idosubaru

you know what - i have a local source that can get those plugs for cheaper - i'll sell them to you for HALF PRICE! i'll even pay for shipping.

the only thing you did was change the belts - you didn't touch anything else? one of two things: 1. you are off one tooth 2. you are 180 degrees out if you don't know how to install these belts. they're weird - lining the marks up is the opposite of how most cars (even newer soobs) do it. i think you'll be good to go when you get a chance to track it down.

1988 XT (NON TURBO) starts and idles very low, stalls some times. all the injectors are pulsing swapped coils - spark looks good fresh gas timing belts were checked multiple times. i've checked the firing order a bunch of times - 1-3-2-4 for firing order - i've seen it said that the "#1 under the distributor should point at the brake master cylinder"......and that is when....when the flywheel is set to 0 or what? is that using the timing marks...0,10,20 on the flywheel?

it was a combination - bad gas and a poor running car. it's running so bad that the poor gas was just enough to make it not start. with fresh gas it starts and idles.

i would have the thermostat replaced and make sure it's a Subaru only OEM thermostat. the only intermittent failures i can think for this motor would be the thermostat and air bubbles getting introduced into the coolant. how bad was the engine overheated when the head gaskets were replaced the first time? it's possible the engine suffered severe damage then - cracks in the heads or worse the engine block. unfortunately subaru doesn't do good head gasket jobs, they typically just gasket-slap them particularly on newer cars like yours. no measuring of flatness, no milling, no pressure testing. if you still want to diagnose, check these questions out: when it's overheating, while running or immediately after turning the car off - are there bubbles in the overflow reservoir? does it ever overheat with the a/c off? does it overheat when idling, moving or both? does it overheat only when the temperature is high outside? when already hot - will it cool down when idling or moving?

there is the possibility of one easy and cheap fix ($20 or less for parts) and that's the intake manifold gaskets. the only problem is determining positively whether it's the intake manifold gasket or head gasket. a compression test *might* tell you, but they aren't always conclusive. if one cylinder was much lower than the rest - then you could be fairly certain that it's a head gasket problem and not an intake manifold gasket. an intake manifold will leak prior to the valves and won't affect compression really. if the compression test shows good numbers, that doesn't tell you anything specifically because bad headgasket engines can still show good compression. if the car is in great shape and has little rust it might be worth fixing. in most cases though i'd say it's probably not. it's almost certainly not worth fixing if you can't do the head gasket work yourself.

something isn't right. that's a knock sensor in the first picture. something is not compatible there. you have the hole covered up - is the hole there? it's just too small or not there at all? as for the bolts, i have no idea. the older generation intakes had an upper and lower intake manifold. the lower manifold was really short and you would hardly ever remove it, you would typically just remove the entire thing as an assembly with the upper/lower attached together. if this was an older gen subaru i would think you removed the upper intake manifold and so the bolts are too long because they don't have to pass through the lower manifold. but that sounds like hogwash because i don't think any EJ's have an upper/lower manifold - they're all one piece. given the bolt issue and the knock sensor...it seems to me one of your parts is from another engine. it wasn't a turbo Legacy was it?

there are upholstery shops that can fix it or supply you the necessary material to fix it.

Loyales are Old Generation forum. i love easy questions - remove transmission, install dual range transmission. if you want it to look good you'll need a center console to match the levers. any EA82 dual range will bolt right up. if you get the transmission from a turbo car you'll just need to get the front axles as well since they're a different spline count.

completely unrelated and benign - get the pulley. just make sure you get a decent one that's made properly, balanced, etc. seals leak with age, time, mileage, poor maintenance, etc. it's VERY common for seals to leak, particularly at 100,000+ or 10 years. i'd say it's more normal to have at least one leaky seal than it is to not have any...THAT would be strange.

you shaved the heads didn't you - the wrong side! just kidding. if they're too long you can cut them down, i've done that before. cut it to size and chase the end with a die. that'll be an 8 x 1.25 thread pitch on the intake bolts. being a junk yard - is it possible those bolts were removed and someone just put something else in there, the wrong ones? or they were the right ones?

