idosubaru

it's not just a forester issue - it's EJ25's. i've seen a bunch too and have some for scrap. a guess is that prior to having head gaskets replaced (common on EJ25's), the running hot affects either the metal or oil which degrades the bearings. not substantially, but enough that over time they fail.

this is the one of few guys i'd pay to get a Subaru rebuilt engine from. see if you can return/resell the old one? not just to get the right motor but to have a better product from someone very well acquainted with Subarus.

this is not the easiest subaru swap to do. the intake manifolds are not interchangeable. folks have swapped the intake manifold wiring harness. that way all the wiring stays with the car, you put the original wiring on the new motor. but i think there's one glitch to that - like the idle controller is different i think. i would look into going that route first personally and see folks experiences with doing that. there's some threads already discussing that. the original engine is probably repairable, folks fix them all the time. when they break the valves get bent so you just replace the valves - basically doing a head gasket job which is a good thing on these motors anyway. is it an option to sell the SOHC and repair the DOHC? i wouldn't want a remanned unless it's from someone very familiar with subaru's, like CCR or a local i'm working with.

you have a broken timing belt. get an Ebay kit for $70 and replace all the pulleys, tensioners, and both belts. silly to just replace the belts and leave 20+ year old pulleys. good chance one of the pulleys caused the belt to break too, happens often. good time to consider resealing the oil pump, crank seal, cam seals and orings and water pump as well. i usually do all of that at one time since it's all behidn the timing belt. but i also plan on getting quite a few more miles out of most cars coming through my hands.

did it one time on a honda and don't recall anything except that we were able to do it and it was easy. don't recall using any special tools. there's a bearing in there too, be nice to have a new one on hand. i seem to recall a thread about replacing that bearing, which would help you, but i don't know if that was here or another forum? did you plug around here at all?

how hard is the fuel pump stuff to get to on EJ's, i've never had to mess with those before.

i wouldn't buy that new, they don't fail enough IMO to warrant new prices. john has a great question about whether spark exists when it stalls or not.

a few months ago our 2002 OBW H6 ran out of gas about 5 minutes or less after the low fuel light came on. filled it up and it took a bit over 14 gallons (what it normally takes when the fuel light comes on). but it's a 16.9 gallon tank - so why did it "run out of gas" with 2...almost 3 gallons still in there? it seems to "run out" quicker than older gen cars, is the fuel pump set up different, sits higher or something? i mean - yeah i know, don't run it that low, but i'm curious what the difference is and i'm definitely not keen on it running out a couple miles after the low light, that doesn't sound right.

they're fairly easy, haynes should be fine for this. the factor service manuals for the XT (EA82) are hosted on Subaruxt.com if you want to download those there. Go to the discussion forum and Technical Service sticky to find a link to it.

let me save you some time, having owned like 2 dozen XT6's for nearly 20 years. only radiator that will work for an XT6 is an XT6 radiator, period. do not go looking for any or asking more questions where to buy one - you're wasting your time. if you DO happen to find one listed (because you don't listen to about not looking for the non-existent things), it's not an XT6 radiator. it'll be an XT radiator every single time. LOTS of places have them mis labelled or will say they fit - they won't. you can find XT6 radiators LISTED - but it'll never be an actual XT6 radiator, trust me. tons of people don't listen and buy them anyway, only to find out it's not right. only options are an XT6 radiator from Subaru ($300 online...maybe a couple dollars cheaper). or fabricate another radiator to fit - like an XT radiator. it's smaller and has the smaller pipes, the mounts don't line up and the screw holes for the fans don't line up - not terribly hard but it's not a drop in either. i have two used XT6 ones if you're interested PM or email. both were bought new a few years ago.

sweet, nice. you're nuts, getting into those green boards crazy head! great job. how did you wire the height switch on yours? i tapped into the proper wire and installed a momentary switch and that didn't do it for me. though i know someone else that did and it worked fine. we came to the conclusion that some years are slightly different than others, we think the 88 XT6 is easier. but you're not talking about XT's so....

oh wow. i figured swapping valves would never work being all different geometry.

i'd go with the subaru remann'ed. nearly every EJ that's come through my hands has an alternator that says "reman" on it, that's odd to me. recall was only one year though right? there's plenty of folks that use non-OEM parts that i find it surprising how many Subaru reman i see. i'd first verify that your numbers indeed mean it's the alternator. 12+ volts on the battery and 14+ while running sounds semi-normal? but no one has said anything so maybe that's not right? if it's charging/electrical then when it's bucking and misfiring and stalls in the driveway a quick jump start and leaving the cable connected should rule all that out in a matter of seconds?

