idosubaru

they're easy. generally $150-$200 to have a new axle installed. $60-$100 for the part and $75-$100 for labor. i would only use a Subaru axle or MWE, aftermarkets are prone to far more problems. yes, i know people will pipe up about it "i have an aftermarket and it's fine", i know people use them and i've seen them used before, my point isn't that all aftermarkets blow up, but that they are far lower in quality. if you mean to do it yourself, they aren't that hard but there are some tricks involved so to speak. once the wheel is off there's not much more to it than 3 nuts - 1 axle nut and two strut tower bolts. a little more work after that, but not much. but....you have to get the axle nut off (one of the hardest to remove on the vehicle), uncrimp the nut, line up the cv axle splines...things that aren't that difficult but you need to know about at least.

you need a new cv axle, now to determine which one - passengers side or drivers side. take a look and see if the boot is broken or leaking grease on either side. sounds like drivers side based on your description, but definitely want to make sure before going ahead with the work. and have this fixed as soon as possible, this can get worse rather quickly and all that vibration is not a good thing.

doubtful it's a fuel system issue. get your codes read as soon as possible, that will take all the guess work out of it. my guess - a cylinder misfire code - which means most likely that your spark plugs and wires need changed. make sure to use NGK plugs and Subaru wires ONLY. as a matter of fact if you've had these items replaced before and they weren't NGK or Subaru, then that is likely the problem. but again...there are plenty of other things it could be, let the computer do the work for you. some questions - miles, automatic/manual, last tune up, last time the wires/plugs were changed?

tranny breather hose, it's supposed to be vented to air and not connected to anything. you're good to go. if you do attach it to a coolant line, let me know what happens!??!? argh, doubt it would be pretty.

i may take them for my XT6 if he doesn't want them. pm or email me.

to get bigger rotors and calipers, you need larger brackets as well. so yes, you could do it, but you'd need the bottom bracket for each side and the parts store won't carry those. but if you found two, yes you could easily do the swap, you have to remove the bracket anyway to remove the old rotor, so there's no extra work at all to upgrade, same work. you'll need the bracket, rotor, and caliper for each side to do the upgrade. you'll buy pads for whatever vehicle the brackets come from. i don't know that you'll get significant increases in pad life, but it should give you better braking. i have all of these parts to upgrade my OBS brakes.

gah, i figured i was reading it wrong but was not seeing it. thanks j!

lots of information here. if you're doing the headgaskets, use the Fel Pro Permatorques (PT), they don't require retorquing. the cam tower to head orings (two per engine) are available from subaru only or http://www.thepartsbin.com, that's it. it's a metal reinforced oring, not normal. take your time on the oil pan, they can be hard to seal good when reinstalling. don't overtighten. don't try and remove the oil pump sump either to replace the oring at the base. everything else should be covered in detail here, i know i've written loads about it. good luck!

i don't think this is the case, not with the EJ25. the ones i'm seeing have heat available, so in my experience this doesn't rule out anything. but surely a thorough cooling system check is advisable and it's good that you can do it yourself.

sounds like you got yourself a beast there m. some solid wood and large hammer to whack it with sometimes helps. penetrating lubricant anywhere where it may be seized if it's partially coming off. if you can afford it, taking a break may help, frustration really saps all the fun out of stuff. wait until the head is off to diagnose the cylinder wall condition. i wouldn't consider coolant in there the end of the world just yet, too many variables to guess. good luck!

thanks jamal. i have your caliper brake-down on my computer and i'm confused: 260x24mm.......... Applications: 90-99 Legacy non-turbo/-GT/-Outback 276x24mm........ Applications: 91-94 Legacy turbo 96-02 Legacy GT/Outback am i reading it wrong so that it looks like 96-99 Legacy GT's fit under both categories? i have a 97 Legacy GT at home, so i can find out by looking if it's the first (single pot) or second (double pot - which is what i thought they were)) variety, but figured i'd mention it.

ha ha, jamal thanks for piping in. wanted to speak to you about it! so no matter which way i go...whether it's 01 or 02+, just make sure i get the corresponding bracket to go with that caliper and it'll bolt right up right? rotors and calipers are the same. brackets and pads are different?

well there you go, like you said, either way you've chosen a better path by going with the NGK's. they come widely recommended for EJ series engines and cause the fewest issues.

i asked a shop to loosen mine for me so i could do it myself. they didn't charge me. but now i'd do what you said, just pay a few dollars to have it done. that's very odd that the jack under the handle didn't get it loose. i'd bet it wasn't perpendicular or was bending too much, that is bizarre for it be that tight.

intermittent overheating is normal, overheating while pulling an ascent is not out of the ordinary. i would use the search function here and find the detailed headgasket page that's linked, it's not part of USMB. you can also find it from a search engine like yahoo. details a huge parts list, time, prices, where to get parts, part numbers, etc. the "new" headgasket part number will be listed there as well. what OBW just mentioned is very important. compression tests and hydrocarbon tests can prove a bad headgasket, but passing both of them does not mean your headgasket is good. that's the oddity of this motor that really throws mechanics for a loop since passing those two tests "usually" means the headgasket is good on other motors. pulling the motor is a nice way to go but it can be done in the car if you have to.

okay this just happened a week or two ago to my parents. mechanic went to replace one bulb...now none work. be interested to see what the fix is, so let us know. sorry i can't offer and suggestions, except check the fuses?

i'm seeing that the impreza RS changed calipers from 01 to 02. anyone know what the difference is? NASIOC and USMB info only shows 98-01 impreza RS stuff from what i've found, can't find much about the 02+ RS spec's.

they were replaced before, so the wear you mentioned doesn't mean much. Subaru's all come with NGK plugs and for these engines it's a very good idea to stick with NGK's.

not a transmission guy, but is it possible to also source the parts for the dual range transmission? guess it's a long shot, but could you convert a single range to a dual range? the EA82 guts all swap, figure the EJ stuff does too?

it was definitely the first time they were ever replaced, were they NGK's? wondering if someone previously installed some non-NGK stuff. were they all even, about the same? i'm guessing fairly close. i'm not too surprised of that gap after 100k, so i wouldn't worry about it too much if they're all similar.

sounds like classic EJ25 headgasket issues. i would certainly try to rule out other things, but bubbling in the overflow tank once it's hot and after you turn the car off is a very strong indicator. you mentioned "movement" in that tank, so this sounds about right. i'd at least make sure the fans are working properly, there are not any leaks and the water pump/radiators appear to function properly.

lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub........crank music....lub.lub.lub.lub..... dude, i didn't even know you were getting a lift, that is so HOT nip. awesome dude.

when removing/reinstalling, just make sure the engine doesn't move while it's out and make sure the rotor is pointing to the exact same position after install as it was before you removed it. take a picture, use paint, a marker, memory if you trust it...etc. "the cap is fouled", what does that mean exactly? as the bushings/bearings go out the distributor can have some play in it or the bearings will just be bad. if you can move the rotor much axially by hand or the bearings feel rough/noisey then you know it's the bearings. they can be replaced i believe, but probably just as easy to find a used one. i'd want a spare before disassembling the disty anyway.

yes there is a chance, i can't give you a risk analysis or exact numbers, but probably a small chance. a mechanic should be able to do a leak down test. mechanics have those tools and they are easy to do, only requires removing the spark plug and moving the cam which is really easy...particularly since your belt is broke! leak downs are easy to do and can be done without a timing belt, unlike a compression test. these are excellent motors, if the vehicle is in good condition it would likely be worth checking.

hmm...you found it even with my typo "C5" instead of "CS". excellent work!