idosubaru

the ignitor is the small electrical gizmo attached to the bracket with the ignition coil. that likely needs replaced. i would start there. i do not know if there's a way to test it or not, i would just swap in another one that isn't fried. i would also recommend using a stock Subaru only coil. aftermarkets are known to have problems. you are not the first one to have problems running and aftermarket coil. the easiest, most reliable and economical solution is to use a stock subaru unit and store a spare coil in the trunk, though they rarely fail if everything else is working properly.

hope all goes well hotdog!

it will not bolt up to an EJ22 without an adapter and i wouldn't adpat an EJ22 to an auto trans. not a good bet really, but it depends how much your time is worth. you can't really make enough on EA82 stuff to make it worth it. then you have the high possibility of lots of nagging issues...rust, stripped threads, exhaust studs coming out, brakes not working, etc. i've swapped a non-turbo into a turbo. it wasn't very fun and the car still isn't running. though mine is the 87-88 transition year and i suspect some issues from that.

i would stick with what you have been using. there is no benefi to switching. i prefer to keep using the same stuff so the seals and gaskets are always seeing the same additives as much as possible. don't know if that's true or not, that's just what i do. subaru's are far more prone to leakage than they are any engine wear problems, so i think in those terms rather than engine "life" or "wear". a well maintained subaru..never abused, overheated, etc.. run on conventional oil with 250,000 miles will still have all the cylinder cross hatching visible and the bearings will be in excellent condition as well. once you've pulled a few apart like that you realize these engines don't live or die based on oil choices. but they'll certainly leak easily enough! there's no benefit to playing with the oil. if you plan on owning the car for 500,000 - 1,000,000 miles then maybe it would make a difference, i haven't had any experience with engines in that category.

spark plugs should be stock NGK's. and the spark plug wires should be Subaru only, do not attempt to use other wires on this engine. not all subaru engines are like this, but in this case Subaru wires should be used. bgd, is that you?

tons of information on this board about dealing with headgasket issues. you have a few options. there are two caveats to replacing the headgaskets, it must be done properly and it must not have been run hot too much. if it was consistently run hot then significant engine damage can result. not knowing the history or the previous owner, there's no way to determine how much or how long the car was run hot like this. it would likely be fine, but you may be taking a gamble by replacing the headgaskets if the engine block is damaged. that's why i like to buy cars from the owner rather than the dealer. more info about the car...and you always get a much, much better deal too. i would check with the BBB and see how well this company rates, sounds like they've treated you quite well so far. that would be great if they'd split the cost of fixing this or something along those lines. if you install a 2.2 engine, be sure any 1997 and newer engine has a new timing belt and water pump installed and check all of the timing belt pulleys. most likely the one sprocketed idler (the one with teeth) will need replacing. 1997 and up 2.2's are interference engines, do not install one with an unknown timing belt. and besides...you'll basically be gauranteed many miles if done properly anyway. keep in mind, even with blown headgaskets that motor you have it worth $500. so if you end up replacing it, be sure to sell it to recoupe some of the costs.

i did a search and got nothing. my speedometer accelerates fine, but as soon as you hold a constant speed or let off the gas (say going down hill), and slow down the needle bounces all over the place and occassionally just drops to zero. replaced the cable twice now with no change. i'm assuming the instrument cluster needs replaced?

jacking it up has nothing to do with it. occassionally jacking it up will help them air up if they're all the way down. but that won't cause it to deflate. unless you really want the air suspension i'd suggest swapping to coil overs. the air suspension can get really crazy. don't get me wrong, i like it and i maintain it on my car, but it is not for the faint of heart. it is likely that you have a leak somewhere, eventually that will overwork your compressor and it will die...basically, it will only get worse from here on out. if you want to overhaul you air suspension there's good info on that. replace all of your o-rings, there are many of them and recondition your airbags (i have a thread in the USRM about how to do that). do that and your system will be much more reliable.

sounds like headgasket to me. i'd do everything and anything in your power to make them take it back. the previous owner got rid of the car for this very reason, they dumped it (probably traded it in), a used lot bought it at auction and now you got it. get them to take it back or fix it, that's your best option. they didn't pay very much for it, so they may even have it fixed ($1,000 - $1,500 job) if there's any warranty at all.

