idosubaru

03 was tossed around for a long time and i regurgitate that number myself. though i don't know if that year comes from anywhere significant. there have been reports showing head gasket problems on even later years (including from people on here that work in shops and see lots of cars). FWIW the Phase II EJ25 is much nicer than the Phase I by a long shot. Even the head gasket issues are much nicer and not catastrophic like the older ones.

i've seen failed MAF's not cause any check engine light, so it could still be that. carb spray to narrow down a vaccuum leak would be wise before buying parts. do not buy the $200+ parts from the auto parts store, that's ridiculous. get a used one. don't get hung up on finding one locally, there's a number of high market subaru areas, just order one from anywhere in the country. that's what i do, ends up being cheaper anyway because the cheaper prices more than make up for the shipping on small stuff like this. saves time too, no driving, waiting in line, waiting for them to pull it, etc. i have a 98 OBS EJ22 MAF i could sell you, don't know if the MAF changed in 99 though, the engine did. if you know huck, he's from sommerset KY and may have this part.

Not just the cam seals but the cam orings as well. Cam seals, orings, and crank seal. Oil pump oring and tighten the rear backing plate screws. Water pump and timing belt. Get an ebay kit to replace all the pulleys and tensioners. I'd rather have all new than only replace the ones i think are bad now. 100k is a long time and the ebay kits are reasonable.

it's usually around the p/s strut tower as someone already pointed out. the XT6 as well, it has a lagging 2-3 shift. with it unplugged, it's better. kevin had his valve body modified to improve this same shift area and that didn't help much, though it was "supposed to". i unplug it on all of my XT6's, but not all of my EJ vehicles. i often recommend it rather than buying that "shift resistor kit", they sell a kit to give quicker shifts. but why buy the kit when you can just unplug the thing? to me it's silly to buy the kit. +1

no. that's only something i mention to convey the idea that it doesn't matter if it's unplugged or not. most people are scared to mess with these things because they lack experience, knowledge, or both. unplug it. it has one electrical pigtail, unplug and done.

My EJ25 to EJ18 Swapped Legacy LSi (Auto FWD) gets around 26 daily driving to work and 32 on the highway with this gutless EJ18. i'd expect more with an EJ22 given the mountains i have to contend with and the way it downshifts more often. But your outback is taller, with a roofrack and AWD. keep in mind if your "highway" mileage includes 75-80 mph then that's probably you're problem. drop to 60 and your mileage will go up drastically. our EJ22 Impreza OBS gets best around 27 mpg highway - AWD automatic. that's with roofrack. that's probably reduced some with the winter blend of gas. you EJ22'ed wagon should get close to that for highway mileage. weight makes little difference with highway gas mileage. make the same trip empty or with 700 pounds of gear and you'll get the same mileage on road trips (been there, done that). so their weight argument holds no water. it would if it couldn't hold speed or was downshifting all the time, but i doubt that's the case. but...with winter blends mileages are all being reduced. i'd think you should get 25 mpg, less if you're doing 70/80 mph. so...there's really a lot of variables...and we haven't talked about tune up, miles, and condition of vehicle yet either.

used transmissions are easily found and cheap, i wouldn't dump money into a JDM transmission. subaru 4EAT's are reliable to the extent that used is a great option. that's why they're cheap, low demand - unlike the motor which you've already learned the hard way. you can use up to a 1998 auto trans, just need to make sure the final drive ratio matches. buy used and change the ATF and front diff gear oil.

oh yes, please retrieve this one if you can. that's a great one of a kind thread, that info isn't anywhere else.

all legacy axles are the same or interchangeable for more than a decade after inception. manual/auto/engine size doesn't matter. MWE can't be found locally, you order them. after market axles are complete junk. don't be surprised if you're asking axle questions again in the next year. personally i'd take them back and put the extra effort into calling and ordering from MWE. it actually saves time to order them. i like having parts on my front porch when i get home. 4 minute phone call, no driving, no waiting in line, done.

you can replace the rear extension housing without dropping the trans, much less work than the entire deal.

congrats, guess we'll be seeing more of you on the XT board! i haven't heard of or recall anyone on the XT boards doing it, but it's just 12 volts to the lights so that's got to be super simple for you to figure out given your resources. you probably already figured it out but the stock XT6 fog lights are very weak and barely more than useless in terms of functionality. that's why many people haven't done it, or i would have by now. if i ever upgraded to brighter lights i would do it. sounds like you already have it, but the XT/XT6 FSM's are hosted publicly, accessed via the XT board if you don't have them yet.

