idosubaru

no. it's not worth it.

yes cam cap comes off really easy, i've done a ton of them. there's an oring behind it that you'll want to replace with new. no problem removing the cam sensor, it just unplugs and unbolts. remove and reinstall and you're golden!

that's really bad. i would almost wonder if that tire is dragging or lagging. like torque bind, ebrake or rear caliper, wheel bearing, axle, rear diff? i'd want to jack it up and make sure it spins freely.

they quoted you the price for the block to protect themselves. it's probably a head gasket. imagine if you're a customer and go in with overheating car. shop quotes you $1,500 to replace the gaskets. then it's still overheating and the shop says "oh you have a bad block and that's $4,000". some people get seriously miffed at paying $1,500 and then needing a new block for that kind of change. so the easiest route...just quote a block replacement every time. statistically speaking - making up numbers - you have a 2% chance of having a blown block and that number gets larger the more times you drive it while overheating. if you've been driving it as much as it sounds like then it's gradually degrading the block over time. all of that heat and repeated driving does bad things to gaskets and bearings and even cylinder sleeves. there's really no way to promise anything. your symptoms are very common (for this motor, not head gaskets in general), nothing odd about what i'm seeing there. but - you want to make sure that's it's not loosing coolant somewhere else and something very simple. have the radiator caps, hoses, leak points, thermostat and water pump ever been addressed? all of those are at or past replacement mileage and are over 10 years old now. if you do need engine work, a cheaper alternative is to go for an EJ22 engine swap - it's easy to do on a 1998 EJ25 vehicle and the EJ22 is a more reliable engine. and your speedo issues are common to 1999-ish vehicles for some reason.

i wouldn't consider that the "going rate" and i wonder what kind of warranty they have. CO junk yards list a core with rod knock for $500 and running ones with warranty for $1,500+. $1,000 is the going rate around here and on ebay. completed items on ebay - there are dozens sold for $850+. and even still they're the same old problematic head gaskets, piston slap prone, and less reliability than an EJ22. EJ22's just seem like a better fit for most people...but certainly not everyone. depends which engines you're comparing, but it's generally 30hp or less for a swap if you want to be a bean counter. the EJ25's are nicer in that regard but the difference is minimal in my opinion, they're still not fast.

impreza's are a real goof ball of a job by Subaru. they went backwards in the mid 90's. impreza's had rear discs in the earlier models....then around 95, 96, or 97 (not sure when) they started putting rear drum brakes on them for some reason? which is stupid considering that would entail higher production costs for a lesser product.

i don't think that's the EGR. the EGR is on the drivers side rear of the head. it comes out of the head and runs to the EGR valve on top. but the thing you're talking about runs from the passengers side head (right at the exhaust manifold) to some big cylinder contraption and then to the intake. i'm not sure what that system is called or what it is for but i removed it and blocked it off. sounds like what you did.

is there something out there that suggests the LSD stubs are different than the non-LSD stubs? i've always swapped them out indiscriminately and never had a problem. i never even thought about it.

i'm wondering the same things myself connie. not sure if i feel like fixing some of the things on mine or just buying another. thing is, XT6's are so cheap it's hard for me to justify putting tons of work into one. i know you've talked about that rust about 1,344,322 times but i still can't remember where it all is. if it's the frame rails that's not terrible. if it's all around the back where the rear subframe mounts or that subframe itself is rusted then that's more difficult - although you could get an entire subframe to put back up under there....if the body is good enough to bolt it too.

might be a good idea to mention if this is the block that has blown head gaskets a few times? i've seen comments on here about these sleeves moving or shifting in the cylinder bores. but if your found a loose headbolt then it sounds like you found the actual problem. can you post a picture, i've got a number of blocks and have pulled apart a bunch and can't think of seeing this before. i'd be interested in seeing what it looks like.

yeah john i don't think this is a good fit. it is a huge job for you and something you've never done before. even more importantly it would be a ton of effort for hardly any increases. it would a little bit but it would still be waaay slower than your XT6 which you're not satisfied with. so - lots of hours of work, very little increase and way slower than a car you already have and aren't satisfied with - doesn't sound like a good fit. what you would need to do if you were really serious about this is to compare the wiring harnesses. i wouldn't be surprised if the MPFI and SPFI were fairly close and the ECU's probably have the similar connectors. if that's the case you might be able to repin the existing connectors?? if you want something fast, don't try to start with something slow, that just doesn't make sense. it's like going to the plumber when you're having a heart attack. in your position it is better to not try to go fast at all.

