idosubaru

if you reuse the gaskets, do post how it goes. i have a set with zero miles on them. assembled the motor then disassembled it. use Subaru gaskets. the aftermarkets are known to fail in short order. i have seen it and so have others. the comparison about the original gaskets lasting is a little off because these motors were blowing headgaskets at very low mileages. you don't notice it now because there aren't any 10k and 30k vehicles still around after all this time. case in point, i sold a Legacy GT last summer that had the HG's replaced years ago at 34k under warranty. also - you're not getting a factory finish kind of job. the block surface isn't factory any more. the head surface probably won't be. the head bolts and block holes aren't perfect.....there's a few things reducing the overall quality of the job. not a big deal normally, but not ideal on a motor already prone to headgasket failure. if cost is a concern, swap in an EJ18 (or EJ22 if you can find it) for $200 and sell the EJ25 for $500 - you'll make money on the job. last EJ18 i bought was $150.

first step is to clean the bottom of the engine off and see where the leaks are originating from. oil leaks usually get everything else wet underneath, making it look like all sorts of stuff is leaking. you can even clean it off and then take pictures of the underneath when it starts leaking again and post the pictures here so we can help to find out the source.

sounds like a failed brake hose (they collapse internally and don't allow unpressurized fluid to feedback through the hose). given that the former brake work by tom alleviated it temporarily, you might take that as a sign that the brake hose needs replaced. can't be positive but it looks awfully suspicious. thing is - you should "feel" like it's braking right now. like coast slosely in a parking lot or shift from Park to Drive without hitting the gas and it won't move forward because the brakes are gripping. pump the brakes...i they lock and "stick" then the caliper is sticking, probably due to the brake line. any of this sound like it? another option would be wheel bearing but there's a lot of things suggesting that's not it too. now that it's this bad it should be fairly easy to jack the car up and check for wheel bearing play. i've seen some really bad ones not have any play at all until you remove it from the car, but if yours is this bad i'd expect some play. it's not that essential if the pads and rotor are good it doesn't matter and won't pull. if they were that sensitive to pulling then 70% of subaru's on the road would be pulling because of varying rates of grease loss in the pins, corrosion forming, wear on old/high mileage rotors, rust, etc. doesn't make any sense and real world experience tells us this isn't happening.

that gasket is the intake manifold gasket and like he said the Subaru OEM gaskets are much better than most (maybe all?) of the aftermarket flimsy ones i've seen. Go with subaru for this part. Be very careful removing the intake manifold bolts. If they get tight when loosening, post back here for a litany of ways to remove the bolt without it shearing off.

clogged radiator? if it's overheating more during the day or when it's hot outside than at night/cool then it's probably the radiator. if you have the EJ25, which i think you do since my 1996 LSi had the Ej25 - then that motor is subject to frequent headgasket issues. your current symptoms are *not* indicative of the usual failure mode though - so either it's just different or it could have been previously replaced with an aftermarket gasket or something. are you noticing any bubbles in the overflow tank? while idling or after shutting the car off? is the tank black? what does the fluid in the tank look like and does it ever get really full?

good job jumping in and doing the job. mistakes happen, that really stinks though. first - make sure the overheating isn't due to air bubbles. burping/bleeding coolant is notoriously tricky on these motors. they easily overheat after a couple of top-offs, proper bleeding can be tricky. second - sounds like rod knock and no oil is certainly a terrible thing for a motor. but - make sure it's not piston slap. piston slap can be loud and annoying but it rather benign and the engine will run indefinitely with it. often mistaken for rod knock. rod knock on the other hand - you're hosed, you need another block or rebuild it. sometimes you can find a shop to rebuild the short block for $600 or so and then you complete the long block (heads, etc). GD has one in oregon and i know a guy in Denver that had a 6 cylinder short block rebuilt for $600 as well. not a bad deal if you can do the rest. or attempt it yourself. it's mostly labor intensive.

fuel pump isn't going to help. 35 is really decent though for an EA82.

realized i never updated this. ended up being the main fuse box was blown - the 100amp joker in the engine bay. didn't look blown from initial inspection but once removed it was obvious. thanks guys.

your DOHC will be too tight by now for sure and that can cause burnt exhaust valves, so it should be done. i've seen others mention, seems like a recent thread even, about how to do it. Engine: 1999-2004 SOHC EJ25's. Models: 1999 Forester and 1999 Impreza RS All 2000-2004 EJ25's

what he said. was the windshield replaced? check the fender liners too, if they hang down or aren't buttoned up they will catch the wind, particularly in front of the tire. this part was, if not removed, partially detached to replace the front fender. you're looking for things that will vibrate in the wind.

don't ask. that's the opposite of the SOHC easyness - a total pain.

differential is fine. that's how diffs work - they only send power to one wheel. all FWD vehicles are really only ONE wheel drive. go get one stuck in mud and watch how many tires spin - only one every single time. same with 4WD vehicles - they're really only "2WD"...i mean there's lots of variations but basically they are 2WD unless you have a locking or limited slip differential in place. so - sounds like your differential is fine. they usually make nice groaning, grinding, whining noises when failing too. thumb with wheel is probably an axle. if any of the axles are new or recently replaced then it's probably got a bad axle. aftermarket axles are junk unfortuantely, new axles that fall apart or have all sorts of issues are really common. reboot a used subaru axle or use MWE only, anything else is a waste of time. could also be a wheel bearing or a really bad brake issue - clump or rock or bent backing plate rubbing, etc. here's to hopefully a really easy fix!?!?!