i guess if you're sure the final drive ratio is correct it's a waste to check, but i'd want to verify what it has versus what it should have. rotate wheels and count driveshaft rotation, it's not too hard...annoying part is just looking under the car. 10 rotations of one will give 3.9 or 4.11 turns of the other..or should? other than being off by that amount it doesn't do anything erratic, jumpy, sticking, etc? bizarre.

i wouldn't assume that whirring noise is transmission related. it could be, but at the age of this vehicle lots of bearings up front can whine. power steering pump, alternator (most likely), a/c, water pump, timing pulleys....all have bearings that can make noise. an easy test is to remove the drive belt and see if it goes away. you won't have a/c, power steering and your alternator won't be charging so you'll run straight off the batter. but if it's doing it consistently you'll know right away if it's related to any of those items. you could at least just try the alternator, i've heard plenty of whining alternators. i've seen a number of vehicles have the delay you speak of and not end up ever getting terrible worse or needing replaced. all that to say, you're doing what i would do. keep an eye out for a good deal on a trans and not assume the worst just yet. i would not get a rebuilt, not worth the cost in my oppinion of course. i wouldn't be too excited about that 97 legacy, they are nice...but they have the 2.5 HG issue engine, i got two sedans at my place right now (one with 83,000 miles)...getting new headgaskets. you're better off with your 2.2. don't run it hot and your 2.2 stands a better chance of running longer than that 97 legacy engine before loosing a headgasket.

i would imagine the heat cracked the plastic separator plate. new ones are metal and not prone to that. replace with a new one (it'll be metal, the new ones are, and won't crack) and reseal it. sounds like you overheated. assuming it wasn't overheated long, or often it should be okay. do you know if maybe it overheated before but you never noticed? maybe someone else uses the vehicle that woudlnt' have noticed? typically replacing the headgaskets solves the issue. be sure to get new Subaru headgaskets as they have an upgraded design. have a machine shop mill and check the heads and you should be golden assuming, like i said, it wasn't run hot often or for very long. be sure to replace both side headgaskets, i saw you mentioned one side - cylinder 1 and 3.

there's a brake drum spring removal tool that you would typically want to have. i've never done subaru drum brakes, so i'm not sure how different they are, but if there's a tool that helps on subaru's like other drum brakes, i'd make sure you have it. trying to do it with a bag of other tools can be frustrating. good luck!

EJ25. interference engine. headgasket issues are a concern of mine. it's a rather large job, $1,500 at a dealer. i'd look for signs that the gsaket has been replaced. if not, i wouldn't get it unless it's a really, really good deal. read up about the EJ25 headgasket issue if you're not familiar with it. i have two sitting in my garage right now.... with high mileage and being an interference engine you'll want to make sure the timing belt is new, the water pump is new and check all the timing pulleys. there are a number of them and i can almost gaurantee the sprocketed pulley at least needs replaced. the tensioner would be a good things to replace as well if you want to keep the vehicle a while. any one of these pullies fails and that will likely cause the belt to break as well. even at 80,000 i'm usually replacing at least one due to noise, play or lack of grease. with "high mileage" i'd expect a few.

i've searced for this and found a good deal of information on it. the aussie guys seem more motivated to do this than others. someone there even converted an EJ22 to a distributor ignition, i've seen the pic's and write up about it. i'd do a search on here and on the internet, i think you'll find a good bit of information, i did. i would also like to do it for the learning component...i think it's about 1,435th on the list though!

MAN! how cool would that have been had you whacked the rear caliper with that mallet! that would have been awesome..oh well, there's my problem! caliper bolts falling out is a very, very strange thing. i would imagine that at some point along the line that rear caliper bolt was removed for some reason and was either stripped (very unlikely) or not torqued tight enough. aren't too many bolts i've heard of coming out...and calipers bolts are not one of them.

i haven't made much sense out of all the EJ timing stuff either.

it might easier to lean down behind one rear tire and look at the back side of the other side. you'll be able to see the rotors (discs) that way as well. for what it's worth my OBS has rear drums (for now) and i have WRX rims on it, they don't really show that bad if that's what you're concerned about. the larger WRX rims look waaaay better too.

