idosubaru

i'd stick with stock. aftermarkets aren't as reliable. at the very least, get one and keep stock in the trunk. or just keep a spare in the trunk. if a couple work for people convinces you, then go ahead and get one, it's not like they all fail. but in general the aftermarkets don't have a good record. you can search here for lots of info, i've done it before and it's always convinced me to stick with stock...eventhough i want something new.

if you replaced the ball joints i doub they're the issue i was thinking they were original. i doubt it's the steering rack bushings, but they're easy to check and replace. the warn rack bushings i've seen cause drifting and delayed response to steering input. if you had that, you'd know exactly what i'm talking about, it's annoying! some aftermarket/stiffer bushings should work. i use aftermarket impreza/WRX steering rack bushings in my XT6.

does it make it with the engine off? i know that sounds crazy, but i've heard the idle air jokers buzz and hum with the engine off, key on. swap them and they still do it....but otherwise everything runs and works fine.

trailer brakes are awesome, yes. my next trailer for my truck will have trailer brakes, all of that weight will push you around and that is not a fun place to be. your car will tow it, as a matter of fact that legacy will tow another legacy on a dolly if you wanted to. is it a good idea, no. is it safe, no. will it do it, yes. it's a real bad idea. it doesn't take much/long for towing to get dangerous really fast. i've had trailers push large trucks before and it will scare you. your transmission would be way down the list of concerns. go easy, go slow and don't be in a rush. make sure the trailer tracks straight before you use and load it - if it's in uknown condition or hasn't been pulled before. pay attention to how the trailer is loaded as well.

i doubt you need new heads. cracks between the valve seats? those are common and don't mean the heads are ruined at all. it's superficial and doesn't cause any problems. they can be used that way just fine. they can also be repaired. i have them all repaired because it doesn't cost much. i think every EA82, EA82T, and ER27 i've ever pulled has cracks between the valve seats, very common. most on the road today probably have cracks.

what about the ball joints, sounds like what one might do if it were really bad. i'd carefully inspect the tie rods and ball joints since they pose significant risks if they fail. i'd vote for strut related. do the strut top mounts look okay, yous seems too new for these to be a problem though. but i've seen a number of strut tops with deep/severe cracking in the top rubber. i've often wondered what they would do if it cracked "too much". edit - nipper posting at the same time - i'm with nipper, not the rack itself.

yep, i've bought that exact kit before. excellent deal.

i have a full set of timing pulleys and crank pulley as well. that's an artifact of when i had the original pulleys in it, mine are all repacked now so it's probably not necessary anymore. good luck rob!

what do you mean by coupe? an impreza or legacy? the car will do it just fine, but remember every time you tow or add weight you are increasing risk. that's why some will say "no way" and others "oh yeah, i towed another car across the country with my justy". so yeah, lots of things are possible, just depends on how much you value safety and mitigate risk. many oppinions forthcoming.... 1400 pounds is quite heavy particularly if you plan on loading it with more stuff....traveling, food, bags, equipment, camping, tools...you might get close to 2000. that's a lot of weight for a small vehicle. i would be very cautious about towing something this heavy and in general would'nt recommend it. not because it can't do it..but it's not safe for everyone to be doing it. first thing is brakes. even with my full size truck i'm getting trailers with brakes. that's a very good idea. if your "coupe" is an impreza, then it has rear drums and small front brakes. if it's a legacy the brakes are much better, larger in the front and discs in the rears. i would feel much better with a legacy over an impreza. or consider upgrading your impreza brakes, that's what i do. if anything happens you will loose control very quickly with nearly 2000 pounds behind you. if you have an automatic then you'll probably want to look at a dedicated transmission cooler.

that's a good question. NASIOC might have more answers for that. i haven't seen many post 2002 engine swap threads here. i can't recall any "easy" engine swaps past 2002 so i can't say. i wouldn't be surprised if it's easy, but i don't know when/if they've made any changes from 2003 until now.

all of this info is on here. remove EJ25 - install EJ22. no need to swap wiring or intake manifold. here are the simplest directions i can give: to avoid EGR issues, get an EJ22 with EGR. you can use an EJ22 without EGR if you don't mind bypassing it (it's a POS set up anyway). get the exhaust headers for an EJ22 unless you use a 1995 then you don't need the headers. the reason the 1995 automatic is desirable is it has an EGR valve and dual port exhaust. you'll swap your EJ25 a/c bracket to the EJ22. it's easiest to get the EJ22 power steering lines that bolt to the pump to be clean and neat about it, but not entirely necessary.

the easiest is a 2.2 with an EGR valve. if you get a 1995 the only added bonus is that they have dual port exhaust liket he 2.5 so the 2.5 existing exhaust bolts right up. if you get another year 2.2 with EGR, just get the exhaust/ ypipe with it and bolt that up. it's that simple. you can bypass the EGR system as well, but that takes some extra work.

that clip is a subaru only item, you probably figured that. that's usually not a problem, usually comes out easily with the torque converter and goes right back in as an assembly no problem. the first generation of 4EAT's had a ring seal around the exterior of that tube. check the parts sheets when you go to order one and see if it's on the newer ones as well. you might want to replace that. subaru calls it a "ring seal". it's a very odd piece.

the Fel-pro permatorques are the way to go on the HG's. if you haven't opened the package yet, i'd return it or keep it for the other stuff if that's cost effective. i can't see them but the orings are probably fuel injectors seals and o-rings. the aftermarket kits come with valve stem seals (two sizes - exhaust and intake). the Subaru set may not come with those since they aren't absolutely necessary. don't forget the cam carrier oring, it's probably not in the head set and is a dealer only item (or http://www.thepartsbin.com carries them as well).

