idosubaru

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.

i'm assuming you got the timing belt lined up perfectly? no check engine light? you didn't accidentally cross up the spark plug wires did you? a little harder to do on subaru's (particularly EJ's) but not impossible, this is a very common goof up. sounds like you have fuel, though you could test that too with a noid light if need be. you need fuel, compression and spark to run. assuming you do indeed have fuel i would want to verify compression and spark at each cylinder. since you checked the plugs already and they are fine, i would pull each wire, attach your old plug to it and make sure they all 4 get good spark. once you verify good spark at all 4 i would check compression.

eee

yes, they are available if you want to pay the $$$$$.

Fel Pro perma torques for the headgaskets and no need to retorque the heads (PITA so you want to avoid that). Try and source a Fel Pro valve cover gasket set that includes the grommets, cheapest way to go. What you need from Subaru is: Thermostat, PCV valve, intake manifold gaskets Subaru exhaust manifold gaskets are much nicer than most after markets i've seen as well but they do not leak very easily either so make your choice accordingly, either seem to work fine, but i get Subaru. Everything else is fine to get aftermarket. Get one of the ebay timing belt kits that has all the timing pulley tensioners as well. Make sure you get a cam seal kit, not just cam seals, the kit has the oring that resides behind the cam cap as well which you will want to replace. You will also need two cam carrier o-rings that go in the bottom corner of the cam between the cam and the head. they are a metal reinforced oring only available from subaru or http://www.thepartsbin.com. there are very few companies that carry that part, thepartsbin is one of them. should be fine to just reseal the oil pump, not buy a new one.

also forgot to mention that burping is a common issue in EJ engines, make sure all your air is out of the system. there are rather detailed instructions on here for methods on doing it properly.

I'd replace the PCV valve and thermostat as well. Subaru ONLY on both of these, do not use aftermarket here. i would go ahead and replace the battery as well. it is personal preference really, but here is how i view it and i think you'll feel similar. it is unlikely that this current battery will make it to 200,000 miles and another 6 years. it might, but would not be surprised to see it fail anytime between now and then either. as a battery ages or fails it can take the alternator with it. as the battery weakens it can over work the alternator and could do that for a awhile before the battery finally expires to the point you realize it needs replacing. batteries and alternators work hand in hand. what i find is that often times when i'm replacing a friend/family members alt or battery, it's often only 6 months to a year before i'm replacing the other. they cheap enough it's not that big of a deal to me. also - check the battery terminals while you're at it, make sure they are tight and clean. same thing applies, loose connections and corrosion can shorten the life of your alternator and battery. i'd check into the water pump as well. asking a water pump to make it 200,000 miles is a bit of a stretch....again it's just a percentage, risk management thing. for instance on the subarus with timing belts and 105,000 mile intervals, i always replace the water pump with the timing belt, i wouldn't expect a water pump to make it two timing belt intervals (210,000). on the 60,000 mile change interval timing belts i change the water pump every two (120,000) timing belt changes. they can make it to 200,000, but they can also fail before then. i'd price it out or see what kind of a job it is for you and see if it's worth the money. check your radiator hoses and clamps. in maryland/rust belt areas they tend to rust and eat into the rubber hoses quicker. yours are new enough they should be near new though.

clarify for those that missed it - his front transmission side axle stub popped out of the FRONT differential. there are two differentials on an automatic, one up front, one in the rear. this is in regards to the front. sometimes they are not all that difficult to get the axle stubs to pull out of the transmission, it is kind of bizarre how they are put together here. it's only held in by a circlip, that's it. it's a rather large circlip, but it is there. even IF someone pried on it, i would not expect that side to side force would be enough to pop the clip out. i've seen transmissions dangling by the axles before, with the axles at maximum deflection and supporting the entire weight of the transmission and i've never seen an axle pop out in this situation. it usually requires direct force pulling out, or away from, the transmission. a force parallel to the cv axle so to speak to get them to pop out. it's not a big fix, they just pop back in. hopefully the axle popped out and you didn't try to drive it much, right? the 4EAT drives funny like that anyway, so hopefully you didn't go far. attempting to drive it with a loss of diff fluid would be a very, very bad thing.

probably, just follow it to the trans, if it screws into the top of the trans it is.

well josh be sure to let us know how it goes if anything does happen. i would bet it takes 10,000 miles or so to show up.

important information - have you noticed any loss of coolant or needing to add it? keep an eye on the level. next - make sure your cooling fans are coming on. when it gets to 1/2 way or above, pop the hood and make sure they are turning on. i'd plan on replacing the radiator and any hoses/clamps you can replace as well. you could attempt cleaning it out and stuff but radiators are a bit important, i like to go new on these if possible. definitely flush it out very well if you plan on keeping it, it's hard to guage the inside. and yes, make absolutely certain you have a Subaru thermostat, the aftermarkets suck. and make sure you have a good coolant/distilled water ratio in the system.

bad idea, generally a band-aid and a bad one at that. if you want a cheap daily driver, don't really care how long it lasts or problems it may have, then tear it up.

are engines and subarus expensive where you are? i'd just buy a used engine or a newer lower mileage car, but they are cheap around here. is their any rust on the vehicle? at 267,000 miles i wouldn't put that much money or a new motor into it myeslf.

