idosubaru

Anything but MWE or rebooted original Subaru axles are a waste of time for me. Subaru axles are okay...except to expensive. Myself...and many others (you can find countless threads on here), have had leaking boots, vibrations, clicking, and the straw for me was the one that blew to pieces the day I installed it...balls rolling all around my tire, all of this on brand new aftermarket axles. I get Subaru axles for $30 and reboot them - haven't had a bad axle yet. That's the inexpensive and easiest route. MWE is $75-$90 and you have to deal with shipping. still worth it. I finally wised up and now only get MWE or used subaru axles and reboot them and my life is much easier, no more wasted time. I mean if you're only ever going to buy one axle, good chance one will be fine. Not all aftermarket axles have issues, but my time is not worth anything less than 100% on these. GD likes a particular aftermarket brand, I believe EMPI, you could search as this is talked about all. the. time. (because aftermarket stuff is such junk).

search is your friend, watch this: there's a guy running those 205/70/15's in this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=81017 16" stock subaru *tires* are slightly bigger, but i still stand corrected, i thought he was referring to stock subaru sized 15" tires and didn't notice the numbers. i assumed subaru wheels came off a stock subaru vehicle? i know that's crazy. can you ask the previous owner what vehicle it came off of? tire size calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

your speedometer will probably be *more* accurate with larger tires. they usually read low from the factory anyway, so a small increase usually pushes you closer to reality. my friend had stock WRX wheels/tires on his 1997 Legacy L, i would think they should fit fine on a legacy wagon. my 1997 Legacy LSi sits really low to the ground, i've never seen a legacy with less clearance around the tire (that had good struts ) it came with 15's and 16's fit on it just fine. if it's a stock subaru size tire i'd be surprised if it didn't fit.

sounds like a wheel bearing to me. next time you drive it - go feel the center of the wheel, if that side is notably hotter then it's the wheel bearing. if you have one of the infrared temp guns, they are helpful for this too - hit various points on both hubs and compare temps. a really bad bearing will make one side hotter than the other. vibrations would suggest axle, have any vibrations at all? that doesn't sound like a front diff to me, they have more of a "grinding noise" in my experience, but maybe it's hard to hear on youtube? did you check the front diff fluid?

*please don't post obvious solutions or not read what I've already done, because i've covered all the obvious things for misfires. I got a complete motor (blown block) to finally fix this drivers side both cylinders misfiring issue. both 2 and 4 misfire codes and it's driving poorly, though drivable. New spark plugs, wires, coil pack, igniter have done nothing. Happens immediately at start up so it can't be the O2 sensor. Has perfect compression and timing. I smell fuel and it changes to worse when an injector is unplugged so it's getting *some* fuel. My plan is to: 1 swap the entire manifold 2 check valve clearance 3 swap heads Missing any thing else?

could have - the top strut mount bolt adjusts alignment and is a common bolt to remove. But it doesn't hold alignment on all vehicles, so maybe he didn't know? But - is it an aftermarket axle? Aftermarket axles are notoriously junk. I don't ever use them any more, my time is too valuable. I've personally seen them leak, vibrate, shake like mad, click, and explode in less than 10 miles after installing new. Does it vibrate different or make noises different when accelerating, coasting, or decelerating? Any change around turns? You're describing sounds really bad, I would imagine that being alignment but it could be.

buying new heads is a complete waste on these motors, i suppose that's why Dave PM'ed you. get a set of used heads and call it a day. all sorts of other things are going to fail before the heads, new is spending lots more money for no gains. sorry to hear, that really stinks.

my xt6 has a broken top differential mount. you might want to inspect that if it has one. i haven't heard back from the guy i was going to get a 2003 legacy from for parts.

right, all 2000 legacy's have rear discs, i was just using 90's era legacy's that as an example of how varying subaru disc brakes can be. another good subaru specific resource shows all legacy's in 2001 having the 10.7" front rotors (one of the first or few years legacy's all had the same front rotors): http://www.cars101.com/legacy2001.html

welcome, a norwegian brat, nice hit. don't overheat or run them out of oil and the motors will outlast the rest of the vehicle. EA81's, they're crazy, no timing belt or timing chain...well assuming it's an EA81. i used to talk to folks in Swalbard 3 or 4 times a week for work. you're english is amazing already. between work and the subaru boards i'm under the impression that norwegians have an amazing command of more than one language, something most americans can't say so you're special on these boards!

