idosubaru

are you sure it's not TOD? the HLA's will make some serious racket in subaru's and take awhile to quiet down after doing something like a head gasket job. they can be scary loud the first few miles while the HLA's pump up and get back to operating condition. if those cam housings aren't sealed they'll probably start leaking...if the motor is good. do you have to go back in and retorque the head gaskets - EA82's call for that.

what engine? mileage? how was the oil level and filter? new, old? sounds like the engine was starved of oil. what kind of sealant did you use on the cam carriers (depending which motor, i don't know what car you're talking about). if you used any RTV and it got stuck in the oil supply that doesn't do good things. picture attached of RTV blob caught in EA82 oil supply to the cam bearing surfaces.

the EJ25 has EGR on it. the 1995 EJ22 will only have EGR if it's an automatic. if it's a manual it won't have EGR. that being said, either will work and run fine but the non-EGR is going to give you codes. i just installed a non-EGR engine into an EJ25 Legacy LSi and it throws the codes for the EGR system. i just don't care. i hate EGR set ups more than i hate the CEL. for the engines you're talking about the intake manifolds are not interchangeable. to use the 1994 you would need to use a 1994 (or any year other than 95) single port exhaust manifold. and you'd have to remove the engine wiring harness off the EJ25 and install it on your EJ22 intake manifold. i've never done it so i can't say how tricky or not tricky that may be. but with the original EJ25 harness on there it'll be plug and play.

"index the cam sprockets"? i am assuming that refers to lining them up a certain way? they only will install one way, so there's no need to index or mark them if that's what that refers to. two hours a day, you should easily get this done by friday...if not much sooner. the only tricky part is getting the cam sprockets off, other than that it is relatively easy really. i never mark the timing belts, lining up the crank and cams is easy enough as it is, but marking won't hurt either. i've pulled a few that had marks on the belts. Edit = Good Luck! and Have fun!

your run down of the parts looks correct. they are prone to leakage. the ones you have seen may not leak but they definitely can leak a fair amount. and they are so easy to replace - it's only a few extra 10mm bolts (2 on the rear and 3 on the fronts usually i think), that there's no reason not too. yes coat the seals and orings with grease or oil before installing.

the drivers side cam also has an oring behind the cap. the seal presses into the cap and the cap bolts onto the front of the engine. behind that cap is an oring. it's the same oring that i believe is on the cap at the rear passengers side of the engine too. replace those orings, particularly the one behind the front cam seal while the timing belt is off. check all your timing pulleys while the belt is off as well. regrease or replace as necessary. any rough feeling or noise is bad.

i personally wouldn't do much of that until the 60k mark. power steering, brake fluid, gear oil and coolant is way overkill at this point unless he's racing or doing towing/heavy weights or hard driving of some sort.

sounds like head gaskets. but of course you don't want to confuse a $12 fix (thermostat) with a $1,000 fix. unfortunately being a 1999 you are probably hosed. 2000 being the cross over year there's a slight chance you could have a "transition" engine....but probably not - to check: if yours has DOHC (dual overhead cams) then you're basically hosed, your car is not drivable. if you have SOHC (single overhead cams) then you can refill it and keep driving it as long as you keep the coolant topped off. the SOHC have a slight external leakage that doesn't cause any problems until the coolant level gets low. have the headgaskets replaced with subaru gaskets and you got a great vehicle for another 100,000 miles. it's really your best option verses trying to dump it and buy another. have the valves adjusted while it's apart. use subaru head gaskets and make sure they replace both sides. you should be able to find someone to do it for $1,000 if you call around and don't need clutch work, water pump and that kind of stuff (which it sounds like you don't). there's tons of Denver folks here hopefully one will point you in the right direction.

older cars seem to wear belts entirely differently, i don't think there's a good "mileage or age" that would really apply to everyone. not sure if it's weather, belt quality, pulleys that are nicked/rusted/pitted and wear faster, driving style, temp...or what, but seems like belt life can be all over the board.

yes you can do it. remove the front struts and make sure you leave the front solenoid, there's no need to remove it anyway. that will remain closed and be your "plug" for the front air lines. you'll have to see how the rears react. worse case scenario is that you just have to pump them up where you want them and leave them like that and play with them a bit to disconnect them. so you might loose the self leveling set up without playing around with the signals. without the front height sensors (which are inside the struts so you are removing them) i don't know that the self leveling set up is going to work well. if you cross the right wires in the front strut plugs that would probably tell the computer that the height sensors are in the "proper" position up front and retain your rear self leveling set up - you'd have to study the wiring diagram to figure out which wires. probably simpler to swap the rears to coil over or if you really like the air suspension and feel like messing with it you can keep coil overs up front. there's a write up on the XT forum on how to recondition your strut bags for long life. not sure if i posted it here or not but it might be in the USRM as well.

