idosubaru

CV joint probably. is the boot torn? have the axles ever been replaced? i bet the boot is good now but probably had a torn boot or it was replaced with an aftermarket axle, which often have all sorts of issues. have you heard CV clicking before? if it sounds like that, then that's probably what it is.

having an old car you should be well aware of stuff like CV axles, brakes, timing belts, water pumps, alternators, etc. that will all apply to this car too being 10+ years old. one HUGE difference - the 98 OBW is an interference engine, if the timing belt brakes your expensive engine is hosed. i replace the timing belts with kits off ebay with all new pulleys - around $150-$200 for all new pulleys and the belt. i don't trust the 10+ year old pulleys unless they're in really good condition which is rare. they're 105,000 mile timing belts, so you're expecting them to go much longer than the older style like yours which is only 60k. headgaskets and torque bind are you major issues. those motors have quite a few headgasket issues, i don't even know how many EJ25's i've bought with headgasket issues. lots of headgasket and torque bind information on here.

you're not fooling us rooster, there aren't any real hills in Indy!?! j/k if the original poster is asking about "earliest year 6" then that's either cost motivated or he likes older stuff. which makes a big difference since of the 6 cylinders prices are $500-$2,000 for the XT6, wide range for the SVX, and $7,000-$10,000 for the newer H6 stuff. he'll have to clarify i guess but i was assuming it's cost related. it's not hard to get an early legacy/impreza for really cheap - actually basically next to nothing if you can do any work on them - find one needing bearings or exhaust or a timing belt, trans, etc.

owners manual is helpful with stuff like this, it just takes standard ATF available at a zillion stores across the country. as to being clear, that's really odd. i've seen some times where ATF just has a different color and doesn't really show up well on the dipstick, it may even appear clear-ish - but it's not when you actually see it/drain it. i would guess that's what is happening here.

problem isn't cylinders or mountains. brat has what 80 hp? newer 4 cylinders have almost twice that. as long as you don't get an EA81 or EA82 you'll have a huge performance increase. the EJ18 can be a little weak, though it's still a %50 increase over the brat, get one with a MT if you do.

you won't have the mounting points for the sway bar i don't believe. xt6 has mounts on the hub assemblies i forget where all the mounting points are i'm sure a search on sway bars would show it.

:confused: through a rod how weird. every engine i've seen that through a rod wasn't rebuildable so i doubt that's an option as one of the block halves is usually hosed. being so new i'd consider a used engine. car-parts shows a few in portland area from $1,400 for 80k-100k and $2,250 for 40k miles.

rear is easy, it's all identical to the EA82. swap out just the hub and bearings or swap out the entire hub assembly/control arm.

no sealant. i'm sure you can get away with it, but they aren't designed with sealant in mind. i'd remove the old one, that seems odd to leave it there. it might be blocking holes, you could check if it is or not and then decide....but then the outer most seal probably won't see much oil or typical supply so it could dry out, or not perform as designed over a long period of time? doubt it, but i would think it wise to get the old one out as it serves no purpose at all if you properly install another seal which is the only way i'd be dropping an engine in there anyway.

sounds like classic alternator failing symptoms, but of course check simple stuff like battery connections, alt connections, and the plastic plug if it has one that plugs into the alt.

for a direct swap you need either: a 1995 automatic EJ22 or a 1996-1998 EJ22 with exhaust manifold either of those bolt right up and plug in. auto or manual doesn't matter in 1996-1998, only 1995. in 1996-1998 you just need to make sure it has an EGR valve which %99 do, the non-EGR EJ22's are really rare....i've tried to find one. 1997 and 1998 are interference engines, meaning if the timing belt breaks you will likely have some bent valves. 1995-1996 are non-interference, broken belt doesn't matter, slap on a new one and go. the earlier 95 and 96 also have really cheap timing belt tensioners (which happen to be more reliable too ) entire ebay kits with all new pulleys and belt are only $80, great deal.

thanks, i'm good at wasting time! sounds like i got enough ideas of how this goes to get something to work.

that's a good point s360 - they probably would bail me out for a few bucks if i get stuck but have everything prepped for a quick cut. is a hand hacksaw pointless?

unfortunately GD time and holidays are against me. sounds like i can pull this off though with minimal tools. my friends 18V dewalt sawzall doesn't have working batteries. GRRRRR!!!!! that probably would have made it quick.

