idosubaru

if the plastic side tanks are cracked the cheapest solution would be to get someone elses junky radiator for cheap/free and swap side tanks onto yours assuming the rest is in usable condition.

i've done that before too, it's a perfectly viable solution, do it. Pin #3 of 16 pin connector B33. 1990 TCU pinouts, which should be the same as yours: http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/FSM_Scans/TCU_I-O_page1.jpg http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/FSM_Scans/TCU_I-O_page2.jpg

the DOHC Phase I EJ25 is an odd ball. other subaru engines run a long time on failed headgaskets, not Phase I DOHC EJ25D's though. the original DOHC EJ25D headgaskets cause overheating instantaneously, they do not need to be low on coolant and give very little warning signs like most headgasket failures.

DOHC 96-98/99 (depending on model) leaks internally. SOHC 99/00 and up - leaks externally. no word yet on when it was "fixed". years were tossed around for a long time but in the end newer and newer ones are having headgasket failures. but it's at a lower rate and they don't overheat until they run out of coolant. the really troublesome characteristic of the DOHC's was that they would randomly overheat and there was nothing people could do about it. so you get stranded and/or are tempted to cook your motor "i can make it".... each version has it's own unique characteristics. headgasket repairs in a bottle are generally not a good permanent and long term fix, but that doesn't mean they won't help or work. i would not expect much on the earlier DOHC's because of the way they fail. in the 2000+ SOHC versions of the EJ25 Subaru requires a coolant conditioner - so it's already getting an additive type conditioner. If leaks start it's typically recommended to try two bottles of the conditioner.

EJ25 HG is not a 100% failure rate. price is subjective, but that sounds about right. it varies a lot by time of year and area. unless i missed it, he didn't list mileage. a 50,000 mile vehicle that would be a stellar deal. 200,000 miles, not so much. $6,740 on kelly blue book for private seller 100k good condition. great condition, dealer certified, lower miles is going to push that up. assuming the miles are around 100k, i would easily sell it for $6k here in late fall, winter, and tax season...and probably all year long and more likely $6,500. i would be hesitant to pay top dollar on an unknown headgasket. did you look to see if it's been replaced yet? or ask the original owner, they may know where it's been maintained and you can call Subaru or elsewhere? if you're willing to do the work, it's not that expensive to do it for the parts. if you have to pay the labor then it's a tough call. it's unfortunate for folks to pay what they want for a car and then within a year they need $1,500 in work done, that's not a good fit for most people and it happens quite often. as soon as you get it, change the coolant and add subaru's coolant conditioner additive. the delayed forward engagement can be fixed once with the trans X - it usually holds just fine and isn't a big deal. this is peculiar to 99's and some 00's.

if the DOHC HG's were multi layer when removed then they had been replaced already. not that uncommon for EJ25 headgaskets to fail multiple times, the stickied headgasket failure log on subaruoutback.org is many many many pages long and has plenty of repeat failures in it.

subaru's opposed forces site might have the bracket you need on it. it's just one bracket and some bolts. someone recently posted a thread with pictures of the brackets. if the car is in good shape and you want it another 120,000 miles i'd get a brand new tensioner on an interference engine. if you install the 95 it'll probably be on there a few years...so it'll be pushing 2 decades, that's a lot for an interference engine. but - the old ones do have a very low failure rate so in general i wouldn't be that worried about using it either.