great job beast. silly questions - could you have just left it? if it retains timing seems like it would be okay, some engines are piston to valve interference right? can you swap valves? that seems like an obvious "no", but just asking.

i'm not, i went all out and castrated this to FWD too mostly because no one else does. but i think you mean the TCU since that's where the programming would be. i can't recall if i swapped that or not, i need to check my notes but i think i did. i should try another though to be sure.

you are removing an EGR engine...and all it's "holes/vacuums" you mention with it. then you install a non-EGR engine without any "holes..etc" so you have nothing to do. you'll have a check engine light that is very difficult to get rid of (no one has successfully done it yet). i currently have one and have cut wires, swapped ECU's...etc and there's something funny about how Subaru did this and no one's figured it out yet. my state doesn't require emissions or anything so it doesn't matter.

doesn't much matter. nipper makes a good point but i swap wheels all the time and change tire sizes like my socks and never have alignment issues. tire alignments are rarely needed. based on suggestions from someone that did them for a living i quit getting alignments about 10 years ago and have never needed one. with as often as i'm rotating tires - Subaru 4WD and snows, etc - i would notice if tires start wearing unevenly or steering wheel pull. i've never had those issues. i mostly dislike alignments because they're inconvenient and i can't do it myself, so it works for me and i'll keep doing it until i see abnormal wear.

gotcha, thanks. i gotta quit plugging EGR's, i keep forgetting which have it/don't. EJ18 AT it's funny my city and highway mileage is the same: 26 around town and highway (mountains). 32 in flatland. doesn't seem to run/shift as well as it should, maybe because of removing the charcoal canister/lines and EGR/trans swap? it doesn't downshift when it's supposed to so i shift manually at certain times.

i recall other folks posting prices paid for these jobs and $250-$300 and $500 for the pair come to mind. did you get any quotes yet? our rust issues are bad so i order stuff from "the real south" (georgia, etc) and out west. i suppose this region is south of you but MD/WV is not typically considered part of the "south", depending on political/cultural/context of discussion - but for rust we definitely have no share in their no-rust zone. even if you don't do it here, i recommend it for any parts you might need in the future. order from like Georgia or out West where there's more Subaru's.

crank or cam sensors cause no start conditions, and they'll do it without causing a check engine light/code. since you have easy access to a parts yard, just go pull a couple of them off and have them ready to swap out. they're really easy to replace - just a 10mm bolt holds each one in place and while tight, they are not hard to replace and dont' require removing much, if anything. it's not likely to be the MAF sensor you're talking about, but i'm not against throwing sensors at weird stuff like this. Subaru's very rarely have fuel issues like pump, relay, or filter.

i've seen lots of bubbles coming out, but if you're continually seeing bubbles that doesn't sound like a good sign. failed EJ25's do not easily come down once they start overheating, so the fact that it's wavering means it's not a "typical" EJ25 head gasket failure. that and the fact that they've already been replaced means we might not know what to expect. test for exhaust in the coolant and compression and wetness on any spark plugs. in case you didn't know, replacing the headbolts on these motors is pointless. that is determined by what kind of headbolts are used in a given application and in this case it's not the kind that need replaced. that's why some are and some are not.

subaru rear mains are not forgiving and frequently leak once replaced. i'd use an OEM subaru seal and proceed very cautiously/slowly to make sure it's installing perfectly flush. rear main seals very rarely leak on subaru's, i'd make absolutely sure it's the rear main seal before attempting it. but they can leak, it is a 15 year old car. so yank the motor and replace it. if it's an automatic make sure you know how to seat the torque converter or you run the risk of ruining your transmission. just bolting the engine and trans together will crush the trans oil pump without properly seating the torque convertter.

i would have guess something less ominous like a bearing going out in a timing pulley or loose flexplate, but this sounds bad.

hardest part is the EGR ports in the heads, not the wiring/intake, otherwise any Ej22 intake with EGR would solve it too. EJ18 has a goofy throttle body and idle control set up, i don't know that an EJ25 harness would swap right on it - probably would but i don't know. the EJ18 i used had the knock sensor hole already bored and threaded, forgot to mention that. so just screw in the knock sensor and plug it in.

who goes to them anymore ? my time is too valuable to wait in line and they go pull the part, etc. i order them from down south or out west and get a hub for $25 with no rust. i source the low end of the cost scale, call while i'm driving to work, and it shows up on my doorstep.