolant temperature sensor used by the ECU? what sensors have you not replaced? Have you considered doing the following two steps: 1. swap an entire intake manifold 2. get another body side wiring harness and stuff it around a strut tower for a test? buy one stripped and ready or get your own. you can likely resell it for swap material. that would nearly rule everything out.

i agree, i'll tame the repeats....and yet same reply for the same general question, how big, how much, how fast, etc. like you, he's quite talented and well versed so his possibilities are broad. there were also some questions, trying to see how far he's wanting to go with it.

hopefully just needs the burp. lots of info on here about that, they can be tricky and need to be properly bled, some years worse than others. the more ominous possibility is headgasket. the prior leaking leads to possible overheating and as i already said before you mentioned the leak: