idosubaru

cars get misdiagnosed would be a good idea to verify what the problem is. although knocking isn't unheard of for EJ25's, piston slap, timing tensioners, and cracked flexplates have been mistaken for engine failures before. 96 EJ22 won't plug and play into a 2000. there's no easy way around the snags to that. you can swap anything you want - if you swap the entire engine harness, ECU, and splice things in to make it work. most folks aren't looking for that level of work so you'll have to let us know what you're trying to do.

a/c systems are really easy, i charge and fix them all the time without any special equipment. subaru's seem relatively easy to me, they don't typically have anything major or difficult to repair. orings and compressors are about the only things i've replaced - and one condensor. yes, the system is intended to not operate if the pressures aren't proper so that's all normal. the orings at the compressor are a common leak point - that's the point that sees the most heat, vibration, etc because they're right on top the engine. there are also two schrader valves in each high and low pressure port. remove the caps and look down there, if you see signs of wetness that means either someone recently charged it or it's leaking. pull those and replace them while it's getting fixed. they have an oring at the base that can leak. follow the A/C hoses off the compressor and you'll find orings at the other ends as well. do the same for the whole system, replacing any easy to get to fittings with new orings. it's not that unusual to just replace a few orings you can access and fix the problem. it's worth a shot and it's so easy it doesn't take much time. t he only annoying part is not knowing what sizes they are, i just buy one of those huge packs of a/c orings and size them up as i go. it's getting thin, i need another one. you can also just blow some charge in there with the system sealer stuff and hope it holds for the summer. sounds like the engine was swapped - was the radiator removed? did the engine hit any a/c hoses or the front condensor? if it was ever in an accident the condensor could be compromised.

manual auto, go with what you like. the power/reliability/mileage concerns are pretty much equally weighted now and are not one-size-fits-all variables. manual trans aren't "notably" more reliable as they once were. newer ones have issues (relatively speaking) that can make manuals more work than auto's. input shaft bearings, failed front differentials, failed center VLSD's, etc. they aren't terrible trans but they dont' hold massive sway over auto's any more either. your 300k experience is great, but anecdotal. the trends everyone mentions here can be easily seen all over the internet. considering we're buying used cars and trans it's relevant regardless of how we personally drive. as for traction controls the AT's are my preference as i can hack the wiring and control it myself and lock it up manually when i want to in the snow or the old gen trans with the diff lock buttons. that's just me, i like the control.

your ambiguity is the cause of your confusion, ask a more specific question than "more details". DOHC and SOHC headgasket failures are covered in depth all over the place, you can find that if you want. if you want something else then ask specifically.

Subaru WWP-99 is their recall notice for the extended headgasket warranty campaign. A google search shows up to 2002 (though maybe not entirely inclusive of all years). Obviously EJ22's and EZ30's aren't going to be covered and maybe there was a change in 02 of some sort where some were/some weren't. Doesn't hurt to call and check. some folks with 99's have had them fixed under the campaign - surely RS and Foresters with the SOHC version, not the legacys which in 99 got the DOHC. I know your experience says 02's aren't covered, doesn't hurt to call though and check. But of course time is killing it all - it's only 8 years I think so nearly all are out of range now I guess, not sure how much flex they have in that - but they have honored warranties to some degree outside of the numbers before.

this is covered in detail too. SOHC EJ25's are different but have headgasket problems too. Subaru offered a 100,000 mile extended headgasket warranty campaign to some 2000-2002 models and requires a coolant conditioner added to all Phase II EJ25's - so it's well documented by Subaru and all over the subaru boards. they both have headgasket issues but they aren't the "same" actually - they fail differently and have different symptoms.

yes to both. trans swaps are done frequently, i'd search for a thread about it. there is some wiring, for reverse lights, indentifier pin for ECU, etc. if you scroll down to the similar threads links in the lower left hand of this page there's already 3 threads exactly like yours there, read through those. you need to swap cruise control units if you want to keep that as they vary from AT to MT. the hoods swap as you say, i did the exact same swap to mine.

wish i knew you were looking for parts, i passed on a $400 gen III outback last week. i realized something important i needed that will be hard to get anywhere, and what a stupid cheap deal that was so I called back, and it was gone. goober. what parts are you looking for/interested in if i see another? no, never heard of a recall on power seats, if you find anything do post here.

