idosubaru

i'm not 100% sure what hoses you are talking about but i know for a fact that a 1997 EJ25 will not start with vaccum lines broken, seen it. it just cranks and cranks. if you have a disconnected, broken or misrouted hose that may be your problem.

NASIOC is probably a better source for turbo info if you can get them to talk without making absurd comments. or they may have links, write ups and FAQ's about it. i'd probably look to see if EJ22 turbo manifolds and exhaust would bolt right up, that would be the easiest option. i know people on here have done this before (turbo a non-turbo EJ22) but whether they see this or respond is another question, they aren't the most active members. do some searching for Myxalplyx, he used to have a turbo installed on his EJ22 Impreza Outback Sport. He installed the turbo, ran some great times, removed it and the car has been dead solid reliable since he's owned.

i would try replacing the ignition coil. electrical testing doesn't always indicate their health very accurately. i asked in the other thread - the spark plugs wires aren't in the wrong order are they, installed in the wrong place?

why do you keep blowing transmissions, are the EJ transmission that weak? interesting to know. are the turbo transmissions any beefier.

compression seems okay. seems like you're getting fuel, have you pulled a line to verify? it's time to double check this spark. is there any chance you swapped wires onto the wrong output of the coil while doing this work? that would artificially change your ignition timing. i would also wonder about the ignition coil, swap in another and see what happens, should be able to find a used one for not much $$.

swap away i believe, someone should pipe in an clarify. all my EJ25's lying around are Phase I i believe.

waste of time and money going with an EJ25 swap. the hp difference is miniscule really. it's like going from slow to not as slow, seems like a lot of effort and time or money for an engine swap and then you'll end up with a less reliable engine anyway. you are familiar with all of the EJ25 head gasket issues right? if you have a cylinder misfire - first bet is to make sure it's not something simple. cylinder misfire is the most common ECU code i see on EJ engines. and so far it's always been ignition wires, simple. for EJ engines you want to make certain you have Subaru OEM spark plug wires (or magnecor) and NGK plugs. they are not very forgiving motors when it comes to ignition components. if you're still buckwild about an engine replacement - get a used EJ22 (far cheaper and more reliable than the EJ25) and put a turbo on it. they are good for a few pounds of boost without any major modifications. you'll get more and cheaper power than an EJ25 and more reliable as well (assuming you can take care of a turbo and aren't tempted to push the limits and blow it up - good luck with that!). the STi swap would be fantastic - tons of work and it won't be straight forward, lots of wiring, ECU and other issues to work out, but very possible.

coolant conditioner is EJ25 specific, he won't need that. agree with the water pump, not much chance of doing any further damage if you don't try to drive it without coolant once it starts to fail. thermostats can definitely stick shut. yours is so new and had a coolant change that chances of failure are small but at 100,000 miles i wouldn't consider it a bad idea to replace. i would do it if it's easy to get to (every subaru i know of is, but i haven't done a thermostat on an H6 either).

if it won't turn to remove it and the steering wheel is locked, then you need to unlock the steering column. often times (i've even seen this with newer late 90's vehicles) you need to really put some stank into the steering wheel while simultaneously trying to turn the key to remove it. literally turn the wheel as hard as you can one way, then the other, then back and forth. keep going at it until it finally breaks free. this is of course if it's the steering lock holding you up, i just had to do this to a 1997 Legacy a couple weeks ago, took some serious effort to get out. now all is well.

oh i wouldn't bother fixing it myself. i was thinking if you could pick the car up for $200 and let this guy that needs a transmission buy the entire car from you for $400 then you both make out really well. you make some extra cash and let your subaru live on, help someone out, and he gets a nearly brand new transmission for a good price. and yes - insurance companies will repair a car that is "totaled", but you've got to be good...persistent, don't back down, get your way, lots of phone calls and threats in good taste. but for a 1990 legacy who would want to go through all of that. i'm surprised you're getting $3,100 - that is awesome for a 1990 legacy. otherwise i'd demand more considering it does have a new transmission in it.

sublute - please answer these questions no matter how many pages it gets pushed back:

check battery terminals, cables, connections and make sure they are absolutely clean and tight. alternator failures and battery failures often happen in pairs...if one fails i've seen many times when the other fails within a year. so test or keep an eye on that battery too. alternators last much longer if the batteries, cables, terminals are all good, clean and tight.