+1 long bolt all day long. you could try chasing threads with a tap and fresh bolt to match or helicoil the threads to repair them but not really worth it IMO, just leave what you got now. are the axles failing or the boots breaking? if the axles are failing, get a set of axles from MWE. pain and shipping and core, yes, but after 100 times you need a good solution. once you get MWE or tell us the boots are failing - just get good at rebooting them, axle replacement is over kill. i'd get a quality axle - either an original Subaru axle, if it's even possible to find one, or an MWE axle, and reboot it when the boots crack. you'll never have to replace an axle again if you follow that protocol.

buying a good used motor is actually fairly simple and not much concern. find one from someone that knows it's history or from a wreck and chances are really high the engine is decent. you're often getting a motor from a car that was on the road prior to being pulled and ran just fine. yeah it needs a timing belt and valve cover gaskets are leaking, but it's time for replacing those anyway. the EJ in my Legacy was $150 from a junkyard 4 or so years ago and i've put 60,000 miles on it, it's in great shape. as soon as you get bad vibes or stories, move on.

basic questions for this issue: 1. does the TB go away with the FWD fuse installed? 2. is the AT light flashing 16 times on start up? someone recently said they're torque bind went away with a front differential fluid change. honestly, i find that really hard to believe and am not sold on it, but if it really did happen checking the front diff fluid level and color takes 2 minutes.

not really fuel mileage, but the other two and propensity for lower end failure too. biggest hesitation for me is in a situation like this where the overheat was significant. there seem to be lower end failures on EJ25's that were previously overheated, otherwise lower end failures are nearly unheard of. the lower end failures happen randomly down the road, not soon afterwards, which suggests (i'm not a lower bearing failure expert) it's related to previous overheating and compromised bearings. a used/JDM replacement EJ25 has an unknown history and if it has original headgaskets who knows. not a big deal to replace gaskets - but it's added expense and work on an already typically high dollar engine. it's often cost effective, though the supply of old EJ22's is dwindling. a few years ago you could buy EJ22's for cheap, like $200 where EJ25's where $1,000 or more. simple economics based on everything shared above - there's no demand for EJ22's because they're never needed and there's a high demand for EJ25's due to lower end and headgasket failure. you could sell a blown headgasket EJ25 for the cost of a good EJ22 - so it was like a free repair or close to it. EJ22 supply seems to be going down and prices up here recently.

GD said exactly what i would say. if you can get it to him that would be great. used strut assemblies sometimes are a good fit since they're super easy to replace - 3 12mm nuts up top and 2 bolts at the bottom and out it comes once the abs and brake brackets are disconnected. they can be had for $25-$35, not bad for how quickly and easily they can be installed by yourself with no spring compressors. easy job. replacing just the struts isn't quite as easy or desirable for some folks. i would start with drivability issues first - fixing cars/spending money on it gets much better as the thing becomes more tolerable and reliable to drive.

i've got two of them Dave - a VDC and non-VDC model. they're great engines and not too many issues, that's why i drive them. mine has terrible gas mileage unless it has optimum conditions.mine surprised me with 28 mpg driving long distance back roads at 50-60 mph on a trip we take multiple times a year. in town, daily driver, and interstate speeds in the mountains it drops quickly down to 21 or so. timing chain tensioner noise is one thing to look for, can't miss that. not necessarily catastrophic (i've driven mine from 120k to 180k+ it has on it now with the same noise), but wouldn't want to pay top dollar or recommend that either. the serpentine belt pulley bearings should both be replaced immediately upon getting the car. they fail a LOT and may run the risk of damaging the aluminum timing chain cover which has some insane number of bolts holding it on. there's a TPS recall, i need to find out which years that applies too. causes erratic shifting. if it's a VDC model the McIntosh stereos fail all the time, I've run across a bunch of bad ones. Make sure it works and plays CD's. CVT wasn't until later models.

there's tons of companies importing JDM (japanese domestic market) from japan. they're all basically the same. they are way overpriced so just depends what kind of a buyer you are. if it's a 2.5 they're high because you're still buying a weak headgasket that should be replaced, if it's a 2.2 then it's high because you can get them a lot cheaper elsewhere usually. if you buy JDM make sure it has EGR valve on it and dual port ypipe, foreign market vehicles are not always the same in those regards.

