idosubaru

check your CV boots and ball joints - very easy to look at and see if the rubber is ripped or torn. might be obvious. does the steering ever seem to "drift" while you're driving? for instance while going straight it will seem to go right for a second? or does it have a slight delay in steering...turn and it seems to take a split second longer than normal? this would be warn out...or completely missing steering rack bushings. very cheap and very easy to replace. although it doesn't sound like you have these or other symptoms than when turning right. if it's only when turning right i would inspect the ball joints and tie rods. have the axles every been worked on - new boots, new axles, etc? and if so were the parts Subaru or other? if it's other - then that is almost certainly your problem.

does your POWER light blink 16 times when you first start the car? it would be a good idea to clear them all and check it again later, that is a bunch of codes. have you ever had any major work done to this vehicle - requiring engine or transmission removal?

i'm going to be picking one of these up this week. i want one that shows the code and interprets it for you, looks like they can be had in the $50-$100 range. any feedback?? that ebay link is dead, if you have any info on the kind/brand/vendor, let me know.

sounds sort of normal. not sure if different years have different responses but 10 minutes seems a bit long considering it hasn't been brutally cold in morgantown yet. i have a 97 impreza OBS and it has not seemed to take that long to shift into 4th, but maybe i just didn't notice. i'm in morgantown now as well. if you ever needed me to look at something for you we can probably arrange that. if it does the same thing every time, then you don't have anything to worry about, if it starts changing and acting differently then that would be odd. i would check the fluid level and flush/replace the ATF as well if you have no idea when it's ever been replaced before. does this car have an external/alternate transmission cooler on it? that may delay it getting the temps up in the winter?

i have a new suspicion - where did you get those driveshafts and did the vibration start or get worse after you replaced those? i think one of those could be your problems. and yes they will vibrate under load and make noises, it will be the inner joint (by the transmission) that's causing this. if you got anything but Subaru or MWE axles then this is my guess. if so you need to fix it now or else they'll blow apart your speedometer gear inside the transmission, it's only plastic and is very close to the front cv axle stubs. all that vibration will break it. if bushings/mounts are bad enough to cause really bad play they can cause metal to metal contact. i have seen seized ujoints on the driveshaft that would cause severe vibrations under load but then get much lighter when off throttle or coasting (this was an automatic).

there is most likely some valve damage, it definitely won't go away with time. but just in case check these items: compression test may be off if the cams and crank aren't aligned perfectly. i would make sure those marks are dead on. if you removed any of the cam sprockets, then make sure you didn't accidentally put the wrong cam sprocket on the wrong cam (someone else just did that recently). wires are more likely be the culprit for cylinder misfires then spark plugs - try swapping the wires and see if the misfire stays with the cylinder or moves with the wires. did you use NGK spark plugs. on this motor you should only use NGK plugs and OEM Subaru wires. if it is bent valves and you plan on fixing, at least you'll have new head gaskets too.

the Ej25 doesn't typically blow by throwing white exhaust out the tail pipe. did you have any other symptoms? it may have just been condensation in the pipes being blown out? any overheating? if it's not overheating it's probably nothing. if for some odd reason the gaskets are bad...the EJ25 is not to blame. the job wasn't done correctly if they blew in 200 miles, i'd go back to the mechanic that did the job. were the heads milled and what gaskets were used - Subaru or aftermarket? this is one vehicle that should only have Subaru parts for the head gasket. if it comes to it you do not want a used motor...JDM, USDM...anything. either way you're paying a grand for the same basic head gasket issue, bad gamble in my opinion and more importantly, my experience. have it fixed properly or swap to an EJ22. the EJ20 swap is far more work, the EJ22 is a bolt in affair, with no custom work needed, just a couple simple tricks to keep it easy. send me a note - auto/manual, mileage and a picture, basic details if you want to sell it.

did you replace the pilot bearing as well, i only see throw out bearing listed? i've seen those in very bad shape...very rough and no grease in them, even on late 90's, low mileage Subarus.

rumbling/grumbling is often wheel bearings or ujoints in the driveshaft.