i'd check some online subaru parts places and online stores like advanced and such and see if they're all showing a different part number as well. you're definitely right, all 95 2.2's are non-interference for sure. you say you're looking at a "kit". maybe the timing belt is identical but the kit is different?

excceeeelllent the answer to that question by itself is, No. ABS does not have anything to do with whether your car has disk or drums. ABS stands for "Anti Lock Brake System"..or something close to that. That has to do with a system that has a feedback control mechanism for your brakes. ABS can be used with disc or drum brakes. now..whether your car has rear discs. it's really easy to tell, just look at them. if the rear looks like the front with a big disc on it, then it is the same. if not, then it's drum brakes. there are impreza's and legacy's with rear drum brakes. a legacy GT or SUS will not have drum brakes. i didn't see what kind of Legacy you have, i'm guessing it's not a GT because the 97's don't come with 14" wheels.

agreed, if the rust is that bad i would move on as well. even if you fixed this one problem, everything else in the future will be the same increased level of difficulty. the rust is going to get worse and it's a safety issue as well. i'd rather be in an accident with a solid vehicle than something only operating at %60 structurally. if it's minor rust or just isolated to the brake lines, maybe you could install new brake lines that don't follow the same path as the original, that is what i would look into doing. just route them some other way and leave those pesky old lines wherever they are around the fuel tank. i'm working on a 98 legacy sedan now that has horrific rust issues on very particularly items, but everything else is in good condition. i've even started some threads on rusted bolts and studs that won't come out in the past week or two because of it...all rusted exhaust issues. but most stuff is rust free, the frame rails, gas tank and all of that don't have any rust at all?

that's not how it works, i figured you might not quite understand how it all works together. your wheels must match whatever bolt pattern your car has...your HUBS are the defining part here. if you hvae 5 lug hubs and 5x100 spacing of the lug studs (which are in the hubs), then you HAVE to have 5 lug wheels with 5x100 spacking. you can't just get whatever wheels you want then add or take away lug studs and holes as needed to fit those wheels. you have to get 5x100 wheels to fit your legacy. that being said, bigger wheels can't affect the brakes. you said "if my brakes had 4 bolts"...if they did, you would HAVE to get 4 bolt rims, you can't just get 5 bolt rims and "change the brakes"....it would require far more than that to change the bolt pattern on a vehicle. so, your legacy has a 5x100 bolt pattern (5 lugs studs, all your wheels will have 5 lug studs). changing wheels has nothing to do with brakes...you remove a wheel and put another one back on, there's no brake work, changing, looking at, touching, removing, or even moving involved of the brakes. the wheels bolt to whatever studs exist on the hub of the vehicle...so the wheel has to match the vehicle, period. that's why everyone keeps mentioning 5x100, which is what nearly all Subaru wheels are. you can use any 5 lug subaru wheel (which means all legacy and impreza..exception new WRX STi's) on your vehicle, except the SVX and newer STi, they have a 5x114.7 bolt pattern that does not fit. and who cares, they don't look all that nice anyway, there are nicer legacy and impreza options out there. the WRX wheels are nice, 16" and easy to come by. 15" like you mentioned aren't quite as nice and are a little harder to find, but the legacy style 15" are really nice...don't know what they're called. 16's have far more options.

NGK only for all subaru's i touch, and Magnecor ignition wires on my personal vehicles, they are the best in quality, service, lack of BS and hype, and performance.

cleaned the driveshaft up and all the joints are perfect (they are brand new and freshly greased). swapped it end for end and still the same thing. you can't change the orientation on these, the holes are such that they only bolt in one way...so i guess you could rotate it 180 degrees, but you can't change the orientation of the ujoints. drove it with the rear half of the driveshaft removed (in FWD) and no vibration at all, so i'm assuming it's that half that is bad. there are no places around me that balance driveshafts so i'll have to find somewhere in maryland or ship it somewhere to have them check it out.

hopefully someone on here will know. it won't leak, i'd be concerned about rust down the road and would want input as well. trim and gaskets can trap moisture and eventually rust. being so new i'm sure you plan on having this car for some time.