idosubaru

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.

skip has you covered - sounds like CV (DOJ) issues. have the axles/boots been worked on ever? if you pay close attention usually you can just barely tell which side it's coming from. to me it's always been just noticeable that i think i can tell which side it is, but not enough that i'm positive....but it's always been that "i think" side. shouldn't deteriorate all that fast, particularly if the boot is still intact but don't let it get too bad. i left one go last year because, well i've always let the outer joints go for years and many tens of thousands of miles. but that inner DOJ is a different animal i found out the hard way, the speedometer gear is a plastic gear driven off the transmission stubby shaft that the cv axle DOJ connects too. all that vibration blew my speedometer apart....and that little part basically requires a transmission rebuild, for me it's easier to replace the transmission though. either way, not something you want to face. it would require a lot, i left mine go for months with terrible vibrations.

a turbo EA82 probably isn't a good fit. requires upgrades and work to get decent power and they have lots of issues. they blow head gaskets, are old, leak like a seize...if you get one it should be completely gone over first before installing it, then they can be good engines if you're not prone to up the boost! i think you said it best - it's probably best to stick with the EA82 and enjoy it for what it is. at least it gets decent gas mileage (or hopefully, some aren't that great actually). a motor swap is a lot of work for a car that old unless you plan on putting a lot into to keep it running over the years - wheel bearings, struts, u joints, cables, hose, tie rods, power steering, a/c, power widows...things will start creeping up eventually. making judgement calls on anecdotal experience really limits you, we're trying to help you. in terms of buying one right now there's really no comparison or debate as to what is the cheapest reliability money can buy right now - it's an EJ22 (or the nearly identical EJ18). don't rule out millions of miles and thousands of owners/mechanics and subaru specialists based on very few (or one) experience. i've owned 20 XT6's, they are far more problematic than EJ22's as well. they are great motors but require a lot of preventative maintenance and babying - CTS goobies, crank seals failing, oil pump seals sucking in, loud hydraulic valve lash adjusters, expensive and harder to find parts....they are a huge downgrade from an EJ engine, though i still love XT6's and am a moderator of the XT forum for a reason!

subaru driveshafts are typically considered replacement items. type in Rockford, staked in ujoints...etc and you'll find a ujoint specifically made to replace these staked in and "non-replaceable" Subaru ujoints. i've posted the part numbers required before on here and the XT forums as well as the instructions that come with the ujoints, so with some searching you'll find that information. you can try to swing that yourself or have a driveline shop do it, it requires some metal cutting, grinding, etc. not sure on the carrier bearing, i would hit a driveline shop up for info on those. i have new stuff in mine, but realistically speaking used might be easier, they're all over the place. at least they always give fair warning so if you have to get another one in 2 years...no biggie, they're easy to replace, they're not really a "leave you stranded" item.

yes the XT6 will bolt right up. although "messing with the transmission" on something like this is about 10% of the work of the wiring and computer issues you're going to run into. it'll drop in on the cross member, bolt up to the transmission, then the fun begins. swapping the ECU and wiring harness and then the front radiator support like she said. the XT6 ER27 is 145 hp. a much better bet is to do an EJ22 swap. they are a dime a dozen and better all around. lighter, smaller, easier to maintain, more reliable, newer, easier to find parts for, and no worries about the larger size and radiator support nonsese.... it will bolt in but will require work on the transmission end since it does not bolt right up. but there are solutions to that and lots of people have done EJ swaps and can help you out here.

these carrier bearings fail so infrequently that your best bet is to replace it with a used one if you don't have or can't find a drive line shop to look at it. some machine shops do drive line work or can let you know who does, you just have to call around and ask. owning dozens of Subaru's (many from the 80's) and working on plenty more i have not seen one fail yet. and even on the boards here...carrier bearing failure is very rare.

are there other years/models too? i see a fair amount of automatic 96 Legacy's (wagon and sedan, L, Brighton, LSi) with failed front differentials. saw/bought some last year and saw my first one this year today?