okay i guess i missed the forester differences too todd. didn't realize there was that much difference and i don't have a ton of experience with those later SOHC EJ25's. the impreza OBS had 99 EJ22's as well, and yes a goofy motor they are - plugs in the side unlike the older EJ22's. but i have no idea if they'll swap. the best bet is to swap the engine wiring harness onto the intake manifold that you want (which here is the EJ22). this is much easier to do if you have them to compare though, like i happen to have for my project, verses looking for the motor you want to buy. i just bought it with the idea that i would figure something out.

why not use it? i mentioned this in an earlier post. if a non-EGR EJ22 works, then an EJ22 with the EGR will work as well. just block off the EGR port in the exhaust port of the heads. if for some reason it doesn't work all you would have to do is swap intake manifolds which is easy on EJ's...but it will. actually that's what i am doing right now, except the other way around. i'm installing a non-EGR and non-compliant charcoal canister EJ22 manifold (it doesn't have the canister lines in the engine bay) into an originally EGR equipped vehicle. if i don't like it for some reason i'll just swap the manifold to an actual EGR equipped manifold to simplify things, but i don't plan on needing to do that. so i'm doing exactly what you could do with an EGR equipped EJ22 (with the EGR removed). NO - your EJ25 manifold will not fit on an EJ22. you get an entire EJ22 engine assembly (entire engine and intake manifold) and drop it in your car, it's a plug and play. the plugs/wiring are identical, it just plugs right in. there's no need to swap ECU's, disregard those comments from people they're just guessing and making stuff up. if for some reason you want to keep your existing EJ25 intake wiring and such you can swap everything over to the EJ22 intake manifold. all the wiring and fuel rails and such will swap to the EJ22 manifold. not sure why you'd want to do the extra work but i suppose yours may have fewer miles (but i would just have the injectors rebuilt) or technically it would be "nice" to have actual EJ25 injectors and rails, but it doesn't really matter.

impreza's had them up until 2001. but only the OBS or sedan, not the RS or WRX obviously. search online car parts or subaru parts sites and you can figure this stuff out.

yes the 1995 will bolt up, but it won't be exactly the same. your bellhousing will have 8 bolt holes where any EJ22 prior to 1999 will have 4. but those 4 bolt holes line up with 4 of the 8 in yours so you can make it work just fine. you'll have one bolt holding the starter and can leave it like that...or drill and tap for the second one. if you want an "exact" 8 hole drop in then you'll need a 9 hole EJ22 which i guess means you'll be checking out 1999 and up EJ22's. not worth the trouble and narrowing your pool of possible EJ22 candidates and you get a more annoying motor (the 99+ EJ22's). of course you'll have to make sure any 99+ EJ22 has those 8 bolt holes (can't recall if that's an EJ25 change only) and you'll definitely need to make sure it's a non-EGR engine. i'm not sure what 99+ EJ22's are EGR or not.

one non-EGR Ej22 is a 1995 EJ22 from a manual transmission vehicle, sure there are others. i've had a 1997 EJ22 and have heard of 1998's having no EGR, but i think it will still come down to asking. i had two 1998MY (1997 manufacture) EJ22's that were identical...both Impreza OBS with automatic...even the same color and one had EGR and the other did not. non EGR Ej22's are more difficult to find I believe, i think what i would start doing is try to find a non-EGR EJ22 intake manifold, then you can essentially buy any EJ22 you want. should really open up your engine shopping options, as all you have to do is close up the hole in the head. really....you can probably install an EGR fitted intake on a non-EGR vehicle without much issues if the EGR is removed since the ECU isn't looking for it anyway, but that's speculation....pretty good speculation i think though.

one non-EGR Ej22 is a 1995 EJ22 from a manual transmission vehicle, sure there are others. i've had a 1997 EJ22 and have heard of 1998's having no EGR, but i think it will still come down to asking. i had two 1998MY (1997 manufacture) EJ22's that were identical...both Impreza OBS with automatic...even the same color and one had EGR and the other did not. non EGR Ej22's are more difficult to find I believe, i think what i would start doing is try to find a non-EGR EJ22 intake manifold, then you can essentially buy any EJ22 you want. should really open up your engine shopping options, as all you have to do is close up the hole in the head. really....you can probably install an EGR fitted intake on a non-EGR vehicle without much issues if the EGR is removed since the ECU isn't looking for it anyway, but that's speculation....pretty good speculation i think though.

