idosubaru

replace cap and thermostat for sure and make sure the fluid is topped off. it sounds like head gaskets to me, but i've seen so many with blown head gaskets it's not even funny. on the EJ25, this is very typical for people to be confused. i've helped mechanics before that say it's "so strange" and "can't figure it out", they already replaced radiators, water pumps, etc and it still overheats. they don't quite fail like other vehicles. be careful taking long trips, i would not do it. if it gets worse that will turn into about a 5 hour trip or blowing the engine. if it is head gaskets it will get worse and when they do they spike to red in a hurry. while testing some i've driven them "down the road"....and ended up taking an hour just to get back! drive, overheat, pull over, cool down, drive, overheat...repeat

sounds clogged. pull both hoses to the core and run water through it until it comes out clear.

puke, that sucks for us! you did great stuff with the EA82's, it was a fun ride for us spectators!

sounds good. i'm kind of surprised a couple people haven't chimed in on this yet? i don't have any EA stuff on hand to look at. could you go to your parts store and compare the headgaskets to both? might not answer your questions, but might be worth a look? i have EA82 headgaskets lying around. i'm not against stopping at a store to over-lay them on EA81 head gaskets. would that help at all?

obviously you've already considered this, what's up with EA81T parts or swapping to an EA82T? shipping, availability or cost is prohibitive? it is possible, i worked at NASA, some fairly amazing things can be done. the question has nothing to do with possible and everything to do with resources! i know someone making his own heads from scratch....that's another option if resources are at your disposal.

i don't know, maybe we need a picture!!!???!!?? just kidding, i love all the pic's, that's great. i'm wondering how you do it so efficiently, maybe i'm too lazy?

i agree, that's why i never mentioned buying them, i assumed he would make them if he's talking custom EA head work anyway. or for power, or reliability, or those are the parts they have, or cost, or....there's lots of reasons, all are good ones, i'm trying to figure out what his is. questions are easier to answer if the final goal is known. an EJ swap is different, the goals are obvious. huge power gains, lots of after market support, turbo upgrade options, reliability, easy to find parts, cheap parts....etc. if it is "just to do it", that's great - then we know the final goal which helps answering questions.

the fronts take more pounding than the rears (hence the usual larger rotors, larger calipers, larger pads...etc). so that they were hotter than the rears may not mean anything. it is very, very unlikely that both are seized. as a matter of fact i would be sure to diagnose this properly before replacing a bunch of high dollar front brake parts. what if the emergency brake is somehow to blame and sticking or the master cylinder or brake booster has issues. there's nothing you've mentioned yet that convinces me of the actual cause.

i thought i replied to this thread already..... the FSM is the best source for procedures or pick up a Haynes manual as a cheaper alternative, just don't expect FSM quality from it. you don't really need anything though, it is so easy. with the wheel off you remove two bolts and the caliper comes off of the car. you have to remove the banjo bolt (with a regular wrench) and take the pads out so it comes off the rotor, but there's only two bolts holding the caliper to the vehicle.

caliper replacement is very easy, once the wheel is off it's only 2 bolts and a banjo fitting for the brake line. no special tools. bleeding afterwards is the only tricky part for someone who's never done it before. there are rebuild kits, which are also very simple to use if buying new is too pricey. there's not much to a caliper so the rebuild is very simple - one seal and a dust boot that's it. there's lots more information on here if you want to look up any specifics. there's some good bleeding tips on the other current brake thread going on right now.

this is incorrect. the EA82(T) is a SOHC engine. is there a reason for fitting an EA82 head to an EA81? RAM engines makes dual port EA81 heads, why not go that route?

caliper replacement is cake - like two bolts and a banjo fitting (wrench). tricky part is bleeding them, do a search. i'd make sure the booster, fluid, or master cylinder isn't to blame first or something else isn't causing this. odd that both would be hot, usually seized calipers happen one at a time.

this limited amount of ebrake usage on steep ascents in slippery surfaces will not cause any adverse affects to the rear transfer clutches. you're already slipping and sliding most likely anyway, otherwise you wouldn't need the ebrake "technique". it is fun as a mental exercise but in terms of necessary i think this is following the Duty C thread path, though this seems far simpler to actually accomplish should one want to.

the cylinders are typically in tip-top shape. i've pulled 200,000+ mile heads and they have always had the crosshatching. the only thing i've seen is rust spots on blocks that have sat for awhile. if done properly the head gaskets won't be an issue, you'll have other problems first.

funny you mention that, who was that with? this surprised me two days ago. with Liberty mutual my 2 XT6 is nearly twice that of my 97 OBS. i called Nationwide this week and there was no difference, every vehicle on our policy was within a few dollars ($5) of each other. I asked and they said they don't "calculate it that way anymore" or something to that affect. The airbags, ABS, two doors and even the fact that we have far more vehicles than drivers (2) didn't matter. I was surprised as well, but I guess different companies do different things. They said with newer vehicles (around 2000+) that would change significantly. Still curious if that's what would happen if I went through with them and gave them VIN's, and actual information, from what they said and your experience that is probably the case. maybe you could try another company? if you went to college, check with their alumni association. or any other possible group...military, etc. i get group discounts as an alumni of Georgia Tech and absolutely stellar rates. literally cut my insurance in half. HAAAAA!!!!!

