idosubaru

i would clarify where the leak is. seeing oil and then asking how to pull the trans to reseal it is a big jump, though it sounds like you've done some work to it already. give a little more insight into what's going on, might be simpler than pulling it.

they don't leave much clearance but i've always been able to just barely squeeze my hand in there, plug the antenna wires in right before shoving it back in the rest of the way. you could always pick up some antenna wire extensions at a hardware or electronics store or online, etc. they are rather generic so you can get that stuff anywhere if you want more room.

probably needs a new pump or the lines are clogged. my guess is the pump needs replaced. they're like $20 at the auto parts store, usually generic (though i've never replaced one yet on this new of a Subaru, they dont' fail that often), so you can buy them at any auto parts store.

the block is a tough question. great engines and 220,000 miles doesn't scare me. but they do loose enough bearings and throw enough rods that dumping a ton of money into one is questionable. if you're sure it wasn't overheated much then i'd roll with it. i'm guessing the frequent overheats due to headgasket issues may contribute to the lower engine issues. i'd roll with new headgaskets if you know a bit of it's history. i picked up a 56,000 mile legacy GT earlier this year with a locked up bearings in the block. head gaskets were replaced at 34,000 miles. purely anecdotal of course but i think others have said it before too.

you should tell us the year to distinguish between SOHC and DOHC and what phase you'd have - but a baja has to be a SOHC Phase II EJ25 if it's a non-turbo. timing belt interval should be 105,000 miles, look in the owners manual. if you don't have one, get one. i'd wait until 105,000 miles or 10 years (or whatever year stipultaion subaru uses) to replace it. cars101.com is fantastic subaru site with lots of info on your baja. 2.7 liter was a 6 cylinder engine in the 1989-1991 XT6.

reuse head bolts on all subaru engines. use subaru seals. the cams are really simple, you'll see when you get in there, just normal socket tools to remove them.

probably has a fuse but if that's shared you could disconnect the air bag under the steering wheel. intentionally discharge it then cut the bag off. then you could at least get some laughs from it. LOL

the xt6 is in a similar boat, the 4EAT can get 28/29 on the highway and the manual only gets 29/30. i never got to 30 in my 97 EJ22 Impreza AWD auto - and it would drop drastically as speed increased above 60 mph. at 80 i'd only get like 22, but the OBS did have a roof rack.

bottom half was covered so yeah should have went the whole way. pretty sure it just ended up being mostly paint dust from sanding.

get an H6 if you can, excellent motors and no timing belt. drive in slow tight circles, turned to full lock, on dry pavement/concrete. any binding indicates torque bind, meaning the trans need maintenance. probably not what you're after. 00-03 EJ25's (4 cylinder) head gaskets leak externally so they're actually fairly easy to spot if you know where to look. usually on the rear head to engine mating surface, sometimes visible from underneath too. look at the head junction for coolant or sometimes oil leaking at the head. those are two big things to check for. one dealer i know of in MD charges $699 for timing belt only. independents will do it cheaper. ebay has reasonable kits with all the pulleys and belt included, though on newer cars i sometimes just toss the belt and use a Subaru belt. you'll never have a shop install new pulleys, they're way too expensive otherwise. your best deals come from private owners, particularly given what yo'ure looking for. it's not hard to find a private seller with a great car. one owner with all the maintenance records. dealer lots leave you knowing nothing about the car unless you can track it down. craigslist, autotrader, local ad's, papers, etc.

year, engine, trans? you said you had a "wire hooked up wrong", why was that? has the wiring been worked on/changed? no check engine lights now or in the recent past? good work, looks like a good list of things you'e tried. what's the state of the plugs and wires? age/mileage? are they subaru wires and NGK plugs? sounds like possible ignition issues which could also possibly mean coil pack - but usually these all give a check engine light. possible knock sensor - it's retarding the timing on you - but normally when they start to fail they give a check engine light, so that makes me want to rule it out. i've seen about 3 sensors cause issues without triggering the check engine light, the knock sensor hasn't been one of them but i bet it's possible. if it's cracked at the base that's not a good sign. on older models you can unplug the O2 sensor and drive without it just fine, not sure about newer stuff but i keep meaning to try it on my legacy.

a few of us have FSM's and could probably send you the appropriate pages for disassembling the seats if you were interested in it. an upholstery place might do it for you if you took them the seat. they're probably more equipped and maybe cheaper than subaru. just make sure they know it has side air bags if it does. any difference between cloth/leather i wonder? a friend of mine said his other cars (i forget which he meant - BMW maybe) warmed up much quicker? i've never used them in other cars. maybe. for me, the colder it is the more their inefficiencies stand out. they aren't fast enough..colder and thicker clothes won't help that. bottom line for me is the car is warm by the time they're getting you warm. preference i guess, when i reach my limit there's need of serious attention, not just a bit of added comfort. my wife, with lesser tolerance may like the added comfort...although ironically she never uses them. i thought she'd like them more than me. they feel good from time to time but as a cold weather combatant i haven't experienced it.

