idosubaru

Yeah, I've done quite a few. They're actually fairly easy. The Beck Arnleys at the auto parts stores seem really high quality, but chances are you're never doing them again so probably doesn't much matter. The hardest part is just having good tools and dealing with rust. The outer tie rod is typically a tricky one to remove. Just have a bunch of good metric wrenches available and interlock them (do you know that trick?) to get some leverage. Also - be sure to mark the position of the outer tie rod end and count how many times it unthreads from the inner tie rod. It maintains your alignment so you want to install it in exactly the same position. Usually this step is very easy because the shaft that's covered by the tie rod is nice and clean and the rest is obviously rusted/exposed, etc. And the tigthening nut may even stay in place depending how you do it. If any of that sounds confusing, don't worry it's not once you see it. I've actually replaced tie rods before without even jacking the car up and removing the tire so "technically" this is probably doable without even removing the wheel. But I don't recommend it at all, just an example of how simple it is. As for play - the joints do have some play naturally, depending which direction you're talking about, they do "wobble" just based on design. But if it's actual play in a direction that's not normal they definitely need replaced. Tie rods are about one of the most dangerous safety components on the car. Loose one of those and you're in for a world of hurt. Not trying to scare you, but there's hardly a part more dangerous - except maybe install a wheel!

nah, the idlers just loose grease over time, that's they're down fall. "air flow" isn't going to reduce that any significant amount.

Reseal the oil pump and replace cam shaft seals too while you're at it. Or at least any of those that appear "wet", meaning those are likely to leak. And PCV and thermostat too - that's a Subaru only part by the way, the aftermarkets are super cheezy, they look like toys for your toddler compared to the Subaru ones.

It's a tapered fit, with enough pressure it's just like your hand holding a Coke bottle while screwing the cap on. Try screwing the cap on without holding an empty bottle, won't get it tight. Next - hold the bottle tight with your other hand and screw it on. Walla, it's tight! Same thing, the jack puts lots of force around the stud portion that presses up into the tapered part of the hub.

do you know if you have solid lifters or hydraulic valve lash adjusters? the HLA's are always noisy after being torn down. solid should not be, but i can't keep straight when EJ's changed and which has what. that yours is falling apart definitely points to something more sinister though. If it was a Ford I might shrug my shoulders, but these motors do not randomly drop valve train parts, something was wrong for that to happen and probably needs addressed.

Heads *should* be machined for finish but my guess and experience says it will probably hold.

I'm on dial up so no pic's. Yeah all that rear stuff is all easily doable with regular tools and without even dropping the trans, just a couple hours. But sounds like your trans is hosed, pointless it seems to fix the 4WD on a slipping and erratic transmission. 1995 Legacy - you should be able to use any 1991-1998 legacy or impreza transmission. Just make sure the final drives match (legacy outback's and any EJ25's for that matter probably won't work as they are 4.44 final drive). Yours will be 4.11. Subaru 4EAT transmissions changed very little over the years. An impreza/legacy transmission can even work in the older generation stuff if you just convert the plugs which they changed. Bellhousings differ, but that's just bolt holes, everything else is nearly identical.

Tires have been rotated with no change. I don't think tire noise would increase the temps 30 degrees on one side over the other, I would think that has to be friction related. I'm going to make sure the brakes aren't dragging and then swap in another hub.

It's been awhile since I did an EA82. On the ER27 (XT6 based off the EA82 - same pistons, valves, injectors, rings, bearings, etc), it has a pin in the crank pulley. The crank pulley has a hole that the pin is pressed into. This then slides into one of the holes in the timing sprockets on the crank shaft behind the pulley. Either way, it's actually not necessary, but maintains proper alignment for timing off the crank pulley. Without it you can still time it off the flexplate/flywheel though through the bellhousing access hole. I've installed tons of the XT6 ones without the pin in place, make sure they are TIGHT and they won't come off. I use a socket and 3 foot extension pipe and give it some good torque. It's not aluminum so no worries on stripping (well, i'm sure it's possible!).

the permatorques will be denoted by a "PT" in the part number. order online from Autozone. Heck I might have a set I could send you for whatever I paid, minus a few bucks, whatever. I think I ordered 4 last time when I only needed 2. the Subaru ones are good. For other models (all newer stuff) nearly everyone on here would say Subaru only, but the PT's are the preferred gasket here for EA/ER motors. Basically saves you a retorque and done right you won't ever be doing it again anyway so it doesn't matter.

