idosubaru

great. thanks, GD. where do you get idlers for $18..not that i want the inferior single row jokers, just surprised how cheap that is. it's pocket change for EA idlers - but $400 for the ER pulleys.

yes. check the brackets and pins, sometimes you can even just swap the caliper onto your existing bracket. subaru made countless brake changes so it's hard to keep track. jamal has a great brake thread in the USRM tha twould detail the differences, if any.

wow, fascinating. how do they get the bearings and grease in place if the races are part of the idler? do you know if XT6 or EA pulleys are the same way?

i was mentioning that as an example, not intending for machinist quality directions. hit both inner and outer races, however you want. very few people actually replace the bearings on those. i don't even know one person on all the subaru forums that does it, never seen a thread or write up about. i've talked to one person that tried it many years ago. haven't seen any issues with ebay pulleys, they're used routinely across many users and subaru boards. i, and others, prefer theimportexpert kits but i haven't had a problem with others i've used. in the end it's just a pulley and a bearing, not much to it so i'm not too concerned. but the many users, years, and experiences across the online forums are an even better indicator for me. i'd be more concerned about the belt than the pulleys. i have, on rare occasion, bought a Subaru belt and thrown the ebay kit belts away. like on a more expensive or low mileage vehicle, etc.

yes all the pulleys should be replaced (subject to opinion of course). ebay kits are only $100 or less for that year and include all the pulleys and belt, that's what many of us on here do. like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/90-97-1-8L-2-2L-Subaru-Impreza-Legacy-EJ18-EJ22-Timing-Belt-Kit-/260912874922?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cbf9e85aa&vxp=mtr comes down to opinion of course - how you view reliability and how much you drive. i plan on 100,000+ miles out of every used subaru i start driving and i'm not trusting 20 year old pulleys for that - they are generally very low on grease by now. and i've seen plenty of timing pulley failures. they run low on grease, ball bearings can't stay cool, and then the lock up, heat up, ruin the belt. one of the most common causes of timing belt failure is the pulleys - not the belt. the pulleys fail and take the belt out with it. the pulleys have whats left of 20+ year old grease in them now, not generally very good standards. you *can* replace the bearings yourself but they are pressed in and very hard to remove. you'd need access to a nice press and fittings the right size to press the outer race only. not sure the cost of the bearings alone wouldn't be close to the $93 in that ebay add above though.

the 01-04 Outback (H6's anyway) are really easy to upgrade, the wiring is there since they come with auto dimming mirrors and they have a temperature display so there's no need to install that wiring/sensor. i installed the version with auto dimming, compass and the programmable buttons for garage doors/lights. myself, my parents, and the in-laws all have garage doors, they have 3 or 4 programmable buttons on them.

if you give the dealer the VIN they can look up the key code. i've done it a bunch of times, mostly on 1980's Subaru's though nothing as old as yours.

FIRST step is to verify how much, if any, refrigerant is in the system. have you checked it? the compressor won't come on if there's low pressure. very common. so far i've fixed a number of that era H6 air conditioning systems inexpensively with ease. You may want to read my write up - takes 15 minutes and less than a dollar (not counting the refrigerant): http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=132408

i've repaired two different failures of keyless entry remotes and they're really simple in 00-04 era outbacks with the tear shaped ones with blue and orange buttons. there are plastic tabs on the backing plate that, when fitted together, hold the battery in place. if the tab breaks off the battery can slide out of position and render it non-working sometimes then working again if it slides back in place. use glue, epoxy, whatever to create another "stop" where the old one was. another one, one side of the battery holder, which had a solder joint on it - so i assume it needed to be soldered - the solder had broken. a few seconds and one dab of a soldering iron repaired it. it actually repaired with just the soldering iron on the original solder...but i hit it with some new stuff for good measure.

talk to GD, send him a PM or email - he's a board member in Oregon that owns a shop and does tons of Subaru stuff. if you don't want him to fix it for you he may buy it. you can sell it fairly quickly for $500 - $1,000. if you were close to here i'd offer something like that for it - probably $700. if you are willing to test the waters and wait a bit (you've already waited 8 months) in a subaru rich market like that you could get lucky and get $1,000 - $1,500 but being the lower end brighton it's not going to have as much demand as an outback. you would have likely sold it for more back in the winter and during tax season when folks are temporarily rich.

i wouldn't worry about it. i'd swap away.

you simply need: stock OEM NGK plugs Subaru wires that's why i asked about the check engine light and plugs/wires, that was my first guess.

wow! pic's?

nothing to do with rear O2 sensor. 1. is the check engine light on? (if it is - we need to know the exact code) 2. is the ATF/trans light blinking at start up? have the plugs and wires ever been changed?

oh - if it is headgaskets, they are really easy on this motor. remove intake - that's the longest part - you remove the 6 or so bolts holding it to the engine and then wiring harness connector, and whatever hoses, power steering or a/c lines are in the way. the ac/ compressor can be unbolted and swung over to the battery to get the lines out oft he way, no need to disconnect those. remove exhaust manifold (six 14mm bolts), remove head bolts (six per side).

these engines notoriously trap air, make sure it's not simply that. it is often called "burping" the system. EJ22 headgaskets don't fail....unless of course it's been previously overheated/abused which you're telling us is a possibility.

