idosubaru

sounds high to me. if it's in great shape, and in your price range, and they're hard to come by and you want a subaru...then it sounds like an okay fit for you, which is all that matters. 97-98 legacy GT's cost less than that with only 80,000 miles on them. i'd rather have a couple years older and 100,000 less miles. make sure those head gasket have never leaked. and make sure the timing belts are on the up and up. personally at that mileage i'd want to take it apart and verify the tensioners and pulleys aren't good. even at 80k i've yet to open an EJ25 that doesn't need at least one pulley - at 180,000 i'd imagine more than one could probably use replacing. keep in mind...one pulley seizes, the belt breaks and does major internal engine damage (interference engine). there's pictures of what pulleys do when they fail on this board. keep that in mind when you're thinking price and future maintenance. that timing belt job will run $500-$1000 to replace at the dealer. if you can do it yourself then probably $150-$300 in parts.

i thought EA82 LSD's were clutch type and gave some minimal traction in situations like this? i thought the later Legacy's had VLSD's, which are not nearly as good for off road? i've definitely had two wheels way off the ground before too...but i can't recall if i just drifted out or what.

CRACK.....i'm using the wrong terminology....are the entire rear knuckles interchangeable. some to think of it i do know that they went to a different tone wheel set up on the rear disc ABS brakes. hmm...wonder if i can make that work? thanks!

the hole in the head is probably the EGR valve port. nothing i'm reading sounds like it's a turbo engine...but of course i might not be reading your description right either. sounds to me like you got an EJ25 without the EGR valve on it. does it have the intake manifold on it?

hands down i'd take the newer 2002 in just about every respect from cosmetics, maintenance, miles, updates, better engine....there's hardly any advantages to the 98 forester in my opinion. i'm not understanding how this is a question!

i'm leary of it being a simple one-day job. i think you'll find you have the newer EJ22 that is not the same as 1998 and earlier EJ22's and EJ18's. if you find out they are different then the way to make it quick is to get a 2000 intake manifold (just like yours) or just the wiring harness if someone has one and try to swap it to an EJ22 intake of an earlier year that will bolt to your EJ18...of course you'd hate for that not to work. basically you need to find out if your 2000 wiring harness will easily swap onto an earlier EJ22 intake (1998 or earlier). i would think it does, but can't promise that. the main thing to check is the fuel rails and fuel injector connectors. you could probably bolt your 2000 EJ22 heads to the EJ18, but that's a can of worms i don't know about. and i wouldn't want to go through all that, then you need to check and mill the heads, buy head gaskets and adjust the valves. more money and time.

copy that. from mpg numbers it seemed like the XT6 did best with 2.25" pipe after the cat and better muffler (dynomax straight through). i tried larger set ups, removing the cat, straight pipes, high flow converters...etc and it seemed to be worse, maybe it's just mine. i can piece together/weld my own set up so that's not an issue. i'll probably try the same thing with my legacy then. measure the pipe, bump it up one diameter and get a different muffler.

this engine can stump mechanics...i've helped said stumped mechanics before. they "can" pass the hydrocarbon, leak down and compression tests and not overheat for a long time - but still be bad. i've seen it and you can find other cases of it on the boards. i'm not saying your head gaskets are bad, i haven't seen your car. i don't know why but phase I EJ25's with bad headgaskets can pass those tests. few, if any, motors will pass those test with bad headgaskets - that's why he's stumped.

oh crack. i didn't realize you were working on something that late, this will likely have some issues. that will have an EGR valve though, so that's easy enough. the intake manifold changed on the EJ22 at some point and won't bolt up to the EJ18. i think a 2000 might fall under this umbrella. so your 2000 EJ22 intake won't bolt to your EJ18 engine. if the 2000 intake manifold won't bolt up to the EJ18 you're next option is to swap the entire 2000 wiring harness onto the EJ18 intake manifold. a bit of a job but not out of this world...if everything is compatible which i can't answer but i would think it's workable at least. the EJ18 manifold is a messy animal so you might play with the idea of finding an earlier EJ22 intake manifold and swapping the 2000 intake wiring harness onto that. so......put your 2000 intake manifold wiring on a 95-98 EJ22 intake manifold and bolt that to your EJ18 - just an idea. on earlier...say up to 1998 or so...you can swap EJ18,Ej22,EJ25's and not swap cams. but on the later models...i think your 2000 will be one of them, you'll likely need to retain your cams. so you'll need to bolt the 2000 EJ22 cams to your EJ18 engine. this is...speculation based on experience if that makes any sense? i haven't done this exact swap nor do i recall exact years and difference, but i'm pretty sure this will be the case for an EJ18 swap into a 2000 EJ22.

headgaskets can't be in the "about to pop" state, there's just no way to know that. they assumed that and are wrong....or it was known to be a head gasket issue and they just worded it creatively....i've had unscrupulous sellers try things like that before. the vehicle description is worded just right so they feel they're telling the truth but ambiguous enough that you might miss it....crap. don't assume you have any head gasket issues unless you notice overheating. noises alone, ie "popping", don't point to head gaskets. only the later model EJ25's (99 or 2000 - depending on model) can have an additive added to mitigate head gasket issues. your year is a different animal, it fails differently and is a different design. so there's no preventative maintenance you can do to help it. except to say keep your cooling system in good shape - don't have any leaks and get a new water pump/thermostat. overheating the engine does not do the head gaskets any favor.

i was checking into this awhile ago and didn't see much in terms of specifics. like what exhaust size, swap muffler and cat and what people noticed. an XT6 auto's can get a few more highway mpg just by putting in a different muffler. haven't seen any similar comments about EJ22 stuff but i'd like to know.

that indication, is that accurate? is that showing an "instantaneous" reading or is it indicative of what an actual full tank of gas will get?

i've never had a look at that stuff. i just looked at my 97 impreza FSM and figure the Legacy is similar. looks like you'll have to cut everything off and just slide a hose over those fuel lines, which is what it sounds like you're doing. i was wondering if it would be worth it to buy an entire fuel pump assembly that has those fuel lines on them and pre-fabricate what you need. install new hoses to those metal lines and have it ready to drop in with a few feet of fuel hose ready to go as far as you need it.

