idosubaru

check engine lights are typically no big deal 99% of the time. Advanced Auto Parts, Autozone and other places read the codes free. Or buy a $30 scanner off ebay, well worth the investment. Worth it to save one trip for me. Most common is cylinder misfire. Which usually means it needs new plugs and wires. They need to be OEM/Subaru, so if you see new plugs/wires and they're not NGK plugs and Subaru wires, then that's probably the problem. Occassionally a cylinder misfire is the coil pack, no big deal either. Takes about 8 minutes to replace and can be had cheap. The next most common code is knock sensor, buy a new one. Again easy to replace with directions here including a picture. apprx $100 part. Oxygen sensors are common as well. Again, easy. apprx $100 part. Any other sensor throwing a code will be fine to replace with a used unit as the failures of other sensors are rare and don't necessitate buying new.

yes it could be the rocker cover gaskets. it could also be the cam seal/oring i mentioned above. both will look very similar.

yes, same. there are a few minor differences over the years - like hydraulic clutches were available in 96, and the bellhousing bolt pattern changed in 98, external screw on filter added to AT in 98..etc, but for the most part the transmissions are interchangeable with minor hiccups. the shifter i'd think is rather simple.

statistics don't bother many people, so this information is useless to some, but helpful to others. power and abuse don't cause the higher rates of EJ25 bottom end failures. daily driven EJ25's are having bottom end failure. way more than EJ22's. which is odd considering how many older EJ22's there are and how many EJ25's come in higher end, more expensive, and usually better maintained vehicles. EJ22's and EJ18's actually handle low boost very well (if you maintain your coolant temps and EGT's). that yours hasn't experienced any issues doesn't mean none do or that yours didn't in it's first 150k. plenty of info here or on any search engine, or any local classifieds in areas with lots of subarus "blown engine Subaru for sale", if you want to see the trend.

head gaskets were a problem for many manufacturers in the late 90's, this isn't a "subaru" thing. it was driven by consumers and marketing. bigger, faster, better mantra (to sell) went faster than engine technology which created problems. then manufacturers started playing catch up. some vehicles/engines had much higher (nearly %100) failure rates than EJ25's.

read some existing notes on seal replacements. they're kind of annoying. for your first time, remove the radiator for sure and get a PCV pipe cut the right size and the diameter of the seals to help drive them in. read as many timing belt/seal replacement/oil pump notes as you can to get yourself familiar.

which side is that? looks like the drivers side - hose and oil dipstick tube? good news is this is not a head gasket problem or the signs of anything significant. it's most likely the cam cap oring or seal. the orings are extremely brittle and leak like a seive at this point. these are best replaced with a timing belt job, so just wait until your next one or if it starts leaking really bad. the cam seal and cam cap oring both require the timing belt to be removed to get to them. it's really best to do everything at once - timing belt, cam seals, cam oring, oil pump reseal and at your age a water pump replacement. also a good idea to replace all the timing belt pulleys, ebay timing kits are only $80 or so. great deal.

Thanks dave. for once i got really lucky. the lights in the garage were faint and flickering, the heater wasn't working right, the timing belt slipped a tooth and i mucked up the oil pump seal when installing the pump and had to replace it twice.....but i got lucky with the tensioner. it was by far the "newest" feeling pulley i've ever removed from a 90's era Subaru'. It was still tight and smooth. Couldn't tell a difference between a used on and this one except by it being dirty. I was amazed, particularly considering i didn't replace it last time either, so it's probably original - 130,000 miles. So I reused that and installed all the other stuff brand new.

i'd start simple - rebuild the calipers (rebuild kits are a few dollars), grease everything, paying particular attention to the slides. flush your brake fluid. good chance that 20 year old components aren't 100%. throwing a new part at it here and there is kind of hit or miss.

okay, i've seen other threads with questions regarding confusion between 97/98 timing belt kits. i'm betting it's this tensioner that also has me confused. The 97 EJ22 on my engine stand has the horizontal style, the 97 in my daily driver is the single piece style. Odd. the kit i got had the horizontal bar style, but my 97 impreza had the single piece tensioner style.

i think i'm down for fabricating something next time. good call, something i should have done a long time ago. i used a rubber strap wrench this time, it held enough to hit the 60 ftlbs necessary. but it was like weight lifting of course trying to torque it and hold it!

nice info, i've seen folks ask about this so this should help them in the future. i don't think it's poor maintenance, EJ25's just have far more issues holding their bottom ends together than previous subaru's. i've also seen quite a few with bearing noises. i'd turbo an EJ22 with low boost. more power, can keep it non interference if you want, and more reliable than an EJ25, without the custom head and gasket drilling. they do well with low boost. but of course turbo sucks for off road right?

i'm with you, i'm not trying to say everyone is up for it or that's it normal. i'm just saying plenty of folks are driving "illegal" vehicles, i see it all the time. heck they still don't do anything about people driving 4 wheelers on the road out here...with kids on their laps!?:-\:-\ right on i'm familiar with yearly inspections - removal or bypass non-passing items and reinstall afterwards. "they don't want to loose their license..." giving out stickers does not equate to loosing their license. there's still folks that will give a sticker to folks they know without even seeing the car. (i even know of one in PA....without naming names it's in the general area of Uniontown, PA). and i've gotten similar treatment elsewhere before as well, they just ask that i let them know if i'm keeping the car or flipping it. if i'm keeping it, they don't care. bottom line, people do it all the time and it's not hard to *get away with*. not that i support or encourage such actions.

those kinds of regulations are often ignored. bumpers too high, lights to bright, tires too large, too much tint...there's regulations for that stuff but they are rarely enforced. you'd have to be hated by the law for them to think twice about pulling over *car* for something like that. granted, it may not be a legal issue but it would be a liability.

