idosubaru

do you think it could be strut related? warn struts will clunk - i've only swapped entire assemblies so i guess the top hats, bushings, or strut itself could fail. brakes - what's their story? can you describe what it is you're trying to fix? you still haven't defined it except to say you thought it was CV related and then maybe not? is it a clunk when turning, moving, sitting, decel, accel, cruising, etc? i would have been inclined to try the same. i'm not surprised the ball joints/tie rods didn't fix it. subaru tie rod failure is very rare..like never really happens for no reason. same with soob ball joints. torn boots of course cause issues, but that's different.

i've always just pilfered from cars at my house or extra parts lying around. it is a pain to size them up, seems like there's waaaaaay too many different clips that do the same thing. post some pictures in the parts wanted forum for someone to match up?

yeah he's a piece of work isn't he? ! might want to consider new parts on the slave cylinder and hose. not sure if it's only some years, but they require frequent replacement and are typically done at the same time.

sounds like classic cylinder misfire. it often doesn't show up at idle because there's nearly no load on the engine. compression readings can vary so those numbers don't scare me normally. if compression is a concern, which it might be given the oil on the plug and initial low readings, then do it again. be sure to prop the throttle open, remove all the spark plugs and leave them out for the testing, and make sure the battery is in tip top condition or you have another car jumper cabled to it. compression readings vary by rpm's which can vary a bit by available battery power. EJ's i believe are supposed to be around 180, so sounds good! oil on the plug doesn't sound good though, replace the PCV valve?

gotcha, i figured you had a good reason. that's beyond my skill set, but my guess is that cables are fine. folks have been swapping high power engines/parts for years with cable clutches.

is it failing because of engine codes? if so then just do the $5 anti-fouler fix and be done with it. or post the codes you're getting. if you're actually failing a tail pipe sniff test, then there's other options too. often just a tune up - plugs, wires, air filter, PCV will fix that. my F150 failed maryland emissions, replaced those items and it passed with flying colors. Use subaru wires and OEM NGK plugs. there's also "tricks" for passing emissions tests - like fuel additives, etc. dump a bottle, pass, you're good to go. if you end up actually needing a catalytic converter try and find a used one or have a shop weld in an aftermarket converter in place of the existing one. if you find an honest shop you can have a new aftermarket converter welded in place for really cheap. there's almost no material costs and they can weld really fast.

visually checked the alignment of all 4 cam sprockets and the crank, removed all the covers? they have multiple marks on them, which has confused folks before. you've verified you're using the right marks on all 5 of those components? cylinder 2 and 4 are the same side, so it really sounds like that's the issue. did you use a Subaru headgasket or aftermarket? aftermarkets are known to not hold. cam sprockets are labeled exhaust and intake, so you can read those right on the face. intake cams are up top, exhaust are on the bottom. they are aligned when both double notches come together on each cam.

turbo engines are holding up quite well to normal use turbo's in general don't age as well as non-turbo's - they have more failure points - more clamps, hoses, the turbo itself, cooling and oiling lines, etc and generate more heat. not a big deal until you start talking about 10, 15, 20 years old or high mileage. a significant maintenance item is coming in a couple years. timing belt replacement is 105,000 miles and runs about $700 for replacing the belt at Subaru. prices escalate when water pump or a pulley also gets replaced at the same time - which is wise since the next interval isn't until 200,000 miles and they're right behind the timing belt. t-belt is a must replace item as they are interference engines. the car is due for a major maintenance interval at 96,000 km - coolant replacement, plugs, air cleaner, brake fluid replacement, inspect timing belt. they probably saw a huge maintenance bill and got rid of the car.

hey you asked once before, bump: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=109532&highlight=axle+torque

159 ft/lbs for H6. 2 and a half foot pipe on my socket and snug it up real good. you can't really strip the threads or hurt anything by overtigthening unless you're really trying to or unfamiliar with automotive work. you're better off going beyond the typical 140-160 pound recommendations. too loose, they back off quite frequently. actual torque wrench is pointless here.

