idosubaru

EA81 or 2? in the car or out of the car? it's easiest if you can remove the cam cap with the seal in it, but i don't know if you can do that on EA81's? drill a pilot hole or use a self tapping sheet metal screw if you can find one small enough. then use a hammer under the head of it to get it started coming out.

kilroy, i've messed with it once, but not on a transmission in a vehicle. i would do just that, mark the exact position of the retaining plate and reinstall it like wise. i don't know if that's the same thread, you could post a link to it, i could only see that one quote you posted. the thread i'm speaking about has someone replying that has actually replaced this seal more than once. he lives in VA, that's all i remember. i would read that thread and his suggestions, glance through the FSM and then do it.

that new timing belt should be good for another 50,000 miles, i'd plan on keeping it another year or two. that should be a good return on that timing belt/clutch investment at least and you can reassess then. install a used compressor. they are very easy to replace and can be found for $50 (someone on this board will sell you one...i think i even have one). the a/c compressors on that motor are very, very easy to replace. have any friends that can do that for you? very simple job.

sorry about the old lady joke. it was a joke, but i'm certainly not putting it past anyone to get skin grafts for money, particularly easy money. people are dying for money every single day.

if it's leaking that fast and pronounced, then you should show an equivalent loss of gear oil in the trans. that would be my first concern, have you ever checked it? if you run out, you'll need a new transmission. since yours is an automatic, the stub axles will pull right out of the trans. with the axle removed, the stubby shaft just pulls out of the trans, it's held in place by a circlip. pull it out and pop it back in. don't be fooled though, the seal still will not come out with that stubby shaft removed, looks like it might but it's held in place by that very large, goofy looking retainer. that actually turns. you'll need a special tool...or more likely, use a hammer and chisel or something else to knock it around.

yep, the timing belts are installed wrong. noninterference engine, so there's no damage. he lined the marks up wrong. they're probably 180 degrees off, it's easy to do if you don't know subaru's. or he could be off a tooth. either way, timing belts on an EA82 are super easy. get it.

manual or automatic? are you positive it's leaking from that seal behind the axle? if it is, it is replaceable. not terribly difficult, but you need to get it right. the plate that needs to be removed affects the load on the internal parts and is very important to get just right. just this year there was a discussion where someone from VA (forget his username) has replaced this seal a few times without issue. i believe it was in the older generation forum. i would find that thread, he details how to do it and suggests it's not that bad. essentially the plate retaining the seal must come off and has to be reinstalled properly. other than that...a seal, is a seal, is a seal.......

i just read through the post and didn't see any info. i bought a 93 loyale wagon for a friend earlier this year and it ran great, didn't have any trouble pulling hills or holding highway speeds. wasn't a powerhouse, but held it's own just fine. being a 5 speed, it handled my mountain commutes quite well. any check engine light or codes? diagnostic check? when is the last time a tune up was done? plugs, wires, cap and rotor? PCV and fuel filter? have you ever used a K&N style oiled air filter? the MAF could be fouled...though i don't recall if the loyale has the hotwire style or something else so that is easily bogus. vaccuum leaks also come to mind. yes, unbolt it at the y-pipe and see if that does anything, that will rule out a converter. it will be very loud, but they run fine without any exhaust. disconnect your O2 sensor too, they also run fine without that. bad gas mileage at the most, but otherwise run fine. good luck.

not a lock expert so hopefully someone else chimes in. i'll give you my only experience with locks. my locks were acting funny in my 97 Impreza Outback Sport. i can't recall exactly what it was doing though. i can't recall the details, but i remember pulling the drivers side door panel and finding a bad connector or wiring. also, try opening the door and looking at the wiring running out of the door into the body. any kinks or strange looking, rubbed areas may point to a problem, but i doubt you'll find it there. for the dome light, i'd check the little buttons at the door, i just fixed one of those the other day on my 98 legacy. the light wouldn't ever come on when the door opened. i removed the little button...one screw or bolt and it's covered by a rubber cover. i removed it, worked it a few times and reinstalled and it's worked fine since. i think it was just dirty and sticky.

it's common knowledge now. his point is that it should have been common knowledge then and there isn't any information to show that Subaru was letting anyone know (again his claim, not mine)...meanwhile he's driving an at risk vehicle without knowing, possibly doing damage that could have been prevented. he never said how long it was low...nor did he mention that he just "ignored it". if the manual doesn't say, then why should he be concerned with low tire pressure? surely the dealer, oil change guys or tire guys can let him know at a rotation or oil change. had he known, maybe he would pay more attention to that. sure people glance and notice flat tires...but noticing a low tire may be trickier to the untrained eye. you and i would see it, but the general public is the consumer, not just you and i. just for giggles - do you check the underside of your rear seat? of course not. why not? there's no reason too....it's not mentioned anywhere and isn't common knowledge...which is what he's saying about the tires. i know that's a goofy analogy, and i'm not saying i agree with the lawsuit part, i think it's pointless and have already stated that, but i dont see any need to want to pick him apart and bash him either. if we were truely interested we could ask questions and find some more details. like how long the tire was low and what makes him suspect that? i don't think that even matters myself, i've already stated my view. which, if anyone has noticed, he's been long gone and hasn't posted in two days. i say the mcdonalds chick was in with a lawyer. lawyer got an idea, told her to go spill that raging hot coffee on herself and he already had it planned out. fraud at it's finest - the true american dream.