this area has bargain basement EJ's as well. getting one for under $500 is easily doable. i'm sure there's other pockets..probably further up the northeast, colorado is a dime-a-dozen area too. that one sounds like the early impreza out here, needs a power steering pump $500. with EJ's you're getting airbags as well, none of the EA's had that.

search should bring it up...i know later models do like 1997 and up...i'm on dial up so i'm not searching for you! search button, click on "New Generation" and do some searches for "EJ22 hydraulic valves" "Hydraulic valves"...something like that.

i'd go for a Legacy too if you can find one in your price range. price wise it's usually easier on the pocket book to go with a loyale or EA82. there are great deals out there if you keep looking, but EA series stuff is far more prevalent and typically gives you more options than EJ stuff. finding an EA in great shape with under 100k on it is far easier than an EJ. but there's even 97-99 impreza's around me right now for well under $1000...they need a bit of work but far nicer than EA stuff and easier on my eyes than those early legacy's.

You need new ignition wires (spark plug wires). Use Subaru only, the only suitable substitute for aftermarket wires is Magnecor. After hearing a loud noise it might even be worth checking to make sure the wire didn't just detach itself or looking at hte engine and make sure nothing is flopping around or obviously wrong. But i'm guessing the loud noise was a backfire? As a side note, this is only for Subaru EJ engines, not a "general" rule of thumb. The EJ motor (like the EJ25 you have in the 2001 Legacy) are not forgiving when it comes to ignition components, it is best to use OEM Subaru plugs and wires. The plugs, NGK, are available far cheaper at any auto parts stores than at Subaru. Now there is a chance it is something else, but yo'ure at the mileage that the wires need to be addressed.

170k is high mileage. and another important thing to consider is age...if it's a 1990, that's a far cry from a 1999. a 1990 has had 9 years more of possible hose, radiator, clamp, water pump, thermostat, coolant loss, heater core or other cooling system failure. overheats significantly affect the life and reliability of a headgasket. an older car is more likely to have those kinds of overheats. if it's a 1990 and i know nothing else about it, i'd be more inclined than a 1999 that came out of a really clean, one owner, well maintained wreck. where you draw the line is up to you. on an EJ i'd probably err more towards...time is money and they don't fail very often so i'd leave it. my problem though is that i've never personally bought, seen, worked on or touched an EJ18 or EJ22 that has had a failed headgasket. as soon as i start seeing them, as GD and others surely have, then maybe that will change. low-mileage EJ engines aren't hard to find though. i look for them with 80k-100k personally and in those cases i don't replace the head gaskets. they are easy enough to do in the car (although i never have had to for an EJ18 or EJ22) that it's not worth all the extra effort to me "just in case". last one i picked up was $150 with 100k, i didn't have to pull it and that's with a warranty. if you're still worried, do a leak down test on it. if it "passes", it doesn't necessarily prove that the headgaskets are "good as new", but sure is reassuring. although i think for HLA equipped EJ's they can fail the leak down test due to the HLA's not being fully pumped up from sitting...which they do quickly once the engine is started. so might depend on the engine whether that's a worthwhile test or not. if they have adjustable valves (depending on year), i would do that with the motor out for sure.

yes, i'm positive of that. i haven't found XT6's difficult to come by. i had 9 XT6's on my property last year. i've gotten 4 free and had opportunities for more in the past that i just didn't have a need for, but of course chance is the rule here. one in MD was posted on here by a member in CA and i followed up on it. keep your eyes peeled. saw one in the paper last week and drove past one in a fenced in yard a couple weeks ago, i might stop and see if they want to get rid of it, i have some friends that might drive it. there was a member in Ohio that had a few that he didn't have a need for, but haven't seen him on here in awhile.

Seeing bubbles immediately after doing coolant system work sounds completely normal. Do you mean you just saw them after and not before the cleaning? What prompted the cleaning...perfectionism or did it look like total nastiness in there and you have other reasons to believe there are cooling system issues? for any pre-2000 Subaru's the head gasket problems are almost always accompanied by overheating.

They're all metric, that might be the key if you were trying standard sizes. It is good to know that most of the threads on Subaru's are a 1.25 pitch thread, very simple, just need to find the diameter. Easiest solution would have been to take the other adjusting nut into Lowes with you and match it up on their thread finder charts.

the recent storm proved the same thing...they suck in the snow. going down hill is just madness. the snow tires help some, but still annoying. i'll probably go play another day and see the difference between pulling the fuse and not pulling it...just for kicks. i didn't check, does ABS have a dedicated fuse in the interior box?

can you compare the new axle to the old one and make absolutely sure it's correct? you didn't pull the axle from a 5 lug converted vehicle or something similiar like that?