idosubaru

i dont' know about your market but over here aftermarket axles are essentially a waste of time. i get used Subaru axles for $33 each and reboot them. there's also a very reputable subaru axle rebuilder that many of us use as well. aftermarket stories like yours are everywhere, i have my own and no longer waste my time on them.

some fuses on the lower left down by the front hood pull handle. usually under a cover. the owners manual will show fuse locations and layout as well (which ones cover which circuits). the fuse box itself often may have a limited amount of space and information on it, like only naming one or two of multiple circuits on that one line. seems like fans are usually labeled though from memory (who knows what models i'm thinking about though )

never noticed a difference in mine, i run 87 almost exclusively.

that's the problem. like nip said, unfortunately that sounds about right. but if it's mostly city driving you're probably not putting many miles on either, hopefully? in my 02 H6 (got an 03 H6 sedan too) i can get 26...even a little better on a good day, driving back roads at 60mph on a frequent family visit we do. but i can't touch that mileage anywhere else. start city daily driving or 70-80mph and mileage drops very quickly. i'll get 23 or worse on highway trips if we're doing 80 sometimes. seems like most subaru 6 cylinders, *can* get good gas mileage (for being 6 cylinder and 4WD), but they drop quicker than a 4 as soon as you deviate from the sweet spot. start traveling higher speeds (70+ mpg) or in town driving and they drop quicker than 4 cylinders, at least for me they have. the 80's era XT6's and 90's SVX's can get 30 mpg...even close to that in the auto's. the newer H6's seem to do much worse at 70-80 than the older models - but makes sense, they sit higher, weigh more, worse aerodynamics, and have roof racks...and they're all automatics. hardly have a positive going for them in the mileage department. when people come from big SUV's and trucks to subaru's they say "WOW, a nice 6 cylider, 4 wheel drive, decent ground clearance, automatic, roof racks" and you're getting 23 mpg, man that's awesome!" when people come from a FWD commuter to Subaru's they say "wow, i got 30's in my 6 cylinder hyundai." you have one of the worst gas mileage subaru models ever made. it's just not really in the cards for that model. i was thinking about this recently - i have a 99 SUS and an 03 H6 outback Sedan - would be nice to have the SUS gas mileage but the OB sedan is a sweet ride.

weird, i've done a hundred "resets" and swapped EJ25/EJ22 ECU's and TCU's and never noticed a difference. i'm not very discerning though, but shifting is rather obvious in the mountains here. what is annoying is how i can carry a mountain grade without downshifting if i'm using the pedal, but if i'm using cruise it downshifts....anyway to prevent that? i'd be happier than a two tongued dog if i could keep it from needlessly downshifting all the time.

you crack head, most people don't drive like you! :banana:

PB Blaster (or any high quality penetrant), punches and heat should get it to start walking out. if that doesn't work drill it out or dremel like they said. this almost sounds funny - custom machining hubs (a pretty awesome and technical process that most on this board can not do - including me) but stuck on a rusty pin.

sounds like beginnings of classic torque bind. they seem to be a little more ambiguous like that when it first starts. it's not like it's always black and white, same exact symptoms every single time. once they're completely gone they're all the same obviously. if you have weak rear struts then they might be bad. mine wasn't chirping, but on loose gravel i could hear the rear wheel "skipping". i thoght torque bind at first, but no binding in a parking lot like you're saying and i've fixed lots of torque bind cars so i'm familiar with what that's like - only certain turns and speeds and stuff. after a year or two i finally figured out the rear struts are bad - when going around a turn they don't work well enough to keep the tire in contact with the road and allow the tire to "lift" enough to just skip across the ground rather than roll (gravel). i'm not familiar enough with struts/suspension to know if that could cause chirping on regular pavement though. mine had abnormal rear tire wear and was much worse in the summer.

if it didn't get a new pump then i would not be surprised if a new pump fixes it. in my experience it's a high percentage chance. i just wish there was a simple way to know for sure, but i don't. the admin of subaruxt.com resealed his pump multiple times to no avail. i shipped a new pump figuring that would cure it, for Huck (another board member) to install and sure enough, another cured ticking, you can find the thread over there. most importantly, that's not anecdotal - i (and others) have had that happen multiple times. the pumps appear fine, work fine, pressures look normal, but new pumps solve the ticking. i do not know why. the real issue i would guess is that not many (including me!) want to put that much money into a "maybe" on an old EA82...particularly one someone is wanting to swap. maybe the ticking is a good thing, leave it so it constantly reminds you to do the swap!

you can regrease the bearings. a needle fitting for your grease gun and some dental picks to be able to gently pry the covers up enough to insert the needle. i do it on XT6 timing pulley bearings since the pulley kits are $400. it works fine and they feel like brand new bearings when done. noise, as you know is from lack of grease. you want to be sure not to overfill as the grease will come out and even push the seal out with centrifugal force/heating and expansion. but - it's pretty much a waste of time since you can just replace the bearing like GD said. it's difficult to do it without compromising the seal at all, so you're likely to end up with a less reliable bearing.

