idosubaru

helicoils or timeserts are the proper fix. an easier option is to use a longer bolt. the hole is drilled and tapped deeper than the length of the original bolt usually. i assume this is an EA82 and i've done this on those exact bolts before i think (though it's been a long time so i could be mis-remembering!). get a long bolt that can reach the bottom of the hole and chase the threads with a tap to clean up the ones that were stripped. have a washer or two on hand in case the longer bolt bottoms out so you can put them under the head of the bolt to space it out. this is a lot of words for something really simple, just giving you some pointers to make it simple, but all you do is use a longer bolt.

i know a guy who bought an ultrasonic cleaner to clean the HLA's. mizpah engineering *rebuilds* HLA's for $3 or $5 each, well worth it to have those done right. the main problem disassembling them is the assembly rings crack when you try to remove them. ends up not being a *that* big of a deal as i've seen them installed cracked and have never seen an issue...but, not exactly a good feeling. you can disassemble them to clean them, but it's a tedious affair i won't ever do again. i guess it's cool to do it once but is otherwise lengthy, not cost effective, and problematic.... the even trickier part sometimes is getting them out of the heads, they often do not want to come out. the valve spring compressor i have doesn't work well at all on subaru's for some reason but does get them off if you go at it enough. then just spray the heads down with brake cleaner like you said. if you're having the heads resurfaced they can probably hot tank them for you, that's ideal to make sure you get them spotless.

easy way i to bolt the DOHC heads to the SOHC block, then it's just a regular old engine swap with zero work. otherwise it's a debacle to get it to run... you can prop the throttle plate open for idle since the idle functioning isn't going to be there.

take your pick based on time/parts/cost/etc. mostly stuff we can't decide for you, either way the results won't really differ all that much. i went the opposite way and installed an EA82 non turbo engine into an EA82T equipped 87 XT Turbo. it ran just by swapping engines and ECU and i drove it about 100 miles. it had issues, but since the car never did run and the JDM motor i got had bad headgaskets and cracked intake manifold runners (never seen that before), i never did figure out yet if the running issues were related to the swap or something else, but since i did drive it close to 100 miles i sort of think the engine/gas had issues. i would recommend getting an absolutely complete engine to swap - with vacuum hoses, PCV hoses, and all those little bits. in a lot of ways the EA82 is a poor platform so it's not typically worth much effort (hence the negative comments) but everyone's situation is different so have at it if you have a compelling reason to tear it up. it's not like i haven't gone through phases/learning curve spending time on cars i probably wish i wouldn't have! LOL

i haven't done any work on anything this new and info is sparse on them, but as far as i know you can read the codes by just finding the connector under the dash, it's usually taped up in the harness above your feet somewhere. find the harness and then there's a metal pin that's a grounding pin. ground the appropriate pin-out on the connector and the light in the dash will flash the corresponding code that's being registered when the SRS light is on. there are threads showing what this connector/process is like. i've done this up to 2002's (with VDC, side impact air bags, etc) and they've all been the same so i wouldn't be surprised if the 2008 has that ability too. of course you will only read a code if the air bag light is on.

one of the worst cars i've worked on (not including rust issues ). in this order it got a new radiator, a new block/headgaskets, and a different intake manifold - and has been fine since then. i seem to recall thinking the original motor had non-OEM headgaskets on it when i pulled it and the heads off. probably laying in my garage still with the original block and bits, maybe i'll run across them someday and try to check.

generally you can match the orings up if you take them with you. even if they don't have the exact size they'll have something nearly identical that will work. like standard instead of metric orings for instance. does the spare manifold have orings you could take with you to check? good luck, these things can be annoying to track.

i don't even put premium in my H6 OBW where it's "recommended" i have a couple times but didn't notice a difference. not paying much attention to performance in a big honking family wagon though.

$500 cost can vary wildly depending on area, shop, and what all gets done while it's apart. it's a big job, so it's nice to replace everything while you're in there rather than pay huge labor bill again in a year or two. at least replace the throw out bearing, pilot bearing, and clutch retaining clips while it's apart. all of that is like $10 and silly to skip any of those. the clutch and pressure plate are more expensive, you have no idea what condition they're in and neither do we so you'll have to make the call on that.

good point - there are throttle body hoses, heater core hoses back there and i believe at least one tiny hose under there as well....might want to check hoses first?

if it sat for awhile, i wouldn't be surprised for the tires to hold air just fine if you keep running and inflating them. i have that happen often. best bet though is just to remove and reinstall them and ask them to clean the bead/wheel up. if you plan on getting a set of good tires for the snow, which i highly recommend, then keep these tires and run them for the summer months and have a dedicated set for the winter. you don't *have* to replace them in sets - that's a good one-size-fits-all adage but on it's own is a silly concept. if the "bump" isn't bad i'd just leave it, but can't say i recommend that either as it might not be a good idea. you can replace one tire, with new if rotated wisely and depending on current tread depth. or get a used tire to replace it that closely matches the current tread and install it in the front if it's a little more tread or rear if it's a little less. i bought a used tire this summer for like $35. totally worth it to not waste a set of perfectly good tires. you need to proceed wisely but you have options other than replace them all.

has hydraulic valve lash adjusters, doubtful anyone ever messed with it and doubtful that's the lone cause of it not starting.

awesome - if it's just the intake manifold gaskets you should be in luck. replace it as soon as you can and don't drive it while starving it for coolant. go really easy on the intake manifold bolts, they can seize in place and shear off, that's not unheard of so to speak. if they have resistance when removing, work them back and forth as you loosen them, squirt PB Blaster down the shaft of the bolt and give it time to cool off rather than pulling it all out at once. that ticking i wouldn't worry about if finances are tight, they can essentially run a very long time like that - like probably as long as you want to keep the car. and - chances are good with decent oil changes, maybe some seafoam or MMO it'll go away on it's own.

engine/car please EA82 i guess? the intake manifold gaskets can leak, so if it's pooling up on your manifold that might be where it is. there's a coolant passage in the intake manifold gasket so it can leak externally onto the block and it can also leak into the cylinders. i do not know of a test on how to definitively make sure it's the intake manifold and not the head gasket though. use Subaru intake manifold gaskets, the aftermarket ones are cheap, flimsy thin garbage.

how far did you tow it with the forester?

