idosubaru

that only works on the newer SOHC EJ25's with external leaks, it does nothing at all for the older EJ25d's with internal leaks. completely different engines and head gasket failure modes actually, they aren't similar at all technically speaking so that's why that stuff doesn't work. honestly your symptoms 1-3-2-4 are not typical EJ25d headgasket issues. i would suspect a few things - it's a non-typical head gasket failure which would make me concerned that it's a previously repaired engine with aftermarket gaskets or something, or just an odd ball (but i can't stress how rare that is on this motor).... bottom line - your overheating issues do not point to typical EJ25 headgasket failure. but the bubbling sure does. have you looked at the headgaskets yet where to protrude from the block/head mating areas? can you tell if they've been previously replaced? crack headed monkey butts that database error!!!

that only works on the newer SOHC EJ25's with external leaks, it does nothing at all for the older EJ25d's with internal leaks. completely different engines and head gasket failure modes actually, they aren't similar at all technically speaking so that's why that stuff doesn't work. honestly your symptoms 1-3-2-4 are not typical EJ25d headgasket issues. i would suspect a few things - it's a non-typical head gasket failure which would make me concerned that it's a previously repaired engine with aftermarket gaskets or something, or just an odd ball (but i can't stress how rare that is on this motor).... bottom line - your overheating issues do not point to typical EJ25 headgasket failure. but the bubbling sure does. have you looked at the headgaskets yet where to protrude from the block/head mating areas? can you tell if they've been previously replaced?

spacers are going to be more difficult. find someone parting one out - like i believe there's a person or two parting out OBW's in the parts for sale forum here, or check subaruoutback.org (notice it's already staring at you on the helpful blue links above on this page you're currently looking at). or find one in a yard and remove them. it requires unbolting the entire crossmembers to slide them out, so it's not a really simple thing, but it's not difficult. a typical yard isn't likely to remove them for you, but you can ask. just find an OBW, or google images for it maybe, and crawl up under and look. they're really obvious between the front crossmember and body.

the danger in the duty c switch is not leaving it on when you turn the car off, it's leaving it on while driving on dry pavement, normal driving. take it off road, drive in some snow...then leave it on when you get back to regular driving and should turn it off. it induces torque bind and can damage stuff. there's some threads about it. you simply find the one wire for the duty C solenoid. if you "cut" that wire that will "lock" the rear transfer clutches. reconnect that wire and you're back to normal. so it's as simple as splicing a switch into that one wire - or however you want to do it.

1996-1999 OBW strut assemblies. just buy the entire assemblies, struts, coil, strut mount, etc - the entire assembly - it's really simple. two bolts on the bottom, 3 up top and the entire thing comes out, really easy.

was that the cylinder snowing the lower psi readin you're not concerned with the 130 psi instead of 140 or 150?

not sure what a "timing bracket is"? so you're saying the only bolt left holding the water pump on has the head sheared off? spray some PB blaster or other penetrant up in there to work it's way through rust/corossion. heat is your friend if you have a propane (or better) torch, use it. you want to heat the pump housing, around the stud and not the bolt stud itself. i'd keep wiggling it until it comes off. water pump housing is aluminum, shoudln't be hard to wiggle it free. get something behind it to pry it off or tap a chisel behind it to gradually work it out? all of this of course making sure you're not damaging any mating surfaces. drill the water pump housing, cut it with a dremel tool, chisel the bolt hole of the water pump until it cracks? yo'ure replacing the water pump anyway so just crack the housing until it falls apart and comes off? the last resort is to drill it out, i'd want as much of the stud of the bolt to remain since you're going to have to get that out. i would want to weld a nut to the remaining bolt that's left to get it out. those can be a nightmare to remove.

nice job getting it pulled already. the entire rear drivetrain is no longer connected to anything so torque bind is impossible...let's hope it moves! if you didn't have torque bind to begin with then you might not be able to move! that's a modification where we install a switch to be able to "lock" the 4WD, on demand - for offroad or snow traction. it's a custom installed switch we install by tapping into the existing circuitry of the TCU, nothing you'll find in a car. it's really easy since it only requires access to one wire - for the Duty C solenoid. some folks suggest it's a bad idea, but it's not.

one bucket wouldn't cause all 4 cylinders to show 20-30 psi less than normal. is this one bucket associated with the one cylinder that has lower psi compression? i'd be more concerned about all the cylinders having 120-130 psi compression, but that does sound strange. i guess it's all back together and you can't post a picture? that's a new one on me if those can move.

i'd grit your teeth and wait this out if you can until finances aren't so tight. buying used strut assemblies can mean needing new struts some time in the future, higher lift can cause the axle boots to tear. now that i'm done mitigating your mom, keep your eye out for a set of OBW struts. i think i posted pictures of my buddies Legacy L with OBW struts and WRX wheels. the body spacers would be nice as they really aren't worth anything so if you can find them they should be cheap. how about bigger tires next time you need tires? that incorporates an expense you already need to make anyway.

okay, makes sense, thanks for the feedback.

if it's EJ stuff he usually has it in stock, if it's anything that might be uncommon (like XT6 stuff for me), call ahead of time and give him a heads up.