it's benign, i've seen them run for years while ticking. annoying, but it's not going to strand you or break. the spring GD mentions is under the valve cover. there's a large bolt on the end of the oil rail in the cam cover. remove the bolt and it's a banjo bolt with a spring and a small sliding piece in it. easy since you just have to remove the valve cover to get to it. are you positive you installed a new pump? your sound uncertain. every ticking EA/ER engine i've encountered was solved with a brand new oil pump if reseals didn't fix it. but EA82's are all but rusted into oblivion here so i don't work on them any more out here. if excess sealant (from previous work) entered an oil passage then that can cause ticking too, which won't go away until you remove the glob. seen that before, caught down around the carrier/head mating area - i guess a new oil pump won't fix that.

nice job, glad you finally got it nailed. you were wise to check into as i first suggested, i'm not surprised you found it to be something else. so - how were the hubs replaced last time? were those used hubs or did someone press in new bearings?

have you changed the plugs/wires/coil pack as you've hinted at previously? i would definitely get another coil pack on there and see what happens. i doubt it's the O2 sensor but it would be the first if any. i had a tough misfire last year that would not respond to plugs, wires, coil pack, or igniter changes. swapped the entire intake manifold because i had another and it solved it. i assume it was fuel supply related since injectors can cause it too. as you've suggested a valve adjustment is a really good idea.

couldn't find the WD40. PB Blaster helped but still required a lot of sweat on a 98 OBW trim sticker. tried some wax/cleaner stuff with about the same results (except the fender was nice and shiny too). then used goof-off and worked great, took it right off with little effort. not sure if it's bad for the paint or not. looks fine now after clean/wash/wax.

exactly what they said. in this case USMB advice > Subaru dealer. some dealers/shops will only replace or reuse, resurfacing might just not be an option.

i'd imagine GD and I are doing dozens of these things a year. as well as unbelievably dirty - get some of those nitrile/rubber/whatever gloves too if you're a wimp like me.

i've done them without wobble sockets more than with, but they do help. you know what you're doing, you'll figure it out.

right, i meant until you have to think about the next timing belt change, the topic of this thread.

indeed, MWE is the only option worth my time (subaru's pricing is insane) if i'm going with a brand new axle. i've bought a few from him as well. a guy who needs as little advertising as him must be doing something right.

now you're good to 320k. thanks for posting, mine is currently at 58,000 miles on the belt (178k on the car) and i was thinking about waiting until next summer, i should just do it now. let us know what caused it if you can tell. or a later model EJ22 - which are also interference engines. only the earlier EJ22's were non interference.

yes it helps a little bit. give it a try first. if it's not rust-welded in place it'll come out with normal tools and a tiny bit of patience. levelers are helpful but not necessary. more helpful on installing than removing so you can get the perfect angle and line everything up. thermostats are $8-$12 at the dealer.

replace the boot. the axle is fine. it is not true that the axle will need to be replaced in the "not to distant future". if it was then i (and many others) would have seen at least one axle failure now on the countless ones that i've rebooted. i haven't seen it yet, the subaru axles are very robust. do not use a split boot though if that's what your mechanic is quoting. $65 is a killer price to replace a boot, it's often twice that. he's either got great prices or he's using a cheap split boot - go for the former not the latter! i wouldn't use any aftermarket, lots of threads about aftermarket axle troubles on subaru forums. they're everywhere.

nice, thanks! thanks for the pic - good to know it's got a chance of looking like clean paint, should a perfect fit for an SUS fender. called a friend (also a board member) said to put it in the hot sun and let it bake, that might get it hot enough. brilliant, it was already baking in the trunk and the first inch or so peeled right off. not sure if it'll go that smooth the entire way but that's a good sign. he said normally that doesn't work well so sounds like i got lucky or the rest won't be that easy.

+1 on the master switch, that can take them all out.

nah, it's pretty easy. i mean it's a total pain pulling engines or transmissions, but there's not much special about it. reseal the rear separator plate, particularly if it's wet/seeping at all. have the flywheel resurfaced. a competent machine shop will mic it, make sure it's in spec and resurface it for you for only $50 or something (rates vary). replace EVERYTHING. throw out bearing, pilot bearing, both retaining clips. those are all a few dollars and should not be left in there. most good clutch kits come with those parts, but if they don't go get them. should be a hydraulic clutch. they are notoriously difficult to bleed, i haven't personally come up with a repeatable method of getting them properly bled every single time. so - be very careful and don't break open the hydraulic lines. or, it would be good to bleed them and get new fluid in there as degraded fluid can probably cause premature wear of the slave cylinder and hoses. good time to do it while you got a new clutch going in. if you decide to flush the fluid - do it right away, first. that way you can let it sit awhile, while doing the trans pull/clutch job, and let air bubbles (if any) surface to the top.