yeah it's not a big deal actually, they can essentially run indefinitely like that, just disables the Duty C solenoid and runs FWD and there's literally no difference between Subaru FWD and AWD trans, i mean there are but you can actually convert one to the other. The fuse would cause problems trying to diagnose AWD issues so that's why I say don't use it! ah ha, Bob stole the cookie from the cookie jar! The truth comes out! I believe my first guess is sounding more and more likely. Sounds like AWD is not working at all. Either the duty C/clutches are completely shot - or given how hard you drive it the rear clutch hub/gear thinga-ma-bob (pun intended) is broken. They can be replaced without dropping the trans. Actually the entire 4WD set up in the rear transfer housing can be replaced without dropping the trans - clutch discs, Duty C (controls line pressure) and this hub/gear thing. For future reference pulling the pan is not necessary for draining the fluid. Actually it's not necessary for anything. If you messed with the "filter" (which is futile, since it's not really a "filter" but a screen) then that could be the problem. The rubber oring may not be seated right reducing all of your line pressures. But my guess is it's just hosed. Get a used trans, they're reliable enough that they're a dime a dozen because demand is low (meaning they don't fail all that often). You could unplug the transmission wiring harness and see what happens. It's default is fully *locked* 4WD and 3rd gear, I've driven a daily driver like this before for a very long time including highway...everything, daily driver duties. It'll run fine, just a bit slow on take off, so it'll be like driving and 80's Subaru!

Actually..i'm not as familiar with EA81 as EA82 but pretty sure they're similar in these regards. Fel-Pro permatorque gaskets are the most widely used head gaskets by those of us familiar with these older engines. Most of us add 5-10 pounds to the final torque value. No - never use anything on a Subaru head gasket - from 1980 to now, always dry and perfectly clean surfaces you're working with. If you use a Subaru head gasket they require a retorque which is annoying. If you end up doing that (poor guy!), don't install sealant on the cam cases or valve cover gaskets until the final reassembly, no point in doing that and cleaning it all over again.

He has a good point. Dealer quoted my cousin $699 to replace just the timing belt. Add cost of water pump and probably another $120 for the sprocket pulley (one most likely to fail). Oil pump seals and cam seals should be inspected as well and any wet ones replaced, those are only a few dollars and easy/cheap though. But should be requested. Add a PCV valve and thermostat on the bill too - but those are only $20 total for both and take only a few minutes and literally one tool to replace. $900 should be close. Subaru specialist can beat that price considerably, ask for Subaru parts for this job. Probably $700 for all of the above work.

mileage is calculated by total miles driven divided by how much you put in at the gas pump. not by how big your gas tank is, that is completely irrelevant actually. using the gas tank size is not even close to accurate. by "81" you mean 1981 or EA81?

That fuse is supposed to be missing. That's to force the trans into FWD mode. Leave it empty. Sounds like your transmission is on the way out. But of course we'd like to check to be sure. Back in the early 90's there was some recall with the transmission...required installing an external filter or something? I would look up that TSB or info here about that to see if yours fits the bill. how did you change the transmission fluid? Did you drain and fill? If so, that's not nearly enough to actually remove the old fluid as it only gets about 1/3 of the fluid out. AWD transmissions need fluid changed frequently - at 162,000 it should have been completely changed a few times by now. Tires need to all match in tread depth and be rotated frequently. Not doing these things reduces the life of your trans.

What exactly are you looking for? Are you swapping out an air-suspension equipped vehicle? Yeah, just get a newer set of Legacy or Impreza strut assemblies and swap them out. like 1991-2001 are all usable, maybe folks on here can give some specifics. I'm not sure when the suspension changed in the 200X? $35-$50 each, maybe save a few bucks if you buy the entire set. You can even post in the parts wanted forum here, folks may have some. I'd avoid Impreza Outback Sport rear struts, they're kind of weak and tend to sag - that may even apply to all Impreza's, I'm not sure. They actually work fine, just kind of sag a bit in the rear (there's a specific thread about it on here actually by Zap).