great, this is huge. tomorrow will have very limited time and only the tools i can carry in with no power available. $20, the right color and most importantly it's really close to my parents house. i'll never get this chance again within hours of my place. hoping i can figure it all out on the spot, thanks miles! i'll try and take a hack saw too and just cut whatever looks easy. are the top and rear radiator supports connected then? so it's all one piece up front - just tied together on the passengers and drivers side frame rails or whatever those are called? and for instance - the top cross piece that the headlights hang from - do you drill straight through it - down towards the ground? or are you drilling around the edge of it to break the welding bead? i guess it's just welded around the edges not from underneath so to speak? so a few small holes around it instead of one big hole through it?

there's a search function here, maybe zap used it it to find that forester. use that and search for phantom grip. go advanced search too to narrow it down more if you like. either way you can find multiple phantom grip threads, info in less than 15 seconds. here's info about interchangeability: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49241&highlight=phantom+grip

jerry - what is more complicated about the wiring? is it removing it from the donor car, or actually more wiring at the intake, body side or all of the above? other than the knock sensor the EJ18's and EJ22's have nearly the same sensors i thought. crank, cam, TPS, MAF, CTS.... when i installed my EJ18 i just added the knock sensor and everything else was basically the same.

thanks miles! nice. seems just like you said - doesn't appear at first glance much different than older models, XT6, etc in principle. what size drill bit - 1/2"? will it look obvious where i should drill - for instance the top support where it meets the front of the fender appears too large to just drill out....so....? spot welds at front fenders obviously: roughly how many other spot welds would you anticipate and do you recall any locations? does the bumper need to be removed, seems like it would?

Looking to pull a front radiator support on an 03 Legacy. Removing the fender bolts and light assemblies and all I can handle. Looks like they are welded in place at the fenders, so just cut there. I'd like to get the lower light bracket/assembly on the passengers side too. Just start cutting - that stuff is all welded in place right? Any tips to cutting this out, where, etc?

are the battery and electrical connectors all golden? to reiterate, the crank and cam sensors are in tight spots but really easy to replace. one 10mm bolt and out they come, cake. i've never tested that stuff. fairtax said to use an analog meter, is that what you were using? a google search gives us some subaru diagnostics for this: http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/pdf/electrical/ignition.pdf more description here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=116856&highlight=crank+sensor picture of testing here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=116157&highlight=crank+sensor searching here and google makes you an ASE certified mechanic.

Oil pressure is probably fine. How old is the oil filter, change it maybe? The sending units can fail and the gauges aren't the most accurate. I've been told the engine gets plenty of volume of oil even when the gauge reads low. Subaru even documents this fact in their owners manual or somewhere that it's okay if it appears close to zero on the gauge after warm. Now - you could still have an issue so it's good you're looking out but just be aware that they don't read what you'd think either and this is a really common question.

DUDE, what a list! awesome, what are you leaning towards, any inclinations? what do i need to keep an eye for? with the exception of the tribeca i have the heaviest year/model on the list

i'd go with OBDII management. I'd get an entire intake manifold off an OBDII EJ22. bolt the EJ22 intake manifold onto the EJ18 and use the OBDII stuff from there. The EJ18 manifold is bulkier and not as common. be careful with 96 legacy outback - that can be an EJ25 or EJ22. in that year only a MT will be EJ22 and an automatic will be EJ25 and the MT will likely not have EGR. you'll want to retain your EGR set up if you don't want a check engine light, i believe california is insanely picky about that? i swapped a non-EGR EJ22 intake onto my EJ18 and there's no work around for the check engine light but it doesn't matter in my state.

hey what's going on now - what are you thinking? is there a change in the herd coming or what? 2090 for the XT - but what about auto/MT, FWD/4WD...etc? Google search said 2090 for a 91 XT but cars101 says 2455, though that seems like the gross weight?: http://www.cars101.com/oldsubaru.html this thread answered my question that the weight on the door jamb is not the curb weight: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=44279&highlight=curb+weight&page=2 here's some more: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=23028&highlight=Curb+Weights

Not sure about power to the coil abe but the igniter (if that's what the newer gen's call it) is center on the fire wall roughly. Those can fail to and knock out your spark. That may be more likely if you got nothing at all 4 locations. Someone else will chime in and elaborate better.