idosubaru

an automatic EJ trans has been swapped into an EA vehicle before without TCU mods so the EA trans and early EJ trans are extremely similar mechanically. wouldn't an early SVX TCU be plug and play and gen1 stuff? subaru started OBDII stuff in the midst of the SVX production years, so what is the SVX - OBDI, II, or both?

can you verify the motor, post a picture? +1 on a full rebuild being a waste of time on this motor. ends up being costly to do it right too. if you still wanted to, it would strictly be for fun or a learning experience. in that case i would suggest just find a blown EJ motor and rebuild it so you have something that's worth something when you're done and newer components/technology. they're actually worth somethign when you're done and easy to find a blown EJ25 too. as to replacing the HLA ("lifter), i wouldn't do that either. just leave it. keep changing your oil and add a quart of ATF. i've had them go away and be fine completely over time. remember to change oil frequently, it could easily dirty quickly if the previous owner neglected it (often the case with cheap old subarus). it's not going to hurt anything, so again it's just a waste of time unless you're really that bored and have nothing to do. if over time it gets worse then revisit the idea later. learn to enjoy this car for the one thing it can do - reliably rack up the miles. as much as GD hates them the EA non-turbo's will run forever if you just keep slapping timing belts on them and don't run them out of oil or coolant. the headgaskets dont blow unless they overheat. if you have running issues it's probably not the engine - it's probably the carb but your comments are leaving me a little confused about what you have. i would test it before determing to rebuild the engine because of a backfire.

good job getting subaru only headgaskets on this motor. you don't want aftermarket for those. bare minimum on this job would be head gaskets and intake manifold gaskets. the main reason you can ignore the rest is that you can go back and do them later, so it's not that big of a deal. they are kind of a pain to get to again though, except the exhaust gaskets are easy. Subaru exhaust gaskets are robust and typically can be reused. though being 10+ years old there's a good chance yours won't too. they are easy enough to ignore now and replace later if you're the tight. the valve/rocker gaskets really should be replaced though. at 10+ years old the rubber probably isn't in great shape and the motor has probably been run hot since it needs headgasket and that's always the first symptom on this year/model. reusing the valve cover/rock gaskets (of which there are 3 per side) is not a good idea. but....you could always do those later after the job is done, that's not impossible if you really need to do this cheap.

i've heard front struts making an extended vibrating noise...when you hit a bump and it draws out a little. i only replaced the entire strut though, other than that i can't say what caused it. not sure if that's exactly what you're hearing though, sounds interesting. tied to anything at all - turning, bumps, heat, moving, etc?

thanks Ft4m!

except for knock sensor none of the codes have come back. car was overheating when these codes were appearing so maybe that had something to do with it? i replaced the knock sensor, which isn't surprising as i've replaced a ton of those, very common. but none of the others have come back since it's ran at normal operating temps. could these have been heat related? car had sat for some period of time before i got it too. is there a master list of Subaru codes i could save to my computer? i guess the codes that came with this scanner are incorrect?

MWE is the way to go nip. only a percentage of aftermarkets have issues, but it's a really high percentage and not worth the time for those who don't like to gamble. as strict as you are with maintenance, with experience you'll learn not to like aftermarkets. but of course anyone can gamble and get away with an aftermarket.

not that big of a deal. pick a close figure and you're good. it's not a science, there's HUGE margins either way so you'd have to be intentionally screw it up or not be very mechanically inclined to mess it up.

the factory OEM thermostats are better than aftermarkets, you can see pictures on here comparing the two - the visual alone says alot. i guess you know but there's a thermostat housing that bolts to the water pump. i believe 180 is correct.