95 was the last year...maybe 96 at the latest. what does "HD" mean?

there may be a pinout you can ground to flash the existing code from memory. sometimes all of that code reading maneuvering...scratch head, put in gear, turn off, turn radio all the way up, remove headlight, start car, put in gear, then read the code....sometimes that's a diagnostic troubleshooting code and not the stored code. often you can just ground a pin-out for the existing trouble code which is far easier and works every time. i've never gotten the auto trans diagnostics to work either...can't recall if there's a pinout that you can ground though, that's how engines, ABS and other items work.

sounds like bloobaru did it's job and everyone is safe. well unfortunately, that's not true. that's how you feel when some dork plows into you and makes you do something you had no control over...but if you hit the vehicle in front of you, the law says you were too close. now the real issue is whether they do anything or not. an honest person (my oppinion) will not. but technically they could sue you and they would win. or their insurance could collect for damages to the vehicle...and they too would win. actually they wouldn't even "win" because it would never go to court, your insurance company would much rather settle out of court than go to court on a gauranteed loss. but that all depends if they even have colission which if it's an old van they probably don't. and depends if they're honest or not as to whether they will persue it any further. if they didn't go to the hospital that's a good sign. lawyers won't represent you if you're not hurt, it's not worth their time and it isn't financially beneficial for "repair costs".

ah come off it, you're no fun! anyway, good luck with the heads. if you're still doing it, i'd use the Fel Pro Permatorque (PT) headgaskets on this motor and crank the head bolts a few extra pounds. that is common practice in the subaru community and is the best way to do a headgasket job on an EA82. if you use Subaru gaskets or others you're supposed to retorque the head bolts and that is super annoying. the permatorques don't require retorque and they're inexpensive and well tested among the subaru community (hence all the recommendations you'll find). replace the cam carrier to head reinforced o-rings while it's apart. they are the little metal reinforced orings at the bottom corners, one per side. do not use a regular o-ring. the only other common source other than Subaru is http://www.thepartsbin.com for those.

you can play with the muffler, that will influence what it sounds like the most. my favorite sound is a nice, straight through, free flowing dynomax muffler. they are excellent and sound great, but not loud. a few of us at xt6.net are using them on XT6's with good results. one person didn't like the sound level increase and wants to go back to stock. they aren't as cheap as cherry bombs though. maybe someone in your area has one already set up similar so you can check it out?

i'll reaffirm what Gloyale said...now way EJ heads would work. not even close. it won't work mechanically and it won't work electrically either....i mean, anything is possible with enough money, but it would probably be easier to cast your own heads than make an EJ work. you'd have to fabricate either a gear on the EJ cam to drive the disty or go DIS on an EA82 since your XT is a gear driven distributor and the EJ stuff is all elecronically controlled, no distributor. not too mention the exhaust wouldn't work, the intake wouldn't work...basically swapping an entire EJ motor into your XT would be far, far easier. not easy...but easier than making EJ heads work.

that thing looks hot. that needs a 5 lug conversion and some WRX wheels like crazy, that would make it look so much nicer.

YOU ARE WISE!!! people do this and crack their internal auto trans oil pump, basically ruining the transmission unless you're up for a trans tear down. pull the engine back out, seat the TC in the transmission, install engine, then install TC bolts through the bellhousing access hole under the throttle body (rubber plug inserts here...if yours still has one!). don't strip them. to seat the TC: rotate the converter around by hand clockwise, then pull it out ever so slightly out and rotate it counterclockwise a hair, then push back in. keep doing this and eventually it will engage properly. i usually take a measurement before i start this process of the TC sitting there idle. then when it seats i can visually see it go in that last 1/4" and i'm happy.

really? i assumed most late model XT's had generation 3 heads, for other reason than that's just what i thought. never really looked into it. the MPFI XT spider manifold motors are GENII from factory?

i would also look for loss of coolant over an extended period of time. and use a Subaru thermostat. you'll be amazed at the difference, it's huge. the aftermarkets look like a toy compared to the extra large, beefy Subaru thermostats. huge difference. i wouldn't worry about "performance" or tweaking the heads. you could port the heads and gasket match the inlet ports, intake to head gaskets and the intake manifold. the gaskets don't line up that well and protrude into the head a lot. you could trim those down to make them flow a little better. i have pictures posted over at xt6.net. check us out over there for XT specific information. email or PM me and tell me what login you're using if you want to join and i'll speed your registration up. i'd ignore the designations...right and left, that's all.

tim, what the crap is that all about???? now i'm worried, that doesn't sound good?! i'll be in Georgia that weekend so i can't make it, august is bad anyway.