OBDII is the newer "standard", that's what allows you to take your car in and plug it into the computer to find out what codes are available or to do diagnostic stuff. like you go to advanced auto parts or autozone and they hook that little scanner up and tell you why your check engine light is on...or you pay the dealer $70 to do it, that's OBDII stuff. not sure if one is more beneficial than another, i'll want to know though.

looks like i have a 1995 EJ18. OBDI. i'd much rather be able to read the codes myself, why are OBDII's desirable anyway. and yep, it has an EGR, but i figure i can get rid of that.

you sure it was OBDII? side note...how do you read codes on an OBDI vehicle? never done that, i've done the old school ECU's and the new OBDII.

When is the last year the EJ18 was available, and what vehicle - impreza xxxxx? all the impreza's i've seen are EJ22. Do all EJ18's have an EGR valve? Are they all OBDI? did a search and couldn't find much. seems like they are all OBDI.

advanced auto parts and autozone both do it for free. the ones in rural areas, like where i live, just give you the scanner to do it yourself. tune up. pay particular attention to the wires, are they Subaru OEM wires or some aftermarket brand? if they were replaced, but with aftermarkets, then i'd suspect those. these EJ engines are nothing like your EA series stuff, they are very sensitive to spark plug wires. i'll throw anything on an EA engine and they rarely have issues, throwing anything except Subaru or Magnecor on an EJ engine is risky. i've seen brand new aftermarkets cause problems. sensitive little jokers.

here was the first reply to your post: check the oil leaks and use Subaru or Magnecor wires if the problem reoccurs. you are fine to drive with cylinder misfire codes, it's not a big deal and can't hurt anything.

i've never really heard of people messing with these. but i've read through the FSM's for kicks. sounds interesting. actually in all my years on these boards and in the subaru community (even my 20 year old XT6 4EAT trans has bands), i've never heard of one person even trying to mess with them. curious to see your results.

any recent work done on it? mileage? has it ever had a tune up? it's due for a timing belt at 105,000 (though that shouldn't cause this), but wondering if that work was done. vacuum leak....?

follow your owners manual. it should say 60,000 miles (or whatever that is in km). if you don't know, then you should at the very least have it checked. they can pull the side covers off and tell if it's questionable or really new. it probably needs done. if you want to keep this vehicle awhile, then you should go ahead and have it done. that's a great more and they last a long time. have the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, oil pump seals (and backing plate screws - they come loose), and cam seals replaced at the same time. all of those items reside behind the timing belt and are very easy to do once the belt it off. i doubt you'll see any performance increase replacing the belt. it is very rare and odd for a belt to cause a problem like that. probably more likely related to a tune up, bad gas, O2 sensor, MAF sensor dirty (do you use an oiled, K&N filter?)...etc. did you use NGK plugs (OEM) and Subaru wires? unfortunately your EJ engine is not fond of aftermarket spark plug wires. i've personally seen them run bad with new aftermarket wires. i use Subaru or Magnecor wires only. although...if it is wire related it *should* give a check engine light.

what engine are you talking about? EA81 or EA82? what's the holder? you mean the outer arm that the clips clip on to? that comes as an assembly if that's what you mean. buy a new throw out bearing assembly from Subaru. all i can think of is the pivot arm, the throw out bearing and the clips.

the auto's are sometimes higher amps, i believe the auto trans is harder to start due to the engine being fixed to the transmission/torque converter even when it's not in gear. autozone and advanced auto parts...and probably others, scan codes for free. they just walk out, plug it in and tell you, or some will just hand you the scanner and you go do it yourself....i wouldn't expect that in the city of course!

highly doubt that's your problem. the auto trans has a slightly higher amp rated battery. but there's no way for the vehicle to know how many amps the battery is and nor does it care. so long as it starts the vehicle, the battery is doing it's job. it'll start/run on a 12 volt lawn mower battery just fine. you may notice in the winter that the engine is harder to turn over, i don't know how much less they're rated....things could differ some across the border as well, i'm speaking from US experience. have the battery tested, ask the shop, try another batter...and have those codes read. i think i'd just have the codes read immediately. maybe they bumped something while installing...vaccuum hose, etc? if it happened right afterwards it is very suspicious indeed. even if it was battery install related, the code should help track it down. i would never use NAPA wires on an EJ motor, particularly yours, but i'm not saying that's the problem or that they ALWAYS don't work, that's not my point. but these engines are very sensitive unfortunately, not all subaru engines, but this one is. if you get a "cylinder misfire" code in the future or hesitation i would suspect your wires are to blame, just keep that in your hat for later.

BUMP for nipper. i went to MD and none of the 15" wheels i used to have are still at my place. i can't recall what happened to them, but i had more than one set last summer????

something else to consider....has your vehicle ever been towed? if it has and was towed improperly (front wheels off the ground), then the tow company is to blame. it happens.

biggest issue is getting the intake manifold bolts out of the heads. they like to be seized and easily shear off, leaving you with an intake manifold that doesn't come off and no bolt to help remove it. if it is hard to come out or feels resistant, try tigthening it just a tad first, then loosen, then tighten. that will help work it out. often they'll even come up a bit, then won't come out anymore. i'm not sure how that happens, but if you put a pry bar under the head and pry up while simultaneously loosening the head, they often come out. maybe it's an east coast/rust thing, i don't know, but more often than not i have problems with them on the older gen stuff. coolant concern is getting into the cylinders, it'll pour down the intakes in the heads and into the cylinders when you lift the manifold off. drain with the notion that you want to get as much out of the intake manifold as possible.