idosubaru

yes you can rotate the cam as many times as you want, it doesn't matter on your particular EJ22. but that's not a good idea on all EJ22's. on later model interference engines this isn't a good idea since valves and pistons can contact each other. you can still spin the cam around as many times as you like from the alignment and fitting the belt aspect though, that still doesn't matter.

wow that sucks, i never went to the one in Mt Airy and that was closer to me. the one time i did go specifically for old gen stuff i needed, they had the XT6 front control arm i needed. got lucky.

i thought it would, i think all 97's had those. i don't have a good eye for that stuff. i think it's Zap or edrach that has a great write up and info on here about swapping the rear springs/struts to get rid of that sagging rear that OBS's typically have. don't know. seems like it would have to be pistons. i'd start with cars101.com and see what they say about the impreza EJ22. they often have commentary that might shed light on the 96-97 EJ22 changes. i'm on dial up or i'd take a look myself. kind of curious.

i've been to crazy rays before. it's annoying you just have to stop in and rummage around their yard. they are heavily weighted towards EJ cars and had very few EA stuff. that's what you get when you live in the affluent, spill over of DC, disney land of america! there were usually 5 or so older subarus and that was 4 or 5 years ago last i've been. if it's the one around Columbia MD, right off Route 1, that's the one i've gone too. the older subaru's (non EJ stuff) are usually in the last row, furthest away. keep your eye on the perimeter of the furthest "yard" straight back.

it's easiest to remove the cam sprocket bolt with the timing belt in place (ideally not your new one or the one you're going to reinstall). when you're doing the job, just unbolt the bolt before removing the belt. sounds like you're hosed for that, you already removed it. use an old belt, install it and then unbolt the cam bolt while holding the crank. chain wrench is a bad idea unless you protect things well. you can get a pry bar, digging bar, chain wrench, and strap wrench to work as well....but be creative and be extremely careful. the cam cap housing is only aluminum and crushes easily and the sprocket isn't hard to damage either (use your imagination to realize how i know these things!). if you're replacing a water pump because it was leaking, you should be replacing the timing belt too. timing belts don't last more than a few months when they've been hit with significant antifreeze and oil (again use your imagination to figure out how i learned that last year). you don't need to remove the cam sprocket to replace the water pump.

i did that once too...and it ran like crap with brand new wires right out of the box. it's so bizarre, the older series motors were never like that. odd these newer ones are so sensitive. easy fix - woo hoo!

huck says the older EJ18 FWD manuals can get 40mpg. it seems like maybe it's not true, but i thought the OBS are higher off the ground than older ones. if that's true...add that, and roof racks, hood scoop, can detract from mileage. does your OBW have a roof rack, 31 is darn fine mileage.

awesome you found some will! he brings up a good point, i wonder if there are any other differences that might make the newer one "beefier" and better or something? or not? subaru manual trans are robust little jokers and particularly if you're getting EA series stuff, they typically have'nt seen much "power". though you don't know their maintenance history or how they were driven. thoughts: if you plan on driving this thing 100,000+ more miles then the lower sounds more appealing. if you think you'll only put 30k (average for a used trans of this vintage is probably really low), then i'd feel better about the higher mileage one. could go have a look at them to compare? if the 170k one is spotless and looks well maintained and the other looks beat, scratched, dirty....etc, maybe that might help decide?

awesome, easy fixes are awesome. hey, wait a second! i'm a flight software engineer, some of my code and patches are zipping around in NASA birds as I type. deep man, deep wounds. i did forget to install that washer on my friends legacy just last night and had to take it apart...hmm... and listen to goobs that have learned this stuff the hard way (finger points to me)...lol.....

yep, that's what i was thinking...the other day... yep, replace those wires and you're golden. personally i'd do the plugs at the same time. easy to do. ignore those other codes for now, the wires are causing the bulk (if not all) of your problems.

silly rabbit, you are smart enough to know i meant adjustment! +1000 on wires. it's not true of all subaru's, but it is of this engine. sorry i didn't see this earlier, but no way i'd pull the engine for a timing belt job, way overkill.

like chux said, lots of stuff already covered that you need to study up well and for awhile first. i'll add some important non mechanical tidbits: one thing that helps in a situation like this, like if it's your first time and you're unsure of many things - is to do it with a car you don't need (for work, commuting, etc). then you have plenty of time to work through problems. that question is too vague. the quickest way to succeed is to ask the right questions. a better question is "How capable are you?" we can't answer that. i'll take a guess that 7% of the members of this board are up to this kind of a swap. here's some advice from someone who has had to learn almost 100% of what i know by myself. with massive (the only) help from places like this and people like JohnfromKY. from my perspective this should be EASY AS PIE for you. you have lots of time, your father, and have had help in the past. much more than i ever had. you have all of my previous resources and more...sounds incredibly easy to me. good luck with it john, tear it up! you will learn a lot of valuable things by doing this, i think it would be awesome for you to tear this job up and do it.

disclaimer *i know more about Ganymede's soil composition than carbs* vacuum leak? have you tried shooting some carb spray around in the engine bay?

you're awesome, love the humor! though i'm sorry it came through such bizarre mechanical issues. our 97 OBS is blue as well. yep, 97 sensors are mounted in the hub. those ABS sensor bolts like to shear all the time if you end up pulling them. make friends with torches and PB blaster before attacking them. but maybe laugh and ignore me, this comes from mr. easterner who usually has at least a little bit of rust to deal with. but even clean ones out here often shear.