WOW! one of the more creative folks on here with come up with some better words than i can right now, but i've never seen anything like that except in old 1980's stuff. unbelievable for a 2003. that's truly amazing.

are the crank sprockets installed right? there's a front and rear, if you mix them up would that affect alignment on both sides?

that's so weird, your video link doesn't show up in the thread 1-3-2-4, but when i hit "reply" the link does show up. you might want to repost it, i can't foresee a video showing us much useful info.

$100 labor for installing a motor, can i hire you out miles? i'll line up 5 cars for you to come here and install motors in for that price. i might even give you more! most places/people are going to charge a lot more than $100 for an engine swap.

+1 i've been offered EJ vehicles for free, picking up a running and driving 2003 Legacy GT next week for $500. getting an older subaru that's wrecked or blown trans for $500 or less isn't that hard around here. if you're not in a subaru rich area that might be harder and not a timely route to take. give craigslist, ebay, and other sources a solid month or so of looking and you'll find something reasonable if you want a good price.

boot replacement is really easy, just replace it. remove outer tie rod, install new boot. sounds like a no brainer to me - do the boot and tie rods at the same time. i wouldn't get a used one for this - just repair it properly, those are all maintenance items. a used one will be old, aged, and just as likely to have dry rotted rubber boots ready to tear in the future or tie rods with wear on them too.

if i wanted to use a motor of unknown mileage i'd do a compression test and $200-$300 would be my range if i really wanted/needed it. if you really need it and/or the engine seems really good or subaru engines are hard to find in your area - then pay more. here's two 95 EJ22's in texas, one with 130,000 miles: 1-817-790-2992 $550 1-800-455-5705 $600 seems like it should come in a couple hundred less than those with unknown mileage and no warranty.

good job, way to tackle it yourself.

awesome, glad you got a job. the FWD fuse is a great option, but that fuse won't work if the Duty C is failed. so: 1. if the FWD fuse does work on your car (torque bind goes away), your Duty C solenoid is good and doesn't need replaced. 2. if your Duty C is failed the FWD fuse won't work but yes, that's perfectly fine to run it like this as long as you please, it's not going to hurt anything. the best option in my opinion for a car with permanent torque bind is to just remove the rear half of the driveshaft. the front half seals the transmission as it slides into the rear extension housing. but the driveshaft is a two piece design, the rear half unbolts with 4 12mm bolts on each side. 8 bolts and off it comes. usually you can squeeze them out by just yanking it off the flanges and past the exhaust.

the only thing you replaced was the cam carrier? did you replace the cam too? EA82 distributors should be exchangeable all day long - what vehicle did the cam carrier come off of? STOLEN? who steals a subaru EA82 cam carrier? they're worth like 50 cents?

probably the headgasket, bubbles are never good. but of course rule out other simple stuff first. they usually don't go up and down, but anything is possible and you just got this car right so you know nothing about it's history? if it just started i would not think it's the HG since it's going up and down, but not knowing anything about it, i'd say anything is possible. if it's the radiator it'll be very predictable...heats up while going up hill, cools down while going down hill or coasting...it'll heat up when the demand/load on the engine is higher (more heat generated) and cool down when demand is reduced (less heat generated). it will overheat *more easily* during the day and *less easily* at night just because of lower ambient temperatures. you can remove the radiator and put a hose in it and see how well it's flowing through it. the one i did last summer would not flow the full flow of a garden hose. the new one did.

definitely not an interference engine. those compression numbers are low, but relative to each other they are all in check. usually get 140-155 for an average motor. but that can vary if you don't prop the throttle open, have a weak battery, etc. i've kind of lost track what this engine has been through and what has actually happened to it. it currently runs and drives? timing belts and mechanical timing is all good? electrical timing is set? you have spark and each injector is firing?

yes, block has the engine stamped on it. and a 98 should have the newer style tensioner, i would only expect to see the old style tensioners on 96 and earlier EJ22's....*maybe* 97's, but even most of those i've seen are new style. sounds fairly convincing so far that it's an older EJ22 block or EJ18. the older EJ22's are actually awesome motors though - they are non interference engines. the major concern i'd have is that being a replacement engine you have no clue what mileage is on it. which isn't a big deal so long as you're not paying top dollar for it.