idosubaru

yep, that's it. with one strut bolt removed and the other loose the hub will rotate out plenty to pull off the trans. actually...i've even removed a transmission by doing nothing but knocking the pins out. i don't recommend it though because you have to get the distance just right and i'm not sure it would work on all models. too far and there's too much pressure on the joint. not enough and there's not enough room to get it off. not sure if it works on all models, i think i did it on an impreza. drop the trans a bit enough to increase the distance the axle has to travel and the axle will slide off the trans. this doesn't apply to clutch swaps or manuals, but if it were an automatic you could probably even just yank the axle stub out of the trans, they come out fairly easily, only held in by a cir-clip. then they pop right back in.

keep in mind that is how some people feel when they have to rehash information that is already here. not trying to be an ignorant turd, but people that help a lot don't like to waste time either. in the same way you don't want to spend time searching, we don't want to waste time rehashing the same stuff over and over or searching for everyone. i found it right away using the search funtion: use the advanced search option search for this: spider manifold search under titles only select older generation forum first one on the list has the info you want.

axles are easy. one pin on the trans side, remove one strut bolt, loosen the other and out they come.

yes. there's info on here about it already. there's a search function. play with the advanced search function - New Generation - a few searches and you'll come up with lots of info to start from. your Forester should be a SOHC Phase II engine, you'll want to double check though to make sure. because the information differs depending on Phase I and Phase II and foresters made that change in 1999.

the information is already on the site and could be found with some searching. i'd tell you but i can't rememeber except to say i think they are close and interchange with a couple modifications.

of course you can. not the best idea but that's for you to decide. RTV goes at noon and 6 oclock on the oil pump housing or engine block. basically look for the very fine zig-zag pattern where the two block halves meet, that is where the RTV is supposed to go.

it was never said but we're talking about an EA82 here? correct - there are two orings that could be referred to by this way. the cam cap orings are the ones that are located directly behind the cam seals and easily replaced with any timing belt job. the cam carrier orings are the metal reinforced orings at the bottom corners of the cam cases. these are only replaced if the cam actually is removed from the engine block. these are metal reinforced orings and should never be replaced with regular orings. just go to http://www.thepartsbin.com, they have pictures of both.

i don't even know if that means anything. there's reports of people with new subaru's that have a slight coolant smell to them and subaru says there's no issues. there are a couple threads like that around, you could find them with a brief search.

how long have you had it? how many miles did it have when you got it? have you sufficiently gotten all the air out of the system, some people seem to have problems getting all the air out of the cooling system which causes issues with EJ engines. head gaskets seem likely but you'd certainly want to check other things out, like the water pump.

10x1.25 threads any auto parts store will have those, although they will NEVER have them listed for a subaru. you just have to look and grab. if you find the ones (very common) that have an unthreaded portion in the midsection of the stud, then you want the short side (side with the least number of threads) to go into the engine block. they work great that way, then the unthreaded portion just ends up where the exhaust manifold is. if you don't do it that way your exhaust nut will run into the unthreaded portion. no point in asking "is 7/16" the best way" - that has been a topic of contention in the past and ends up in arguments (you've probably seen them). read through the info here and make the decision yourself. the 7/16" thread and repairing the threads both work, your choice!

depends what kind of racing you're doing.

i've done this before and it's straight forward. don't recall what exactly i did but i wouldn't worry about it too much, i didn't do anything spectacular. drop those mounts, slide the old out/new in and bolt it back up. tigthen nice and snug, i'd never bother with a torque wrench on those.

don't forget to replace the cam cap orings too while you're doing this.

flying is a great option, areas with lots of subaru's and large cities have significant turn around and choices and great prices. areas not prone to rust are nice to pick up cars from too, but 2002 is probably new enough that's not an issue. the 2002 outback impreza is a fantastic car. lots more points if it has an EJ22 which i think it should. i think that was the last year for the EJ22, they dont' have the head gasket issues of the EJ25 so it's a no brainer to me. just check for torque bind, you can do a search on here for tests on that. other than that there's not much to look for.

you won't see anything underneath - that's not where they typically leak. maybe you meant this, but it's on the rear side of the engine where they leak. picture if the firewall/steering wasn't in your way, you'd be looking at the back of the motor, not the bottom. that's the head/engine seam you want to check.

yes, equipment and helpers make a big difference. i've done it both ways many, many times. i'll give you the run down and maybe this will help understand why so many people have differeing opinions here. the transmission comes out really quick, way quicker than the motor. i've had them out in 1/2 hour, actually the first manual trans i pulled was out in a half an hour. it went easy and smooth. no way you can get an engine out that quick (without hacking and cutting everything!) all the hoses, vacuum, intake, throttle cables, power steering, a/c, radiator, wiring, etc is cumbersome. if you had to set a speed record you'd want to pull a trans. pulling the transmission is by far the quickest POSSIBLE way. but it is annoying and can be a bear to do yourself. having a really good transmission jack or being good at rigging something yourself will make this much more palatable. if i had a really good trans jack that i knew worked well with subaru transmissions i'd be willing to try pulling the transmission. if you do pull the trans hocrest has recommended the tip of using an engine lift to help assist - thread some chain/straps through the engine bay, behind the engine to help assist holding the weight of the trans as you remove/install. having a trans jack you may not need that. pulling the engine is a very straightforward and simple way to do it yourself. that's why people prefer that. it avoids the reinstallation from underneath with cramped quarters and no visibility - you can't see what you're doing.....so this is a great way to do it yourself. also pulling the engine has a lot more value to it - you can do timing belts, spark plug (on the phase II engines that's a help), valve covers, oil pan, head gaskets, etc much easier with the engine out.

