idosubaru

i know you'll get it done! good luck!

the last thing i want is for you to see this thread !!!! i can see it ramping up to a "it's going to blow, you're going to die" thread shortly, just waiting. okay, seriously - he's not very interested in sharing (understatement), so can't do it.

it's been done, i know a guy who's done it.

close, but actually it's the opposite. cut off power to the duty C solenoid (just one wire) and it locks the transfer clutches. so if you go cut that one wire right now, it will be locked. you'll need to install a switch to complete the circuit for normal driving. a double pole double throw DPDT switch works best, as i also wire in an indicator light so as not to leave it on. actually before winter gets here i'm going to wire it so my hazzards come on, that way i don't accidentally leave it on. in the past i never did, i'm much more forgetful now, i left it on a couple times last year. the small light i had wasn't enough, can't see it during the day really. my XT6 is awesome with this. add the clutch type rear locking diff and my AWD Impreza feels like a RWD truck compared to the XT6 with the duty C switch.

i'm not saying it's your problem but the inhibitor switch is not bad to replace. doesn't require transmission removal. it's on the lower passengers side of the transmission, accessible from underneath. i would suspect something is causing all of these issues, but of course that's just a guess. it's easy enough to get at and see it might at least be worth a look. some of the older 4EAT's have plastic parts on the inhibitor that are easy to crack, i've seen them cracked, but never seen one that doesn't work. it's so easy to check i'd at least have a look and make sure it doesn't look broken or out of sorts.

i'm almost positive it is not. i've heard the legacy mirror wiring is there...but can't say for sure it was "brighton specific" information.

yes, you can do this, others have. you don't think a simple on/off switch would work? in one of the duty C solenoid switch threads there was discussion about making this exact type of controller you speak of, might be some good information in that thread and someone may have mentioned what type of signal and controller, etc. just for future reference the 4EAT doesn't have a center differential, it uses rear transfer clutches which are affected by duty solenoid C. good luck, hope you pull it off!

an EJ22 is the better motor choice by far. i understand you may have more XT6 parts, but for all that effort i would swap in an EJ22. that's a huge project and a lot of time and effort, i'd go ahead and make the extra effort for an EJ22. it's been done far more too, so you'd get more info from here.

i would remove the XT6 engine wiring harness. you don't really want to use the loyale harness i wouldn't think. i say that...eventhough i've ran an XT with and XT6 ECU...so they are somewhat similar, but it sounds like it could get messy. you'll need to spend some solid hours looking over loyale and xt6 wiring diagrams to see if that's really feasible and worth it. the more straight forward way is to just use all XT6 stuff in the loyale. with the engine, harness, and ECU out of the XT6, plug everything up. then start stripping the wires you don't need. you'll probably have a few wires you're not sure about, check those against the wiring diagram and ask here. once it's ready, drop it all in the loyale. we have the XT FSM's posted at the xt site. you will want all the wiring diagrams, it's a bit of a mess.

hey J, are you wanting to create your own harness or use the one from the XT6 in your loyale? what exactly are you wanting to know? it's kind of a...get in there and do it type thing. keep what you need, cut away what you don't, fabricate the rest. it's really hard to give directions on something like this, more specific questions might help.

i'd like to know the answer to this question and if you get any transmission lights or flashes coming on (like at start up - 16 flashes).

so if they're not heated all you need is the switch in the center console and a heated seat? seems some are saying the wiring is already there, though nipper said the wiring won't be there if it didn't come with them?

With some more information i'm definitely interested. I've been thinking of getting a scanner, so this is good timing for me.

great good to know McBrat! i'll check my OBS and LSi for the wiring.

is there a way to convert? if you don't have it, is the wiring there for it? my guess is no? are heated seats typically leather, cloth or both? seems it would be leather only.

check all the linkages and check the inhibitor switch on the passengers side of the transmission. it's the elecrical device that the linkage attaches to on the passengers side of the transmission. don't know if it's all 4EAT's, but all that i've taken notice of even have some plastic parts that can crack rather easily. check that and make sure it's not just an alignment or broken inhibitor switch issue.

hmmm, it was a long shot but would have been cool for you to get it versus someone else. so long as you retain your intake manifold i don't think you'll have a problem installing another year EJ25. i don't think the EJ22 and EJ25 intakes swap so you can't do it that simply.

probably not, but depends what it is too. could be ball joints or wheel bearings too.

it shouldn't matter. this of course assumes that the drivers side cam was EXACTLY perfect the first time you did it...if that's the case, then just install the passengers side correctly this time. which is nice the passengers side is easy. what you'll want to do it get the flywheel marks lined up so that the cams are both pointing down...they sholud both point the same way since that's how you incorrectly installed them in the first place. with both down....the drivers side is correct, the passengers side needs to come off, then line it up (noon 12 oclock) and it'll be right. remember - the marks have to be on the exact right tooth, you can't be off. double check your drivers side while you're in there taking the passengers side off.

i'd start counting the revolutions like i mentioned earlier. or try the tip above about locking the transfer clutches. do not wait for trans info, like i said, i've seen it time and time again and it's very difficult to get exact ratios on the automatics. i'm surprised that after all of these issues you haven't just gotten the exact right transmission. for the cost of 5 transmissions and all that work it seems like you could buy whatever you want. another easy way out of this mess is to swap to a manual transmission. then you have no electronics or TCU's to deal with.

not sure, i want to say it will, but i can't recall when the quit putting the EGR on. i think they quit at some point. is this car from a dealer? that would be funny if it was the same one i was looking at.

yep, you assumed right dave. i explained in graphic detail on the XT boards, so check there. i am guessing this is the problem as well.

i'm not sure what you mean. yours is probably a 4.44 gear ratio - so your rear differential is probably a 4.44. you'll likely need a 4.11. but....again, you've done this "8 times" you said? with the same transmission, different transmission, different rear differentials? i don't know if anyone is going to come up with the final drive for you just based on the part numbers, i've seen others try to do that and not get anywhere.

you've replaced the transmission EIGHT TIMES? that's jacked up. remove the front differential drain plug and count the teeth on the gear. over here that would be a bad swap - the 99 and up transmissions have some major design differences and there could easily be differences between a 2000 and 1996 transmission. over here a 2000 transmission will have a spin on oil filter, the 1996 will not. you may be dealing with wiring issues, more on that later. jack up the rear of the vehicle and turn the rear wheel. count how many times the driveshaft turns for each turn of the wheel. 41 turns of one to 10 turns of the other gives you a 4.11 gear ration. 44 turns of one to 10 turns of the other gives you a 4.44. i would imagine those are your two options 4.44 or 4.11 i wouldn't waste my time trying to find the gear ratio out, just start counting like i said about. automatic transmissions do not have a lot of information out there about final drive ratios, it's asked all the time on here and it's even tough to get answers here in the states. i would not assume that what we got here is identical to what you got there, so it becomes even worse for you. i'd start counting to be sure. also check the duty C and FWD circuitry, you may be mixing and matching transmissions with different wiring. you should be able to do some basic wiring/circuitry testing - continuity and the like to make sure your duty C and FWD switch wiring is the same.

get the 99 2.2 and get the exhaust header as well. what you'll really want to make sure of is that the EGR systems are identical, it will either have it or not have it. if the 99 in the forester has EGR, you'll want to make sure the 2.2 has it as well. did you pick that forester up from a dealer? i was looking at one up that way, they never called back. maybe it's because you got it!