idosubaru

"rebuilt" or "resealed"? rebuilt would mean the block was split, pistons, rods, bearings all coming out? resealed would be just the head gaskets. did you have the heads pressure checked (or block halves inspected if you did a rebuilld)? once it's getting hot are there bubbles coming out the overflow reservoir? cracked head or cracked block are possibilities.

I couldn't find the ABS unit bleeding directions in the FSM, but sounds simple enough. There's more than one screw? thanks for the help gnuman. good to see you around more lately!

that's a special process? hmm...didn't know that!?

Installed two pot calipers on my OBS and while i was bleeding the system i ran the MC dry....twice, goober. "suck, suck"....OH CRAP. I tried bleeding the front brakes and it doesn't seem like I'm getting all the air out. So I probably need to bleed the entire system now. Sequence is?: FR - RL - FL - RR How does ABS affect this process? I bled a ton of fluid out the fronts and still no dice. I'll do it again tomorrow and bleed the rears as well this time.

what kind of gas mileage are you looking for? depending what kind of driving you do a 1988-1991 FWD XT can get 40mpg highway. a 4WD would probably get 35 depending again on what kind of driving you're doing. if you need the 4WD for snow driving then a FWD vehicle and a set of quality snow tires for the winter would actually be better than 4WD with regular all seasons.

WOW, he went there!

good points northwet. i'll add that it's no secret that older ABS systems were much worse than their modern counterparts.

it sounds like you already did?: all 1995 (well i don't know about CA - i don't keep track of that whack-a-do states laws), anyway in 1995 ALL EJ22 (2.2 liter) subaru's with manual transmissions did not have EGR valves, so i would think that's standard and it should pass just fine. if it's been "on and off", that's not an EGR code anyway. you need to find out what the code actually is. what makes you think it's EGR? Advanced Auto Parts, Autozone, and other places check your engine codes for free. the best place to start checking this out is to have those codes read. or you can buy an OBDII scanner off the internet/ebay for $30-$50, that's what i did. what a treat to read and clear your own codes in 5 seconds! read that code and let us know what it is.

they aren't the same company nor are they related in any business way. they are adjacent to each other and CCR allows them space on their web page. but they are two distinct businesses. all of my new axles come from MWE.

excuse my ignorance, i'm new to drum brakes, this is my first time ever messing with them. no, i didn't do any brake work at all. these are actually rear disc brakes, not drums. but the ebrake on all EJ's are drum. so the shoes don't ride against a typical drum, but ride against the inside of the rotors. same idea of course, just making sure you know that and i'm explaining it right. when you say "there's a lip" do you mean on drum brakes or on rear disks that have a drum style ebrake? or both?

How do I adjust the drum brakes correctly? The FSM suggests some micro-millimeter diameter difference between shoe OD and rotor ID. There's probably an easier way to do this? I had the ebrake parts all off and disassembled so I don't know that I have the original adjustment in place. I think I counted turns and reinstalled the adjuster exactly as it was before but the rotor feels tight to install it. The ebrake is off, so I wouldn't expect the rotor should feel tight to slide on. Is it as simple as adjusting the shoes until the rotor slides on with no contact? (i now hate drum brakes even more...all of those springs, parts, and pieces are time consuming and annoying!)

it's good to be passionate about what you like...whether it be subaru or whatever. this being a subaru board is going to attract people passionate about subaru's. of course there's vehicles that can do things better. but best to let people focus on the positives of what they have and why they drive subaru's - it's obviously a good fit for them. there's a zillion reasons to drive, enjoy and look for the silver lining in subaru's. sure that doesn't mean that should be turned into a "bash everyone else session" but you'll have that in any organization no matter what. toyota's are expensive machines relative to Subarus. you can get good deals on toyota's and spend a lot on brats. Brats being what they are, are not a good comparison given the abnormal demand for them, that's not a Subaru trait. i agree, if i was to do some serious off roading there's no way i'd stick with Subaru for that. i'd still have them for daily driver, commuting and winter snow driving, but not a serious off road rig.

you need a new front axle. get a new axle from MWE or a used Subaru axle. if you don't want old boots, get a used Subaru axle and take it with new boots to the mechanic. do not get an aftermarket axle, they absolutely suck - all of them. do a search for "axle" and you'll see numerous threads about new axles breaking, vibrating, leaking, making noises, etc.

good job narrowing it down to an HLA problem and not oil supply related (we hope!). for stuck HLA's the best solution is to replace them of course. but if you can't/won't/don't want to then seafoam is a good option and i've run up to 2 quarts of ATF in the oil (but this is in an XT6 which holds 5 quarts). yes others will say that's ridiculous and i don't blame them. some old guy told me to run kerosene in place of the oil for 2 minutes, "used to do that all the time, you wouldn't believe how much came out of those engines". how much what, metal? yeah i'll pass on that one! try all the solutions you care to try but if the HLA is seized it won't free up. i've seen them so seized that they wouldn't come apart even out of the car - soaking in penetrant, diesel, ATF, cleaners, heating them up...etc. not sure what that's all about but in those cases replacement is the only cure. once you get it figured out make sure you change the oil often.

okay i'll take a stab at this... first of all - welcome to USMB. THE source for subaru information (IMO). do bears eat space ships? if you're serious, pardon me but is this a joke? that's an odd question. a car stalling every time when taking a turn? that would make for some interesting intersections around the country. i'm really confused, you might want to provide more details or ask a specific question, but "no" that isn't normal.

look it up online at subarugenuineparts.com or subarupartsforyou.com. or just PM/email Subiegal (she's a member of this forum and works at subarugenuineparts.com). the online places sell for very reasonable prices where your local place will be more - actually the subarupartsforyou.com place will show you what the local place charges - "retail" next to their price. if you don't want to order it online, what you can also do is print out the prices and stop by your local dealer and ask if they'll at least come close to the online prices. my local dealer does this for me. i still order most of the time since i'm pressed and like it laying on the doorstep when i get home rather than going to pick it up. O2 sensor is easier to see from the passengers side. from above look either around the air intake hose or from underneath in front of the passengers side wheel. - it's below the motor and sticking up out of the exhaust pipe (just after the two exhaust sides come together). good luck!

no subaru did not solve the transmission issue - but the general fix is to install an aftermarket transmission cooler. the stock, inefficient, part-of-the-radiator, design is insufficient for the SVX. install one of those with your next trans.

