idosubaru

could it be low on gear oil, yes. but i doubt it. i'm betting it's the speedo head or VSS. if it's under warranty go get it fixed or documented now.

Coil over conversions are done all the time, i have on in my garage now and have owned a bunch that have been converted. no need to remove anything but the struts, just unplug the computer which is under the seat or there's a wiring harness connector by the fuse box to disconnect the computer too. you need to specify what vehicle as the conversion differs a bit depending what you're talking about. but in general any vehicle that's the same platform is a bolt in and simple swap - EA82-EA82, XT6-XT6, EJ-EJ. just get a set of 4 coil overs from the same body style and you're golden. i'm assuming you're talking about EA82 in which case it's really easy just get any EA82 complete set of strut assemblies and swap.

so if the engine is coming from Subaru they take the engine back too?

yeah doesn't really matter where you cap them off.

ha ha, yeah that's me! I was making a point, I have no intention of buying it (though I would). this perfectly good motor is ending up somewhere, that's a nice pile of cash for somebody. she should ask for it back? or are they essentially "buying" it like that do a wrecked car?

That's a nice deal for a new engine - but $750 for a mistake by someone else seems odd. Are you going to be paying for more parts too - timing belt, water pump, timing tensioner, timing pulleys - or are those parts included in the $750? What happens to the old motor since it's still good? I'll buy it for $500 (then i'll flip it for $2k). Or maybe the insurance does something with the motor? Not sure where you'll be with timing components and water pump (additional costs, new, old stuff?)- but hopefully you're essentially buying 60,000 miles of engine life and avoiding what would be a timing belt job at 100,000 miles which costs $699 at the dealer and no worries of a valve job any time soon. Glad to hear you're on the road to recovery and getting your ride back. Nice hit on the service contract, glad that's working out since this was an error.

any time estimates - like how long did it take to do one fender? i have some before and after pictures of a guy i know that did this to his RX, i posted links to it here and on subaruxt.com. $64 paint job was the title of the thread on subaruxt.com. i told him not too and it looked good, i was impressed. he was driving the car a couple years, not sure what happened to it after that. he never clear coated it as far as i know.

If it is the ECU then that's an easy fix isn't it? Perfectly fine running EJ25 ECU's are a dime a dozen. I have at least one...if not more, but normally I scrap them because they're so cheap and easy to get due to low demand and high supply. They almost never fail. Junkyard database shows 500+ units available for the 97 OBW alone...start adding in other models with the EJ25 and other years and there's thousands of ECU's starting at $25. I have a 1997 EJ25 ECU that never gave a misfire when I drove it (with two different engines pre and post engine swap). So this ECU would fix all of these issues? I'm willing to mail it to you Emily but I would think you have plenty of ECU's to play with, swap, and test out - have you done that already?

Phil is like that man, he's a crazy head in a really good way. He needs his own TV show.

I've swapped auto/manual ECU's before in older Subaru's so I'm not surprised it's still the same. Buying a new ECU is insanely silly and overkill. The ECU's very rarely fail - I've never seen it happen nor do I really recall many on any Subaru board talking about it much. I'm sure it's happened. This makes used ones next to worthless - there is zero demand. So that also means they're super cheap at junk yards. They're also so easy to replace it doesn't warrant the outrageous cost for a new one. Chances of the ECU fixing your issue are small....although it is odd all the parts you replaced. But I would think you probably have a valve issue, that's more common than an ECU issue. How much is the one at a junk yard - I (or someone else on here) can mail you one already removed for the same price. Post in the parts wanted forum.

How can I get mine to give %110 like those Nike adds?

A lot of the Phase I 96-99 EJ25's I'm seeing already have the head gaskets replaced at some point in their lifetime, so there's a chance these have already been done. Done right they should last the life of the vehicle. Piston slap is a tapping noise that gets quieter as the engine warms. Fairly common but it's benign and doesn't cause any issues other than sound. I believe they have a few more wheel bearing issues (usually rears I think) than normal, but nothing like a plague. If it's an auto - change the fluids and screw on external filter. If it's a manual change the gear oil. It's an interference engine so if the timing belt breaks you'll have bent valves. At 12 years old it's wise to consider replacing all the pulleys, water pump, and timing belt to prevent that. The engine has a good shot at another 100,000 miles (next timing belt change) so it's worth doing right if the rest of the car is in good order.

that's what I thought. pretty much all of those super cheap adds you're talking about are scams. i've probably seen 100 or so of them, they're very common. if someone is selling a high dollar item really cheap there's hardly a reason to sell thousands of miles away and ship it.

they dont' get good gas mileage but they're great cars and someone wanting good gas mileage rarely looks for a heavy OBW with roof racks, high ground clearance, 4WD and a 6 cylinder. mine gets 22...maybe 23 on the highway and about 21 daily driving. the deal smells of scam, so proceed carefully. "buy now, ship later deals" are all over the internet.

EJ18's should have an EGR as well as lots of EJ22's....most do around me, but depends on years and such too I'm sure. That being said it doesn't matter at all. I machined a cap and plugged the EGR in my block and used a Non-EGR intake manifold. The vehicle is more reliable without EGR anyway, which is why I didn't want it when I converted mine. One less solenoid, wiring, and valve to fail and I've seen the system screw with AT's too, totally annoying for an unnecessary system to cause drivability issues in my opinion, not my style. I'm a dorky NASA engineer guy so points of failure annoy me by nature...maybe I shouldn't drive old subaru's!?!?!