yes the trans has to come out and apart and it's a rather technical and complicated job to do it right. there are some complicated adjustments that need to be made. the simple solution would be to adjust the retainers, they are located on the outside of the transmission. doesn't require anything more than disconnecting the axles from the transmission, if you even have to do that. but knowing how to adjust them properly is the tricky part if it's even possible. going the wrong way or too much will ensure the end of your trans.

well i may have misled a bit - let me put it this way. his latest goal was to build his own car...and i don't mean like any typical mechanic - but starting with building his own foundry to cast parts. body panels all designed and built by him (carbon fiber). his resources and skills are a bit off the charts.

the pumps typically leak where the reservoir meets the pump - there's an oring there. very common leakage point. next common one in my experience is from the boots...but that doesn't sound like the problem here.

it's not NAPA - it's the entire aftermarket axle industry. go with MWE or Subaru axles only, anything else is a waste of time. i mean if you only replace one or two axles your entire life then maybe it's worth the risk....but not to me and i'd rather not support the crap practices of the rebuilders supplying them, not when there are perfectly good options out there (MWE and subaru).

wipe it down (wire brush it whatever) and spread anti seize all over the axle splines.

it's already been done, so that answers that question. i'd imagine there's even companies out there that would do it for you. the person that i know that's done it has no intention of publicizing any details. reverse is purely hydraulic/mechanical in nature and works even if you run the trans without a TCU at all. so a paddle shifter could be triggered to work but have it "disengaged" when the shifter is put into R - and then you'd have reverse.

as for the stumble i'm with nipper i wouldn't worry unless it gets work. it could even be non-transmission related - like the front CV inner joint (DOJ).

nice hit, forgot about that joker. 6 point socket would be nice, not a bolt you want to round off. good luck P!

yes - first they should check the connector that plugs into the speed sensors. could be damaged, not fully seated, dirty or a bent pin. either way an easy fix and an issue that would have been caused by them. if that checks out the actual wiring to the sensor should be checked. but that bizarre shifting and stuff you're mentioning does not sound like a speed sensor problem. i would want to unplug the speed sensor and see how it drives, it should still run fine with it unplugged.

so you mean you can't access the EJ25 torque converter bolts? i usually just get them from up top with a wrench or socket. maybe remove the intake manifold first. did you try from underneath? there's a thin shield/pan of sorts on some motors, i think if that's removed you may have more access from underneath with a wrench? try the same on the EJ22 - from underneath and if that doesn't cut it you might need to remove the intake manifold.

copy that - check the connectors and pins then too - i've seen bent pins before.

the speed sensor is not causing these issues. you are experiencing transmission problems and the speed sensor is just showing up as a symptom, most likely an incorrect code due to some strange ailment internally. it's a symptom not a cause here. what's even better is that the speed sensors are really easy to replace and since they rarely fail are a dime a dozen used. so if you wanted to rule it out, it would be easy to remove, install another and watch the transmission do the same thing. i think they're trying to avoid warranty work, they didn't do something right. used transmissions are the best option in my opinion. $100-$500 usually. my $150 3 month warranty 100,000 mile EJ trans is running great.

check the owners manual, it has all the service mileages in it. you can post in the parts wanted forum here, ebay, etc. ignition items and air filter check/replace at 30k - 60k wires - never if you buy Magnecor is your real concern gas mileage? what kind of driving, what kind of gas mileage, what kind of soob? fuel filter, O2 sensor, PCV

then it wouldn't match your front diff and you'd ruin your transmission. larger wheel/tires combinations if they'll fit. i do that, but the speedo is off. gear calculators anyone? i'm not even sure going from 4.11 to 3.9 really changes much, about 5%?? so 3325 rpm instead of 3500 rpm....for hundreds or thousands of dollars of difficult work.

this doesn't sound like a "daily driver"? the more abuse it gets the shorter the life span. it's not like at 200 hp it's fine then at 201 they all blow up. i think 350 being actually used in an EA FWD = disaster. not too sure i'd trust an EJ FWD much more but performance person i am not. what vehicle and what's going on. in a subaru in stock configuration...i can't imagine it being worth it, it's going to be really tight, the fuel tank is in the way, there's no tunnel and where is the engine going? a ton of custom fabrication and work. if it's for a subaru the easiest way to get RWD is just to remove the front axles from a 4WD trans. for manual trans you'll need an EA locking center diff manual trans or an EJ AWD trans with a fried center diff...meaning it's perma-locked. not sure how long that 4WD will take that kind of power though. no. the above idea solves this issue....just install any LSD rear diff in place of the existing one.