idosubaru

a/c is driven by a serpentine belt. there's two of those on the front of the engine - a/c should be the "right most" - as facing the engine - or drivers side - belt driven component. i don't know how else to say it quickly, but if you can't find the a/c compressor i'd walk slowly through jumping into something like this. but i'm all about trying new things and attempting something once, this isn't that hard really. the simple way to see if it's holding any charge is just to press the valve under the cap down quickly. if it's dead and nothing comes out then there's no pressure. if it spews out then it's pressurized. that's the 2 second method of checking for pressure. don't get your head too close! just follow the two lines off the a/c and eventually you'll see a capped off port on each one - you can "press" the valves under there. you only charge through the low pressure side - but the cans/adapters will only fit that one port, not the other, so you can't really screw it up. you can google or look on ebay at subaru a/c compressors, get a feel for what they look like and then look at your engine too.

first hit on a google search gave this: http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=13168&start=0 might want to plug around there a bit too.

where are you - aus? is that an aus engine? are the pinouts the same as in the US? you can swap Ej25 and EJ22 ECU's all day long. i swapped an EJ22 ECU into my 1996 EJ25 equipped legacy - plug and play, no difference at all. so this means, if this holds down there where you are, that an EJ22 pin out would do you just fine. the DOHC doesn't mean anything as far as EJ25/EJ22 goes, the computer doesn't know, it's only a mechanical difference - EJ25 and EJ22 both use one crank and one cam sensor (same part even!). over here a 1996-1998 EJ22 pin out would be identical to all DOHC EJ25 pin outs. just saying that in case an EJ22 pin out is easier to find.

yes - but that means you don't have a leak and would be quite silly to bother about opening it up in the first place. if it's leaking it should have little pressure, if at all. imagine a leaky balloon - you're window of opportunity of it to retain pressure while leaking is rather small. it's not much different here. if it's *low* on refrigerant then i'd just recharge it with some of the cans that have the leak sealer stuff in them. in that case then yes you do not want to open it up. you would need to describe your symptoms to determine what's going on.

look at the compressor - there are two refrigerant lines going to it and each one is held onto the compressor with one 12mm bolt. it doesn't get any easier than this, it's really simple. just go have a peak at it.

yeah pretty much a waste of time parting out these old cars. there's sometimes a couple parts worth something but it's usually a waste of time with assessing condition, removing, packaging, weighing, answering questions wanting cheaper shipping, wanting faster shipping, sending photos to 5 people who end up not buying. you're in a tough area, in some areas subaru's are plentiful and parts aren't that expensive unless it happens to be something that's a high demand item. i get $101 (last one i took - empty shell only) - $200 for the scrap cars i take in with no engine or trans in them. i usually have scrap rotors and a blown block in the trunk though too.

yeah sorry, i was flipping through FSM's, google, and USMB all in about 7 minutes, so i was processing quickly, not effectively. i'll try another O2 and see what happens. code comes back instantly every time i clear it, so something is amiss. plan is to swap the sensor, paying attention to the wiring/connector as i do for any signs of issues. odd - that code is not listed in my 2000 FSM (which i assumed similar enough to 2003).

you're not disagreeing with me, i just googled it and skimmed some other subaru forums and regurgitated it, didn't really think about it. i always thought the bosch sensors were the way to go....so i'm in your camp probably. P0032 *Front oxygen (A/F) sensor heater circuit high input.

looks like this happens with aftermarket sensors. folks are saying to use Subaru OEM, Denso or another brand....but not bosch. not sure which one is on there now.

yes...but only like an inch. have to disconnect the pistons from the crank in order for the block to come all the way apart.

got a P0032 code on a 2003 Subaru Legacy EJ25. Has a new front O2 sensor in it (didn't install it so I don't know the brand). Any words of advice besides replacing it?

panel/body rust is no indicator at all of frame/underbody/suspension rust. no way to know for sure without looking. $900 for a quarter million miles? seems steep, but not really a ton of money in the end. if it has the original quarter million mile timing belt pulleys and water pump (unlikely) i wouldn't consider it a daily driver until those are replaced. ebay kits are cheap though, like $60 but it's $300 labor if you can't do it yourself.

note - Kelly Blue Book is terrible. not typically associated with real world values. use edmunds instead. also compare to craigslist, local dealer adds, ebay (maybe not so much with such a new vehicle), etc. does not sound like a good deal at all. 85,000 miles is a hefty amount considering the age, accidents, price. i'd much rather have a few years older subaru in the same price range/mileage. you could end up with a really nice Subaru in that price range, i'd consider this settling.

post in the Parts wanted forum.

i know we're not supposed to guess but having pulled a couple auto trans apart for fun/scrap and those 4WD hub/drum things out before i would be concerned that the FWD won't have the "receiving" end for that 4WD hub/drum...and the entire trans would need to come apart to swap that through-shaft it presses into. just need an exploded view of a FWD trans and see if that shaft part number is different....or looks identical. you could find that part number or name of the part that the hub slides into and ask subaru for the part numbers of the FWD and AWD shafts - if they're the same that's really good news. i scanned my FSM and it looks like there's a good chance they're the same. if the "reduction drive shaft" and "pinion drive shaft" are the same (those are the names per the FSM), that would be good news. they look identical in the FSM drawings. the reduction drive shaft just ends on a bearing located in the rear plate for the FWD but it rides inside the 4WD components in the 4WD. otherwise it looks the same. i'd ask subaru if those part numbers are the same between awd and FWD.