a helicoil is a proper repair for stripped threads, they are permanent fixes, not band aids. why would you want something different? if you want something "more correct", then replacing the head is i guess what you're after but i would not recommend that. and if you did i would have someone with subaru specific experience do that. my friend is a mechanic but has little subaru experience. i see what you're saying - O2 sensors are not typically 100,000+ mile parts, so you are right in thinking it's not a bad idea to replace them. they are often recommended 60,000 mile replacement intervals, though longer intervals are common. alternators can last quite a while if your battery, cables and charging system are in great condition and you don't have a lot of drains on the electrical system - constantly having things like laptops plugged into your car. but...i drive XT6's and i typically replace the alternator or have a spare in the trunk (subaru alternators are super easy to replace). they are one thing that can leave you stranded and don't necessarily give much warning, so not bad to replace. the timing belt components are a necessity really if you want extended use of this vehicle - you have an interference engine if any part of the timing system breaks you will experience significant internal engine damage. ATF change i already mentioned. that pretty much covers the essentials i believe.

at 230,000 miles i don't know that i'd put a ton of effort into the vehicle. all of your hoses, clamps, seals, gaskets and such are nearing 15 years old. i'm not saying it can't do another 100,000 miles but risk does not decrease. i'd probably stick with swapping more direct parts. the earlier stuff is much easier to find around here. the later impreza OBS and late 90's stuff is more around the $500+ mark like you said. i wouldn't be surprised if you could fit the 95 transmission harness onto the newer transmission, but i wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work either! you would have to choose which 2 of the 3 or 4 speed sensors to use, but that would probably be obvious. anyway, i can't say that it will work for this application but i know it's possible in others and have two transmissions ready to do this exact thing on, but different 4EAT's.

there's a thread about regreasing the pulleys without pulling the covers off as well, using a needle fitting on a grease gun. it's in the USRM - this looks like a good addition to that thread, keep them both together.

i have to go soon but 134k is not high mileage at all. you're like half way through the life of the car if it's maintained well. you have an EJ22, those things are awesome (that's why my wife has one). preventative maintainence if you want this thing past 200k then you want these addressed: timing belts, all the timing pulleys, water pump. you could wait until the next timing belt change at 194,000 to replace the water pump - at 10 years old i'd go ahead and replace it now but your original one probably won't fail either so you make the call. you'll want the ebay timing belt kits - at $200 for parts, dealer prices will be $500+ JUST for parts alone. automatic transmission - have the ATF flushed. have your battery terminals all cleaned, tightened and checked. it's good to check and keeps your alternator and battery from failing early. make sure you get the right parts replaced for that O2 sensor code, can you tell us the exact code (not someone's interpretation of the code)? remind me what you need worked on...i can't keep everyones cars straight in my head.

a friend of mine was talking about some kind of die for his leather in his landcruiser. don't know where he was planning on getting it but it wouldn't be hard to search for "leather die" or something similar in the phone book or call/stop in at a couple body shops as you drive around.

i forgot to mention that transmissions are cheap enough that i don't know that i would bother with this swap. i bought a 1995 Legacy transmission two months ago for $150 with a warranty. that's not even worth the time removing it from another car for me, much rather pick it up.

it will bolt up and physically fit. but the automatic transmission will likely incur some issues swapping those years. in 98 they made some transmission changes. the bellhousing bolts will be different. enough line up that it can be made to work but you can only use one bolt to hold the starter in place or drill & tap for the second bolt. you'll leave all the unused bellhousing bolt holes empty (as the 99 will have 8 and the 95 only has 4). the bigger issue is the electronic changes. i think they made some significant changes in 1999. the 1999 will have a screw on ATF filter on the side of the transmission that your 1995 will not have. a screw on filter is no big deal, just an indication that it's a newer style transmission that has other changes to it as well. the final drive of the transmission may be different as well, but that could be remedied by swapping the rear differentials as well. if you wanted to do this i would first look at the wiring harnesses and see how close they look. inspecting the plugs and the wire arrangement colors. this does not really prove much, but if they are identical that's a good sign. if they are different it doesn't promise anything. after that i would look into swapping your 1995 wiring harness onto the 1999 transmission. that would make it a plug and play affair for your TCU. others may know more about the 99 changes.