idosubaru

you may be able to find someone in the $1,000 - $1,200 ballpark to fix the head gasket, dealers are usually the top end of the spectrum and are not always very nice when it comes to pricing a new water pump and other bits to go with it. they typically add exorbitantly to the job, but can be talked down some. it's tough to find, but a good shop/mechanic can get you in the $1,000 area and will only charge costs for any extra parts you may want/need - like water pump, oil pump seals, pulleys and such. i'm well-versed in subaru's, so i know all about "some" and EJ series engines. i get lots of subaru requests and questions locally, i shop weekly for them and have bought quite a few this year. my experience is well above anecdotal and what i read/see on the internet.

cool. you're about to learn something even though you thought you were poking fun of my question. some outer parts of the engine get hottest AFTER you turn the car off. the heat from the combustion chamber migrates outwardly the instant you turn the car off. the coolant is no longer flowing and some "outer" parts of the engine will begin to rise in temperature. it is not uncommon, i've even seen it in Subaru's, to see the temperature gauge higher than normal if you have recently driven it. start the engine and the gauge will drop back down to normal very quickly as the coolant circulates. this is normal and is why i asked about your excursion into the store. this is also why many vehicle fires actually start after the engine is turned off. many people reply or tell stories indicating how "weird" or "strange" this is, but it really makes complete sense. you always want to check obvious things first, and while this sounds like HG stuff, you haven't seen bubbles in the overflow yet - that is a sure indicator usually. these don't typically show coolant/oil mixing, that's not how they fail, you saw just what you guessed - hot oil that was very thin, normal as you guessed. be sure to get a subaru thermostat and check the inlet and outlet hoses...make sure they are both hot. the radiator is 10 years old and could be partially clogged. i would not install a used EJ25, that's about the worst thing you could do unless you know it's in great condition and has new headgaskets, but those are hard to find (though i have one). because of head gaskets blowing, the motors are in high demand and the going rate is $1,000 for any off the shelf motor with the original head gaskets. way too much for something that might blow. your motor sounds good, i'd have it fixed. $1,000 - $1,500 the average price for a dealer to fix it and yo'uve got yourself a great motor. in my opinion, if you can't find a cheap EJ25 and refuse getting it fixed the only other option in my opinion is a rebuilt from CCR (top of the line Subaru specialist rebuilders, with a 3 year 36k warranty). i'm not well versed in the turbo swaps, NASIOC is a great resource for that kind of stuff. they have all that information outlined fairly well there.

don't forget to answer the important question - was the car running the entire time?

my guess is that the radiator is clogged. a very, very simple fix and new/used ones are easily found. i agree on the maintenance being way behind. i have a friend going on 250,000 miles and he's never changed his timing belt yet either. at this point though it might be worth putting in a $50 used radiator and driving it another year or two! new radiators aren't that expensive either, but they're all over the place used.

i highly doubt the belt is slipping on the water pump. it's possible but i'm betting it's something else.

that was funny. i was a bit annoyed you weren't going to share considering the efforts some have put in distributing information and the lack of it from others. so yeah, funny stuff. but you don't have to worry, not many people will do this. if 50 people do it (which they won't) that's still only 1 per state. wow, 4 hours. do something nice for your wife out of appreciation for tolerating that, like a 30 minute back massage or something. $25.00 is a nice price. people pay $100+ for scoops on ebay and such, i've sold some for that much before.

make absoltely certain all of your other bolts are out of course. drill it out through the manifold hole opening. get a high quality drill bit and go to town. but you'll just need to pull the manifold off, there's nothing else to it.

double post

you never say whether you turned the car off when you went into the store. bubbling in the overflow tank after the car is shut off and overheating are the initial indications. they both get worse with time.

usually alternator but could be related to battery, cables or connections. autozone or advanced auto parts have battery and alternator testing equipment. there's an off change the belt could be loose, but you would probably hear that as well. and the rarer alternative is that the crank pulley is separating. also - check out the search function or the "similar threads" listed below. look down to the bottom right of this page, there are threads listed with your exact same issues. some quick searches often solves easy or common issues like this one.

Subaru thermostats are way better than after markets - people have posted pictures of them side-by-side before, the difference is enormous.

AH!!! more information - some GL wagons are EA82 - GL hatches are EA81!!!!! remember - helping over the internet is hard enough, no touchy, no heary, no feely...we can't hear, see, touch or do anything physically. so information and helping are very tightly knit here.

22060AA061 is the part number for a 1997-1999 Legacy EJ25 (i just bought one), they are 71.70 from subarugenuineparts.com. that's the DOHC engine, not sure if your forester is the same but the price will be nearly identical. typical online prices should be %20 lower than MSRP, that's standard. seen that in multiple states all over the east coast of the US from Georgia to PA. your local dealer may give you these same discounted prices as the online Subaru parts dealers. you can ask if you have a good relationship with them or take in a printed pricing from the online guys and ask if they will match it. i've never been turned down. tell them you like the ease of not needing to drive but would rather have a relationship with the dealer. that's good for both parties and they should oblige. they give all the local shops that discounted rate anyway, so they really shouldn't care (at least in areas where there are a lot of Subaru's). i prefer the online purchasing myself most of the time, saves time.

