idosubaru

mizpah engineering rebuilds subaru HLAs for about $3 or $5 each. us older generation guys use them all the time, i've never asked about newer gen stuff. seems like a lost point anyway.

Torque bind is always noticed going around turns. It has to do with the AWD system and geometry of going around a turn. When you turn your steering wheel the front and rear wheels follow different tracks and therefore are rolling at different speeds. This causes binding when the 4WD mechanism won't allow any "slip" for them to roll at different speeds for the different arcs they are traversing. Easiest way to tell is on dry pavement in a parking lot. With the steering wheel turned as far as it can go you'll feel a braking sensation, like the car slowing down faster than normal. That is classic torque bind. Wheels will slip as well, usually the rear it seems like. Frequent changing of the transmission fluid can alleviate torque bind. If the torque bind is related to the Duty C then no fluid changes or additives can fix it, it's just a failing solenoid. There's two standard causes to AT torque bind. Your best bet is to use regular ATF like you said you did. There's no need for high end stuff or additives, none of that adds any value here. I would pass on the lucas recommendation from others, it's not well thought of in this scenario. In general, additives can sometimes help, or seem to help, in the short term but aren't good for the trans long term. So they're generally considered a band-aid except in a few instances, or a car that's not worth much effort. A "thud" as you describe it, could be a whole litany of things. There's any number of bushings that can cause noises like that - steering rack, cross member, rear diff, exhaust, etc. And nearly any bushing in the car will cause noise under different loads, changes, etc.

okay this sheds some new light on things, we might be able to narrow this down. sorry for being verbose but some things aren't lining up, just missed communication so I'm going to define some things and see what your experience might say about them. sharp thuds from neutral or park into drive is relatively well known and typically referred to as "Delayed Engagement", but is usually strangely limited to 1999-ish auto trans. Auto Trans X is the recommended fluid for mitigating that issue in that year. There's an entire thread about that. If that's your issue I'd change the fluid again and go with the Auto Trans X. Torque bind in the trans doens't usually reveal itself when going into park/drive, it's usually most noticeable when going around sharp turns in parking lots...car bucks, hops, with a braking sensation. if you didn't have those, then it's unlikely you had torque bind. those of us, like myself, that have spliced into the wiring to manually control the Duty C ourselves are very familiar with what it feels like. some of us prefer having control over it in some situations. this post suggests the ATF was changed in the transmission. the original post implies you changed the power steering fluid (in the power steering pump presumably). which did you do, or was it both? except when the Duty C solenoid is failing and after checking for matching tires, changing the ATF is always the first step to fixing torque bind in the trans. that's common knowledge and what is recommended throughout the subaru community.

you are correct and fixed your torque bind. all of us here would be extremely wise to consider checking to make sure torque bind isn't steering induced before jumping to the more common, but far more expensive, transmission related torque bind diagnosis. you had binding, but not "typical" torque bind. torque bind isn't an official word or anything so you're right - you had torque bind. your binding though was caused by the power steering rack gears - creating binding between the front two wheels. torque bind as it's usually described, relating to transmissions, includes all 4 wheels front to back and happens in the trans. ha ha, nice try. not that it matters since proficiency in one field doesn't qualify someone for another but since you brought it up, as an aerospace engineer i've had a little training on signal processing and systems before NASA started letting me write code for some of their birds currently in orbit. would you like me to continue replies in hex or binary, i can do both? car systems are not nearly as sensitive as the analogy implies. we swap engines, transmissions, wheel sizes, differentials, drivetrain, air bags, swap steering racks...nearly every and any component - and it never affects torque bind. and here's the key, it's not for any other reason than it just not physically possible. some of us have even driven without working power steering pumps or the pumps disconnected completely ( i've done all of the above).....and there's no torque bind. a car that's that sensitive to fluid between unrelated components would not even be drivable. every weight change, steering change, weather change, component degradation, etc would cause torque bind. it's not even close to possible.

indeed sounds like headgaskets but checking cheap and simple things like cap, thermostat, and radiator, are a good idea. if it's random like that then the radiator probably isn't bad - they're usually more consistent in my experience. in general you can't drive these early EJ25's like this, they will overheat and can be hard, if not possible, to come back down. remove the thermostat and you can get more miles out of it. you'll have to cut it though so you can keep the outer ring which holds the tstat gasket in place. that's only intended for the externally leaking Phase II EJ25's. it doesn't apply nor is it likely to mitigate the Phase I issues.

