idosubaru

yeah they can be a real pain. if you're going to have the heads resurfaced, which you should anyway, just take them to a machine shop and they'll pull them out. they do this stuff all the time. not sure what they do but they've always pulled them out when i leave them in. some alternating heat and PB Blaster may help but i'd be careful with the heat.

nose up helps. keep at it, they'll eventually go away and watch the gauge they can overheat quickly sometimes. some radiators have a bleeding screw on the top passengesr side of the radiator. big plastic screw, unthread it if you have one and let the bubbles come out.

should, bolt pattern is the same. the only issue will be if it got huge brakes that need 17's to clear up front, but i highly doubt that. probably just has typical 00 era dual pots that any 16" will clear. to verify you'd just look up jamal's extensive brake caliper thread here or on nasioc, he goes through all the different brake stuff including which fit under what size rims.

like rooster said, they're typically generic and available new from any parts store. i picked up a new one for a 1989 Subaru XT6 and they had it in stock, i doubt much has changed. have 12 volts to test your old ones and you'll narrow it down quickly probably. i'd test the motor and then go from there.

yeah that transistor - the FET I believe it's called - is likely hosed. just get a used one. post in the parts wanted forum here, someone will have one. test for spark out of the coil - that rules out most of the disty, plugs, wire stuff if you don't have spark there. sounds like you got none out of the coil.

1996 and up EJ22. 1995 should be as well.

yeah the change was around 97/98 and at some point (i'm assuming then) the plugs are different in 4EAT's before or after that time. you'll want the later, as you say with the spin on filter but i'm not sure how late you can go?

good job BR, that's great, glad it worked out for you.

subaru? i don't think there's a ton of seals and gaskets specifically, probably RTV on the case halves and RTV or a gasket on the front diff which shouldn't be hard to get if it is a gasket. people on here split cases frequently and i've never heard of them having problems sourcing parts or anything. one will certainly chime in shortly, what is it you're trying to do to it, complete tear down or...?

+1, that's about my story too when i pull heads. is the motor is out? did it sit awhile? and why are you concerned? i don't make any effort to view all the piston tops in perfectly good running motors, even ones that are easy to do, unlike the DOHC EJ25...so is something else going on?

unless i missed it you haven't even verified that you have a headgaket issue. "coolant smell and loss of power" are not the most common headgasket signs on this engine. overheating, bubbling in the overflow, dirty black overflow tank...those are headgasket signs, none of which you mentioned. as to $1,800, there are cheaper ways to repair it. a used Ej22....or heck an EJ18 if money is that hard....can be easily dropped in place of the EJ25 - same swap, plugs right in and everything. Ej22 engines can sometimes be bought much cheaper than EJ25's and they're more reliable.....though less power. i yanked the EJ25 out of my Legacy Lsi and dropped in an EJ18 which i bought for $150 with 80,000 miles and a warranty. $150 engine, $80 ebay timing belt kit, $50 water pump, i got a very reliable engine for a long time....it's just gutless that's all, but i don't care.

you're wondering if you should worry about hte lifters sticking in the bore? not at all, they always do that.

i've heard the speculations but it had no affects, nor did i think it would, on my daily driver automatic XT6. many cars, all older subaru's, don't have any coolant flow through the IAC. i wouldn't be too worried about it unless i was in canada or a really cold part of the country. where i lived in MD lows are zero to 10 roughly. most folks aren't going to want to sway from stock so that's totally understandable. i may not mention it much normally but Fairtax seems the type to not necessarily stay mainstream with everything and i totally know, even should he chose not to do this, he's the type that would do something like it.

Is it the same code that you had the first time or do you not remember? Exhaust leaks, even small ones, can also cause this code.

like i said earlier, they usually start knocking and give enough warning to plan a repair. but they can let loose, far less often though. definitely diagnose the current noise and make sure what it is, though you sound confident it's not rod knock? replacing head gaskets on an engine already knocking would be frustrating. tough dilemma, there's just no way to know what's up with it for certain.

another option is to remove the hoses to the IAC altogether, i've done it for the throttle body hoses before and it didn't affect anything. given the IAC's of plenty of other vehicles and subaru's don't have coolant at all i'd do it here too i think, unless i'm missing something. usually you have more room to work with that way too so fewer hard bends and stuff to contend with. if the beginning of the hose going to the IAC is 1 and the end is 2. And then the beginning of the other hose leaving the IAC is 3 and the end point is 4 - then you just run a hose from 1 to 4 and completely bypass it. i guess the opposed forces site didn't have it?

Right, like GD said there's no question what the issue is, but it may have an underlying cause and I'm curious how much it was driven while overheating by the previous owner. You don't still have contact with the previous owner do you?

Same thing, but simply all EJ25's. Simple questions are easily answered within a matter of seconds using the search function. If you look at the bottom left of this current screen you can see a similar effect in the similar threads feed - it's essentially 5 for 5 finding threads exactly like this.

could have started with an overheat due to radiator issues, thermostat, air in the system....then the overheating may have caused the headgaskets to let loose. so - be sure to clean out the radiator, replace/test t-stat.

You don't mention any overheating? Blown headgasket Phase I EJ25's usually overheat when the gaskets blow. Additives are usually discouraged on your engine, it's the later Phase II EJ25's with a different failure mode that the additive is used in. I wouldn't go the JDM route. Top dollar due to high demand for another used, decade+ old engine with low percentage original headgaskets. It's not a terrible deal if you replace the gaskets first.....but in that case I have a 80,000 mile EJ25 you can have for the same price. Given you have the ability and seem confident a full on rebuild or just a head gasket job are both great options. The knocking usually gives you ample time to prepare for a rebuild if you need it. And there's a good chance you never will. Chances of it hosing you are small, but occasionally they do send a rod through the block, helping a friend with one of those in his OBW right now. So if you do the rebuild you're paying a lot for a little insurance which isn't always bad given the situation, skills, what's a good fit for you.

quite a bit of talented folks on here and elsewhere have done all sorts of swaps.

spring side towards the engine and you're golden. best to use a Subaru part, aftermarkets are known to be less reliable.

use Subaru head gaskets. best to use the stock Subaru plugs and wires too. i'd get an entire ebay timing belt kit with all new pulleys and tensioners. not point in leaving 13+ year old bearings in those pulleys, they usually spin freely and noisely by now. the kits anywhere else or from subaru are insanely expensive and not cost effective except to only replace pulleys on a one at a time basis based on testing/condition. annoying to do that then have to wait for parts or go get them. leaving them isn't the end of the world but considering how easily these engines can go another 100,000 miles it's well worth it for cheap reliability too. i'm a fan of reliable. i'd use subaru on all of the seals as well, they seem like higher quality to me and I and others have had aftermarkets not seat well. i've used aftermarkets with success plenty of time too but i like 100% success rate at this point. not sure who's doing the work but you essentially want to pull the engine on this one to do this job. most subaru's are far easier to do in the car, not this engine though. it's *possible* but requires lifting the engine and stuff anyway.

that was the other legacy which is eating wheel bearings you asked about being in a wreck, you're probably on to something on that one. i've got two rear suspension threads for different daily drivers going on at the same time. this one i bought as salvage and rebuilt. had it for 2 or 3 years now so it's not a big deal and i think the alignment definitely slowed it down, but i'd like to get it right if i can.

No, I meant the crank pulley, which is why i was talking about the harmonic balancer and spot welding and screws. Sorry. it wasn't clear in the beginning. I wasn't sure how far it was damaged or what was easily repairable/not.