idosubaru

in general pulling the strut bolts is easier than the control arm/ball joint. mark the top bolt to install back in it's original position as it controls alignment. ball joints are typically MUCH harder to get out due to rust/seizing than axle shafts. i've never had a problem pulling an axle. but ball joints - always a headache. seized in place, tear the ball joint boot, rusted and sheared off pinch bolts, the ball joint seized in the control arm and housing much like your axle, and the housings can crack too....just an overall nightmare usually. after owning 30+ subaru's, and working on others, i can say that's common, not just anecdotal!

i saw it too late, but while reading the first post i was thinking 8 or 10 x 1.25. nearly all subaru threads are 1.25, with the exception of the really tiny stuff of course (which are 1.00). and the huge stuff might be 1.50 - like the crank, but i'm not sure. but all the average bolts are 1.25.

i have the exact same vehicle - 97 OBS EJ22 4EAT AWD. i don't think yours sounds like it's running at 100%. i'd be interested in seeing the gas mileage you're getting and what type of driving to get it. and that compression test result. that being said, i think this car has a 100,000 mile valve adjustment, has that ever been done? general condition of the car? brakes could be dragging, trans/diff fluid changes? clean the MAF.

yeah, that's not normal. i just broke one off a week or two ago. just like porcupine suggested, they're often just fused in with the hub. and even after that, it's easy to damage the ball joint rubber boot trying to remove it as well. i was slamming a massive 6 foot 100 pound digging bar on a control arm the other day over and over again and the ball joint wouldn't come out. had to use the pickle fork which is easy to tear the boot with.

there's a side to every story, it's a bit presumptuous to comment out of context. maybe they aren't offended by your answers, but there's more to it than that? "the issue isn't the issue" usually applies. i doubt it's because of money spent on a lift kit.

Mr.Radon of the Subaruxt forum rebuilt an ER27 (6 cylinder XT6 engine). Same process and similar in nearly every respect as far as the steps and function. he documented it quite well with pictures. hopefully Shawn or CCR see this, they have actually done it. Or someone that knows of a good rebuild thread from another forum.

doing the plastigauge thing is a turn off for me, requiring the block to be split and put back together twice. the second major strike is the cost. you could probably try and "bearing slap it" and not do anything else. but when splitting a block it's typical to have the crank checked and ground if needed, the bores honed, and the rods reconditioned i think. add to that the main bearings, rod bearings, and piston rings and you're in quite a chunk of change. but i guess you could try and get away without doing any of that other stuff. i've already bought some bearings and want to do it at least once just for fun/learning experience, so to me it's worth it once at least. we'll have a block rebuild party one day dave!

so far the H6 has a better reputation than the EJ25's. you won't need to do head gaskets, timing belt, tensioner, or pulleys or seals hopefully. you just hope the timing chain tensioner holds well. that's essentially a $600-$1000 job and i haven't heard of anyone doing it themselves yet. i'm sure that will change as time goes on..i think? there's a nice recent thread about some minor issues and how to address them yourself, they're rather simple. check it out.

sorry mike, i forgot to qualify that maybe it's something else. of course you'd want to make sure before replacing something that isn't the problem. axle/wheel lug nuts are all tight and proper? and if you don't mind the time constraint you can always return axles, but i'd rather have something of known quality. that's preference to a point.

new/remann'ed axles suck. get Subaru or MWE. there is no shortage of "i replaced my axles but there's still a clicking, juddering, shaking, vibrating, leaking" threads. you can search to find more info on how problematic axles are. if you're time is valuable i'd recommend not wasting it!

you'll want to get the FSM, someone on here can probably send it to you. that's the Subaru factory service manual with a step by step. i'd spend some serious time reading if you're not familiar with this stuff. you have an inteference engine, if you don't do it right you will have internal engine damage. remove, in roughly this order: radiator fans. radiator overflow. radiator. accessory belts, accessory belt bracket, crank pulley, timing covers, timing belt.

yep, lots of info on here. replace the PCV valve with a subaru unit immediately, it could help slow down the oil leak. it's only $10 from subaru and is very easy to replace. i'd get the entire Ebay timing belt kit (keep in mind there are two tensioner styles, yours is "probably" the later style). they include all the pulleys as well at a very reasonable cost. newer styles are 100 more than older styles. which is sad since the older tensioners are more reliable. but you're replacing it anyway. on EJ engines (yours) the crank seal is part of the oil pump. so the easiest way to replace the crank seal is to remove the oil pump, install the seal out of the car and carefully install the pump to the engine. you'll want to remove the oil pump anyway in order to add locktite and tigthen any screws on the back as well as reseal it to the block in case that's leaking as well. having cam seals and orings handy isn't a bad idea either as they could be seaping. you have an interference engine. installing the timing belt incorrectly can cause internal engine damage. read a lot on here and the appropriately related endwrench articles, which you'll find with some proper searching. good luck, they're not too bad. just give yourself lots of time the first go around.