$100 - $150. it's likely good for another 100k but i'd do it while you're in there. it's very rare that i don't have a valve job done while it's apart.

before doing anything you need fresh gas in there. motors won't start sometimes after only sitting a year or two....and this is 8 year old gas?

make sure it doesn't have head gasket issues. someone else just asked today about a 2000 Legacy as well, check that thread out, lots of good information and i'm not typing what i wrote in that thread all over again here. the only thing i'd add that i didn't type in the other thread is that it is high mileage and the price is high. but that it's a manual trans is more comforting, they take the 200,000+ miles better than auto's.

that will work, i've bolted EJ25 headers right up to an EJ18. no problems, direct fit. and i've also had a set of headers shipped before. tape some cardboard to them and slapped a label on it. cover any sharp edges and wipe off dirt/oil.

it would help to know what year EJ22 you're talking about and whether it's from an auto or manual. the knock sensor will bolt right up. the hole is there and i think it's even threaded (at least on mine it was). you'll need to fabricate a block off plate for the hole in the passengers side head exhaust port. i cut one out of steel plate, used the original EJ18 gasket that goes there and coated it with sealant on both sides. bolt the EJ22 intake manifold to the EJ18. i think i covered everything in your other thread.

my XT6 is power steering and has variable ratio and i can't really tell. it changes from 20 to 25 ratio, if that means anything. i'd guess the difference is nice but not insanely noticeable...unless everything i'm driving (legacy, impreza, XT6) has it and i just don't have anything to compare it to. again, all power steering, hopefully someone with manual will pipe up.

sorry, i didn't mean it that way. thanks for correcting it, i edited my post. that is a great option to have. it'll have far more chance of working than shearing it off by hand with a socket wrench. it would depend on the situation, if the bolt comes out at all...then i'd rather work it back and forth by hand some than muscle it. otherwise i'd rather use the impact than brute force.

looks nice. the most important thing i can think of is the timing belt. interference engine so you need to make sure it's been replaced. this is where it's best to by from a previous owner, they always know (or should, particularly with cars this nice) what's been done. if it hasn't or they don't know then it needs to be done. and if it needs to be done, at this mileage there's usually at least one, if not two, pulleys that also need replaced and the water pump should be replaced as well. if not you're expecting the original to make it to the next timing belt change...250,000, not a good gamble on a nice car. if you're paying someone for this you're looking at $400-$700 ($600-$1,000 at the dealer) depending what all is done. being a dealer - it's likely they have no idea. you could check with subaru, maybe it was a dealer maintained car and they'll check. or you can ask the dealer to do it for you, include it in the price. problem with that is they may not do it right...inspect the pulleys or replace the water pump. i'd want both of those done...like i said you're expecting it all to last 250,000 miles until the next tbelt change. make sure the clutch is in great shape. that's a $1,000 job you don't want to get into any time soon without knowing at least. like he said check for torque bind (very rare, but possible, on 5 speeds) and headgaskets. i'd ask if there's any previous information on the car, like if the head gaskets have already been replaced. that's why i prefer buying from owners, not dealers. this EJ25 will have the later version which leaks externally from the rear. so check the head gasket to block mating surface very well on the back side of the engine - facing the fire wall so to speak. look for any sign of leakage, seapage or someone previously cleaning it up. the later versions call for the subaru additive in the coolant. i'd be sure to have the coolant changed and this additive added as soon as you get it. you might even be able to work that into the deal if it's a dealer.

in previous searches i found quotes from other people that paid to have it done including some dealer prices. VERY high. as for the impact on that long bolt - maybe that will work. i've had a lot shear EJ hubs seem to rust bad, some late 90's EJ stuff is as bad as 80's EA stuff. not sure why that is. ABS bolts and that long bolt will just shear off they're so bad.

i'm all about buying a press too...but only if it's not too hard to bung the bearings or hub up? is there any risk at ruining things if i do it? well i know there's a risk - but how hard is it to do without doing damage? press fit sounds like tight tolerances and i'm a very strange engineer...attention to detail is not my strong point. then once you buy the press - how hard is it to get all the gadgets needed to use it properly. what are those parts called you use to press with, the name is lost right now. do you buy a big set of those or what? i do enough damage with BFH's, digging bars, crow bars, welders. torches and presses are probably not machinery i should have!? but i do want them. any press owners/users?

no

i'm curious too, i've seen them recommended, not sure where, XT forums maybe? so i recommended them to my brother in law and i called him last night - he loves them. we noticed a nice bite and noticeably improved braking as soon as they were bedded in after i helped him install. that was about 5 months ago and he said they've been great, he installed another set in his other car himself. i'm going to go with the ceramix unless i hear something very convincing in the next few days.