idosubaru

i'd say it's too many factors to nail down. other contributing factors...DOHC are older, more miles, more likely to have already been fixed, less likely to go to the dealer (like you said). two 2.5's i picked up this year had already been replaced. i buy them with blown headgaskets from individuals and i see more DOHC, probably for similar reasons with a different end result. i'd think those people are more likely to sell than get fixed and some SOHC headgaskets are covered under warranty, so of course they'll see those.

wow, you were probably laughing over the phone. buying a used hub isn't a good idea unless you know yours are bad, which it sounds like they are not. or if you wanted a set to have new bearings installed in. machine shops typically charge $50-$100 to install bearings in a hub, an hour or two labor but that's with the hub already off. i guess that 9 hours is for both sides? that would be 4.5 hours each, with much of that being removal of the hub. i don't know, but they may well sub that out to a machine shop as well. i'm surprised they'd even quote you for installing supplied parts at a dealer. thing is you're getting double and triple charged for removing the wheel, the hub, the struts...all of those are involved or partially involved in each individual job, but their shop rates are just added together. that's why a good mechanic at a dealer can make 6 figures around larger cities.

could be pinging. try a tank or two of the highest octane available in your area. if it goes away then it's pinging. EJ's are not the quietest motors i've ever seen i'll say that. subaru does not seem to care what engines may sound like after a couple years, if they do, then they suck at imt! are all the timing pulleys original with that many miles on them as well? axles can make clickety, click noises too, but i assue it's definitely motor related?

if you did want to do this yourself, take the hub and bearings to a machine shop and have them pressed in for you. that would save you time on the tricky part, struts, axle and a hub swap won't take long at all, that would be easy. i have spare hubs and that's what i do, makes it super simple to do it myself with no down time. swapping a hub is cake. another option is to just buy a used hub and swap that in yourself or have a shop install a used hub for you. and another option is to find out exactly what part is bad and only replace that item. i agree - sounds like axle, in which case why bother replacing the bearings? 5 hours includes removing and installing the hub? they may sub that work out to a neighboring machine shop to deal with the pressing jobs.

i'm not sure how it all works, i think i'd start by taking the shifter off and cleaning/greasing the button properly and checking the connections like porcupine says. fairly sure that's really easy to do, i've take them off before but never gotton into the button mechanism.

valve cover gaskets are easy. just remove the valve cover, clean surfaces, swap gaskets, reinstall valve cover. i would do both sides, but some that like the "don't fix it if it aint broke" idea, would not fix it and it could last a very long time. there's plenty of other gaskets and seals you're not replacing.

EA82 ECU's change part numbers like diapers, his turbo ECU definitely will not be the same as your non-turbo ECU. i posted part numbers for 1987.5 XT ECU's on the first page of this thread if that helps.

sometimes there's a diagram posted under the hood as well showing some of the vaccuum line routings.

i don't know any of those acronyms either, don't feel bad! i wouldn't be surprised if the block is toast, but of course im' jumping the gun having never seen it and all. could be headgaskets, seals, piston rings, hole in a piston...etc. i'd try to do a compression or leak down test on it.

subarugenuineparts.com - jamie there are multiple posts with links various online subaru vendors, i've looked them up before.

i think you started another thread right? and i thikn i replied to it. depends what boost you're running. if it's low boost you'd be okay, but there are still things to consider for it to be reliable and last. but yes, it would be very easy to run it too high.

yes. hmmm, sounds interesting. how do you know it's a 9.5 compression ratio non-turbo block/pistons? how do you know they didn't swap an entire turbo long block engine? where are the oil lines, are they running to the back of the passengers side head? that's a tough set up on non-turbo pistons then lumping on top of that how ever many miles it already has and the additional heat to the oil, 20 year old gaskets and seals...it's tough to do it "right", but there are certainly better and worse ways to do this job. hope you get it running, be interesting to see how it runs.

REALLY easy to fix. it's just a cap, a round-ish piece bolted to the back of the motor. remove it, replace o-ring and reinstall. nothing fancy about it. someone seems to suggest your 99 does not have this cam cap though, so you may not have it. a quick peak would verify, i don't have a 99 to look at. it's probably the valve cover or this cam cap (if you even have it). you could try snugging up the valve cover bolts on the bottom a bit, that may snug it up enough to stop the leak. just don't go crazy on it, keep in mind it's a mostly aluminum engine. you're from somerset, KY? not many soobs out that way, i bought my OBS from there! do you know Huck?

depends what you're after. you'll find a very practical bunch on these boards, i'm not one for novelty, image, paying for a name, etc...so i agree with the previous poster. you can probably find a jag forum that would tell you the opposite though!

that clicking relay, can you take a picture of it? there are some fan and a/c relays over there. but i know mine had some turbo related items over there, i think i removed them all. i may actually get to work on mine some tomorrow and may check it out. sorry for what? trying to help and doing the same thing we've all done!?!? silly rabbit!