+1 if the motor is currently running do the basics and keep running it. no need for a rebuild. everyone values time/money/projects differently so to each his own. if it's for experience and fun then you don't need our advice or pointers on how to do those things. but practically speaking there aren't really any instances where a 300k EJ22 is worth much. and rebuilds are costly, simpler to just get a known good motor.

someone who knows what they're doing needs to look at it. it literally takes about 15 seconds to look at this stuff. normal maintenance is sort of out of the question here because 2006 is really too soon for this stuff to be wearing out. so it very well could be that both the ball joint and bushings are wearing out. i'm going to assume the ball joint has a torn boot and the control arm bushings are warn: ball joints are $30 and easily replaced. if you don't have any issues with the car i would start there and have that replaced. any mechanic can easily replace subaru ball joints, you get no value from the high dealer prices on this particular job if you can find a decent mechanic/shop to do it for you. i would leave the control arm bushings for now if they're not causing any issues - like alignment issues, noise, or tire wear - neither of which you mentioned. those are very rarely replaced....even on legacy's from the 90's that are 15 years older than yours. i've never replaced a control arm bushing but i've replaced countless ball joints - dozens. this all comes without me being able to look at it of course, just going by what you say. it would be nice to get another opinion from an honest mechanic that you trust rather than just another 3rd party entity trying to make a buck.

you've never mentioned what car, vehicle, or anything you're working on but most 4EAT's are interchangeable when it comes to the rear extension housing. nearly any impreza/legacy/outback/forester you find in a yard should work.

your best bet is almost certainly to repair it. first - the symptoms and his diagnosis don't line up. you need a proper diagnosis - it is unlikely his first two guesses are correct - starter and distributor sound doubtful to me. if you can give us some information we can help you...or help him if he's not that well versed in subarus. like - right now, what does it do if you turn the key? what do you mean by "loss of pressure" when it died on you? "loss of pressure" - does not at all indicate the first step would be to assume the starter is bad. $600 is an INSANELY high estimate, short of major engine work which you are unlikely to need, that's way too high. properly repaired you can easily get a lot more miles out of this thing. ebay timing belt kits for the engine are only like $60 or $80 for all new belt, tensioners, and pulley. if the timing belt broke, get one of those kits and it's good for another 60,000 miles (more or less). replace any leaking cam/crank seals while the belt is off - they're only a couple dollars per seal and easily accessible once the belt is off. i wouldn't be surprised if your timing belt broke and the pulleys need replaced, most 80's subarus are running around with the original 25 year old pulleys devoid of grease. for $60 off ebay you can't beat that. mechanic should charge about $200-$250 or so to install those parts.

those parts are probably dealer only or get a used extension housing. if you've got noise that bad, it doesn't sound good at all. i'd be concerned the rear drum sheared off or is otherwise compromised too.

you can hang a belt and hope you got lucky - a friend did a couple weeks ago. hung a belt and it ran perfect after breaking while idling. i doubt you'll be that lucky but the engine will start with just a belt on - no need to install timing covers, crank pulley, alt/power steering belts - just hang a timing belt and see for 5 seconds. you'll likely need to replace bent valves, but that's it. it's not that hard or a big deal on these motors. use Subaru headgaskets only. buy the $160 or less timing kits on ebay which include the belt, all pulleys, and tensioner. no way you want to trust the original pulleys and tensioner past 200,000 miles. do it right and follow those recommendations and another 100,000 miles here you come. but that's a personal preference kind of thing, there's not right or wrong or best or easiest. i would do this engine in the car, pulling motors sucks IMO.

yes - make sure the brakes aren't dragging. lift the car - turn the wheel. does it spin freely (compare to other side)? pump brakes a bunch of times - does it still spin freely?

if this is your first subaru then search first - folks often screw up and borrow philosophies from other makes/years and apply them incorrectly to subaru's. i'm sure it happens the other way around too. places like this get you the best bang for your buck for long term inexpensive reliability and repairs! like your torque bind debacle - you already bought a diff, so that's $160 wasted. that's a high price, someone on here would have sold you one for $50 or something. and they never fail, so that won't be your issue. i mean, i guess if it's out of gear oil maybe it failed, but that's pretty rare. stuff like that is easily avoidable with the vast experience of boards like this. welcome and good luck!

have you tried installing the FWD fuse int he engine bay to see if the torque bind/noise goes away? probably won't, but worth a shot, it takes 23 seconds.

highly unlikely the rear diff failed - subaru rear differentials almost never fail. if you have binding your issue is either the Duty C solenoid or clutches are hosed most likely. The noise is likely something straining...could be a driveshaft, carrier bearing, you haven't really described the noise, could be a bushing or axle too. Sounds like your Duty C solenoid is hosed and causing torque bind and the AT light. clutches won't typically cause the light to flash, the solenoid will. The secret handshake is a real debacle to get it to work right, good luck is about all i can say, it's a silly game that i've yet to get to work right.