idosubaru

i think you got hosed, but i have limited experience with this. the failed diffs i've seen do not do what you just said...they make LOTS of noise prior to failure and get worse with time. never seen (or heard of it happening) of a diff just working fine then "locking up" without any previous signs or noises. the main reason i think you got hosed on the diff as well is that the "stuck in gear" subaru's i have seen were not related to the front diff at all - but to the clutch itself. it was before i did this kind of in depth work that mine failed like this. i don't recall what the fix was but it wasn't expensive and was not the front diff.

i've seen bad sensors not throw the check engine light on XT6's. once was the coolant temperature sensor and once was the O2 sensor. both caused drivability issues, the CEL never came on and it worked. not sure why that can happen, but it does. both times the problem was directly fixed by replacing those parts. pay attention to the CTS - the sensors themselves on the older subaru's never actually fail. the connectors get corroded and dirty preventing a good connection. cleaning is the key. a new sensor often alleviates the problem temporarily because the contacts are clean...but the harness/connector is still dirty so it may come back rather quickly.

they are awesome, my favorite subaru since the XT6. they are a 1999 only model...though i think there's a very rare 98 or 2000 (forget which one) branded one as well. i'm essentially turning my Legacy LSi into one, i have a thread about the differences. it's essentially the paint scheme that makes most of the difference, at least in my opinion. higher stance which i don't want in this car. they have a hood scoop, different bumpers and i think most of them have leather interior and the wood grain trim as well. if it was an option, i see a much higher percentage of the SUS with these than other legacys like LS, LSi, and GT's. i have seen one without a hoodscoop, don't know if some were like that or it was a replacement from a wreck. i like maroon like the one pictured above and white, i'll probably go with white for mine just because it's easier to keep clean and i don't clean cars...often.

and you feel a binding going around turns too right, notable at slow speeds? your transmission harness does not sound like it is plugged in. check those plugs, they are located very close to the intake manifold harness plugs -the large plugs you have to pull to get the motor out. make sure those transmission plugs are all plugged in. if they are, pull them out and make sure none of the pins are bent. your TCU is not controlling your transmission at all and running in purely mechanical mode - which is 3rd by default. i am currently driving a car like this because something is wrong with the transmission system. be careful driving it much like this because i think you'll find you also have torque bind as the default mode of the rear transfer clutches is "locked", hence the binding around turns. glad you got it figured out. how freaking bizarre, great pictures! when they made all those changes, what a stupid idea not to incorporate the same parts!?!?

yikes, forgot that!

i've seen uglier paint jobs. leaving an oil cap off 'can' (not saying always) cause this as well (ask a firefighter), so there are some legit causes.

sounds like torque bind. the fluid has probably never been changed...or not enough, do that right now. WOW! crucial information. that's more important than anything else you said and is why i asked in my first post: it is likely something happened in the past to bring this on - mismatching tires, tires not being rotated, snows on the front, being towed improperly, fluid not changed or run low - etc.

okay then ivantruckman, good info. leave the front half of the shaft in place (if the EA81 is like the EA82/ER27 and has a two piece shaft). or cover it up with something sturdy and stout so oil doesn't come out. being under pressure the automatic really pushes fluid out fast, don't think the manuals are under as much pressure/volume in the rear.

why is it called a "rocker panel"?

sounds like torque bind, i agree with skip that you should check into that. how long has it been doing this? i am very doubtful that your rear axles are causing this, though i'm not saying it's impossible. i never replace rear CV half shafts and i've never had them break, cause noise or vibrations. i've put 100,000+ miles on broken boot rear axles. my current ride has about 40,000 miles and both rear axles have torn boots...though i have new axles ready to go since the crushed coal they use on the roads in the mountains really screws with cv joints.

how you do it depends slightly on which 5 speed transmission you're putting in it. but you shouldn't have a problem keeping it driveable. find a used shaft for cheap or borrow one. i've lent or given away driveshafts before even. ask some people you know? or...just drive it in FWD. with the rear driveshaft removed all you have to do is put it in 4WD and it will run fine. i've done this before with automatics and manuals. on the automatics you have to have a cap or leave the front half of the driveshaft in place or fluid comes out. i can't remember if the manual transmissions are the same, it's been a few years since i've done that with one of those.

the center diff is inside the transmission. they can be replaced, someone had a dealer do it in the midwest...Cincinnati i believe recently for $500. i think they said it's replaceable without dropping the trans, but that's just from memory i've never done it. i'd probably just replace the transmission myself. a transmission gear oil change is not a bad idea. fluid changes help the automatics with torque bind more than the manuals, but i would do one right away, it's too easy not too. some people try "concoctions" like Lucas or other additives with it, you can do a search on the board for "torque bind" and find out all sorts of information. keep in mind you'll want to read the manual transmission related stuff as the auto's and manuals have completely different failure modes and systems...just the symptoms are similar. some questions: have you or do you ever feel it binding around turns? that should be noticeable. what's the history here? how long has it been doing this and has it gotten worse? i don't think this is it but ball joints can also cause nasty vibrations around turns, if it was one of those or the cv i would expect it to vary based on speed, turn radius, etc...at least in the beginning. CV's have multiple failure modes, not just clicking. a bad DOJ (even with the boot in tact with no clicking) can cause serious vibrations and no noise. though i think they will usually vibrate while driving straight too.....maybe someone else can answer if they'll only vibrate around turns.