i'm totally lost here - what happened with these items i asked about: spark at each cylinder. fuel at each cylinder compression test. need this information to see where the problem is originating. struggling through TDC and the last two pages of information i doubt will solve your problem. on the older series engines it doesn't matter the orientation of the crank, somehow the ECU adjusts or can sense it so to speak. you can install a timing belt...engine runs perfect, then remove the timing belt, rotate crank 360 like yo'ure suggesting and reinstall and it will still run perfect. wouldn't surprise me if the EJ stuff is the same way. hope i'm wrong, but if not we really need that info above to keep from guessing.

need more information. sounds simple to me - the emergency flashers are on and the battery/cable/connections are bad. all of which makes perfect sense for a car that blew a rod and sat on the side of the road.

bingo, thanks.

don't forget to replace the clutch throw out bearing clips too, get news one. i've seen them break and be completely missing even on newer 90's subaru's. they do get brittle and age.

you can probably snag stuff off the opposite belt configuration and just swap pulleys as well. and like john said, any EA82 rack will work. not much too them really, i've swapped a rack before it's quite simple.

they are easy to find, not easy to find CHEAP.

they are easy to find, for the right price! i'll ship someone a set. unfortunately they are a PITA to deal with, either huge and heavy to box or disassembly. so i'm not dealing with them for chump change, i would but i don't have the time. i have one set ready to go to australia, that's the last "cheap" set i sell.

i would have said yes before this year. i used a Fel-Pro front crank seal on an EA82 earlier this year and the seal would not seat. it definitely was not me, it just would not seat in place at all. i worked at it for awhile and finally got it in place but it ended up leaking badly. got a Subaru seal next time and it fit perfect, went right in like they always do with no nonsense like the Fel-Pro gasket. that's the only time i've ever seen that happen though, if a seal doesn't seem like it wants to fit probably best to just get another, don't keep working at it like i did. be very careful with the rear main seal. on this board and another that i moderate i've seen a few instances of experienced soob people installing a rear main and having it leak shortly after starting to drive the vehicle. very bizarre how many i've seen leak. also - you asked about the rear, you do realize that EA82's are very easy to work on without pulling the motor. for a strictly head gasket job, its far quicker to leave the engine in on an EA82. particularly with air tools.

best bet is to get a valve cover gasket set. the ones that come with new grommets are nice. the grommets can leak as well, best to replace them while you're in there. they are $2.00+ EACH from Subaru, best to get a kit that has the gaskets and grommets (i think Fel-Pro usually has it all). i would not use sealant on the valve cover gaskets, it might work, but if it doesn't it's annoying to clean up out of the grooves...oh i'm speaking from EA82 experience the EA81 may differ with the groove? another problem with old valve cover gaskets is they easily break, i would not consider a used one a very good base to cover with sealant.

work something out with this guy!! sounds like a killer deal if you can make it work. the insurance company WILL SELL you the entire vehicle probably for a couple hundred tops on something this old. i've seen people buy-back late 90's vehicles for a couple hundred. it will then have a salvage title, but who cares? buy it back from them and sell it to this guy. the insurance company will only sell the entire vehicle though.

the other gaskets (besides headgaskets and intake manifolds) are benign in nature, they very rarely cause problems so it doesn't really matter. the thermostat and water pump gaskets tend to be thinner and cheesier than the Subaru OEM gaskets looking, but they never leak if they're installed properly. just be sure to take note of how/where everything goes together once you get into it, it's not that complicated really. try to keep the rocker arms and HLA's oriented in the same bores/spots when reassembling. also, be sure to precisely note the distributor orientation relative to the cam pulley on the front of the drivers side cam carrier (cam tower). everything else is basically remove stuff and put it back together where you found it!

there's plenty of good low mileage transmissions out there for your car, the 4EAT is a solid automatic, even the older generation (first generation) 4EAT's are excellent. you sure the transmission is bad?

what do you need done? manual or automatic? in general the best option is a used transmission. subaru transmissions (except the 3AT) are durable enough that a rebuild generally is not the way to go. used transmissions can be found for $200 (or less), which is a far easier route to go than a rebuild. i just picked up a 1996 EJ automatic transmission for $150 a couple weeks ago with only 101,000 miles and warranty. no way i'd pay thousands for a rebuild when i can get that on a very reliable transmission.