idosubaru

ER27's run perfectly fine without an O2 sensor, i've put tons of miles on them like that. given the similarity with EA82's i would think they run fine without them too. i've never heard of aftermarket issues with the older gen vehicles. the cheap stuff should be fine.

pulling the cover (passengers side has 3 10mm bolts, that's it) will reveal the belt. rotate the engine over until you get to the writing on the lettering. if it's crisp and new then it's been replaced. if it's aftermarket (not Subaru) then it's been replaced - definitely easy to tell in that case. you can even take a picture and post it here for us to help identify. like GD said though - if the idlers and tensioner weren't replaced it's not ideal. i'd plan on pulling it apart again at 50,000 miles if not right away. they don't always fail and *probably* will make it but there's enough failures and this is an interference engine that it just makes sense not to risk it in my opinion. there have been one or two posts on here recently about a broken timing belt just in the past week. granted people with problems come here though, but still not a risk i'd want to take. some simple questions usually reveal if someone is telling the truth or not. when was it replaced, why was it replaced, how much did it cost and where? once you know where - you can call them and verify it. local Subaru dealers have been very helpful when i've called and given me all the service records of a vehicle i purchased.

has it ever had an alignment? ever been wrecked? anything other than normal maintenance?

are the struts different lengths, vehicles, condition, or coil springs? swap struts from one side to the other and see if it still leans? if it leans to the other side then you know the strut is to blame. one side top hat isn't flipped and the other is not, is it? if one was flipped and one wasn't it would "lean". check the bushings? the strut top bushings? the rear air suspension equipped vehicles leak when lifted, even when properly offset. i suppose it's just the additional strain/torque on the top mounts. the top mount/bushing set up actually seals the top of the strut. when lifted this seal gets compromised and they leak. so - those same forces could hose up weak/failed bushings on a regular coil over as well maybe? if you did both sides the same but didn't off set the struts i'd think the camber would just be jacked up at the wheel, the vehicle body wouldn't "lean" i don't think?

you have a 1 1/4" four bike rack? those are hard to find, most 4 bike racks are 2". nonetheless your issue is a real pain. other than making it routine maintenance i doubt there's much you can do. it's a real pain dealing with this issue, i wish i could just leave it and forget it but mine are always sticking and hard to remove, hard to get back in - and in need of metal filing/soaking in PB Blaster too.

are you 100% positive it's using oil and not leaking oil? if so then that's annoying. do you know how much per 1,000 miles it's using oil? replace the PCV valve and clean out the hoses below it to reduce crank case pressures. not likely to help but for $7 and 10 minutes it doesn't hurt considering the original is probably plugged.

you don't "need" to but it's helpful to have a jack under the trans so you can raise and lower it. not necessary at all on removal but when installing you'll want to raise it just about an inch or two to line up the lower engine studs. without the engine in place the trans drops down on the cross mebmer, the engine is what holds it up.

i took a larger engine hoist home in a 2 door Subaru XT6, you can definitely get it home in an OBW. i had to leave the windows down and it hanging partially out the window but no big deal. i need to take pictures when i do this. there's multiple ways you could get it home with an OBW. even if you had to partially diassemble it, it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

that is awesome for it to shake out like that. that is a really generous move for them and stand up move from you as well. even if you go with the importexperts i'd still go with Subaru *seals* every time unless someone here verifies for certain the others are Subaru OEM supplied seals too.

the shop will know what to do, that's what they do every day. i don't believe EA valves need to be removed for a resurface but if they do a competent shop will know how to do it properly. they'll hot tank it and give it back to you clean as a whistle, no shavings to worry about. you'll do a thorough clean down due to dust, dirt, etc just prior to bolting it up anyway. you could probably go to an auto parts store and take your BA HG's with you. ask for a set of fel pro PT headgaskets and compare them before buying. i'd post a picture of the various HG's I have but with dial up at home it's just no convenient enough.

taking words out of context is often confusing, i didn't say anything about EA82 *engines*: he asked about BA (LOL, that's a great acronym) - headgaskets and i have some along with a few other brands of EA headgaskets lying around.