maybe that slop in the axle helped some of the wear and tear on the trans? what a bone head, you'd think he would realize that's a problem.

i hate axles - MWE all the way for me, though i know that's not a good fit for a shop. i'm guessing this is a similar in other makes too? toyota's? honda's?

i've cut the old ujoints out with a basic sawzall before. tight fit, but it worked. you're welcome. after the year you've had you don't owe me. i've lived in DISNEY LAND compared to you recently, don't even try to pay me back.

i don't see a problem with that. you have the entire engine so you could migrate everything to the new engine...heads, cams, intake, etc.

man that's awesome to know, thanks. and..since you did reuse the EJ25 intake you really shouldn't have any problems. i'll be interested to know if it's throwing any codes, has spark, fuel, etc. questions for later.after you check the other things: you tried to crank it a few times right and the battery charge is good? not really the case for newer engines, but i've seen some older ones take some time to fire up...possibly related to the HLA's bleeding down. are you sure you got all the intake wiring harness plugs plugged in properly? there are a few wires that attach to the engine - knock sensor (rear drivers side), crank sensor, cam sensor, water temperature sensor (under intake facing rear word on the passengers side), and a solenoid under there as well i think. make sure all of those are plugged in.

if there is a ground clearance difference i would imagine the struts are different. i know people swap struts to get some ground clearance on some EJ models. you might want to do a search and find those threads, maybe they are in the offroad section of this forum? not suspension, but the impreza outback sports all got the EJ22, where other impreza's may have the EJ18.

i didn't: i mentioned that it's probably NOT cam timing. i would not be surprised to see wires on the other hand cause an issue only felt at idle. what brand are the ignition wires and are there (or have there been) any check engine lights?

first - the EJ25 ECU should not matter at all. earlier EJ swaps are cake and don't require swapping the ECU. have you tried to read the codes from the ECU, is the check engine light on....i guess you can't see it since the car never starts. before chasing anything random your best bet is to verify that you have spark, fuel, and compression. if you have those then we'll start looking at the ECU and/or timing. make sure there are no vaccuum leaks, the EJ22's and EJ25's i've tried to start with a vaccuum leak would not start - brake booster hose for instance. you bolted the EJ25 intake manifold onto the EJ22? EJ25's manifolds do not bolt up to 1998 and earlier EJ22's, but you got this to work? if that's the case it certainly makes things simpler.

i think he means the difference between the 96+ sedans and the Outback Sports. i've driven and had both last year and don't know. seems like the OBS was taller, but that may just be perception and i had 16" WRX rims on it...but i dont know that those are any bigger than what the sedan had. what's the difference between these two? for 1996+ there's only one impreza wagon and it's an Outback Sport. i'm guessing you're talking about the impreza wagons before they were Outbacks...without the lower cladding and such...those are not 1996+ vehicles. I guess the question for the original poster is by "what's the difference" do you mean between the earlier non-outback impreza wagons (but you said 1996+) or the difference between sedans and the Outback Sport?

get MWE axles. avoid aftermarket axles like the plague for subaru's. i don't work on other cars enough to know about them, but i will never put anything but MWE or Subaru axles in Subaru's. as new as your car is a used axle from the junk yard is a better bet than anything you can buy in an autoparts store because it should be an original Subaru axle. MWE is a member here and is great to work with. if it idled fine, then didn't after the belt change then things need to be looked at that were messed with. the engine mounts won't fix this. ask him if he did anything with the spark plug wires or intake during this job. if so you need to make sure all the wires are seated perfectly and there are no vaccuum leaks. the EJ engines are very sensitive to ignition wires - they should be Subaru only (Magnecor is the only suitable alternative on EJ engines, which is yours). so if he also replaced the ignition wires at this time, and they were not Subaru, i would not be surprised if that was the problem. i've seen brand new wires from the store cause very bad problems. the cam being off a tooth should be very noticeable, so i doubt it. but the timing components are worth checking into if need be. was this a Subaru or after market timing belt? got the part number?

forgot to answer a couple things: yes - you can do all of this without removing the engine. actually a timing belt/water pump job on subaru's is rather easy - it's all up front, there are no access issues at all. plan on resetting the timing marks on the cams and crank. once you read the instructions you'll realize how easy it is. line up the marks on the cams with the marks on the timing covers and then the mark on the crank sprocket with the mark on the engine. three marks all lined up - install the timing belt and you're done, easy. no special tools required.

non-interference engine so that's a really good thing. for non interference motors i do not mind installing after market parts if the person needs to save bucks. i like to stick with subaru for the belt though. look for the endwrench (subaru's site) article on timing belt replacement. lots of info here, there and elsewhere. hard to say - what's the mileage and history on this car, that makes huge difference. i'd get an ebay kit with all new timing belt tensioners and pulleys. the existing ones are over 10 years old now. most suggest subaru for the belt and water pump. subaru belt is super nice because it has the marks on it to help line things up.