i asked and so far don't think got a reply, but are there any documented gains or numbers? i've spent a lot of time sifting through countless threads about lift, duration, etc....wondering if anyone knows what gains they actually give? i've recommended them and installed two sets so i'm by no means arm chair commentating for no reason.

doubt you'll want new, they were $250 a piece through the discounted Subaru vendors. why not get two used struts? they're relatively cheap ($50 each tops?) and if the rubber bags are good they should be fine as they really never fail. the rubber bags rub against rust at the bottom or dry rot and leak there. keep them clean, free from rust, and they should last the life of the car. honestly the air suspension is a nightmare in some respects. i like it, so i keep it, but unless you have a compelling reason converting to coil overs is the simplest, cheapest, and best fit for most people. but otherwise the air suspension causes a lot of headaches and has a lot of failure points at this age. there's so many small points of failure they need a lot of maintenance that most folks don't want to do. fixing one thing is often just a band aid until something else breaks, so in this case a 2 strut band aid ($$$) gets particularly annoying. for the system to be reliable, all air struts should be conditioned to avoid their failure points (i have a thread about this on subaruxt.com..maybe here?), there are close to 2 dozen orings that should be replaced, and the solenoids have a spring that gets weak and can cause a loss of pressure as they bleed. those can be streteched if diassembled or replaced. if you do all of that the system is really reliable and cheap to maintain as the struts never need replacing like the coil over struts. my XT6's have been cheap to maintain as far as suspension goes compared to EJ's which often need struts.

it is nice, there's no emissions testing at all here.

probably the case for most but some states used to only visually inspect that the CEL was not on and put a sniffer up your tail pipe. if you lived in a state like that you could still pass. certainly not any western or northeastern states i'm sure.

yes. my generic one is unstable, wants to torque to the side, but it does *work*. this is an EJ22 right? i'm sure you will but just to be thorough or if anyone else reads this later - adjust the valves before buttoning the motor up.

sweet, fishing is an excellent excuse to disappear. what did you catch? not sure of a definitive way of telling subaru or not on the axles. you could post a picture, paying particular attention to the banding clamps - aftermarkets often have completely different style clamps.

a cheap one might be a good fit if you do much car work at all. i do a lot for myself, friends, family....having a high priced, or computer adapted code reader would suck for me. a $30-$50 one that i can use and abuse for a few years is perfect for me. the last one i got off ebay was like $50, the one i got before that was a little cheaper *and* told you what the code meant. some just tell you the code: if that's the case just print them all out and have them handy, there's tons of info on line for that. some tell you the code number and what it is - like the first one i have. not sure why i couldn't find another cheap one this time around that told you what the code means but it hasn't been a big deal.

i've never done it, but considering how hard it was to bash one apart with a BFH and other assorted destructive devices because i wasn't even trying to save the axle, i'm not surprised you're having trouble. i found that video hard to believe considering those past experiences. are you video-taping this!? i want the shouting and cussing too!

the mechanic is who you'll be going to for this. this is not an alignment or tire issue. i doubt it's leaking brake fluid if you don't see fluid on the ground or notice any other symptoms. they've covered the possible causes. a dragging brake pad would get my first vote. the calipers can stick or the pads can hang up in the brake caliper clips if they're corroded, both cause the pad to ride on the rotor when it shouldn't. if it's just the clips, then replace the pads and clips. some pads come with new clips, like Adaptive One Ceramic pads from NAPA. if it's the caliper then it depends why/how it's sticking. in general subaru calipers don't fail very often at all...though rust gets some of them - most 1980's subaru's still have the original calipers on them. that being the case, buying a new caliper is pretty much a waste of money. i'd replace with a used caliper or rebuild it - Subaru calipers are simple to rebuild. last rebuild kit i bought was less than $4 for a legacy...funny since any shop would have charged that friend hundreds for a new caliper. but few mechanics will rebuild calipers any more.

they are quoting a full on head rebuild, resurface, valve job, pressure test, etc. you aren't going to be doing all that yourself. if you asked a shop just take the head in with you and ask for a quote on just replacing the valve or whatever else you want. or yeah, do it yourself. !!

i've only ever seen bent valves when they interfere, no other damage. probably only those two on that side were lined up improperly such that interference happened. just because the timing is off does not necessitate interference, so the other side was either correct or not off in such a way that it interfered. that being said, any competent machine shop can replace them and check everything out, replace the valve stem seals, etc for not much money if you don't want to.

no sweat, just thought you needed help with yours. in general these issues vary wildly and don't all exhibit the same symptoms, particularly true of axles...very true of aftermarket axles, they fail or have symptoms in all sorts of varying ways. so i wouldn't expect one experience to inform the masses in those case. copy that, that's why i had already asked:

post in the parts wanted forum for the drain plug, someone will gank one from a radiator laying around. im' out of town or i'd offer. or they're probably rather generic? the parts stores won't show any cross references for Subaru XT drain plugs (or they didn't when i looked for one years ago), but i bet they're generic thread/size. i had 16" subaru wheels with almost 2.5" larger diameter than stock xt6 tires (which are already larger than stock XT tires). or 3" larger diameter than stock XT turbo tires. i ran 215 60 16 tires so far is the most on the XT6 with no issues yet. those tires fit prior to the lift, but it now has a 2" lift. here's the XT6 with those wheels/tires and lift: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=101434&highlight=picture