idosubaru

LMAO don't know how common this is but there's a dealer in Maryland that won't service Subaru's older than a certain age. i believe it's due to liability and given where they are located - i can actually understand. they're at the mercy of populations that will take advantage of you. but -around here there aren't that many older vehicles anyway, they all rust away.

the easy fix that i'd do is to not even bother trying to remove that bolt shank, leave it there. drill and tap the existing bolt shank for a smaller thread - like an M8x1.25 bolt - maybe you could even fit an M10 or M9 1.25 in there? just straight drill right into the remaining bolt (after grinding it flat if you want). then tap it, then install a smaller bolt with washers and lock nut to clamp on the strut mount. easy fix. i've done it before, not on a strut bolt but that's exactly what i'd do here. make sure to get a high grade bolt, not a box store special. that strut isn't going anywhere - proven by it's current situation. :D:D if for some reason you're still compelled to get the bolt out - use high quality left handed drill bits, you'll probably need to get them online unless you have a good local supplier. the left hand turning motion of the drill bit, heating/expanding of the drilling operation, will eventually back it out as you increase the bit size to near bolt size. don't use an ezout - never in a million years will it work on that bolt. it'll shear off inside of it.

is an EJ25 short block an option? bolt your EJ22 heads up to it. nice thing about that combo is you get the larger displacement of the EJ25 but retain lots of positive things about the EJ22 - cheaper cams (only 2 instead of 4), cheaper timing components, etc. porting.....a few hp, valves....a few hp EJ25 short block - 30 hp increase out of the box. porting, valves, cams would be a ton of work and costs.....and not get the 30hp increase that would come with the larger block. deltacams is a member here and does cam grinds for the EJ22, check with them and they might have some recommendations about valve sizing. this applies to EJ22 and EJ25, either way you go.

a clean radiator doesn't rule out anything unless you completely disassembled i and checked the internals. they clog internally before external issues decrease cooling capacity to signficant levels. radiator can still be clogged - i haven't been able to unclog two Subaru radiators by flushing - radiator replacement was necessary both times. it sounds to me like you have bad headgaskets - it is common. *but* the one thing i see is that this is not a typical symptom of Phase I EJ25 headgasket failure: Phase I EJ25's with *original headgaskets* (failure modes after replacement deviate) typically overheat randomly. that yours is 100% predictable leads to me to think it's worth making sure it's not something else. sounds like headgaskets, yes, but also sounds different enough that it's worth checking into. if the headgaskets have already been replaced before or some previous owner dumped gobs of stop leak in it, then that changes everything.

the additional risk of the sprocket is that once it seizes (they just loose grease over time, like all bearings), the belt can't go anywhere since it's a sprocket and has teeth the belt interlocks with - something will break and let loose and that means bent valves on an interference engine. the other two idler pulleys, particularly the passengers side one, aren't as bad because they are flat and the outside of the belt just rides against them, no teeth or anything, just smooth. so if they seize, the belt can still glide over them. i've seen those seized with the belt still in tact, just sliding across them. even know of a car not ready to be repaired that drove 1,500 miles that way - don't recommend it but i've seen it survive.

they typically leak coolant externally when the head gasket fails. if you don't catch it soon enough they will loose coolant and overheat. it's likely nothing caused it, you were just unlucky. maybe the extended warranty caused the headgasket to go. "Hey he's got that warranty that pays good on headgaskets, i think they're leaking!" LOL there have been a few 05-09 headgasket failures. running a vehicle hot will blow the headgasket on any engine so if it was run hot that may have made it worse, but more than likely even if that was the case it probably overheated because it was low on coolant...because of a failing headgasket anyway. in general these motors don't often have check engine lights associated with headgasket failure, that's actually. i'm sure it can happen but i've only ever seen it like once....maybe. you don't mention how many miles are on it but i'd: reseal the valve covers adjust the valves timing belt i'd definitely check the cam/crank/oil pump - if they're wet - replace/reseal them. somewhere around 75,000 miles i'd start considering replacing the timing pulleys/tensioner. they are not 200,000 mile parts and with a 100,000 mile timing belt you're not going to be back in there again for a long time so i'd want it to be ready for the next 100,000. but having it done at subaru limits your options since the pulleys and tensioner are very expensive from Subaru. but they could at least inspect any of the pulleys. being an 08 they should be fine. the lower timing sprocket (the one with teeth) is by far the most likely to fail and runs about $59 from Subaru. The Subaru dealers I know of charge $450-$699 for just replacing the belt only, so now is a good time to throw a new one on there. It has to be removed to do the headgaskets, so it's *zero* extra labor to install a new belt - except the time to go grab the new one off the shelf.