have you already had the recall done for 2005 Outbacks? it may be that you haven't had that recall done? Subaru has revised it a few times, so check for the latest....i think this is an old one and newer updated numbers are available, call your dealer. NUMBER: WVH-18 DATE: June 2009 APPLICABILITY: 2005MY PZEV Spec. Subaru Legacy and Outback SUBJECT: Engine Control Module (ECM) Reprogramming Introduction Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) has determined that vehicles affected by this Service Program require ECM reprogramming along with catalytic converter efficiency testing and possible replacement. Under certain unique driving patterns, such as repeated acceleration and deceleration and/or continuous uphill driving at higher speeds (about 75 mph), the catalytic converters of affected vehicles may develop high internal temperatures that exceed design parameters. If left uncorrected, this condition may eventually degrade the efficiency of the catalytic converters. (The "CHECK ENGINE" light will illuminate to alert the driver if catalytic converter efficiency has degraded beyond an acceptable level and the vehicle may be releasing air pollutants which may exceed California standards.) To prevent this condition, a modification to the Engine Control Module software logic has been developed that will improve management of temperatures within the catalytic converters.

a more involved option would be to install XT6 front hubs and axles. strut mount holes are smaller so they need to be drilled out, or use the XT6 strut bolts but then you loose camber adjustment. other than that it's a bolt in swap.

the $5 spacer is the way to go. the 420 code is such a joke it's not even funny. buy the spacers, install them, and call it good.

i've seen the stone/debris thing before too, though it's been awhile, i don't recall what Subaru it was (model, year, etc) and i forget where they lodge. rock on for the easy fix! yes a terrible pun... right, but that's not what i said nor all that relevant. it's apparent by your skill set and experience you already know this but i'll continue anyway for future readers. by that logic every car, business, part, TELEMARKETER (LMAO) etc ever would be good since it gave at least one person good service/experience. aftermarket axles are terrible because they have a high failure rate, hands down the worst aftermarket part one can buy for a Subaru. a %50 failure rate means 50 out of a 100 would be fine...so anecdotal folks say "yeah they're great, that one worked for me"...yet 50 would still fail, an absolutely horrendous failure rate. i don't know what the failure rate is but what is certain is that everyone that's done enough axles can tell you it's annoyingly high yet Subaru axles can roll to 200,000 miles without blinking. if you're time is worth much aftermarket axles are a joke. i got hosed so many times and then when i finally got on online boards like this and saw everyone else having issues i finally realized it was aftermarket axles and not just because axles were unreliable as a whole. i have saved much time and grief by switching to all OEM...and probably money - $25-$33 each for used ones and the inner boot and the price is good for a %100 repeatable repair. but i do pay a price in that i no longer get funny stories of axles failing...like the brand new one that spewed it's guts, grease, and balls all over the parking lot literally 20 feet after it was installed. #!*&!((*##!!!

title says "vibration" description mentions a lot about sound - rubbing, metal...etc *** are you absolutely positive the sound wasn't there prior to the axle change? if it was then might suspect tire... we can't see or drive the car so we need a concise description, does it definitely have a vibration - because that's a lot different in terms of suspect items than sound/rubbing. 1. make sure lug(s) didn't come loose, happens more than you'd think this could cause vibration and noise if it was really bad. 2. slightly bent brake dust shield will cause noises (not vibration) under various loads - like around a turn but not straight 3. is it an aftermarket axle - they are known to be problematic and can have any number of issues - leaking, noises, vibration under accel, vibration at idle, blow to pieces internally....aftermarket axles are a waste of time. rebooting the original OEM axles is the best long term solution, or rebooting a used Subaru OEM axle if the original is actually toasted (rare). 4. wheel bearing 5. those axles have a tone ring and a thin metal ring or two behind it...if one of those were bent enough i suppose it could rub once ever tire rotation

that's what i was attempting the entire time, i thought i would have to do that to get a proper pool and bead...so yeah i was just burning through it the whole time. so you "spot weld" it basically - then how do you properly fill in the gaps? bondo? i thought all metal would be better than bondo for longevity, etc.

you deserve a metal for searching so well, good job! that thread you linked to says nothing about later model 01 vehicles. 96-01 is nowhere to be found. but if you do find such a statement you can disregard that completely - that is not even close to true or of any value to you at all. the EJ22 changed completely in 1999 and is not interchangeable with earlier EJ22's. the EJ25 also changed in 99 or 00 (depends on vehicle) and is also not interchangeable with earlier EJ25's. now by "not interchange" i mean plug and play swap....but if you're talking swapping heads, blocks, etc it starts to get far more complicated because of all the changes and i don't have time to write a book. as GD said the intake manifolds change in 99 so it's not a simple swap when yo'ure talking about swapping heads. you can work around it but for an easy swap you want to keep the heads with the vehicle. which is what you're asking i think - keep the 00 heads on the car and bolt them to the EJ22.

Phase I EJ25 blocks install into EJ22's just fine. I have installed Phase I EJ25 blocks in Phase II EJ25 vehicles. Pistons will strike the heads if you don't use a thick headgasket. So if a Phase I EJ25 block can be installed in a Phase II EJ25 vehicle and your EJ22 heads will bolt up to a Phase I EJ25...there is hope.

very close - cheap Lowe's Chinese Special, LOL. i generally avoid body work at all costs. i just wanted to try this once and it didn't need to look good on this car. the lumpy excuse for welding that's the same color or if i would have riveted in a piece of metal instead...it all looked better than the huge honking rust hole that was there. i totally hear you - better equipment is the answer. if i had time i would. it works fine for everything else - even thin exhaust and other small things, tiny nuts, plate metal, bolts, weld just fine. it's only body metal i have a problem with. what's the thickness difference between exhaust and fender metal?