You need to rule out two things first: Vacuum leak and spark. Get a spare spark plug and test for spark at each wire. Vacuum leak sounds very plausible. A can of carb spray/cleaner sprayed all around the intake/engine bay will show a vacuum leak in less than 8 seconds. Give it a whirl. These engines will not start and will exhibit the issues you're experiencing with a vacuum leak. Have you had any recent work done to the car? MAF sensors aren't expensive and don't fail often enough to warrant buying new, so get a used one. A yard or someone on here will probably sell you one for $30 or something like that. Do you use a K&N filter or other oil impregnated air filter? The oil can foul up the MAF which a cleaning will fix. Not likely since yours was such a dramatic failure, but worth a shot. Auto parts stores sell MAF specific cans of cleaner. Brake cleaner would likely be a good shot too. MAF sensors have a visible failure sign too. I haven't checked out the new gen sensors since i've never seen one fail, but the older ones can be checked and I wouldn't be surprised if the new ones can as well. If you look inside of them (from the ends) you can see the hair thin wires going through the inside of the air flow. They are very fine so you'll need good lighting to see. If one strand is broke, this will cause the symptoms you're experiencing and tells you for sure the MAF is bad. MAF sensors can also fail internally and show no visible signs. The FSM may have spec's on how to test yours, I can't recall. Personally I wouldn't spend tons of time diagnosing the ECU and AT until I checked/replaced the MAF with a used one. With the sensor plugged in, try and read the engine codes. You are correct, reading it with the sensor unplugged probably won't tell you anything. You can clear the codes, then plug the MAF in and read them. This may show you something. But you're saying the CEL never came on, so it sounds like the ECU isn't telling you anything.

nope, just one O2 sensor. definitely not two. the second was probably used for another gauge at some point (EGT, etc) or the O2 stripped so they just welded in another rather than repair the original, but that sounds like a real stretch, i doubt it. i'm confused though. you said it has two bungs...does that mean the other one you've been just driving on open to the atmosphere? that doesn't seem right, wouldn't be really loud and jack with drivability depending where it's located? seems like up until now something has filled that hole to make it drivable, what's up?

last i heard i thought that car was for sale recently?

hard but not really hard? an XT6 transmission would be nice as well with a 3.9 final drive verses the RX 3.7. another route to avoid the axle issue is to just swap in Turbo front hubs then you can use turbo axles.

there's a few threads on here about building blocks, including a recent one in the past day or two. you'd be best to search here and on NASIOC for your options of builds, pistons, parts, and heads...etc. then ask specific questions you may have.

oh, and i might have an extra set of Fel-Pro permatorque gaskets i could sell you. but i'm out of town for a week so timing probably isn't good for you.

sounds good, glad you figured it out. i can take a look at the head gaskets when i get home, but i'm almost positive you don't have a catastrophe on your hands. there's a small oring embedded in the gasket material. i am doubtful that it would completely blow out and trash your engine. but of course who wants to find out the hard way!!?? make sure to use Fel-Pro Permatorque headgaskets (denoted by a PT in the Fel-Pro part number). those, unlike others including Subaru, do not require a retorque. many of us on here use those and torque the final setting to abaout 5-7 pounds higher than recommended with excellent results. also be very cautious with the intake manifold bolts. i've written essays on here before about multiple ways to get them out without shearing them off. they are prone to being seized and shearing. can become a real nightmare in a number of ways. but i don't have time to rewrite all i know about that subject. i'd search for some old posts about it. they shear rather easily. the Subaru intake manifold gaskets are far better than after market gaskets. good luck!

4EAT doesn't have a center diff.

the subaru dealer quoted my cousin $699 two years ago for the timing belt only. i told her no way, and did it for free.

yes.

EA/ER FT4WD gives you locking center diff EJ does not pick one and go with it. if you go with an EA/ER transmission you won't need to modify the driveshaft, mounts, or anything. and they're a better transmission anyway since you can actually lock the center diff.

for a fun project, yes this can be done. if this is your only car and you need a good daily driver then "slapping a turbo" on a car is a bad idea. it should be done properly with good tuning and proper monitoring (EGT), and low boost. this is a very open ended question. yes it's possible and it has been done...but that doesn't always mean it's a good idea.

Mike, the plastic ring doesn't sound like something normal, it's not a part i've ever specifically dealt with anyway. i'm guessing it might be the throwout bearing seal cover or part of the throw out bearing somehow? Subaru always has those clutch clips in stock since they are common across a zillion different models, so hopefully you have a subaru dealer close by. not sure an auto parts store will carry those. hope you can replace the throw out bearing and pilot bearing while you're in there. replacing the rear separator plate with the new updated metal plate would be good to if it's a plastic one. i guess it's a little late to tell you all of this, but trans jobs suck so good to get what you can while in there. good luck!

i have the same thing in my 96 Legacy. I converted it to FWD, removed the axles, and replaced the wheel bearing and the same exact sound still persists at the rear drivers side wheel area like you said. must be the tire on mine, not sure yet though.