has the car ever run properly? maybe the timing belts are off? fuel filter ever been replaced? check fuel pressure at the engine. check fuel pressure regulator. check for spark? check distributor cap/rotor - i had one with issues and turned out the "new" cap and rotor were destroyed when i removed them. spray starting fluid around hoses/engine intake to check for vacuum leak. i've seen a couple/few distributors cause running issues without throwing a code for some reason.

that's what everyone says and it does sound difficult when you listen to a bunch of people that have never done it before. so i was nervous the first time i did it. luckily i have friends in maryland that have done it numerous times over the decades so that was an encouragement. yes, the paper work and logistics all say VIN checking, receipts, and before and after pictures....it's a formality and not rocket science. i was concerned because some of the repairs had already been started so i didn't have "before" pictures and was wondering if i need all body damage, exhaust damage, and air bag and pretensioner replacement pic's, etc. but it was all mostly a formality - they look through what you got, nothing looked completely silly, and they passed it without asking any questions. buy car, repair it, document the repair (keep receipts and take pic's, whatever they want), and inspect it at the special inspections they do. in our rural state they only have once a month so i was worried i'd fail the first time because i had never done it before and have to wait an entire month...nope, it passed. surely not for everyone but considering i got into an H6 VDC OB really cheap, well worth it. and that picture in the beginning of this thread - it sure doesn't seem to difficult to document that repair, it barely needs anything!

i'm surprised people still maintain full coverage insurance on those old things! guess that's one way to get money out of them - go wreck them or "claim" a wreck. insurance companies are probably getting worked over by folks with old EA82's when they realize they aren't worth much on the rust coast where these things disappeared 10 years ago. can you try to find one you can buy and fix it? i've bought salvage titles, it's not hard and not a big deal. i've done it in WV and my friends do it in MD.

that's tough, i hear you. it's just hard removing the known good, never overheated parts when i have seen cam seizures. i'll probably keep them with the head, but save the original cams just in case.

when it runs hot are the fans coming on? clogged radiator (radiatorbarn.com has them for under $100 usually shipped to your door - $88 for last EJ rad i bought). or headgaskets are failing. these are usually completely random and not associated with loads, etc. it could be that you "think" it's load related though if it's just started and you've only a seen a couple anecdotal overheats. look to see if you have bubbles bubbling into your coolant overflow tank while running or right after you shut the car off. if you ever see that, it's pretty classic headgasket signs. there are also test kits for analyzing the coolant for exhaust gases to test for failed HG as well.

you should go buy a lottery ticket right now, if by "unhook" you mean you got the ABS sensor bolts out without shearing off, that's nearly impossible around here. when you say you went back in to check things did you disconnect and reseat the ABS connectors? was there any metal debris/filings on the ABS sensor tip? make sure they're all clean, i've seen a simple cleaning of the ABS tips fix the ABS light. getting the code will help determine which one it is. did the sensors still have the "notched" or "stepped" end to them or were they starting to look rounded, warn, and aged? future note - brake jobs and struts can all be done without disconnecting ABS stuff.

i'm getting used SOHC heads for a friends 03 forester that busted a timing belt. 1. the replacement heads are off an engine with rod knock - which suggests previous overheating and these do sometimes seize cams. - cam seizure is related to bearing surface on the head or cam? 2. the original engine has never been overheated. is it better to: 1. swap the original cams into the replacement heads? 2. keep the cams married to the heads they're in? done lots of EJ swaps, head jobs...but never thought about this...

to clarify an incorrect comment earlier in this thread: EJ22 intake manifolds don't bolt to EJ25's - unless it's the far more rare and less advantageous Phase II swap. those bolt up, but that's a far less common swap due to the lack of EJ22's as they were phased out, not much price difference, less catastrophic EJ25 SOHC failures, etc. timing tensioner is the same (assuming it's the same style - it changed around 1997 on both EJ22's and EJ25's.). timing pulleys are the same. timing belt is different due to the longer DOHC belt. don't personally care, but are questions are best for another thread lest this just turn into an ambiguous EJ thread that's long and difficult to sift through? a wide ranging thread with various, intermingled, and spread out information doesn't seem very helpful - you asked a really good question that will be asked or searched for again - a thread is a good idea if there isn't already one out there.

sweet, maybe it's easier to get to than the drivers side ones. mine has the added "feature" of locking the rear doors on it's own, so pretty sure mine is the timer.