'mythical' replies about paint chips and cam pulleys falling apart is humerous, i agree with you 100%, but no one said those things but you. you're the one blowing "surface rust" out of proportion...i've got some that have rust and are pitted, i can post pictures if you'd like to turn this into a pissing match. if you don't drive much they will rust. i don't care, i run without covers just like you. i'm just passing information along, make decisions accordingly.

i mentioned that earlier: you don't want to overheat the items you are working, otherwise it doesn't help you. this is a very good example of "more is not better". the right amount works perfectly, more or less does you no good. i think it often comes down to rust and the elements. the north east frequently turns quick jobs into really, really long jobs just from corrosion/rust. if you have many to do or have rust to contend with the tool is probably a good idea. i recommend what i did...BUY IT NOW, before you need, then you'll never have to use it! i haven't even pulled it from the package since i bought, don't even remember when.

well your previous diagnosis you reported was that it was a the timing belt tensioner. this has happened before and is a possibility, so i suppose they need to verify that this is the problem. if that is the case - this is not major internal engine problems. not sure what you're asking, but i can't think of anything else that could help you besides going and listening to it to determine what the noise is. anyone familiar with subarus, including many on this board, would not have a problem determining what this sound is i don't believe. not if it's that loud and noticeable as a "rod knock". good luck!

if you insist on running covers, just use zip-ties instead of the bolts at least.

who did she cut off? assuming you mean the door window, then no problem just replace it. you'll have the other side to compare to if something doesn't look obvious to you. the glued in side/back windows...i'd leave those to professionals, that adhesive they use is no joke and thick.

the dealer should do something to even this up, this is definitely not normal and not expected. that being said....they do not make it easy to "replace engines" and do things on their own time. if they did, everyone would be doing it. it's going to take some effort, phone calls, and persistence. i hope you end up with a good car out of this. and i agree...i'd hate the thought of having that dealer work on it any more, but they are certainly responsible.

WHAT CAR!!!?!?!????? if it's another loyale - then just make sure it's the same FWD or 4WD and it'll swap out, year doesn't matter for the loyale.

if you're wondering what to do with $50, don't fix something unless it's broke. as a matter of fact - don't fix either axle unless it's starting to vibrate or it's really, really bad. i've put 50,000+ miles on front axles that were clicking (and 100,000 on rears with busted boots). depends what they put on your roads how long they will last. WV where they dump coal on the roads...about 1 month. down south where they put nothing...they'll last years if you keep them out of the sand (off the beach). had good luck in MD too. clicking - no big deal, stuff 34 cents worth of grease up there every now and again. vibrating - that's bad, fix it tomorrow. make good financial decisions now, particularly with cars, you'll thank yourself later. there's hundreds of people on this board that wish they would have taken that advice at some time in their past, here's your chance!

i wouldn't blame the 2.2...if the same baboon installed an EJ25 they could have done the same thing. the EJ22 should hook up exactly like the EJ25, there's very little difference. what year was the EJ22 and how was the swap done? does the engine have an EGR valve? there's a lot of information...like i always tell everyone, diagnosing and helping over the internet is tough. mechanics get things wrong...imagine taking away their site, touch, smell......and then expecting them to get it right!!!! do you know anyone with a late 90's Subaru...they should be nearly identical. The 99 had some changes, not sure if there's any vaccuum changes or not though. Heck - you could probably look at the many pictures of cars for sale on ebay and look at the engine shots and get a basic idea. Also - the older gen subaru's had vaccuum routing diagrams posted under the hood of the vehice, not sure if the olders ones have this. you could also check the owners manual or FSM if you have one. or...someone hear can post a picture for you. i'm on dial up or i'd consider taking a picture or looking for an engine bay photo. and yes this is affecting your automatic transmission shift points - it uses that pressure sensor on the strut tower, those vaccuum hoses need to be hooked up.

i know someone who had a cluster replaced and they actually set the new cluster at the pre-existing mileage on the vehicle. i do not know how common that is, but was surprised they did that or that it's even possible?! i have never heard of any way the ECU records that type of information. if it did then who's to say the ECU wasn't swapped, they're a dime a dozen in low mileage units for cars this new. i guess it's another level of protection but i still wouldn't considered it verified. you can usually read how honest or not they could be. i know that doesn't sound very quantitative but it's really the best indicator you have in my opinion, but i'm comfortable doing that, some aren't. call the local dealer and see if they've ever had that vehicle there...or possibly the previous owner will tell you where they went....if you trust them. either way, shops typically keep mileage records.

right on, i've heard of that stuff. hopefully you have something to heat it up with. i've had them come loose with very little effort after heating before, it's almost uncanny sometimes. can't guarantee anything but don't want to miss this trick either.

he's got you above