How many different EJ22/EJ25 timing tensioner set ups are there in the Phase I stuff? I am used to the tensioner bar pushing against the round tensioner pulley. My 1997 Impreza OBS does not have that. It has the single piece tensioner/pulley combo that has a pin on the top of it rather than the horizontal bar contraption. Funny thing is i did the timing belt on this car a few years ago and it's not due for the next one, I just didn't remember it having this style. I have another 97 EJ22 on an engine stand and it has the horizontal type? Maybe it's a 98, but I thought it was a 97. Guess the bellhousing would clarify that.

oh man, what a question. there's tons of 5 lug swap threads on here. there's too many different ways and options to recount it every time. read, study and make a list before asking any questions, there's too many possibilities. the parts are hard to find here in the US because there are XT6 only parts required to do it cheap and easy. i could send you the XT6 stuff necessary for this for a few hundred dollars. EJ stuff has rear ebrake so you'll have to also research the nissan rear caliper swap if you want to upgrade to bigger calipers - nissans have a set of rear calipers with ebrake that easily swap. search for that info as well. good luck.

*if* changing the fluid would resolve this issue, it is not surprising that one drain and refill would not do it. would need a flush or a few drain/refills since it only gets roughly 1/3 of the old stuff out of there. by "what trips the code", so you mean you read the TCU codes and got a Duty C solenoid code? if that's the case then it's stuck in one position. of course it could be something more ominous like TCU or wiring, but solenoids failing or sticking is nothing new and very common so that's probably the case. it likely needs replaced. probably a good time to replace the clutches too while you're in there depending how much you need the 4WD. for instance now i'd want all the traction i can get so i'd probably replace it. if i was still living in Atlanta, i probably wouldn't if they seemed okay and it used to work fine before the solenoid failed. if the job is beyond you, then cutting the duty C wire and trying to manually control it (like i and a few others do) is another option. no telling if that will work though given the condition you currently have.

cool thanks dave. i have 2 vice grips and a clamp, i might be able to do that tonight. and i'll get some more clamps for later.

this is the second time i've tightened an EJ cam shaft sprocket after installing everything and the cam sprocket slipped inside the timing belt. what do you all do to properly torque it without slipping? funny how i've always loosened the bolts and never had them slip when loosening them. but somehow when trying to tighten....click...CRAP!

isn't it only the clutch type LSD's that do that? i thought the VLSD's acted like open until it starts to slip?

all the previous posts are a good guide, it's mostly a waste of time. unless you want the novelty of telling folks it has "XYZ" on it, then go for it. if money is an issue, sounds like you can consider this good news and move on. non-turbo and turbo exhausts are completely different. a bit of a waste to install something now that's not ideal for something you might (probably won't) get later. the 93 exhaust should be identical to your 91 anyway. it might *look* bigger, but it's probably the same. probably just rust, lighting, ground clearance, heat shields, mental, grass is greener....something making it appear larger.

set aside extra time and do everything while it's apart. reseal the oil pump - seal, oring, and tigten the backing plate screws with lock tite on any that are loose (4 of them were on the one i just did yesterday). replace the cam seals and cam cap oring on the drivers side. if you decide to do these, loosen the 17mm camshaft bolt before removing the old timing belt. otherwise it's a pain. replace all the timing pulleys. the ebay kits are great, only $80 or so. i'd be more concerned about replacing the pulleys than the water pump, i've seen more of those fail. install the new belt from left to right - left (passengers side when you're working on it) cam, then across crank, the other cam, water pump, etc. finish off with the toothed idler last.

i don't know much about performance braking. but in trying to find better braking on my vehicles the consensus seems to be that drilled/slotted are not necessary nor would they help average driving. best for racing or high performance/high heat applications. the rear disc swap folks seem to love the improvement from that swap (this includes EA and EJ folks). i think i'd entertain that. upgrade to 5 lug and snag some EJ stuff. our impreza brakes really nice with WRX dual piston calipers up front. and that's still with rear drums?!:-\

more information. always remember, we can't see, hear, touch, see, or smell this thing. the USMB rocks, there's more subaru experience and knowledge here than probably anywhere else in the world. we'll be as helpful as the information we receive. which "seals" are you talking about? automatic or manual? if it's the front diff seals behind the axles then proceed carefully, but yes they can be done in relatively short order. the retainers need to be installed exactly where they were before you did the job as they are responsible for critical pre-loads inside the diff. 2 hours seems pretty quick actually for both.

probably more likely trans mounts than engine...if either?