that's awesome, i've only ever seen that on 80's era soobs. i haven't seen any 90's EJ's with that happening yet.

subaru has a wide variety of brake options and it's easy to get the wrong pads. all 98-02 foresters are the same so that's why those are easy. legacy's usually have various flavors where upper models have different brakes than lower models - like GT's and LSi's had dual piston fronts while lower models had single piston smaller calipers....and some legacys had rear drums, upper models did not....etc. impreza and particuarly legacy models it's best to verify. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=85014 according to that chart you should have 274mm rotors, but i think i've seen inconsistencies in that chart before, but it's generally very helpful.

in general number of cylinders does not indicate anything about reliability, there's plenty of bad or average 6 cylinder motors, but you probably know that. this 6 cylinder is great for reliability and relatively inexpensive. there's no timing belt to replace and the chain and water pump are supposed to last the life of the vehicle. this motor has had very few problem areas across the many subaru forums and that is why i bought one. not good for gas mileage but i like having a good chance at a cheap 300,000 miles reliably. i drive to maine, florida, south carolina, colorado, georgia, new orleans...... if a sensor failed, it would be no doubt very expensive new from the dealer. but given the very low rate of sensor failures, used is a perfectly acceptable option and i drive a lot. the bearings in the tensioner and idler for the drive belts go bad very often but costs a couple dollars and 30 minutes to replace. listen for whining when reving/down************ing as an indicator of a failed timing chain tensioner. car typically drives fine in this condition. 01-04 H6's can have a twitchy TPS (throttle position sensor) which gives a check engine light or engine/transmission hesitation. those are the few issues that are sometimes seen on these to look out for when test driving. i just replace those bearings as preventative maintenance, it's quick and easy. in my limited VW experience they are costly to maintain. recent trends actually suggest auto's can be cheaper to maintain than manuals, they are more robust than they used to be. manuals often require clutch jobs - a big job at close to $1,000 usually, where as automatics are increasingly lasting the life of the vehicle. of course mileage and maintenance history matters the most in my opinion. i'd feel much more confident of a one owner well maintained vehicle than a 3 owner job.

no most advantages come with just getting the nicer models. some of the lower end models still have rear drum brakes and crank window handles, archaic stuff like that and sometimes cheap looking and feeling interior. the newer/nice models have more options, better stereo's, heathed leather, cold weather packages, etc. just depends what you're looking for. subaru's don't have a lot of age related wear items so the newer ones aren't much of an advantage in those terms - struts are probably one glaring exception, those often need replaced with age. the newer ones are a tad bit bigger - like an inch or two. cars101.com is a great Subaru only resource for comparing models/years/changes when deciding on a purchase. go compare the 1996-1999 Legacy's to the 2000-2004 legacys and see what changes for instance. test drive a few and see what you like.

if you want to diagnose it, you can remove the timing belt covers and drive it without them so you can more easily spot a water pump leak. i don't have timing covers installed on 2 of my daily driver subaru's. intake manifolds have a coolant passage running through them, so the intake manifold gaskets have intake air passages and coolant passages - they can leak too. they can leak coolant into the cylinders or externally onto the block. some of the aftermarket intake manifold gaskets are really flimsy and cheap, i'd use Subaru gaskets for those. the ebay timing belt kits are only $60 or something cheap for EA82's - all new pulleys, tensioners, belts, good deal.

this may be a rare 99 legacy with an EJ22 and manual: http://stgeorge.craigslist.org/cto/2284742338.html here's a manual trans OBW in utah with the headgaskets already replaced. a good deal but you want to make sure Subaru headgaskets were used and ideally it wasn't overheated terribly before the gaskets were replaced. abusive overheating is less likely on newer EJ25's like this one. http://logan.craigslist.org/cto/2288254589.html if you don't mind higher miles you could end up with the H6 (thought none come with a manual trans): http://provo.craigslist.org/cto/2265030081.html fantastic motors, one of Subaru's best in recent years. i opted for the H6 for this reason, great motor.