keep all crank and cam (all 4 cam sprockets on this engine) lined up and nothing to worry about. if it snaps to the side, just rotate it back in position. the 4 cam Ej25's are a bit annoying but not hard at all to do without a tool either. it's just the top drivers side i think that is tricky to keep in position, it's always wanting to snap in place. i rarely take more than 2 shots at getting and on the belt goes just fine with no special tools. i've never seen bad motor mounts on EJ's, i'm sure it's possible but i wouldn't replace unless they look bad. some of us on here might ship you some lower mileage ones if you want. sounds like you got all the major stuff covered. good luck!

i know it's tempting to want to know for certain but that's impossible to know without diagnosing yourself. whether it's a 95 percent or 80 percent chance of valve damage...doesn't really matter, there's still no certainty without looking into it physically. no - timing belts are easy on subarus, not a waste of time at all. you don't have to button it all up and reinstall everything for testing purposes. get the belt hung and don't even install the covers, crank pulley, etc - just hang a belt and do a compression test - if it tests good - finish the job. if it doesn't it takes about 2 minutes to remove the belt, so you wasted less than 5 minutes time.

that's got to be a good feeling that it disappeared? you don't get much luckier than that, but that's great if so. low voltage would affect that solenoid and nothing else. wonder why that is? got that old alt still - reinstall it and see if the TB comes back?!

there's really only one tip/trick - and that's to make absolutely certain the torque converter is fully seated before mating the engine/trans together. people are often not getting it to seat the very last bit and that ends up ruining the transmission. there are threads about seating the torque converter, i'd find a good one. one has nice pictures i think. i just seated a 97 or 98 OBW torque converter a few days ago for a friend. here's the key: if properly seated the torque converter and flex plate *will not* touch when the engine and trans are mated together. there will be a slight gap between the flex plate and torque converter. installing the flex plate bolts will then actually draw those two together.

visually speaking i haven't been a huge fan of the EA82 beck arnley headgaskets so they still sit in my garage. i forget exactly why but i wasn't that excited to see two different gaskets for the same engine, ordered them at the same time. same part, looks different - like materially/construction wise speaking. probably not a big deal, just a little uneasy for a large job like that. that being said - EA engines don't blow headgaskets unless you make them, so i wouldn't be all that concerned either if i had to use them. never heard of using sealant on subaru headgaskets but i also don't do EA71's so maybe that older stuff differs.

very high odds of having valve damage. but usually subaru's aren't catastrophic either. i've never seen one have more than a bent valve that needed replaced. no big deal compared to cylinder or piston damage, not much more than a head job which is easy on this generation of EJ25.

the mistake was using aftermarket seals. i, and others, have had aftermarket seals leak before too. someone on another forum mic'ed some seals before and compared dimensions against OEM, showing a difference on a Subaru seal. some suppliers probably carry Subaru OEM supplier parts too, i just haven't bothered to look into it since there's no cost savings benefit for me.

based on the desription and the cam and crank codes i'd be looking at the timing belt as well. no way to verify the valves without further inspection. the easiest way is to slap another belt on and see if it runs. otherwise you need to pull valve covers or do a leak down test to try and figure it out. get your crank marker lined up, then rotate cams back in place to install belt. the belt can break, tensioner can fail, and pulleys can seize. without taking it apart there's no way to know what happened. when was the timing belt last replaced? what engine? the catalyst system and evap codes won't cause any of the issues you're describing so i doubt they're unrelated.

probably just dirt/contamination. after 10+ years stuff starts to accumulate. failing headgaskets can make the overflow dirty as well, but that's less likely on the version EJ25 in that car.

make sure the inner DOJ joint of the cv axle isn't bad - classic signs of a failing inner DOJ are noises/vibration on acceleration. $340 for swapping a trans is a great price. mechanic can make a judgement call on the clutch. i'd definitely replace the bearings - throw out bearing and pilot bearing. only a few dollars and couple minutes.

MWE all the way.

the OIL AT TEMP light also serves as an indicator that the TCU (transmission control unit) sees something wrong. doesn't have to be anything temp related, the light is just an indicator that the TCU doesn't like something. since the brake is partially integrated into the transmission function (needing to be pressed to change gears), I'm not that surprised the light cleared.

if Larry doesn't have one, these guys have one in San Antonio TX for $35. call them and have it shipped. it's the Nippon variety. 1-800-611-7876

they should? all 95-99 Legacy/Outback doors swap. there's variations in electronics, interior panels, etc but that doesn't prevent doors from swapping.