idosubaru

on one hand, throw whatever you want in it as it sounds like good maintenance is not part of this vehicles life. "may" have bad headgaskets. find out exactly what is wrong, then proceed with the proper replacement of the failed parts. sealants are undesirable and generally not considered good long term fixes. considering you have a motor that's easy to get another 60,000 reliable miles out of cheaply and easily it's a good idea to fix it right as soon as possible. it costs money but so does a new car or another used car.

Oh right on, I forgot about those older ones with aux-in.

Are any of the newer Subaru stereos with aux in or blue tooth plug and play with older models that didn't come with those options? Kind of surprised noone is asking, I guess everyone who wants those just buys a new Subaru?

here's a simple way to do it that's cheap and probably what I may do if i end up with a non-tape deck stereo: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18212&highlight=aux here's a pre-made version for aux in: http://www.jazzyengineering.com/product_info.php?products_id=44 ipod, you'd want charging too? not sure about that, i just use my phone and can plug that in separately to charge. home made version: http://www.instructables.com/id/Add_an_Aux_In_jack_for_Clarion_Stereo_Head_Unit_I/ there's more out there too - one for a 2002 WRX CD changer that i've seen before.

that's exactly what i thought when mine was "clunking" on potholes too. i should clarify though - i ended up swapping the entire strut assembly (strut, coil, top hat), entire assembly and the noise went away. so actually it was probably the strut that was bad in that case. *** sorry i'm getting confused as i've had that issue, a broken spring, and failed top mount bearings all in the past year on different cars.

It's already been done. Look it up and there are write-ups online showing exactly which ribbon and wires to tap into in order to set up an aux in or ipod connection. I've seen the write ups, just google it, they are very well documented with pictures too. There are also "already converted" subaru stereos for sale. I saw one on ebay not too long ago.

this is just like everyone else faced with O2 sensor issues. based on your feelings maybe this is a good way to proceed: do the anti-fouler. if you still have the code, get a new sensor. if you don't like the gas mileage, get a new sensor. the antifouler isn't going to affect gas mileage but will protect you from unwanted CEL's.

*some* 15" might fit, but not all. there are definitely some 15" subaru rims that won't fit.

the noise i had that was similar to what you're describing ended up being strut related - i think it was the top strut mount. is your vehicle lifted at all? or maybe EA81 steering geometry is different?

i believe i've even seen devices you can install to remove the rear O2. mimmics O2 output so you don't get the CEL.

well you can easily and cheaply keep the EA82 running. sometimes it helps to just crack down and knock out a few major annoyances with a car at one time. get a game plan for the coming weeks and you might feel a lot better about the car. a newer EJ would be nice. but that's also an expense and getting further behind never helps. and another used car is likely going to need something.

you can get shipping estimates from usps.com. try 50 pounds, though i think 60-ish is the limit, so try two 35 pound boxes as well in case it's 70, etc. you'll get a feel for what you're up against.

yeah - XT6's do not rub on 14" wheels, i've run all sorts of rims on them. they do rub if you install the tie rod on the wrong side with 14" rims, which i did because i was out of the other side and didn't remember that when i went from 16" to 14" snows. very odd yours are rubbing - some geometry is off somewhere. is this lifted? chux - how about a lift affecting it, does that make sense? it angles the tie rods "up" and cause them to rub a bit as clearance is lost. i noticed that with my XT6 - although i still don't have rubbing even with a 2" lift (no spacers on the crossmembers) and 14" wheels....but it is tighter and i think it rubbed for a second, like after having it off the ground - then put it back on the ground and driving for a second before the suspension settles out to nominal. but i was confused that no EA folks have mentioned this before, so i've been wondering? fitting legacy/imp struts isn't a big deal, if that part scares you, you shouldn't be doing this swap it's really simple. spread the flanges wider on the struts or grind the hub down, it's very simple and easy. it's not rocket science.

you're not going to see a difference either way, go with whatever you want within the guidelines of the fluid specifications. folks have too much reliance on fluids doing some quick fix or being something magical - but that's where our society is right now, look at prescription drug use and abuse....it's starting to show up in our drinking water it's so bad ! i'd lean away from that mode of thinking for this car, it has far more higher risk items on the list than transmission fluid.