EA82's make great long distance/commuting vehicles if well maintained. get the ebay timing belt kits with all new pulleys and belts. new water pump, reseal the front of the engine and a solid tune up - plugs, wires, cap, rotor, air filter, and you're on your way to a lot easy low maintenance miles. still a 20 year old car so you're going to have brakes and old rubber hoses and clogged radiators to think about too. i would avoid the justy personally, i don't think it's necessarily a "high mileage" kind of vehicle but i could be wrong.

rumbling while idling in drive...meaning stationary? hmm, is it possible there's a bad front axle? if the axles were ever replaced, aftermarket axles are notorious for all sorts of issues. if it's spinning within itself (for a lack of better way of putting it), maybe that's it? though i'd imagine some other issues too - vibrations or something. could this be a cracked flexplate or loose flexplate bolt? more possible considering the trans seems like it was removed once before, didn't you say it was previously worked on?

thanks porcupine, i have the passengers side removed and picked up some brake line. they didn't have any couplers so i don't have enough length to get to the rear drivers side. i need 6 ft and all they have is 5ft GRRRR!! i'm going to try it tomorrow and see how close i can get. i feel like i should remove that junction box too - they appear very corroded on the other side like yours in the picture. but i'm not very confident in making the connection inside the cabin area. you found plenty of room to work with and make that connection? you have to cut the line - then install some kind of female end piece, are those easy to find?

10mm

what vehicle and year? if the water pump was leaking then you might not need headgaskets? in general a leaking water pump does not mean you need new headgaskets. nor does one overheat. but there's a lot of variables here too. we're lacking a lot of information to help you considering we can't look at or touch the vehicle.

it's really simple - line up all the timing marks and remove belt that way. no problems. the cams that are prone to "snap" with the belt off do not snap in such a way to cause any problems (IF you remove the belt with all the sprocket timing marks lined up). so if it does snap, just put the thing back. it's really simple. not necessarily easy, but it is simple.

i've seen a couple different styles sort of - not sure what yours will look like. but yeah, pop hood and there's the strut tops, might be a small plug/cap to pry off to see the bearings. get grease down in there. have a look first and then decide which way you want to go. it took me like a minute, it's really easy.

easy - get a needle fitting which are at any auto parts store and costs a couple dollars and fit on any grease gun. inject some grease down into the bearings. noise gradually goes away and is completely gone in a week or two. they're just dried out, no need to replace. i believe there are some "spray in" style greases too - you spray it in and then it coagulates into actual grease, but i've never seen it for sale in a store.

thanks for following up, glad it worked out rather easily. i'll be doing this fix soon too.

if it's totally failed, which it sounds like it is, you can also pull the rear section of the rear driveshaft and run it'll just run as FWD since the rear output will just be spinning. will save all that binding stress throughout the drivetrain while you plan to fix it.

you got an EJ22 without EGR - yes some have it and some do not. you can totally run without EGR - i've been doing it for years. look at it as being more reliable - fewer parts and hoses. just ignore the check engine light, you don't really have any other options to use this engine. swapping ECU's will not do anything. to "fix" it: you'll need to swap in a head with EGR or swap another motor. or drill and tap the head or drill and tap a part elsewhere in the exhaust and plumb the existing line to it.

Aftermarket axles are inferior, good word GD, don't waste your time. the problem isn't with CV's or design... I've never heard of "repetitive failures" here - except just cheap aftermarket axles. they fail ALL the time. leaking grease, noises, clicking, vibration, boots coming off, clamps not tight, fail in 15,000 miles.....you name it. i even had one blow to pieces after less than a mile, caged exploded, balls rolling all over the ground. I think that was the last aftermarket axle i bought and i'm glad, they were a waste of time. MWE out of colorado is OEM quality for a great price - he's been rebuilding Subaru axles for decades. He knows subaru and supplies all the locals there (Subaru rich country by the way). Or get a good used Subaru axle and reboot them.

i've never had a problem getting them off except limited space, but i've always gotten them off just fine. i've used a monkey wrench/pipe wrench before to remove them when you have enough room. i believe a huge wrench fits too, right? i don't recall removing the lock washers, though i know what you speak of since i've seen them in the boxes...but i don't remember ever having a problem getting them off. just bend them if they're in the way. you should be installing new washers anyway, most tie rods i've seen come with them.

those seat bolts are TERRIBLE no doubt. i've had a bunch rust, strip, or not go back in the hole. my current OBW, which doesn't have much rust is in that boat. grrrrrr!!!

i posted pictures of their install directions on here or subaruxt.com years ago, i guess they're still around? it wasn't quite as simple as i thought it would be. it's not very precise installing them, getting it all to fit right and all. but doable.

i've pounded sockets on before too - some still have the bolts in them or i just scrap them that way, not worth messing with as new sockets are easy to get.