i haven't seen anyone answer that question for sure. there's some discussion of it on subaruoutback.org but nothing conclusive. for some reason the parts interchanges keep 2001 as a one year only transmission on the H6's (non VDC and VDC). i bought a 2003 H6 non-VDC with a borked transmission and found a Subaru rebuilt locally from a 2001. someone on subaruoutback.org said they thought the new transmission in their 02 was from a 2001. i'm pretty sure the one i bought was from a 2001 and it's running and driving fine, i just did it a couple months ago. i would think if the non VDC's are exempt from that one year 2001 on the parts interchange, then the VDC models have a good chance of being in the same boat. of course it would be nice to know if the VDC and non-VDC models are compatible at all, but i've seen noone answer there - but the non-VDC trans are more available and less expensive around here. All H6 OBW's have 4.11 final drive as opposed to the 4.44 of the 4 clyinder OBW's.

the door lock timers are notoriously problematic, located up behind the dashboard on the passengers side - behind the glove-box-ish area. it's annoying to get too. i started trying to fix mine because it does the same thing you're talking about - and more - but i never did figure out how to get to it. there's another thread on here about it - i'd look for that thread, it maybe describe other causes as well - like the drivers door.

if it's never been overheated then it's got some life left. if it's been overheated or an unknown history/engine then there's no telling. this era EJ25's have bad headgasket issues which is a catch 22 sometimes: it's nice (and not hard) to find one that's already had them replaced since the updated gaskets are better. but if they've already been replaced that also means a really high chance that they've been overheated because of the way they fail - random and unpredictable overheating is the first sign before anything else. this often leads to bad overheating. previous overheats are the likely cause of the relatively high number or lower end failures and cam seizures. best case scenario is an EJ25 that's never had the headgaskets replaced and replace them yourself with the updated gaskets. then you've got the issue taken care of and it's never been overheated. at that mileage the timing belt components all need replaced - ebay kits are the way to go for complete timing pulley and tensioner replacement. $160-$180. interference engine - if the belt breaks the valves bend. be wise to have the valves adjusted too, which is a debacle to do on this motor.

i'd get the ebay kits with all new pulleys, great price for what you're getting. the pulleys are scrap by now and worse off than the timing belt by this time sine that's probably been replaced once...and they probably never have.

EJ trans are used in SVX's regularly due to the SVX's propensity to eat transmissions. hocrest (board name) knows about it, i'd imagine it's on the svx board.

wiring will not be there. i think it's only in legacy's of this vintage, i don't believe my 97 OBS had it, the connector will be under the carpet/seat somewhere. you can wire them in yourself. the heated seats are weak. novelty and bad back are what they're good for, they have little functional value outside of that. the most disappointing trait is that they degrade quickly. most used seats don't have working heat or it doesn't work very well and will get worse. the car is warm and blowing hot heat by the time you feel the heated seats. the OBS seats aren't all that great, i'd consider the comfort upgrade, electrically adjustable feature far more functional and desirable than the heat. i have a complete under seat wiring harness from a legacy with heated seats already pulled that will plug and play into a non-heated seat legacy harness. if you want to try it on you impreza, PM me. got heated seats too.

sweet thanks M., good to know. so forester/imp alt's are the same?

"sort of seems like we may have".....too much ambiguity to make a decision. start another thread, "are my headgaskets bad" or "it's leaking coolant" and start the process of properly diagnosing, we can help with that as well. was the first HG repair done by Subaru? was the Subaru coolant conditioner added - it's required for this motor? if it's leaking coolant add two bottles of this conditioner right now - it has been known to stop leaking headgaskets. the stuff is only $1.57 from Subaru. Subaru HG issues have been mitigated over the years but not really solved until really late....maybe 2010's or something? what caboob said in your other post - that's the headgasket i use and the last three digits of the part number are 610 - i use it for all EJ25's and have to specifically ask for it or they'll give you the thinner one he talks about. subaru's, even newer ones, do great in the snow. your friend has poor tires or something wrong with the car. tires are the difference. put studded Nokian Happ's on his car and even if it's FWD it'll make it through the snow just fine. it is most definitely not the car, it's all dependent on his personality at this point. it's unhelpful and confusing to cross post - post the same thing in multiple threads.

are you sure *all* forester alternators are different? most foresters are the Phase II SOHC starting in 99, so those i would expect to be different. but there's that oneyear 1998 Forester that was Phase I DOHC engine and i would expect those to be the same. folks have spliced in connectors to exchange alt's before but i've never done it.

even simpler is to call the dealer and ask them to cut a key based on the VIN number. i've gotten a key about 5 or 6 times that way and only once they couldn't do it because the key code was recorded with the VIN. they can usually cut a key just off the VIN, even on old stuff - i've done it a bunch of times for XT6's...i've picked up like 20 or more of them and many of them parts cars or for some reason not having a key..or i lost it because i had too many LOL.