just depends how much you like taking a risk and how annoyed you'll be if you have problems, but a 400 mile trip when you have "foam" and "bubbles" in the expansion tank is a little on the risky side. there's a fair chance of an overheat. but of course without seeing it it's really hard to say, maybe it's just dirt in tank (foam?). and maybe it was just low on coolant (bubbles)...and it's not really much worse than before. probably is, but i'm just saying without seeing it makes it difficult. look at the bottom of the oil cap - no residue build up? yes it's worth the repair. if it is actually getting worse the sooner you get it done the less likely you'll have problems down the road - with repeat failure or engine internals - meaning most likely rod bearings or crank bearings.

definitely not. it's newer, there's fewer of them but i still find them with more blown motors than i do early Ej22 stuff. very easy to find with blown motors (i know of two right now). head gaskets, piston slap, oil consumption, interference engine, and ,more internal engine issues...they are good motors, but they are definitely not an EJ22.

Impreza Outback Sport will not.

sounds good and i agree with Skip, sounds like an aftermarket thermostat (they are bad, the Subaru stat is far superior). i would replace it, you'll be amazed at how huge and stout the subaru stat looks next to the old one, they don't even look like the same part. dont' know if it's too late but with oil/water mixing i would have the radiator flushed as well with a blown head gasket.

i would use that.

hey, wait a second, did he just poke fun of me? yes, i would avoid the EJ25. if you have to get an EJ25 then get one with a blown motor and replace it with a new one from CCR or find one that has already had the head gaskets replaced. even then, they are less reliable than the 2.2. they have head gasket problems, piston slap, and use oil more frequently. and they are more likely (though not very) to have major internal engine failure. they aren't bad motors, but i like reliability. the piston slap is "normal" and causes no issues, using oil is the same, and internal failures are rare. if it's body style you're after buy an EJ25 you like with a blown engine (they are easy to find) and install an EJ22 in it's place. the 2.2 is available a few years later than that. the OBS had the 2.2 after 1997 as well as some base legacy models - like the brighton. there are a few LSi's with an EJ22 right around these years and they look nice. also, as i mentioned talking to you off-line the 1996 and earlier models are non-interference which is a good choice for some people.

try using descriptive titles, that helps you, helps others, and makes the board better.

uh, yeah, no need to ruin one like that when there's plenty of other cars that can take the brunt. salt? is that all they use down there? up around Mon/Preston counties they dump black nasty gritty stuff that eats metal quicker that salt. what is that anyway, coal byproducts or something? on the real nasty curvy, steep, switch back mountain roads they'll nearly cover parts with it, ends up with huge mounds of it at each down mountain side of turns after a few storms.

sure thing, glad to help. i was doing the same thing a few years ago when i was first getting into new generation stuff for my wife. i had always driven the old stuff. i'm glad i asked and got good responses then...you do have to be careful who you listen to of course, i got lots of great suggestions and ended up with a good fit. $3,500 60,000 miles 1997 Impreza OBS. gave it a good tune up and my wife loves it. haven't had any driveability or starting issues at all. now at 111,000, so that's 51,000 miles and a few years of trouble free driving with no car payments and i could still sell the thing for what we paid for it. come to think of it - crap - it's probably time for new spark plugs, better look into that replacement interval. sounds like you're doing the right thing based on your likes and such. i'm looking at picking up a couple in the next week or two for friends/family. i'm seeing impreza's and legacy's in the $700 - $1500 range that will suite their needs...and they're running vehicles not needing anything major.

i thought i had read something before about this, because i had never used any sealant before. so i looked it up for kicks, found it using the search button, here's a thread mentioning a sealant on the plug threads (check the second page of the thread): http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=76516&page=2&highlight=differential+plug