can't say anything about the conversion but some vehicles will cut out that have speed sensor issues as well. in my experience they are very predictable as to when they'll cut out. the same speeds/hills/decents/spots, etc.

a motor swap would get you more bang for your buck, but i do understand you might want to go that route that's why i gave you ram's info. i've looked into rebuilds before and you can easily talk $2,000-$3,000 for a performance rebuild by the time you're into all the parts and machining. that's a lot for such small performance numbers in a car that's not worth much. in resale value...don't get me wrong i've owned like 20 XT6's so i tend to like them! if you're going the work yourself an engine swap is a nice alternative and there's as many options as there are people. the SVX EG33 motor is a beast...its 230 hp in stock form and gobs of torque. that's like almost 100hp more than the xt6 right out of the box and it has a fair amount of aftermarket support. but it is big and heavy. the EJ25 engine is smaller, 4 cylinder, right out of the box has 165 hp. that's a 20 hp increase over the XT6 and you get more aftermarket support, 4 valves per cylinder a much better overall intake, exhaust, and computer control with it. the EJ22 is a good option too - they're 145-ish hp, 4 cylinders and very easy to add a turbo to for light boost. and they're dirt cheap. $150-$400 for a known good engine. usually you can find a wrecked car or bad trans vehicle for not much money at all which gives you everything you need - engine, wiring harness, ECU for a couple-few hundred dollars. or for $1,000+ you can go with an EJ turbo engine...up to however much horsepower you want.

in my experience i'd say this is the norm. i've never noticed a need to top mine off. good point. if your cooling system has ever been opened (water pump, thermostat, whatever), then the coolant additive should have been added as well. might be a good idea to have it flushed and have the coolant additive added with the new stuff. that being said....you can check for a head gasket leak. this phase EJ25 in your car will leak externally at the rear of the engine where the head gaskets meet the block 99% of the time. look for any signs of wetness or seaping.

one time deal is nice you can plan ahead accordingly. i'd be comfortable towing 1,500 pounds roughly. since you're doing it once, do it with as little traffic as possible, take your time and plan on dramatically increased braking distances and balance the load on your trailer properly (throwing on how it fits best is not a good idea). if you can, having a trailer with brakes is a plus. towing can be very dangerous, just proceed cautiously and you'll be fine. here come the hee-haw stories: "i towed a (insert name of large item here) once and my rusted soob with leaking power steering and no antenna did fine". yes your car could tow 3,000 pounds, another car, a flat bed trailer......it really comes down to statistics. higher weights = greater chance of bad stuff, less control, decreased safety, possible legal issues, increased wear on your components...etc. it's not like it can tow 1032 pounds, but not 1033. it's a mathematical curve...as weight goes up braking distances increase, stability decreases, likelihood of accidents increase, etc.

assuming EA82: This isn't a bad job at all. Rust is your enemy here and those stupid timing belt inserts. If I were you i'd plan on cracking the housing for any inserts that are stuck and spinning in their bores (you'll know what i mean when you go to do it if you don't already). Crack the ears just enough to get the insert out, remove it and then when you put it back together use zipties through the ears. stuff located behind the timing belt that you should do all at the same time (it's all very easy to access once the timing belts are off): replace the water pump and gasket (rock auto is one of my fav's here too) thermostat - Subaru only on this one crank seal (2) cam seal kits (get the kits, not the seals - the kits come with the cam cap oring as well) oil pump gasket oil pump o-ring oil pump shaft seal Additional notes: replace the valve cover gaskets as well. try and score a set of fel-pro gaskets that include the grommets, often you can find them relatively cheap. almost all older engines need valve cover gaskets, they're just old, dried and leak like seives. I'd consider an ebay timing belt kit while it's all apart. not for the timing belt but for the timing belt pulleys. unless yours were addressed then it's likely they are a bit noisy or rough meaning they are low on grease and could seize. they are really cheap considering what you get, all new timing belt pulleys. it's about as close as you can get to garuanteeing you won't have to touch anything for 60,000 miles and that's important for people that need their car or travel a lot (like myself).

you can order normally aspirated or forced induction pistons with relocated wrist pin locations, lighter weight, forged, cut to order..etc, from Ramengines. they're in clinton, OH (close to Akron). they'll be able to answer all of your questions. i think you dislike discussion and get impatient rather quick...anyway, racing an ER27 is lots of effort for little return. 2 valves per cylinder, based off a 4 cylinder EA82 with married exhaust ports, poor flow everywhere, weak oiling, weak fuel system, low grade electronics, weak cooling, and a weak block...just equates to a less than desirable platform for racing. for half the price (conservative) and half the work (conservative) you could get twice the horsepower (conservative) rather easily.

sounds good boss. i'm equally as confused as well, so join the club. i have plenty of subaru's that never need coolant added. but subaru suggests a certain level of adding is normal. you could actually do a search here and find a fairly recent post (this year) about it. someone else asked about a very new subaru still under warranty and mentioned taking it to the dealer. and interesting read and apparently sometimes some coolant needs added without any cause for alarm?

you also have a few coolant temperature related questions from the past (i thought you did, so i looked it up). not sure if it's related but details are helpful: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69109&highlight=coolant http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68450&highlight=coolant that's new gen, you also had a number of coolant/headgasket questions in the old gen but i can guess that doesn't matter here.