98 is a DOHC unless it's been swapped. hopefully this should be an easy fix - you have the cams mistimed probably. so the valves are opening/closing at the wrong time. if it's too far off then the valves can collide and bend. hopefully they're not that far off. more than likely you're just a tooth off. just pull the side timing cover on that side and check, only takes a minute or two to take that off and have a look.

i see no reason why it wouldn't fit on US cars, yours surely shouldn't different. they still have to be placed around all the same components that exist on a clutch cable car - and hydraulic/cable clutches were offered on the same chassis vehicles - like legacy's. which makes sense, subaru wouldn't want to retool things if they didn't have to - much simpler to make it applicable across entire swathes of product. fitment shouldn't be an issue at all. maybe you can look at a picture of two, or find one, a quick glance should tell you a lot? given the frequency of hydraulic clutch repairs, failed MC's, failed slaves, failed hoses, i'd consider this a downgrade. which is very telling since hydraulic stuff is typically much newer than cables which come in all the older stuff. i realize there's other considerations, just thought i'd let you know.

in case you can't read it, the text says: 2) align top mark on crankshaft sprocket at 9 oclock position as shown in picture. 3) align four key grooves on camshaft sprocket at 12 oclock position as shown in the figure.

what do you have it apart for? that's awesome that you're digging into it. how has the job been so far, any difficult parts? i'd love some feedback as i will be getting into a timing chain some day as well, we have an H6 OBW. i've yet to see anyone post that's actually done this so there's not much first hand experience on the subaru boards. i have the factory service manual from Subaru and here's the page on alignment, looks fairly straight forward and basically like most other subaru's with just a couple tweaks. if this doesn't show up, email/PM me and i'll send you a full size version, i had to shrink it to fit.

vacuum leak? fuel pressure regulator? no check engine lights? (what check engine set up does this one have?)

sure, tear it up. i thought there was something slightly different about 85/86 XT's where you couldn't just drop a spyder manifold on top of them, but i do a lot less EA work than i used too, very rare any more so memories are fading. the rust is that bad to write it off huh? not just surface and minor? if you're not going to have them for like 10+ years then it might be worth avoiding the hassle and keeping the engine in the "rusty" one? guess it's nearly impossible to find another engine to put in the other? of course i know you're dying for a project so that's not going to fly. you don't come to subaru board for practicality. whatever you do i'd just enjoy them for what they are - cheap, economical cars that are easy to maintain and can run forever if you don't overheat or run it out of oil.

oh nice, good news. way to work it man!

fans never come on. a/c does not work, it's not charged, so that won't trip it. i should charge it up and see if that will turn them on, thanks, that might tell me something.

i took just the part to them, they didn't do it on the car. i don't recall opening the brake line, but i can't think of how that would be unless it was part of the bracket instead of the caliper? subaru made too many caliper/pin changes for me to keep straight, it's really annoying. i was thinking of swapping my 96 legacy caliper to this 99 with the seized caliper but the calipers were different in some way and i couldn't. thank you subaru caliper freaks!

i'm not sure how the shop did it, i didn't watch but they used a torch to remove the seized on out of mine. it took awhile for it to cool down so they hit it good. maybe it's as "simple" as heating up all the metal around it, i haven't really used a torch much? they said they do it all the time, they weren't surprised or hindered at all by it, rust is pretty terrible around here. the coal dust or whatever that black abrasive stuff is they toss all over the roads in the mountains here cuts into stuff and let's the moisture/salt get a healthy start. hope you get it figured out, annoying to toss a caplier just for a pin. i don't recall anywhere having them in stock, i think i was able to reuse mine or i had an extra. you'll need a new boot if it's intergrated with the pin, not sure which style you have, there are a few.

thanks. yep, you're on it. forgot to mention - it's an XT6. i gave the fans 12 volts and they came on - so the fans should be good. XT6 thermoswitch has two electrical contacts, not just one. so - that circuit, when the car is on, should always have 12 volts right - the plug that plugs into the thermoswitch? that makes the system really simple: 12 volts, a CTS to complete the circuit, and the fans. is that it? the fan relay (XT6 has two electric fans) is only for the A/C fan?

radiator cooling fan does not come on at all. relays, fuses, fans, are all good. swapped in another CTS in the radiator. how do i test? should the pins of the CTS connector always have continuity/12 volts? the CTS should have continuity when it's hot right - to complete the circuit and trigger the fans?

no, if you can get the pin out the caliper is fine. take the caliper to a shop and let them torch the pin out. that's what i did. shops have tools to deal with annoyances like this.

even with a "new" pump those backing plate screws should be checked while it's apart. i'd also replace the PCV valve - it's only a couple dollars and takes 5 minutes. if it's clogged it doesn't allow pressure to release from the crankcase. generally it pushes oil out of places, not seals but at this point you need anything you can get.

should be simple if you're welding up what you need on the manifold this will be a straight forward swap. nice effort!