ah ha! you were holding back on us. my guess is you'll get a "cylinder misfire code" replace the plugs with stock OEM NGK plugs. replace the wires with Subaru only wires. you can read all over this forum that these engines are not very forgiving of plugs and wires. not true of all subaru engines, but yours it is. if it's not a cylinder misfire code, post here what is it. try and get the actual code not what the auto parts person thinks the cause is. also - your 1998 EJ22 is an interference motor, if the timing belt breaks there's a good chance for extensive engine damage. the timing belt, if it's never been replaced is over 10 years old even if it looks fairly new. it may be time for a new one. once you get it running well it would be extremely wise to replace the timing components - belts and pulleys. entire kits are only $80 on ebay, fantastic deal.

right on hot diggity, i was being that *someone*. someone else will chime in with more!

when driving, idling, all the time, does it ever change, does it ever go away, is it always present? we can't see, hear, smell, or touch the the car so more info helps us. i wouldn't say it's normal, but i can't hear it either. sounds like maybe just something is loose. check the air filter clips and other things for looseness. often you can roam around with your hand and the "something" that's making the noise will change when you touch it or something related to it. pay particular attention to anything that's been worked on in the past - changing of the air filter for instance.

what may apply to one make, model, year, engine, trans - may not apply to others. some are much easier to tackle than others. it's like saying "can i swap wheels"? so you would need to ask about a specific year, model, and engine to get an answer. often automatic and manual engines interchange just fine (been there, done that). i've even swapped ECU's from automatic and manual trans equipped subarus. i'm not saying it can always be done, but i've done it. i ran a 6 cylinder on a 4 cylinder ECU once, that was pretty awesome. it was ugly and not *driveable*, but i just tried it for kicks. i couldn't believe the car actually ran and drove. i think some ECU's can handle either and use an identifier pin to specify what trans.

typically this is the EA82/ER27 oil pump needing resealed. the suction port side of the gasket between the block and pump gets compromised. why now after this work though doesn't make sense so who knows. "center of engine" doens't sound good.

Get something with the newer Phase II EJ25 which means 99+ Forester and 00+ Legacy/OBW's. Or better yet just get an H6, even better. The Phase II EJ25's are better motors. Certain years have an extended 100,000 mile 8 year head gasket warranty, but i'm not sure what years that applies to and it's about to run out. Check for torque bind, one owner vehicles are nice. Personally I'll buy from a private party all day long before a dealer. Known service history verses no known service history and no clue why the person got rid of the car. Good, newer cars like this are very easy to find from well maintained, honest one owner persons.

if it's an automatic i hope the torque converter was seated properly, although i don't think the car would move if it wasn't. that damages the pump inside the transmission and = bad mojo. any check engine light? obviously for the EGR system? vacuum leak? to find these folks often spray some carb cleaner (or other suitable *detector*) in the engine bay. any vacuum leak quickly becomes noticeable becuaes with the engine running it'll rev, come down, rev, die...act totally different. aside from that, i like the questions just asked. what's the condition of the EJ22 you put in? spark plugs and wires (should be subaru wires and NGK plugs for this engine) timing belt (98 is a strange year, i think it may differ from 97)?

MGG - i know you're done with it and don't want to hear this, but it's so easy to find low mileage and cheap used automatic transmissions that there's really no better option particularly for someone that can do the work themselves. subaru automatics are very reliable and because of that used ones are really cheap and easy to find. two swaps are way more cost effective than a rebuild but even then i've never had to swap twice. keep it cool and the ATF changed and they're good to go. this is on newer subarus, not the year OBS he's talking about. but that shouldn't matter just yet. to be sure - you want to swap the 93 stuff into the 97? the 97 has some minor changes from the earlier ones, but much is the same. and you're right, the OBS is the Impreza Outback Sport. all the body panels should swap out if needed, the earlier models don't have the cladding. the 97 will have rear drum brakes. annoying to me, i hate drum brakes. maybe you like them. if your 93 has discs you can swap those into the rear of the 97. just swap the entire rear hub and ebrake cable from the 93 int othe 97. the axles "should" be fine. there's one really odd ball axle out there, but i think it's just the 93 FWD impreza's, not the AWD. other than that the 5MT and 4EAT are identical and as you know the axles are the same left to right as well. as for the hubs. they are interchangeable but the 97 has ABS, not sure about the 93. the ABS sensor is in the hub. the 97 Sensor does not cross list to any years earlier than 96 at the most i don't think. i'm not sure if ABS fitment is a size thing (meaning you get the sensor for the hub - which would be a 93 for you), or if it's an electronic thing (mean you want it to match the vehicle. or you can leave it disconnected if you don't want it. the front brakes will be identical, swap away. everything looks like swap material to me, so tear it up!

welcome aboard! we can help with your EA82. ticking EA82's are no big deal, most likely it's not your valves. have you changed the oil and filter recently? it is probably your Hydraulic Valve Lash Adjusters = aka "lifters". they tick for a couple reasons and some extremely common reasons. if it is the HLA's (very likely), then this noise doesn't pose any problem except to your insanity. two options: 1. turn the radio up and ignore it. 2. reseal the oil pump: miles, overall condition of vehicle, past maintenance, how often oil changes done, how long have you owned it...etc???? based on the limited information you gave us my guess is the oil pump needs resealed. the gasket between the block and the pump gets compromised. this involves removing the timing belts so if you want a reliable vehicle, but the $60 ebay timing belt kits and replace everything. the EA82 has 3 oil pump parts to reseal the oil pump - and o-ring a seal and the mickey mouse gasket.

when i bought the metal separator plate it also *requires* different screws/bolts than the original plastic. don't know how necessary they are, but i bought them.

i wouldn't put too much faith in the Haynes manual, they've been dead wrong before, though this seems relatively benign.