idosubaru

really isn't worth much. rust absolutely is terrible, i've parted a lot of cars and rust makes it totally not worth it. a rusty car that has sat that long is going to be even worse. but - it is a free car. unfortunately next to nothing is the same as your vehicle. the PCV valve is the same and the clutch retaining clips if they were both manuals. that's about it and neither of those are worth reusing you could haul it to a scrap yard and get $150-$200 for it rather than him hauling it away for free. i'd say that's the most value it has. if it's a manual trans and someone wants to do a manual trans swap this is a great donor vehicle, so might want to put that out there. and i've lived my sentiments - i was offered a free 1993-ish era generation one legacy and passed on it as well - and the struts from that car even fit mine but i passed, just wasn't worth my time. that's what it comes down to, what's your time worth?

is it an original axle or replacement? replacement axles are often junk, see it all the time. is the boot busted? with your description it would be an outer boot, just behind the wheel. check them good to see if they busted. have the boots ever been replaced? i've stuffed grease up into axle joints a bunch of times, quiets them right up. so i'd say it's worth a shot to reboot it and get some good grease in there, but i'd also say there's no way to promise that will rid you of clicking. i've had busted boot, no grease front joints last 50,000 miles before if you're just using it as a daily driver and not driving in sand and coal covered roads. not that i recommend that - but my point is that a properly lubricated joint with plenty of grease in it that has a very minor clicking to it is not anywhere near to failure. it's just annoying, that's it.

you can keep the auto trans, that doesn't matter. all the wiring, ECU, etc would need done and the crossmember needs swapped for the turbo stuff to clear. you'd need all the turbo and exhaust components in the engine bay. i think about it for a bit. it's a ton of work for a tiny amount of horsepower, way more maintenance, and less reliable engine. the EA82T's are known for all sorts of issues - compounded due to their age and dire need of maintenance - hoses, turbo's, cooling, cracked heads, etc. an EJ22 swap would be the way to go....less work, way more power, way more reliability, way better gas mileage. but i realize that's not a good fit for everyone too. the only compelling factor to go with an EA82T is also a reason not to do it all. if it's because of price...then money is a concern. if that's the case then the last thing you want is a more expensive to maintain motor that has reliability issues and a large amount of catastrophic failures.

Nice job doing some research and trying some things, great work! The trans codes are REALLY hard to get to flash sometimes. A dent in the engine oil pan or transmission pan? Check the trans pan...if the engine oil pan is dented the trans pan may be as well but maybe it wasn't noticed yet? A dented trans pan will restrict fluid flow to the sump which hands really low in the transmission, not much clearance. Check that first. If it drives fine with the fuse in, then leave the fuse in, they can run indefinitely like this - it's a very simple system. If snow is a concern, just get a set of dedicated studded snow tires. I hate to say it but studded snow tires are far better than 4WD anyway.

we're trying to help, but you're wasting your time at this point. have you read the check engine light since this problem started? so far you've indicated you have not. it might be telling you exactly what the problem is. it's silly to guess.....fuel pressure, vacuum leak, crank sensor, cam sensor, igniter is hosed, coil pack is hosed, plugs, wires, TPS, ECU issue......too many possibilties to just start guessing and trying things. if you're fired up to guess and try things, the place every mechanic would start would be to check for spark at each plug while cranking. then pull the fuel filter hose and see if fuel squirts out (i prefer that method over a gauge, much quicker and no equipment required). if that pre-existing code didn't cause problems before, it's not the issue now, you would be interested in new codes. the non-EGR thing won't matter either. definitely right on and it will kill batteries quickly too.

in 1988+ XT's it's not that hard to swap out the digidash, wonder what the difference is? yours might not be too terrible....might be EA81's are earlier models that were hard? in an XT (which is an EA82 like yours - same engine platform) all you need to do is swap the fuel tank sending unit (or not worry about your fuel gauge).

Nah, nothing to worry about, very simple. Imagine removing your radio and having it "make noise", or the blower fan to move, or the windshield wipers to move 1/2", or the powered seat to go forward while the car is off and keys out of the ignition. Would that not be really strange? Same here, they're not going to get mysteriously powered.

WOW, how in the world did you track that down, that sounds like a nightmare. Good job.

yeah it's really easy. just unbolt and unplug the seat, it's easy. technically you're supposed to disconnect the battery because of the air bag....i never do it when i fix air bags/wrecked cars, and removed side impact air bag equipped seats....but i don't recommend doing that of course. :lol: the changer/amp stuff under the seat is really simple too - just basic stuff, remove a couple screws or bolts and off it comes. the air bag sensors are PAIN to remove though, so prepare yourself for some mental wrestling. it's like "push, pull, twist, pull, then push, and scratch behind your ear with your big toe" to get it to come off. one of those great ideas but terrible practical design...they almost require damage a certain percentage of the time to get them apart.

you've actually got that part right. on a manual transmission the *front* diff and the transmission share the gear oil. in an automatic trans the front diff and transmission have different fluids - gear oil up front (like an MT) but the trans has ATF obviously. rear diff as you know is a complete separate unit from the trans.

yep - reseal the front of the engine. if the timing belt is coming off then the couple $4 seals are staring you in the face. no point in not replacing any that aren't bone dry. if they're wet or dirty at all, replace them and reseal the oil pump. $20 in parts to reseal the entire front of the engine and it's all right there with the belt off.