when searching it seemed like folks were saying razors won't work for 2 stage stuff. normal stuff out of a can yeah that's easy, i'd just let the bugs knock it off over time. i might try it but if the razor did work that sounds tedious for an entire windshield. i was hoping for a simple solution (pun intended). i did see mention of the 0000 steel wool when searching...one person said it worked and others say it's a no-no. might try a small area with that and stripper tomorrow and see what happens. a "clay bar" was a common recommendation, not sure where to get or how to use.

while painting i got a healthy dose of clear coat on my windshield. this is dual stage hardened clear coat. anyone ever deal with this? seems like a bunch of random ideas and folks saying "that won't work" on the internet searches. i didn't see any mention of using stripper for this? i find it REALLY REALLY funny that you have to be UNBELIEVABLY picky about application - mixing, tip size, matching painting systems, priming, base coat, proper sanding/wet sanding, proper timing for adhesion after 15 minutes, but not before an hour...et.al. it's like solving a differential equation to get a good paint job. now here's the funny part - i forget to cover the top portion of my entirely unprepped windshield and it's like rock solid never gonna come off? :lol:

thanks for all the help, i'm really clueless about paint. seems there's 10 zillion ways to do things so i'm glad i got some help. i ended up doing a light sand and clear coat over the fender and hood, thanks guys. ended up using NAPA auto paint mixed in an aerosol can and then an actual 2 stage clear coat i bought from an online place. you mix it onsite and spray it aerosol style. if i'm lucky the two stage i think should last for awhile and not have to worry about it. it's a daily driver we just beat around in and i don't care much about it. glad i've hit three deer with it and none of the other soobs that i like. drove it today. doesn't match, is far from perfect but does the trick, WAAAY better than two tone brown and white, i don't care what my cars look like but that's not what i'm after either. hit a deer, replaced fender and hood. before and after pic's attached.

try cleaning the splines of the cv stub first. and the splines inside the hub if they're rusted/corroded/dirty at all. they'll just hit a brick wall sometimes if they're not clean. unless EA82 stuff is vastly different from ER27/Ej, it's been a long time since i've touched an EA front hub.

my guess is you have a leak somewhere else. it's rare for the Phase II's to just let loose so obviously all at once. usually they begin seeping and you would have noticed oil or coolant (more often the case) leaking and a loss of coolant over time. they can typically go a REALLY long time with weaping head gaskets if you just keep the fluid level full, they don't overheat until the level gets too low. but of course it could have let loose too, who knows.

there's multiple forms of interference. valve to valve is when valves can contact each other when opened. valve to piston interference is what you mentioned which means valves and pistons can come into contact.

do you have a braking feeling when turning, known as torque bind? sounds like a failing axle joint. if it's an aftermarket axle then this gains precedence 10 fold in my book, an original subaru axle is unlikely to do this. front diffs do fail, they won't exhibit any oil leaking or symptoms though so that you see nothing doesn't really mean much. have you drained and checked the front diff oil? if the gear oil in there is 15 years old it might be a good thing to do anyway and you'll get to check to see if there's anything suspect with the oil - metal chunks, bits, flakes, etc.

that stuff is typically easily repairable, particularly since you'd probably pull the engine for a head job anyway. i've repaired a bunch of bunged up timing bolt threads before. use a helicoil or timesert (same repair, different product). in some cases i've only used longer bolts, they reach down to deeper threads that were unused by the original bolts. the holes are always deeper than the bolts so longer bolts work sometimes. yours looks to bad for that and i'd want that outer material repaired in this case, so i'd helicoil it. they're expensive but work great. if you're taking the engine out and having the heads repaired by a machine shop, consider dropping the motor off to them as well. if it's a good machine shop and not just a bare-bones auto stuff kind of place, this is easy for them. and yes, machine shops will take entire engines like that, i've even taken them entire long blocks (head attached) to repair some difficult stuff before.

they're set up to receive one so like you said, just use an OBDII ECU and intake and he's golden. that's what i did with my EJ18 as mentioned above.

interesting, last 97 i did had the new style tensioner. so cross-over year...or, though i'm doubtful, one was converted. can't imagine very many people are getting into brackets and converting. my 97 OBS (though EJ22) had the new style as well (and it failed )

i'd like to see those, i used to drive a 97 OBS as well. is it not letting you post because of too few post count or are they too big? they have to be resized i think or posted on another hosting site and linked to here. are your original struts usable and for sale? a friend of mine drives my old 97 OBS and the struts are in poor shape and new is a bad option right now.

any noises, fluid level check? i would lean towards the ujoints. subaru rack failures are extremely infrequent.

is that pure cynicism or are you that funny all the time! is your place of work hiring, sounds like fun! that's awesome.