yep, i kind of figured that from you, i didn't use the word "stressful" randomly! i wasn't expecting pictures but am pleasantly surprised. i would suspect a sensor is toast if it's intermittent. if it's on all the time then a tone ring could be cracked. i would guess one of those two things though, they're the items getting submerged and experience shock...in lots of ways!

no problem with the oil. i doubt 15" rims will fit. but it's going to get really confusing because not all 15" rims are equal. on dual piston calipers (which you'll find your H6 has), some 15" rims fit and some do not. find some of the brake caliper threads, there's a really good one by jamal (i forget his user name). it's on nasioc as well. it lists lots of brake caliper information for upgrading but includes what wheels fit over which calipers. 15" is the limit though so some fit and some don't...i think.

do some searching here, there are instructions here and links to some great endwrench site. i spent a few minutes reading through those and read my ABS code myself and fixed it. i'd start by trying to get that code pulled, that's going to really narrow it down for you. all your tires match? no check engine lights? any recent accidents, work or stressful situations? +1 to nippers vote - make sure you know what a "good" sensor should look like and make sure yours looks like that. they can get eroded and need replaced. there was also an ABS recall on some 90's legacy's i think, but i think it was just a bad fuse or relay and caused different problems. but my memory is vague so you might want to look into that. i have a 1997 Legacy parts car if you need parts.

You did not mention so i'll tell everyone that you used aftermarket axles. Right? I'm not psychic but after market axles absolutely suck. Get a used or new Subaru axle or go with MWE. Anything else is a crap shoot. New verses rebuilt or shop A verses shop B or brand this verses brand that hardly matters. If you want proof, just look up all the axle threads on here, you'll see tons of threads of folks with bad "new" axles.

Seems like non-transactions wouldn't count, or mean much. I would have bought it though that price is hard to believe. Why not just give it away rather than devalue it that much? For 3x that it would have sold the same day it was listed. Whoever is in charge of the estate, property, expenses, and settling any debts isn't likely to let something like that slide. Are you sure it wasn't a scam "car will be shipped upon payment"? The overall best - good car for a good price - was last year. 1997 Legacy Sedan, manual, great condition, new clutch, minor surface rust (impossible to find around these parts), new tires, great paint, only 100,000 miles for $900. Picked it up for a friend. Our 2002 OBW H6 VDC was $3,250 but it needed some work so that wasn't the final cost to me. I've got a bunch for free, got 3 free XT6's from one guy and turned some freebies down too.

I did but didn't see the question in it. go ahead and post here, it makes it easier to keep track and im' not well versed with A/C. i make it work, replace parts, and charge it, but i'm lacking really when it comes to A/C.

no, he's got an aftermarket stat in there.

awesome GL, thanks! i've been wondering that about the earlier gens. i know the engines dont' play well but didn't know about the trans. that's good info, i couldn't find it searching here. awesome! i saw that recent thread.

yeah, just charge it yourself with whatever they have at AAP. didn't you already do that though - buy a can and charge it?

here i am replying to your PM. i agree with above statement. probably don't want to jump without checking some simpler things, but sounds like headgaskets.

yes, really! i was answering his question, not making a universal statement: he's aware of the final drive issue, so the answer becomes yes. well actually it comes down to semantics by "pay attention to" does he mean "are there any matching final drive ratios" or "i'm willing to swap diffs if i find a smoking deal".....so we need him to clarify since the former is "No." and the later is "Yes." at least...i think later stuff works, i asked you in an older thread if you knew for sure the 93/94 stuff will swap into earlier stuff and you didn't answer (you probably didn't see it). do you know if they will (minus the final drive issue)? he can make this work, like swap rear diffs, run FWD, etc if he wants options.

replace the PCV valve first, maybe that will reduce your leaks?

i used to use them in aerospace engineering programs and have since forgotten everything. but even then, i used them more than understood them if that makes any sense (like your customers GL!!!!). did you try searching at all, like just a quick google search to see what's out there? i'd probably start there or in a library. but who's got time for that right?