EJ stuff is nothing like EA older gen stuff. EJ engines are very sensitive to ignition wires. i've seen (and you can find many threads on here too) brand new aftermarket wires cause cylinder misfire check engine lights. it's not worth $40. stick with OEM subaru wires or Magnecor. Shop around, do NOT buy them from Magnecor. A distributor will have cheaper prices, i think i bought mine online for my 1997 EJ22 were $60-ish or so dollars. Magnecor wires are awesome - you'll never need to replace them, so by the 2nd wire change you're making money and have wires that won't degrade. i've carried over sets to second and i think third vehicles before.

hmm, that makes it interesting. could be piston slap too? if it's piston slap it's not harmful....and EJ25's are known more for that than EJ22's also, forgot about that one. tensioner rod - as in the timing belt? that would be a cheap/easy fix. maybe you should start a thread in the New Gen forum to help you diagnose what this sound is. might be able to help figure it out?

i'm wondering if you can tell by looking if the 2000 Legacy EJ25's have visually different plugs. i can't remember even though i have worked on them before.

the 8 bolt holes should not be an issue, the 4 on the other engine will line up with 4 of your existing holes...whatever issues you encounter with that should be minor. yours is a 1999 and the Legacy did change in 2000 i think is what someone said, so i would want to verify the intake manifold/wiring/plugs are right for you. i'd hate to assume that 12/31 and 01/01 was the exact cut off, i bet there's some variance there. without seeing it i can't offer you any more help.

paying someone else to do it and done their homework? 2.5's are way more expensive, then more money to replace HG, and are less reliable. more money, less reliable, for 20 hp. not worth it for most people. for those that have to pay to replace a blown head gasket or rod bearing out of pocket then cheaper + more reliable may be a better fit. FYI - one dealer i get parts from charges the same price to replace the HG in the car or out of the car. i asked in case i ever felt like bringing one of my EJ25's in. think i'll pass!

awesome! great job! while this thread is fresh could you make a list of what is EA82 and what was EJ?

there's intake manifold gaskets on top - they have shared coolant passages running through them as well. thermostat housing and throttle body hoses. then there's usually a number of tiny hoses as well carrying coolant - one close to the thermostat and some buried.

hey Q man - what did you do about that auxilliary air line that's bolted to the passengers side head? my EJ18 had one, don't know if they all do? maybe it was just plumbed into the intake and won't be needed? i can't recall if it had any electrical sensors associated with it or not?

i've done something similar but the opposite. i swapped an EJ18 into another vehicle and used a 97 EJ22 intake manifold to do it. the EJ22 and EJ18 manifolds are different and the EJ22 intake manifold/harness will not plug into the existing harness on the car. at least i don't think it will, didn't look like mine would. so that will be your biggest hurdle. but they are interchangeable in the sense that they swap and bolt up to the other engine with no problems. the easiest way to do it will be to bolt the EJ18 intake manifold onto the EJ22. which is annoying because i find the EJ18 manifolds very cumbersome and annoying. but the EJ18 manifold will bolt to the EJ22. the EJ18 will have a port on the exhaust side of the head on one side that the EJ22 won't have. this will be the biggest trickery to it. i'm not familiar with what this does. since i used an EJ22 manifold and an EJ18 engine all i had to do was block it off - the EJ22 doesn't have it. you will be using the EJ22 engine...but the EJ18 intake - so you'll need to route it somewhere. need to find out what that thing does. someone mentioned it in one of my threads asking questions about the swap i'm doing but i can't recall what it was for and didn't care since i don't need it. the 1996 EJ22 usually has single exhaust ports (a few have dual). the EJ18 is dual exhaust ports. so you'll need to also swap the exhaust manifold if the EJ22 has single port exhaust. the EJ22 will have a knock sensor which your EJ18 will not have, just remove it and you won't use it. i had to do the opposite, install a knock sensor on my EJ18. other than those things you shouldn't have any issues, i'm just now finishing mine up. if your buddy wants an EJ18 intake manifold to play with i have one to sell, tell him to email or PM me.

the interchanges the junk yards use show 1999 being different but 2000/2001 being interchangeable. but this doesn't necessarily mean anything, that information isn't perfect. they often don't list interchanges based on simple things. that's all i got.

exactly what i would do.

that is good news - yours will be simple then. just keep reading and take notes - put it in a spreadsheet or something on what you can or could use and ask questions once you get a good idea. the basics are: 1995 EJ22 from an automatic 1996-1998 EJ22 with exhaust manifold all of these have EGR set ups on them which you need (the 1995 manual won't have that). and keep your old EJ25 - you'll just swap whatever A/C or power steering brackets from it onto the new EJ22. you're keeping your EJ25 A/C and steering so keep whatever brackets to hold them. it's very simple, it's all a bolt on affair.

awesome! if this does indeed help or solve the problem i would plan on another transmission fluid change in the next 6 months or sooner. i have no quantitative reason for that and it might be a bad idea but i would do it again out of preference.

todd - yours being a 99 forester will probably incur some issues. the best option is probably buying a new CCR engine with 36,000 mile 3 year warranty. excellent reputation. if you're looking for cheap and an EJ22 - i think you will need a later model EJ22 - but i'm not sure of the years. the intake manifold will tell, but i don't have any to look at. in the 90's the EJ22 and EJ25 intakes are different, so they aren't interchangeable. later - the EJ22 intake changed and i believe they are completely interchangeable with the EJ25 - get one of those EJ22 and your existing EJ25 intake manifold will bolt right to it. this would solve all the intake, TPS, IAC, wiring issues. for the newbie steve - yours is a 1999 Legacy so you shouldn't have those problems. is it SOHC or DOHC - if it's DOHC it'll be easy. nearly any EJ22 can be made to fit and almost all the previously written information applies to you. you sohuld search, read through it and get a good grasp on the idea before asking questions. there's too many variables to list them all at one time for someone who doesn't know anything. Todd's issues above are because his is a later model, i don't think you'll have those issues (if it's a DOHC which is probably is).