96 is single port. what are you looking for, an EJ22? for EJ22's: 1995-1996 is non-interference. 97+ is interference. 1996+ is single port.

ah crack, glad you're okay though. you've put a lot into that car, that's frustrating. that's definitely totaled. that would be easy to fix enough to get back on the road. hood, fender, air bags, maybe bumper, and windshield. with some chain/tow strap/come along, something to pull with you can pull that out in a matter of minutes to get everything to line up and work. it's hard to get it "perfect". often you can even just pull the hood out enough to get it working and the bumper away from the accessories as it's probably pushed into them. i pulled mine out a bit, beat the hood down, and drove it like that for a couple weeks before finally replacing parts.

MWE is highly regarded as the best axle solution besides subaru. anything else is a waste of time in my opinion and experience. They do top notch work. MWE is far superior than aftermarket "new" junk. Rebooting original Subaru axles is a great option.

power steering and automatic transmission are unrelated as they are completely separate systems. should not be any correlation between the two. you may have alleviated some issues in your steering rack by changing the fluid. either way consider yourself lucky for an easy fix!

gotcha, so i guess it's safe to assume the ones where t-stat removal doesn't help are the exception probably.

a search would have brought that up. if you look at the very bottom left of the screen right now you'll see a similar threads area which has the info you ask in the first suggestion. 80w-90 gear oil. standard red dexron IV ATF.

the FWD non-turbo's can get 40....but that's ideal, like cruising all highway miles. i could see a turbo getting low 30's if you're really easy on it - but you'd have to have an ideal commute to work and go really easy on the go pedal to keep it out of boost to do it. possible....maybe...practical, probably not. and this is all assuming everythign else is in really good shape, injectors, rings, etc. head gasket jobs aren't terrible, you don't have to pull the motor, but removing the turbo bits is one of my least favorite parts. not many tricks except with all the bolts removed you have to coerce or tap the heads off the block with a 2x4/hammer usually. and gradually loosen the cam carriers as the rockers are just hanging there, nothing holds them in place. i loosen it gradually until i can remove one by hand...like furthest forward to back...then keep track of which one goes where so you can install itin the same place. when reinstalling - hang them with grease all over the tips to hold them in place and carefully install the cam carrier without knocking them off. use Fel Pro Permatorque head gaskets so you don't have to retorque the heads.

if you have a tie rod that's that bad then i would assume that's causing the knocking rather than two separate issues. axle, particularly the inner DOJ could cause that if they've ever been rebooted or they're aftermarket axles.

awesome, glad it worked out for you, getting GD cranking on your car, nice hit! folks have removed the thermostat to no avail as well, so I'm wondering what the difference is. a few possibilities: yours might have just had too much accumulated gases creating significant air pockets and just draining and properly filling the coolant without air bubbles (a.k.a. "burping it") was the actual fix. or others who have had unsuccessful t-stat removals didn't properly refill the coolant, leaving trapped air in it and they were overheating because of the trapped air, not head gasket. or, different head gasket failures might have different symptoms?

aftermarket is fine on the radiator cap, and good call to replace that.

bleeding fuel pressure is a waste of time. just pull the fuel line, barely anything comes out, but wrap it in a rag to catch what sprays/bleeds out.

Use a Subaru seal only on the rear main. If the one in there looks like it could be aftermarket I wouldn't leave it in there. Given the sealant I'd be tempted to pull it and replace it properly but if it's not leaking and it's a Subaru seal then leaving it is an option. definitely reseal the separator plate. subaru has an updated metal plate and screws to replace the cheap plastic junk if that's what yours still has. as for that access screw, interesting. remove it, clean up the threads, and put some sealer on the threads.

nearly all the hoses and clamps are suspect more than normal since the engine was probably pulled for the HG job the first time. heater core hoses at the back of the engine to the cabin. there's a hose coming off the top of the water pump up front. there's the two radiator hoses obviously. there's usually some tiny hoses on the throttle body as well. follow those to their junctures on the engine and look for leaks there. there's a coolant temp sensor screwed into the engine and a unit also threaded into the radiator. those things don't typically leak but wouldn't be impossible either.