should just be the flat style gaskets. if you're looking it up and seeing two, including a doughnut style, that's the one between the y-pipe (exhaust manifold) and catalytic converter, under the transmission roughly. 7/16" threaded rod will work perfectly in the exhaust holes as well. think that's the size.

very easy, just unbolt the manifold at the engine and it should come down enough to slide the old out and the new in. the only issue is the nuts, they are often corroded and hard to remove....it can get ugly real quick here. spray it down with liquied wrench or PB blaster ahead of time as much as you can. having heat available is a good idea as well (torch). heat the nut for no more than one minute, slowly going around and heating the nut only. as for the studs, go to your local auto parts stores, i prefer avoiding advanced and autozone for this task, a more comprehensive store is better. they'll have loose bins of exhaust studs. they won't show any that will fit and won't have any part numbers to help you, don't waste your time asking or looking for any. take one in or look up the numbers here, they've been posted before....like M8x1.25 or something like that. the ones the stores will have will be perfect and almost identical to the subaru ones. they will have a very small unthreaded length around the midsection with thread on both sides. one side of the thread will be longer than the other, leave the longer threaded side for the nut end and the "unthreaded" portion of the stud will be in the bolt hole of the exhaust manifold. it's really simple, it just takes a bunch of words to explain it. basically they should be installed one way and it's obvious which way because if it's wrong the nut will run out of thread...so okay, just install it the other way. like i said, this is like adding 1+1, but just looks and sounds dumb trying to say it.

look down behind or around the base of the power steering pump. having a good flashlight may help. i believe one of the exposed edges sticks out there. just follow the head to block mating surface all the way around. i believe you can see well across the back and maybe underneath as well. i picked up a legacy a couple weeks ago, popped the hood and within 10 seconds i could tell and said "oh cool, the headgasket was replaced". the seller looked at me and said, oh yeah, they replaced it when i bought it from the dealer (used). the last two that i've bought this year both had new headgaskets on them and i did not know it until i picked the vehicle up.

the OBDI and OBDII issue might not be a simple hurdle, i'd wait for some feedback or search on that a bit. you might be able to just swap intake manifolds though, thereby retaining your original sensors, plugs, wires and everything else, just swapping long blocks. machine shops can do the block work for you just fine and can bore them out. i personally would not have one resleeved but they can do it. EJ22's are such good motors it's not cost effective to rebuild one yourself. they are very easy to find with low mileage, i'd get one of those and at the most do a complete reseal on it - new headgaskets on up. i do recommend rebuilding one for fun, experience, knowledge and stuff but it's not economical on this motor. get a used one or if new is what you're after call CCR for a brand new motor with a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty and decades of reputation and experience with subaru rebuilding. often you can get an EJ vehicle that's been wrecked or with a bad trans for next to nothing, yank the motor and there you go.

Can you get one that plugs directly into the antenna rather than broadcasts a signal? I've installed those style FM Transmitters without issue before, but i'm an electrical idiot so my suggestions are limited in scope. You could remove the alternator belt temporarily and run off the battery for a few seconds just to see if it's alternator or battery related. i've done that before, just remove it and then crank it up for 15 seconds. if it happens every time, it should be obvious instantly. EJ's and aftermarket wires is not a good combo. Magnecor wires are excellent as well, I find them better than Subaru and they have a lifetime warranty (which you'll likely never need to use), so you should not ever have to replace them. I use and recommend them on every vehicle I work on. I've seen people going through wires every 15k - 30k switch to them and last 100's of thousands of miles and never need replacing.

torches are money, they work excellent for hard to get bolts. with heat you won't have any problems with the axle nut, makes it a very simple job. heat the nut only for about 1 minute, then apply torque as soon as possible. i'd be very, very surprised if it doesn't come off with ease. some small handheld torches are only $10-$20, well worth it. larger, hotter varieties are nice when you start getting into seized, rusted and corroded parts, but not necessary for basic stuff.

hondas are great cars, there's no doubt about that. there are subaru owners that have owned 5 trouble free subarus though as well and disappointed first time honda owners. the AWD is an interesting system considering it does add more components, more issues and more possibilities of failure. particularly considering low air, different tires, lack of rotation and improper towing can negatively affect it. if he can make it through these annoyances he'll probably be happy with how easily it can make 200,000 - 250,000 miles. "love takes time"....or something?

i can't stress enough how important those codes are before we start guessing and mentioning the dozens of possibilities out there. i don't know, but i'm betting the entire engine was swapped...intake manifold and all (that's what i did), in which case it has an entire non-turbo set up including the fuel injectors. so i would guess they're not a problem, but not seeing it i can't promise that. yes, you are completely off - the entire engine has been swapped so it's just like any other non turbo EA82 on the road today. some would consider it a dog, but it's not what you're suggesting...with turbo pistons still in it. at least that's what he's saying, i can't see the motor myself of course i'm assuming the information posted is accurate.

the 87.5 Turbo ECU part number ends with 290 the 87.5 non Turbo ECU part number ends with 320 but like i said, start with the check engine lights and codes you said it had.