$5,000 - $8,000 market value. obviously you can get deals or pay more through searching. it's easier to get a deal on a wagon, there's more of them out there. it's highly dependent on which one too. a brighton wagon could probably be had for $4,000. a decked out GT Sedan...twice that. what i do is check autotrader and see what they're going for. there's so many of that range out there it's easy to get a feel for what they're going for by searching there.

are you sure all of these were early legacy's? maybe a 1995 intake manifold is different...there were a few changes then?

the Phase II stuff will all interchange just fine. i'm not sure until how long though - like i don't know if a 2005 would or not. but in the earlier years like i think you're dealing with, there shouldn't be any problems. or just get the right fit for your application and problem solved if you think you'll have problems making it work. i've never bothered worrying whether something will work or not - i'll make it work eventually - there's one way to find out!

details of what the vehicle is doing help tremendously online. the good thing is that there is more subaru specific experience here than anywhere else in the world, so you're in good hands. but we need info...give it to me, give it to me! if a living, breathing, sighted, non hearing impaired, ASE certified Subaru mechanic can't diagnose it with it right in front of him, our job is much harder without details. these are mostly really simple and you should be able to answer or figure out: 1. any coolant loss? is the reservoir empty or low? 2. is the radiator level low (check it, don't assume it and the reservoir are the same)? 3. when it starts to overheat - do the electric fans turn on under the hood? very simple to check - when it starts to run above normal, pop the hood and look at the fans - they should both be on. 4. when you turn the a/c on do the fans turn on (at any time, even after start up)? 5. when it overheats is one radiator hose significantly hotter than the other...keeping in mind that things are really hot..be careful or ask your best friend to check for you! if it starts to run hot DO NOT leave your a/c on, turn it off immediately. good luck!

can you get me in contact with anyone selling a newer 2000+ subaru from this mess? anyone making insurance claims, i'd buy the car back if it's totalled.

he *might* mean EA (non-turbo) motors. the heads are a weak point though.

the little spacer should not be needed on a 5MT the arrow head ends at the rear separator plate, reseal that and get a new updated metal one. the newest metal plate requires special screws too so that gets one of those smiley faces i never use the arrow head does sort of point to the rear main seal - it's the circular black thing that looks like every other seal in a subaru....crank seal, cam seal, oil pump seal...etc - looks exactly the same except larger and thinner. the black ring around the actual crank shaft. if you're still not sure, turn the engine over by hand and watch the rear, the crank will spin and it's OD rides on the ID of the rear main seal. not to be mean, but this is an odd-ball seal for Subaru's, it's not like the rest. it's the least likely to leak, they very rarely leak. but they're the hardest to install without having a leak later. so, if you're asking where the rear main seal is then proceed cautiously while replacing it. if the motor has some mileage, age or has been sitting for some time i would be inclined to replace it. be warned though - a handful of people have had leaks soon after replacement. that being said i'd get a Subaru seal only and install it as precisely as you can, i'm not sure why they have problems.

i'd say it depends on the certainty of this swap happening and time frame. if it's boiling - then you'd be silly to not get the EJ radiator. used is a fine option too since there are tons of good ones still out there and that would be inexpensive. if it's an idea, wish, sitting on the back burner and waiting for funds - i'd stick with the EA radiator and just get the car back on the road.

the top photo and passengers side gizmo is an idle air control valve. often if the connectors are the same but it looks a little different, just plug it in and it will work just fine - they're not complicated sensors or anything, just solenoid-type stuff. so if it plugs in they have always worked for me. but if the idle control motor simply swaps too, then just swap those. that EGR and idle stuff might have the same connectors though, if so i'd just plug them in and roll. actually what i did was to remove the EGR stuff altogether. as an aerospace engineer introduced unreliability just doesn't make any sense, but i don't have to worry about emissions here.