I have a parts car, if it's clean and no dents I might just swap doors. I have to paint the hood and fender anyway due to Mr. Deer (2 in one week ). If the parts car door is clean, straight, and no dents I might use it.

Crack, okay well do you have any further info or pictures? I'm not even sure what this is all about - it seems like it's not about the actual lock switch (meaning the drivers master inside switch that toggles back and forth), but something else inside the door?

Don't make me so prophetic!!! The facts are that this "debate" has minuscule real world value. That basically means your thoughts and zero real world experience are more valid than the experience of hundreds of thousands of miles by the many folks that have done this for years on this board. The CV analogy is way off since there's lots of folks running without covers with no problems. It's almost comical if you consider how many folks, Subaru's, and miles are being driven like this. This isn't about right and wrong. It's about choosing the option that's best for you.

Replace with Subaru headgaskets. Have the heads machined, read all the posts on here about how to do it. Call the local dealer and find out who does their machine shop work.

Okay the link to this "fix" is dead, so does anyone know more about this?

Don't goop it on - just find a piece of plastic to use as a cover, and just enough epoxy to make it adhere in place on the edges of the "cover". yep, it's great. none of this: I only replace my engines every other month:rolleyes:. Seriously, let's not even venture down that road, this thread will turn useless in no time. Opinionated arm chair quarterbacks jump off the couch and spill their beer and wings in the process of yelling about this and act like they know what's best for everyone and no one else (even folks that have owned 30+ Subarus) has a clue. There's plenty of other threads to read all the different sides to that debacle, no need to do it all over again. Oh nice, an engineer! I'm an AE and have a few NASA birds floating around with code that I created. Maybe if my satellites start falling you can reinstall your belt covers . Belt covers are nice, I'm not going to say that's wrong, it's a good idea. But I prefer the benefits of leaving them off. I run my cars for 200,000 miles and like to save time and be able to inspect pulleys/tensioners in 10 seconds any time I want. I find that more valuable than having the covers in place for my needs.

easy - the pressure keeps it from spinning. With the jack under the tie rod - right under the stud, it has so much pressure on it that it won't spin. Done is zillions of times. Should be 10x1.25 thread. Maybe 12/1.25? Lug nuts are 12x1.25 so that should tell you.

Right on, I agree to an extent that it could be better, but a little perspective never hurts. As you can tell my experience has been similar to yours - the online vendors don't provide exceptional service from a time and accuracy point of view (read above notes and add a few more not mentioned). Very nice, very helpful and reasonable when a problem occurs though. And some (like Jamie) are board members and help folks out from time to time, that's very cool. A few tips: The best is to do what I do and ask your local dealer to match the online prices. That makes it very simple. Although I still order often because it saves me a trip to the store. They're already giving that discount to other local vendors, so they typically don't care if you're nice and it helps probably if they've seen you before rather than just busting up in there demanding something. Parts on my porch > driving to the store. Get the part number and order it online (subarugenuine has online ordering). Then you're left with only finding out if it is in stock. Some of the online vendors are starting to encode which items are in stock and stuff, probably all will have that functionality very soon. Subaru's new part number website: http://opposedforces.com/parts/ I usually find out the part number (I have parts books, call the local dealer, or look it up online or here), then order from their website. No need to ask or email anyone. In a sense it probably falls under the "you get what you pay for" motif. They aren't making money hand over fist like the dealers so they won't be putting mad resources into that either. They're getting questions and requests from folks that don't end up ordering. Working for free isn't a good way to run a business either.

GAH!! No, this is not a big deal. You know what, I don't even reinstall my timing belt covers because they're annoying. Saves me time at the next belt change and I can do a quick visual of the tensioner and all the pulleys. So I run "Naked". Anyway, I'm not trying to start that discussion because it always turns into a pointless arm-chair opinionated circus. My point is that if I (and many other people) run without ANY covers, a hole is not going to matter. That being said, epoxy a piece of plastic over the top. The two tubes in one epoxies are AMAZING. Clean the area thoroughly and seal it up. If it's the side timing cover then that's easy to replace - three 10mm bolts and you're done. If it's the center then yeah just plug it and leave. You have nothing to worry about with any of the above choices, so just chill out and plan on enjoying the snot out of your Saturday!!!