oh crack that's a crazy picture! like he said, unbolt the compressor from the engine and swing the entire thing to the side without unbolting any a/c lines from the compressor so you dont' have to vent the a/c. not really a big deal to just vent it and recharge it though either but saves a step anyway. have string or something available to hold it out of the way as you work, otherwise it'll be under tension and keep wanting to swing back into your way. never seen a picture walk through, subaru's are relatively simple with few tricks needed. unbolt exhaust from engine (have something under it to support it...though I often don't, it stresses the connections further back) disconnect electrical plugs vacuum lines, air intake, radiator hoses, fuel lines, a/c compressor, heater core hoses, power steering pump and lines. remove starter and engine to trans bolts and two motor mount nuts in the lower crossmember. rotate engine so that you can remove the 4 flexplate bolts holding the flexplate and torque converter together. start prying and working your way around the engine/transmission with a screwdriver, bigger screw driver, chisel, until the engine/trans are separated. pull engine.

check the fluid and check the seller. seriously, the seller will tell me a lot about whether i want to buy a car or not. new fluid would prompt a question about why it has new fluid...could be trying to cover something up or fix something, could be just keeping up with PM. drive it in tight circles, wheel turned at full lock, on dry pavement and make sure it doesn't have torque bind. it'll feel like a braking feeling. smooth shifting too. hiccups, delays, hard shifts, generally aren't a good sign. i'd change the ATF as soon as you get any used auto, no telling how long it's been.

i'd focus on the second issue first since that's the most serious. but for kicks, have you ever replaced the cabin filter and does your forester have one? i'd start there. as for the jumping problem, wow that's interesting. who repaired it the first time? might be best for them to look at it. honestly i'd jsut get a complete rear assembly on that side...obviously you don't need the hub or strut any more, and swap it out. all the links, everything that attaches the hub to the vehicle on that side. those parts aren't that expensive because they're essentially never replaced so not much demand for them, just need to find someone willing to get you the entire thing or one you can pull them off yourself. if you want to narrow it down or check, take some measurements and see what is out of place. what i've done to a few different vehicles is to look for points that are symmetric on both sides and measure them. i've never seen any drivability issues like you're talking about but measurements were off about an inch or so in various places, so i'd expect somewhere it will bear itself out on yours as well. first measurement - measure how far each rear wheel is from the front wheel. get as accurate as you can and see if there's a difference. as for sliding, nothing beats driving slower of course, but high quality snow tires are amazing and outshine all seasons by a long shot.

steering rack bushings can cause wandering. tie rods should also be inspected thoroughly as those are probably one of the most dangerous items to fail on the the vehicle. droning sounds like wheel bearings. EJ subarus are really strange, i've see a bunch that pass every single test known to man - stethoscope, no play, etc. sometimes a temperature gun will show it - drive for a while and then compare both sides. if one is notably hotter than the other then that might narrow it down. but that's really tough as temp's vary wildly on the hub/rotor surface. a quarter inch can mean huge temperature swings so you sort of have to take a bunch of readings and compare averages and highs/lows. even then a friend has a bad wheel bearing right now and the temp gun did him no good. they easily fly under the radar, i've found no test that can pinpoint them 100% of the time. but - i'd expect the wheel bearing to be REALLY bad if it's causing wandering. i've only seen that once and that bearing was unbelievably toasted, the car was not safe to drive.

at this age there's 20+ years of unknown maintenance which pretty much affects anything so you're totally right.

take one with you and match it. the stores won't be able to find one for a subaru via looking it up. but they always have them in stock. the ones i usually find you have to install one way though. they have a part on them that isnt' threaded, so you install the "short side" of the threads into the block so to speak that way the unthreaded portion resides where the manifold is so to speak. make sense? it'll all make sense when you get it home, just get the 10x1.25 exhaust manifold studs (i think that's the measurements).

you're going to get numerous auto bashing replies flooding in after these two comments but i'm in agreement with GD and hold the 4EAT's in high regard. no clutch maintenance, no difference in reliability, and a few positives. the ability to add manual control to the 4WD engagement (impossible with 5 spd), and the lower revolutions when highway driving. i would simply recommend test driving an automatic before deciding which way to go. auto to 5 speed swap is a big job. enough people have done it that it's already detailed for you but it's time consuming. if you can wait, a 5 speed will probably come along. i own both and pretty much always have but if i had to have one it would be an automatic. i've also lived in the DC area and mountains, both get old having a manual trans for me. but i'm strange and all about function and practicality, i get no thrill, ego boost, fun, or fulfillment out of moving a lever which most people do.