Mossyoak - in general i would not replace the headgaskets on your car. it's an EJ22 - that's a no brainer. if the car has seen a rough life....hard driving, poor maintenance, overheated a number of times...etc, then i'd consider it. but if it's been maintained well those head gaskets are NOT going to be a problem. here's how yo'ure going to get another 60,000 miles out of this car (60,000 until the next timing belt change): timing belt, water pump (if it hasn't been replaced) and replace or regrease any timing pulley bearings. i highly recommend the ebay kits here - they include all NEW pulleys and tensioner and belt for a reasonable price ($300 - ish). from Subaru they'd cost $500+ just for parts. if the $300 is too steep, i have a thread about repacking timing pulley bearings on here, which is free...well i guess it costs about 25 cents in grease...unfortunately your mechanic won't do that. there's a thread in the USRM on how to do it. or you could try and get a set of used pulleys in good condition in the parts wanted section and regrease them yourself and hand them to the mechanic? i don't know but after 10 years and 171,000 at least one pulley is empty of grease. you will also want to replace any leaking seals since most of the major engine seals lie behind the timing belt. cam seals, cam oring, oil pump seal and oring. it's only $20 in parts and only takes a few minutes with the timing belt already off. they should at least replace any that are wet. if you have a bad leak you should have noticed some prior oil loss, did you? i guess you're having the same guys do the timing belt and stuff that worked on the intake manifold? i used to know that guys name, but i forgot. no problem, i'm in the same boat trying to help people get subaru's. and many can't swing a $1,000+ repair job after buying a $3,000 - $6,000 car.

the EA era vehicles with an EG33 in them are very tight, the motor has to come out for a few maintenance items - like timing belts and valve cover gaskets i believe. since you're lifting and stuff maybe you can plan around that and help yourself out by making the motor a little more accessible. like NC said - it will depend what kind of driving you're doing. if you're getting on it you're going to find a lot of weak points. that being said, there are people running it in older generation soobs. huck has one but he's not racing, offroading or otherwise abusing it so he's probably not going to have any problems. might want to compare weight too - the EG33 i believe is a beast, so you'll probably want to consider that when upgrading your struts and such which you're probably already going to do. the easy and cheap way to get RWD is to find someone that has a "bad" 5MT with torque bind and don't run the front axles. not sure how you could make one fail to this extent but with all the work you're doing NC suggested welding would be the way to go. is alaska a big rust state, i thought it was? how has your 89 missed the elements?

i'll say it again DO NOT USE an EZ OUT. i don't care what goober, salesman, whatever tells you they work - they don't. on any bolt that an EZ out work - there's a far simpler method that will also get it out. they just plain suck and can cause a world of hurt. they can make a tricy situation plain hell. if you're not down with welding and stuff there are some simpler options. use left handed drill bits, these things are awesome. use a tiny drill bit (right handed is fine) to start or a punch or grind or file the top flat/flush so you can center the bit. then use some left handed drill bits. they will start the drilling process and eventually the left handed bits will grab and back the bolt out. the left handed drilling (unscrewing motion) and heating of the bolt will both contribute to loosening it. another option, that i've actually done before....and others on here will hate and reprimand me for....is to drill, tap and thread the bolt inside the head for a smaller bolt. it's ghetto but it's easy and it does work (done it). i've done it with a hand held cordless drill before. i usually try and size the washers well since the bolt head is typicaly smaller to help with clamping force distribution, etc. don't know if it matters but definitely helps the bolt stay flush.

welcome to USMB! try posting in the New Generation forum, that is where you would post. this thread wont' get as much traffic -the meet-Greet section where this is posted isn't utilized much. i believe i've read some answers to this before but it's been a long time. might want to search the new and old gen forums using the search function or advanced search function above. or try a search engine, as this won't be a "Forester" or even "Subaru" specific issue. good luck, would love to see your responses as this Legacy i picked up for my grandmother reeks!

what's the main cause? i understand the geometry and how it happens in general, but was wondering if there's a particular item that's not very compatible?