lol! yes, it's due by age, replace the belt sooner rather than later. my preferred option, along with others on here, are the ebay kits which include the belt, tensioner pulleys, and timing pulleys. theimportexperts is often mentioned and i've used them as well. you can also get a kit with the water pump or buy it separate. in the past i used to buy the kits for the pulleys and use a subaru belt, though i've been using the belts for awhile now too. i don't go with Subaru on these because i replace everything and the price is prohibitive of that. you can order from an online subaru vendor and see if you like the subaru price.

i'd replace the oil pump. my order of repair for ticking is: 1. reseal the oil pump 2. replace the oil pump (sometimes i've just skipped to this step to be done with it) i've never had to go past replacing the oil pump except for one time when two HLA's were seized (previously blown headgasket engine). but that was obviously HLA related because the noise was isolated to one cylinder on the passengers side - none of the others, and would never go away. further reseal of the cam carriers or shimming warn HLA's might be further necessary but i've never had to do that yet.

yes, easily could be the DOJ. if it's low on grease then that's probably what it is. i had both inner axle boots (new MWE axles) break on a 4,000 mile road trip out west. they had sat a couple years and were dry rotted. they vibrated madly for thousands of miles, coming and going, and would shut up when i stuffed grease in the joint by hand at gas stops. made it home - cleaned, regreased, and rebooted those same abused axles 2 years ago and they're now working perfectly in my 2" lifted XT6.

i'm familiar with the EA82, but there are multiple EA82 platforms, i was wondering if it was carb, SPFI, or MPFI....someone else will have to fill you in carb stuff.

if you have the codes you should post exactly what they are, we should probably start there before proceeding with *i think*. you can google any engine or trans code to find what it is. if the duty solenoid fails then the FWD fuse won't work. usually it's the Duty C solenoid. you could check to make sure the Duty C circuit is powered/has continuity, when it has no power it gives you torque bind as a default position so to speak. it needs power to manage the line pressure...so if the wire is cut or not powered/has continuity it'll give you torque bind. man, clear as mud? you can remove the rear half of the driveshaft to at least make the car driveable for now as FWD if it's that hosed that it's not even working. normally it's the duty solenoid, but given you got it this way...?

how bizarre - it only takes a couple hours to get to the other side of the island and that's not even interstate speeds like you can over here. haven't heard of clutch clip failure except on 80's stuff myself, sounds like bad luck to me.

legacy a sedan so the noise is more isolated in the trunk or both wagons? have someone sit in the rear or outside the vehicle and try to determine if it favors one side or is centrally located? if you're hearing rust scraping, that's probably it. did it sit for any length of time? 2000 forester i worked on last year was a real pain to keep the rust from rubbing - finally wire brushed the rotors and cleared it up.

what engine for the idle adjust? i thought later 87+ EA82's didn't require idle adjustments? there's a screw on the throttle plate if memory serves correctly but it should adjust itself with the IAC valve? might want to clean that out if it has one and i'm not missing something about your year/engine. bolts up fine, but will require some work. it's not "plug and play" but not fully custom either. there are other very desirable options that don't really require much more work. define what you're looking for and willing to put into it.

sorry this isn't hill holder related but is there any rust (non existent out there huh?) friend of mine (you can find the thread probably) had a leak i couldn't track down. i finally just started driving the car and eventually a rear brake line leaked enough to loose fluid and drip down to where i could find it. it was rusted up above the rear cross member and i guess wasn't leaking enough to loose substantial fluid or drip down to where i could see it. i replaced the MC and bled multiple times without ever noticing fluid loss or leakage.

yes, used tires are easy to find around here...haven't searched for that size yet but shouldn't be a big deal.

that's a great deal if you're getting (as it says you are) someone that knows what they're doing. i wouldn't do a timing belt alone for under $200, not worth my time. i would replace the timing pulleys while you're at, hardly any extra labor and a certain percentage will not make it to the next timing belt change. ebay kits are reasonable for all new tensioner, idler sprocket and two pulleys.