foresters never came with the EJ22 and Legacys in the newer range are almost non-existant as well with the EJ22, except for some 99 base model legacy's. You like a good deal? Wait for a 98 Forester or 97-99 OBW/Legacy with a blown motor (EJ25) and do an EJ22 swap. you can do an EJ22 swap on 99+ Foresters or 00+ Legacy/OBW's too but that's a later Phase EJ22 for that swap and they're harder to find. you can get blown motor subaru's for $500-$2,000 rather easily. put $1,000 or $2,000 into a motor swap (including new timing belts, water pump, oil pump reseal etc) and you can end up with an inexpensive car capable of another inexpensive 100,000 miles. takes a little effort but it's worth it if you like high value and low price. The 99+ Foresters/00+ Legacy/OBW's EJ25's are nicer than the earlier EJ25's in terms of headgasket and lower end issues. Fuel efficiency - that depends on the person. If you're comparing it to other cars, Subaru's are not that impressive with gas mileage. But if you realize you're getting a higher stance, ground clearance, roof rock utilitarian 4WD vehicle that's great in the snow....the gas mileage can be really good. If none of that is a need, then you likely won't enjoy the gas mileage figures you get.

thanks, i keep loosing track of when EJ's switched. is there a simple run down of Ej18, EJ22, EJ25's? i was wondering recently if i should adjust my EJ18? probably do my EZ30 this summer, that should be fun. LOL

not much we can say about pricing. i, and many others on this forum, could fix it for $75. $50 tops for any one part that's bad and then $25 to recharge. i would recommend replacing the part (condensor or compressor most likely) with a used one and recharging. that should run $200 or so, someone on here will have a known good compressor they'll sell you for $50 and they only take 30 minutes to install, really easy. subaru a/c systems are simple, easy to work on, and generally rarely fail so used is a good source here particularly given the age and cost/value of the car. i've replaced countless used compressors and have yet had one fail. without knowing what's failing - what part is he replacing and why, it's hard to say anything about price. $700 could be total rip off if a 50 cent valve stem seal or oring is leaking (most common failure) or it could be really cheap if he's replacing the entire a/c system (compressor, condensor, evaporator, high pressure hose, low pressure hose..etc). he's not replacing all that, just using that as an example.

this thread is long and hard to follow - can yous simply list what all you've diagnosed/tried so far?

good job. don't overheat it or run it low on oil and that engine will outlast the car, great motors. one starter bolt is not going to be a problem until you get another bolt for it. i'm a big fan of my de-EJ25's too, i plan on lots of cheap trouble free miles. 50,000 maintenance free miles so far. hopefully you adjusted the valves? they will burn exhaust valves if never adjusted.

i would make the existing power supplies what you want - give them constant power. the stereo and emergency flashers have constant power are just above the front cigarette lighter - so it would be very simple and already fused. run the constant power from either one of those down to the cigarette lighter and you're done. make sure it can handle the kind of amps you'll be drawing, not sure what all you'll be plugging into it. or just run a pos or neg fused line straight from the battery, that's not hard either. you may need a better battery given this level of use. maybe compare the subaru battery to the jeep in terms of size, cranking amps, etc. if the jeep is significantly beafier you might opt for a different battery for the subaru in the future. not sure if it helps but automatics and further north vehicles i think get higher cold cranking amp batteries. when i lived in GA i couldn't buy the higher (like 640 or something for an 89 XT6) amp batteries that I could buy in MD, some places didn't even carry the size/amps i could get in MD. i'm not a power/battery expert though so i don't know which would be better for you but i'd bet one is better than the other.

that filter should be readily available from any parts store. keeping the models in mind is a good idea, you can often look up a different vehicle with the same item you're looking for and has less confusion associated with it.

timing is dead on. i've done a zillion subaru belts and checked multiple times on this one. new plugs didn't fix it. and all injectors sound identical. must be the head - but i can't think of what is happening. excellent compression, spark, injectors are clicking and fuel smell.

this is covered in depth all the time. avoid any aftermarket axles. go with MWE since you have extra cores hanging around. or - get a $30 used one from the junk yard that's an original subaru axle and have it rebooted, i do this all the time. that's what i do and it beats all the issues i've had with aftermarkets which are a waste of time. it's a little extra effort but inexpensive and 100% successful.