all EJ25's are interference.

i've never primed a torque converter before so i doubt that was an initial mistake. it may be more "proper" to do it, but i've never heard of it and i've never done it so it's not necessary by any means nor does it "cause" damage. TC should fill up really quick as soon as the pump gets going. this is what i was guessing before I read this far....i think you'd have to describe "before he got too far" to be sure for those of us that weren't there, can't see the car, etc. could be other things but this cracks the oil pump and has caused grief to many folks, so we should get more description here first. metal in the fluid sounds bad for sure.

no...or yes...or...actually usually that doesn't matter. typically you bolt the "old" intake manifold on top of the JDM engine so the engine wiring harness doesn't change. but more specifics would help - what vehicle, year, and motor?

most do, but not all. there's no 100% verifiable way to tell if an EJ22 has EGR...at least for the 97 and 98 years. i mean it's like 99% or something really high, but not quite all. quite annoying when you're looking for info or parts for that 1%.

not sure. have an engagement starting the 26th in PA, have to see how that shakes out and when exactly i need to be there.

Above the gas pedal, it has like two bolts or screws facing the floor so to speak i think holding it in place. I have an AWD TCU from an EJ25 if you need one huck.

grinding - did you try adjusting the clutch? or is it hydraulic?

anti seize. i've used it a ton and had to go back into engines later that i previously used it on - they come right out.

try a search, folks have commented a lot on this here. you'll see in the bottom left corner of the current screen similar threads - all with the exact same title as yours even. all subaru windshields are nearly identical. it's not typically a do it yourself kind of job. did you get a price quote yet, sometimes they really aren't that expensive to just pay someone to do it. i had one replaced in an XT6 in Canton, OH for $182. another guy said he got one installed for $130. by the time you buy cleaners, adhesive and tools you'd only be saving a few bucks and have no warranty. probably worth getting a few price quotes. call a bunch of places, they can vary by a bit.

why not fix it yourself? if you're capable of pulling the motor to take it somewhere you're certainly capable of resealing it. if it's just leaking oil - it could be something as simple as valve cover gaskets or a front seal. more than likely a simple front end job - crank seal, cam seal, reseal oil pump, and valve cover gaskets will stop most leaks. and that's not much labor, far simpler than pulling the motor. pulling it for a rebuild is kind of silly if it's an easy and cheap fix. EA82 headgaskets are even easy to do in the car if you don't have a bad back. if that's how you proceed - i'd get it to GD as well, he's very familiar with old school EA's...though he doesn't like them.

should be the same.

+1 quality snows or studded tires are amazing. honestly a modestly driven FWD with high quality snows/studs is going to be not much different in most commuter situations than a 4WD with average all seasons. as always speed and care is important no matter what.

i've done that before for short stints but i think he said he's got 2,600 miles, i would not recommend that.

i replied to your question here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=37028 generally one post will suffice. if you want a reply from a particular person, send them a PM with a link to your question.

you are exactly right, the driveshaft is concave up and the diff is concave in...so to speak so the driveshaft sits inside of the "cup" a little bit. just takes some coaxing to get it out. if it's tricky yank on it and it'll come....just wear gloves, be careful, etc. the diff and driveshaft are all suspended by bushings so they have some "play" in them too. that's what i meant by remove the entire driveshaft - i meant the rear portion. thanks for clarifying, that would be messy!

how badly are they going to inspect the car first? my seatbelt is terribly frayed but i hit a deer and had to replace the hood and fender. it was just a deer and not a bad enough accident to really do anything to the seat belt, indeed i barely even hit the brakes. but i could understand them not wanting to replace it.

two conflicting statements, help us to make sense of this? if hardly any coolant is missing, how is it "going through coolant like there is no tomorrow"? help us distinguish what you're trying to say. if it's going through coolant, as your one comment suggest, then you need to find out where. if it's just overheating and blowing coolant out as it boils then it could be anything. clogged radiator, bad tstat, leaking, bad water pump, head gasket, etc. you mentioned headgasket, what makes you think that? are the cooling fans coming on?