yes you can - swap out the front differential. it's quite an involved job though and the backlash has to be properly set or the gears will self destruct (seen it happen on the only front diff swap i saw attempted). it's a big job usually avoided, but it is possible and has been done. a few folks, like Gloyale, have commented and even posted some pictures/details on the procedure. they are usually disassembling and reassembling though which is less of an issue since then you're *retaining* the backlash and not necessarily *setting* it. you can also just swap in a rear differential to match. you would most likely end up with a 4.11 rear diff. those aren't hard to find and aren't worth much either. might be hard to find a good deal on one but they really aren't worth anything since they rarely fail, there's zero demand. i'd give you mine for $25 but shipping would kill it. you could also install any AWD trans you wanted and install the FWD fuse or cut the Duty C solenoid wire (only one wire). this would also give you "FWD". and not even bolt up the rear half of the driveshaft. so the mismatched front and rear diff wouldn't even matter because it's not powering it or even connected at all. i've done this before.

not many transmissions in your area at all. none listed in missouri AWD or FWD. put a post in the parts wanted forum of this board. i mentioned in your other thread that you can install a 2WD trans in just fine in place of your 4WD. only AWD's on car-parts.com "close" to you (none in Missouri): $400 in KY 1-859-635-3600, Des Moines, Iowa 1-800-717-6505 high tag of $550 with 220,000 miles TN no prices but both AWD: 865-397-4821 & 800-362-9889 A few FWD options: rosebud, missouri FWD trans, no price: 800-392-5302 Waterloo Iowa - $200 FWD unit tested 1-800-286-3041 TN: FWD for $200 800-423-1726 Illinois - FWD $550 (ouch!) 708-385-4000 & no price 1-800-566-1859

another option is to install the 2wd trans in place of the awd. i did it on my 1996 legacy. didn't even swap the TCU or anything else and it runs perfectly. been driving it for over 50,000 miles now. "POWER" light blinks on start up because it's looking for the rear speed sensor input, but i don't care. i'm sure that would be easily remedied by cutting the rear speed sensor wire, or as a last resort swapping in a FWD TCU, but it doesn't matter. i have a couple other dedicated AWD winter soobs, but good tires are more important than awd for snow driving if that's your main concern. i'd rather have snow tires than awd, but i realize not everyone wants that.

i've never installed loose orings, i'd find a better fit for those. i just buy a big assortment and match the orings to fit. i've done all flavors of subaru's from 80's-200's and never had a problem finding orings to fit. they more often seem tight than loose, so i'd focus on that area first not knowing anything else. i've installed orings that were not exactly the same as the originals...but thing is the originals are usually aged and not the same shape as they originally were anyway, so even an old oring isn't a perfect comparison. try and gauge the fit around the fitting and how it's sliding into the receiving fitting as well. pay attention to the thickness too - some seem the same size but are different thicknesses. i'd shoot for slightly larger oring - so long as it doesn't "roll" due to being too big as it's being installed. it's usually the compressor side orings that are bad, but have you replaced all the easy ones you can get too? i've *heard* compressors can bleed off internally too, but don't know any more about that.

so JCE - you're a second case of low trans fluid ruining reverse? wonder if that's "normal" and maybe intentional by Subaru?

get an FSM and use that as your guide. no one on here rebuilds auto trans - the last person that tried ended up with hundreds of dollars of scrap. it's not worth it to rebuild an auto trans, so if you think it is then you're pretty much on your own. but the Subaru Factory Service Manuals cover it in depth so those have everything you need to go through this if that's what yo'ure after. Find an FSM or ask folks on here for one. in the time it takes to rebuild an auto trans i could go buy a car needing some work, flip it, and make $2,500. then i'd use that money to buy a trans for $250 to fix your car....so i could fix your car and make $2,000+ in the same time it takes you to rebuild an auto trans. cool project, good learning experience, a fun trying to keep something going but doesn't make time or money sense for most folks with the skills to do this. it's roughly equivalent to meeting the garbage truck to empty bags into the truck yourself so you can reuse them. it's possible and would save money....but not worth it to most people. but the learning and do it yourself keeping it on the road aspect is totally awesome, so go for it. you're just not going to find much information on it.

pretty sure the #3 cylinder exhaust valve is the one that usually burns too. i wouldn't worry too much about just replacing one valve and calling it good. the others didn't reach their critical levels so likely to get plenty more miles out of them if they're properly adjusted this time.

the rear hub/drum (forget the exact part name) can shear off, which would result in your torque bind disappearing as no power can be sent to the rear driveshaft, nothing would turn. it also just slides out of the trans and can be replaced when doing the clutches or solenoid. *but i'm kind of confused - you said the torque bind went away but you're still talking about fixing it? so it's there or not? yes torque bind can be fixed without removing the trans from the vehicle by removing the rear extension housing to access the clutches and solenoid....or that hub if it's needed. it just slides out, with some persuasion. your car is AWD by the way - you mention FWD in the first post. FWD vehicles can't have torque bind....or not anything like we're talking about anyway.

overkill. i've fixed every single TOD except for one or two (see below) by resealing the oil pump. reseal it. the other one or two where that didn't work were solved completely by replacing the oil pump. they aren't the expensive so just get a new oil pump and replace it and reseal it. there's a thread on subaruxt.com where the admin had this same problem just a year or two ago, multiple reseals did not get rid of TOD - i sent him a new pump and wham - it no longer has TOD. i did have one that needed the HLA's replaced because they were seized. but that car was driven thousands of miles with leaking headgaskets and had all sorts of other issues so i hardly count that abuse as normal. other than that anomaly i've never had to replace HLA's.

that's a reasonable price for a good car. beware of pricing advice on here, many on here are adept at getting really cheap cars. i usually compare autotrader adds and check edmunds values (kelly blue books are usually too high), local papers if subaru's are common. if $6,800 is putting you in newer/lower mileage subaru's then maybe it's too high. if $6,800 is mostly older or higher miles you're doing good. i think you'll find that's about right, it's not too far off either way.