your questions are in regards to all 2010 models or just one? i think the ghost walking only occurs on outbacks doesn't it? so if you're interested in non-outbacks all of that doesn't apply. subaru has had less than desirable snow tread on OEM tires before. if tire change improved snow handling then the tires were probably the issue to begin with, not the trans.

i don't think the newer subaru's have sight glasses like the older ones? not sure though.

a vibration issues on 09/10 model outbacks i would assume is what he meant. it's been a total debacle. there's a really long thread on subaruoutback.org about it, probably stickied i'm sure. subaru keeps shooting itself on this one. requesting new tires, then road force balancing which is really expensive. and a total waste, since it would be unacceptable to have that every time you get new tires anyway, and it didn't take long to realize it wasn't working....but they kept requesting it anyway. i think it's helpful though - it forces people to make a decision "do i keep pursuing this or maybe i can just live with it". if folks decide to live with it, that lessens the burden on Subaru. it's a filter of sorts, that kind of stuff is used all the time in business and society. then they started going with a change of a spring in the steering gear box...that didn't work either.

Early on they had the "spring" fix for that issue, that didn't work. Hopefully this is the real deal this time. I'd be interested in knowing the cause of that debacle. It's a tough market. You can't fault them entirely, business is not easy and has changed drastically in a couple decades for the auto industry. It's a very dynamic and long process. It's not like they decide to make something and throw it together in a year. They wouldn't be around if they were still making loyale wagons and ugly XT's making 90 hp. I agree there are annoying issues that EJ's seem to have more prominently than older gen stuff. But they perform far better too, so it's not all bad news and all this keeps allowing me to drive really nice, new Subarus for cheap!

he said the compressor is coming on. if he's right, that implies the electrical stuff is working and i tend to assume it is since the electronics regarding the a/c during engine removal are rather simplistic, not a typical problem area. worth a look of course, but i think any mechanic would pick that up rather quick. this might be helpful when shopping around: subaru's very rarely need any expensive/extensive A/C replacement. it's likely just a leak. some mechanics like to replace like the evaporator, drier, and do the whole nine yards. that might be wise on some makes/models, but not subaru's. that's throwing money away. and the mechanic might not necessarily be hosing you, he might genuinely feel that's the safest one size fits all solution for all a/c systems and situations. if you run into that politely decline and go elsewhere. hearing a bit about your car - find someone willing to do the simple and easy fix because that's all it'll need.

97 and newer EJ22's are interference. the 90's was a rollercoaster94-95 OBDI-OBDII 95-96 dual port to single port heads 96-97 interference and timing tensioner changes 97-98 bellhousing changes 99 complete make over. 2001 the entire platform is done away with.

who did the compression test - can they also do a leak down test? that will confirm where the combustion chamber gases are going instead of compressing. that would take the guess work out of it. compression test showed zero but the other one on that same side tested fine? any other symptoms at all - mileage, previous work, it's run flawlessly for 100,000 miles previously...?

weird it doesn't have EGR - they're both EJ25's from auto's or...? doesn't matter, you're going the easy way (need No EGR), the other way and you would be hosed. bolt your 2000 intake manifold on top of the 2003. you'll need two new intake manifold gaskets. that retains the exact same sensors of your vehicle so no way for the ECU to get confused or not like anything. then you'll need to block the hole in the 2003 engine. make a block off plate and seal it with sealant. I went to ACE hardware, bought a flat piece of stainless steel and cut out a piece to fit. drilled two holes to bolt it in place and applied sealant around the edges.

i would at least ask him if he could just check the two orings at those a/c compressor fittings. common leakage points and those are stressed in an engine swap because the compressor/hoses are pushed/twisted aside and not disconnected. or just ask him to replace them, takes about 3 minutes.

if you're doing that then you can essentially do whatever you want.

doubt this is major engine problems. major annoyance for sure! you need to get the codes from the check engine light. guessing won't help much. read the codes and let us know what they are. plugs and wires are likely - how old and what brand are they and is it worse in wet/humid weather? or the coil is hosed.

i swapped in a Subaru in dash 6 disc changer from a WRX into mine. only the front two speakers work I believe - not sure if it's because of the unit or something is up with my system - i was assuming the later when I was looking into it a couple months ago but i've done forgotten and never looked into it any further, it's plenty sufficient for us like that.

sweet, nice hit! easy 100,000 miles here you come! you idle is probably carb issues, but i will try to subdue my distaste of them and let those familiar with them help you nurse that thorn in the side of the EA81 along. i wouldn't assume master cylinder too quick, those almost never fail on subaru's. i'd track it down quick in case it's a leak or poor piston sealing, those are probably more likely.

i'm not real clear on if you mean the front or rear is hosed? i would start with subaru's site opposedforces, they have great exploded view diagrams and pictures. a call to the dealer might be worth it too if you think this is that common. sometimes with stuff like this there's just a part or two needed and they can narrow down with like one question. Subaru FSM says this for failure to operate with motor operating properly: (1) Check guide rail for foreign particles. (2) Check guide rail for improper installation. (3) Check parts for mutual interference. (4) Check cable slider for improper clinching. (5) Check cable for improper installation. (6) Check clutch adjustment nut for improper tightness. If it was cable I wouldn't imagine it closing fine so I'm guessing the guide rail is hosed.