Essentially it's 1996 for auto's and manuals. Although I've seen one or two 1997 FWD Auto's but they're oddballs. In your case the anomalies don't matter if you're looking for cars or parts you're looking for 1996 or earlier.

the transmission and front differential are essentially an assembly. it is very rare to separate them but possible. that's why you can hear both ways "they're the same"....or "they're not". in general the labor and parts to repair a front diff....and then the possibility of further damage means very few people are going to repair a front differential. that's totally acceptable. also Subaru automatic transmissions are extremely reliable and therefore used ones are cheap. last one i bought from a yard was $150, 100,000 miles, with a 3 or 6 month warranty. that's super cheap and not the going rate, but the point remains the same - transmission failures are rare enough that getting a used one is a good option. get one from a wrecked vehicle - then you know it was good! when you can buy a perfectly good trans for a couple hundred it just doesn't compare to rebuilding a front diff where you have to measure and adjust backlash and pay for parts.

the cams are extremely hard to turn by hand, so that's normal. if they both felt about the same i'd assume they're working properly. guess you're going for a leak down test? hmm, it's been awhile i forget off the top of my head where to place the cams. that being said, it should just be in the fully relaxed position. in other words....turn it by hand, it gets REALLY tight (that's the valve springs compressing via the cam lobes), then once that let's go...it'll spring really hard - that should be closed. i'd do that and see what mark is close to that point.

i would suspect wires (or coil on plug). i realize there are other causes, but on all the EJ NA's i've worked on cylinder misfire has been spark plugs every single time. Subaru OEM all the way on that one, I've seen brand new plug wires from the store cause not only a cylinder misfire but nearly undrivable vehicle.

That stinks. Does the timing tensioner work properly? Have you tried turning the cam over by hand to see if it feels right or not? I'd turn them both over to compare. If something is wrong internally you should feel it. Don't take offense if you're an SAE certified nuclear powered bicycle repair man, I just don't know: Are you sure you're lining the belt up properly, some folks confuse the crank marks. You're familiar with how to do a compression test? Just making sure since some folks don't know and turn it over by hand, etc.

"andover" doesn't tell me much but if you mean 300,000 km, that's chump change for any subaru. outside of the motors pretty much all Subaru's are very similar, if not identical, in terms of component part reliability. most of the time subaru uses many of the same parts, so differences essentially come down to the motor in terms of longevity. which leads to a +1 the EJ22 is far more reliable than the EJ25. EJ25's are easy to find with headgasket and bearing issues. but even still, that's fixable/replaceable.

it's not hard to read people, so walk if you have any suspicions...just like when a real shady car salesmen is talking BS. it's usually not hard to tell from an email or phone call even. take someone along that's good with people and intuitive if you're not comfortable. another example: someone has a car they don't like or has issues. multiple choice question, will they: A. Have buyers come to their home/work and have a transaction there. B. Trade it in. I'm sure you don't need to be in the auto biz to have heard people talk about trading something in as a "solution" to their vehicle problems. Good luck, hope you find something, Subarus are moving fast around here with the winter weather.

i would slow down a bit. The timing belt may be installed wrong. It's quite easy and common to use the wrong mark on the crank to install the belt. I would check there first. Or the battery is just weak from sitting? Check engine codes? Any info or diagnosis? "Car won't start - need engine" is really bizarre. You might not know or there might be mis-communication but that sounds like someone that I wouldn't trust to sharpen my pencil. A compression or leak down test (and reading the codes even before that) should be done before assuming you need a new motor, that's the definitive test in this situation. If anyone tells you "You need a motor" - you should run if you don't know or trust them, or if you do - immediately raise your eyebrows and start asking some questions. A proper response is "You have low compression in cylinder 2 which means your valves are bent, so you need a new engine or to repair this one." 1996 EJ22 is supposed to be non interference so you can not damage the engine by breaking the timing belt, it's impossible. But one possibility is that you have an odd "very-late" (if that's even possible) EJ22 that is actually an interference engine. I've never heard of that happening though. But it doesn't matter for two reasons: This would show up in a compression or leak down test, one of which should always be done by someone that knows what they're doing. And second bent valves are not hard to replace. I would repair your motor by replacing the bent valves, before doing an engine swap and installing some unknown used engine.

I would not want a new engine unless it's verified Subaru and not used. They're making out on this deal somehow because "Engine Replacement" is not necessary. Which is fine, just make sure you're not getting the short end of the stick just so they can make more money. I'd rather retain my own good engine than some unknown used or rebuilt. Your engine is fine actually - it just needs a head job - something they do every single day in a dealership. They're just trying to gouge the insurance company and get something out of this deal. They're probably drooling over the fact that once they replace your engine - they get to keep your old one, heck i'd want it too!

there's really no answer to the title question. to your vehicles - they have a significant chance of making 300,000. 300,000 highway miles is nothing. 300,000 city miles is terrible on vehicle. there are tons of wear items on any vehicle - alternators, starters, calipers, rotors, pads, bearings, axles, boots, ujoints, fluids, struts, radiators, relays, et.al...these things don't last forever. it's all up to the owner and personal discretion to decide when is enough in terms of replacing and costs. if you want to keep replacing parts any car can make 1,000,000 miles.