i agree with the above post, i have an engine lift and air tools and removing and reinstalling an engine can take a significant amount of time. now, if you're pulling an engine from a parts car - that can be much quicker...cut and yank. but still, aligning stuff can be annoying. air tools are nice either way that's for sure. no matter the time it takes to pull an engine, much of that work needs to be done to pull the headgaskets anyway - intake, lots of hoses, clamps, etc, and exhaust. so there's not a ton left to yank the lump.

you can do a search here for more information. there is extensive info and posts on it and a thread about "repeat" failures, they are very rare. if done properly the head gaskets rarely fail again. internal engine failure (bearings) is more common on EJ25's. to those of us absorbed in the subaru community, resourceful and handy with mechanics no big deal. to the average owner wanting (and expecting) a reliable, problem free, low maintenance cost daily driver, the EJ25 can be a financial burden. make decisions accordingly.

all of these questions are already answered on this site. there's a search function that would really help you a ton on this. first - are all your tires matching in type, size, tread wear and pressure? need to make sure all that is in check first. there's a chance that a fluid change could help, yes. and yes it could be more involved. fluid changes are cheap and easy, so you start there (after checking all tire stuff above). No, they're wrong. torque bind has everything to do with the rear transfer clutches on your vehicle and nothing to do with the front and rear differentials. no, it won't. the driveshaft, rear differential, axles, hubs, etc are all still there and rotating. it's not the equivalent of a FWD vehicle. aaaand, even more importantly i've done it before (because it had to be done) and noticed no difference even with the driveshaft removed (FWD and less rotating mass). i'd check out the search button and read through some torque bind stuff. sounds like you got it pegged but certainly make sure that's what it is.

$1,500 is an average, i'd only pay $2,000 if it's a noteworthy and reputable shop that you fully trust. i just posted a recommended (by a friend) shop in southern indiana, you could search for the thread if you'd like. just make sure the headgasket is Subaru only. and MAKE SURE, if the mechanic doesn't know they may try and blow you off "yeah okay" and really they're thinking "like this guy knows, otherwise he wouldn't be bringing it here!". show up with the headgasket if you have too, they can source the clutch stuff just fine. make sure they're replacing with an entire clutch kit - throw out bearing, pilot bearing, pressure plate, clutch and both retaining springs. pick up the retaining springs (they always have them in stock) and the headgasket from the dealer and take them to the mechanic. the retaining springs don't come in the clutch kits i've purchased.

what he said - the EA82T has three oil pump related resealing parts: pump to block "mickey mouse" gasket oil pump shaft seal (behind the sprocket) an o-ring behind the cam caps (that hold the cam seals) also lies an oring, you'll need two (one for each side). buy a cam seal "KIT", not just a cam seal. they will come with one seal and one oring for each side. do not just replace the seal. keep in mind the oil pan gasket is a serious PITA to replace, particularly for the first time and for those that have never seen an EA82 torn down before, the baffles and oil sump are hard to get to clear, requires jacking the engine up, removing motor mount bolts, and often even removing rear trans mount bolts to tilt the entire contraption "back". i'd replace all the front engine oil seals/o-rings first before the oil pan. see if maybe that's enough to cool down the oil leaks for you. replace as many hoses as you can too...turbo hoses are a good place to start.

first - are you sure it's head gasket? i mean i'm not doubting you, they blow all the time, but best to make sure it's not something simple. also - make sure your car doesn't qualify for the extended headgasket warranty- though i think that's only to 100,000 miles but i forget the details, some 00+ vehicles are covered for head gaskets. worth a shot. bubbling in the overflow is a sure sign. if it's bad do not drive it, the more you drive it the more you risk ruining your block down the road. if you're driving it you're also straining your internal bearings more and more and run the risk of future bottom end failure (not fixable without a complete rebuild) in the future. do a search on here and you'll find examples, someone just posted with a good one yesterday or today. price varies - roughly $1,500 including the clutch. should even be able to get a dealer to do it for that much. the local dealer to me charges $1,500 for headgaskets and they are a bit high, other dealers i know charge around the $1,000 range and closer to $1,500 if you're doing a clutch too. can get a better deal with a private mechanic, just make sure they do it right. if you do not go with Subaru make SURE you use the newer updated Subaru gasket and not something aftermarket.

there is no comparison between all seasons and snows in snow traction and safety. it all depends how much snow driving you're doing, what kind of road maintenance you have, and how much you value safety and control during those rare instances of slick stuff. in other words whether they are for you or not is up to you. if you're pushing your vehicle and driving spirited then i suppose you'd notice the lacking in the snow tires as an aggressive performer, but for daily driving duties snow tires are far and above the way to go in terms of safety during the winter months.

better sell them to me just in case! j/k - compressed!

too bad you bought an EJ25, you're not the first stung by that. sell it, never buy subaru again and you'll be golden!

it can be done in the car. there's a really good page linked elsewhere that someone created with lots of detailed information of the process.

that rust spot doesn't sound like anything to me, but i've only owned 20-25 XT's so who knows?!?! i haven't done much body/rust work on them though but i do live in the "rust belt" over hear where things rot if they can.

bearings - like rod knock or main bearings. i haven't actually disassembled one (why bother!?), but obvious internal engine failure. things like this are typically associated with contaminated oil - so i would guess, but this is just speculation , that the overheating of the oil and/or mixing of the coolant/oil aids this. problem with that theory is that when these headgaskets blow there isn't typically a mixing of oil and coolant, although it's certainly not impossible.