It's been overheating for 5 months? The one car that I had that was run with bad head gaskets for a while (my own) had some engine block damage from running it like that. Car ran perfect and just had a slow leak. When I took it apart, the block had wear, a notch of metal warn away, where the coolant leak was. I guess prolonged driving it like that caused it. It did look repairable, but I would keep an eye where the leak is and make sure the block looks good there.

Wow that sucks. Too late but there are better options than Jasper, but that's a nice warranty if they come through for you. Hope they do. If you have any say in the matter - request Subaru headgaskets, I would be Jasper doesn't use those.

+1 excellent description of exactly what i've done a few times. it's very easy - but very awkward due to the size/weight. having a helper this job would be a cinch, but i've always done it by myself with no problems.

hydraulic lifters can make a racket ,easily mistaken for knocking. EJ engines are known for piston slap too - rarer on EJ22's, but still happens, but i'm not sure what years were susceptible to that? 95, yes or no?

Yes it's possible, seen it plenty of times. You won't find a "stock" EJ25 engine doing this though - it would be an artifact of the remanufactured engine. Either their process or gaskets were sub-par. What are the details of the reman'ed engine? Complete rebuild or what? From who? No warranty? That being said - having a remann'ed engine installed only to have oil leaks and coolant loss - sounds like you got hosed by the remanned engine company. I would suggest doing some more research next time...like you're doing right now...in the future. Good luck and maybe you'll get lucky and it's something simple.

i doubt it was rod knock and i doubt it hurt anything. i've never looked into which EJ's (which got what) but if it has HLA's then that was definitely the issue. engines with HLA's are terribly loud when started after sitting for a long time or being apart. they can sound like they're so bad they're about to die - but then be fine after a few minutes. all the older EA82's and ER27's were like that. so yeah - my guess is just normal acclimation and priming of the valve train.

cool, yup glad it worked out for you. bellhousing bolt alignment changed in 98, so yeah you 99 would be the newer style.

You can try and save a few dollars buying a used one. Or get a new one. At $100-$140 tops new you can't really go wrong getting a new one. It's nice having all the bolts and capture nuts in good condition. Ebay has a bunch of options. You can post in the parts wanted forum here, someone may have one. I bought one from a board member just a couple months ago. The new one I bought a few months ago goes below the muffler and kind of hangs down low, I'm not a huge fan but doesn't really matter that much and I have much bigger things to worry about too. But the other one I got appears to go above the muffler and has a tighter fit. Lots of outback specific hitch discussions and pictures at subaruoutback.org too. hope that helps.

As for the bolts, if there isn't enough thread to get it out with tools, then drill it out with left handed drill bits. That's the best option. EZ outs absolutely suck - but fortunately they will work here only because these are really easy. But it's kind of a dumb option - if EZ outs work then I can tell you with absolutely certainty they'd come out with all sorts of other options. EZ only work if it's easy, so why not put your money in a real tool that can do some hard work.

Anaerobic sealant is ideal for this situation but RTV will work fine as well. Anaerobic sealant doesn't cure inside the fluid if too much gets squished inside. The RTV will cure inside leaving you a chunk of cured sealant in the works. That's why you'll find the differences in recommendations on labels and from people, folks view that differently. There's nothing quantitative about it, personal preference and doing the job right. Either will work if the job is done properly.

My thoughts. For most folks I don't think dual range is going to really matter. I use my vehicle a fair amount in snow and off road and I can't think of a time where it would have made a difference. But I'm not into it for sport, hobby, or crawling. If that sounds more like you then go the D/R. You could entertain FT4WD as well, might open up your sources and they are nice. I also think that all dual ranges aren't created equal. Some are 4 speeds (older EA81 only maybe). And then some are lower low gearing than others, I think you want the low ones as the others don't offer much reduction - probably not worth the swap. 1.59 comes to mind?