Update: new radiator cap, flushed the cooling system a lot, and i drove about 40-50 miles today. never overheated or ran hot. when i got home though there was a slow and steady stream of tiny bubbles in the overflow tank. it shouldn't do this right? there shouldn't be any bubbles i wouldn't think. so it has to be either a cracked head or head gasket? if i hook my compressor up to each spark plug hole will that pressure escape into the coolant and through the to the overflow tank too so i can verify what's going on or which head is bad?

i would get the direct fit OEM style. you'll want this to last another 100,000 miles or few years. having never done it before you probably don't have good electrical working tools...crimping tools, shrink tube, etc. and you want to make sure you get a good connection that won't get dirty or corrode over time. better off just buying the direct fit style for a few more dollars. and...the newer style ones have 3 or 4 (two different styles) wires on them. maybe you could borrow the wrench from a friend or something? i recall those large wrenches are rather expensive. some places...autozone or whatever do have loaner tool programs. just ask if they have a wrench the size you need. keep in mind too that you'll need an open ended wrench an "O2 Sensor" tool won't work on a subaru, at least on the ones i've done.

how many miles on the vehicle? if yo'ure getting close to 100k, then it's not surprising to be replacing an O2 sensor. they vary wildly of course but they are *very roughly* 100,000 mile replacement items. yes - do this yourself. the front O2's on all Subaru's i've worked on are very easy. a little tight, yes but all you need is a 22 (or 24, i'm forgetting) open ended box wrench. that's it. it's tight but that's all you need. no need to jack the car up, remove anything else, etc. some you can get from under the car, some you'll need to get from inside the engine bay. just follow the exhaust back from the engine, the first item you see threaded into the exhaust with a wire on it - is the O2 sensor. it's the only thing threaded into the exhaust except the rear sensor, so it's REALLY easy to find. it's just a foot or so behind the oil pan. keep in mind there are two types of sensors to buy - one will have the stock plug on it that plugs right into the wire on your car. the other will have loose wires and you need to cut and splice the connector off your old plug onto the new one. the loose wire style O2's are the cheapest. it's not hard, but if you don't want to do any wiring work you'll want to make sure you buy the one with the OEM style connector already on it. there are some items that are best to stick with Subaru on depending on the engine. some people would suggest your engine should have a Subaru O2 sensor. i'm not sold either way on that item yet though, just letting you know.

he's from california - they have to be smogged, Cal-spec, emissions compliant, have waxed cylinder bores......

fuel pump ECU - but that should only be an issue if you've had electrical issues - like crossing the wires while jumping (don't ask how i know!!!)

that should be the Oxygen sensor closest to the engine. $500 is off the charts and i think he probably misdiagnosed to come up with that price. subarupartsforyou.com shows 2003 Outback sensors ranging from $140-$160 (depending on 2.5 liter or 3.0 liter H6 engine), not sure if this link will work for you: http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partlistbymod.php?model=Outback&subcat=Engine+Parts%2C+Sensor+O2&year=2003 i've never done a 2003 but Oxygen sensors in general are really easy....particularly on new cars like yours. it doesn't require any work to replace them. it only takes one 22 (or 24?)mm wrench to get them out. i've never had to remove anything to replace an oxygen sensor, just unscrew it and thread the new one in. it's just one step above removing your gas cap and replacing it. not much different except you need a wrench and to disconnect the wiring harness (clip on, clip off). $500 sounds like he means to replace the converter - do not do that. subaru converters do not fail...without something else major being wrong which you haven't indicated. a new front oxygen sensor might save you gas mileage though so it would be nice to get. but it won't cause any running issues at all or leave you stranded. again...not sure about the 2003 but on most subaru's you can disconnect the Oxygen sensor entirely and the car still runs fine. probably get bad mileage, but my point is that you won't get stranded by it, it's not a big deal.

the 95 will bolt up and plug in just fine. few things to work around: Use the 1996 intake manifold - just bolt it up to the 1995 engine. #1 EGR. The 1995 Automatic will have EGR on it. In 1995 manual trans EJ22's did not have EGR, so there's a chance your 96 won't either. But luckily you're in a win-win situation, good thing it's not the opposite way. If the 96 does have EGR - then you just install the 1995 engine as is. And if the 1996 doesn't have EGR all you'll have to do is plug the EGR port on the 1995 engine before installing it - i've done that before it's very easy. #2 Exhuast. The 1995 engine will be a dual port exhaust. Most (but not all) 1996 engines are single port exhaust. If yours is dual port exhaust, then do nothing, then engine installs directly. If your 1996 is a single port exhaust that's easy to fix anyway - just grab any single port EJ22 exhaust header and it'll bolt all in place. All of the Ej22 and EJ25 exhausts are identical and interchangeable - it's only the part at the engine that differs, either dual or single port exhaust. so the only two "issues" are very minor and easy to get around.

subarupartsforyou.com i was equally confused by that statement as well. did they mean they are superceded or not? wow, as many rear bearing failures as there are i thought this was a no-brainer question.