idosubaru

i think i'm also going to install a bypass switch in the engine bay that allows me to disable anything in the cabin. that way i can disable the function if i let anyone borrow the car, my wife drives it and i might even use it myself. since my use is usually dedicated to the late fall and winter, i can probalby levae it disabled the rest of the year. and it's not that big of a deal to pop the hood in the limited times i use it the rest of the year.

is it only the turbo wagons that have the 4EAT?

well now that the nuts are off and the engine is out i have 4 exhaust studs to remove. they are not friendly. i welded a steel round bar to the existing studs...even with all that heat and cooling...the stud didn't budge, it just sheared off right next to the engine. since the metal is just shearing off even at the engine it's obvious this thing is not coming out. looks like nowhere locally carries left handed titanium bits. i can order, but can only get right hand titanium bits locally.

after replacing the faulty relay and the fans now working, it's much better. holds fine now even on hot days. with the a/c sometimes it seems the radiator hose wants to collapse still and will run hotter than normal rarely. while looking at it, it looks like the hose is "too long" and causing it to crink at the bends, i think this is making it easier for it to collapse under load. i'm going to cut it down a bit so it's not so compressed and i have another hose if that doesn't work. pretty sure addressing that hose will take care of it completely. thanks!

yes and no. it's easy to do, but access is annoying, it's hard to get good solid and even pressure to get it in quickly. get a Subaru crank seal. i installed a Fel Pro seal earlier this year on an EA82 and it wasn't a good fit. didn't seem to want to go in quite right, eventually got it in. ended up leaking horribly in about a month and i replaced it again. the old seal was mangled and definitely not quite the right size...just off enough to cause the sealing edges of the seal to be compromised. the rubber was folded and torn. the new seal went in fine and doesn't leak. have a short piece of PCV pipe the right diameter to help install it. take your time and be patient, sometimes it takes awile of tapping and massaging it in place. other than the cramped space it's not hard. definitely remove the radiator.

the oil pan gasket is nice to do out of the car. it's a real PITA to do in the car. it looks easy, but is not, requires all sorts of engine lifting and blah blah blah to clear the sump and baffles in the oil pan. i'm not going to mislead you though, the oil pan gasket is annoying because the gasket sticks bad to the pan and it's hard to clean off. they are also prone to not sealing/seating very well when reinstalled. make sure the pan is in good shape and use a Subaru gasket, many even use RTV on the gasket as well. yes - permatorque Fel pro head gsakets so you don't have to retorque them. Subaru intake manifold gaskets you'll need the cam carrier reinforced o-ring between the cam carrier and heads. thepartsbin.com is the only aftermarket source i know of, and of course Subaru the prices are about the same either way. youll need two. Subaru exhaust manifold gaskets are much better too, but the aftermarkets, while scrawny looking don't typically leak either. definitely replace the valve cover gaskets while the motor is out. they are cheap. get the cam seal "kits" (as seen at thepartsbin.com), they have the cam seal and the oring behind the cam cap. replace both, not just the seal. you'll want a new separator gasket as well, or at RTV on it. it's located between the engine and trans. the rear main seal is debatable. if they show no signs of seapage or wetness i do not replace them. subaru's rarely leak from the rear main seal and i've seen a number of guys have issues with brand new ones leaking shortly after install....more encouragement for me just to leave them. if it's an automatic i'd replace the torque converter seal and have a transission shaft "ring seal", as Subaru calls it, at least on hand if you need it as well. it's annoying to need one and not have it.

if it's a non-interference engine i'll use ebay kits or repack the bearings myself. even on the later models i'm not against adding grease to the bearings, they perform like new once you're done and i've never had a problem with the. on the EJ25's i have not extended that practice yet due to the 105,000 timing belt interval, if i don't see any problems with pullies i've repacked as i start doing the 2nd and 3rd belts on them, i'll probably do it on those in the future as well. bearing supply stores can get the bearings for you and you can just reinstall new bearings in all of them. if the bearing store doesn't do it, have a machine shop press them in for you. here's a link on repacking the bearings: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50430&highlight=repacking

i don't think we need to revisit this idea of killing the trans. it's been beat over and over again in other threads, and i posted links to how he uses his soob offroad which i don't think typifies normal use. i think his experience would be anedotal..at best, not a sign of anything significant. i was happy to see this thread remain useful and informative in terms of the + and - of the 4EAT offroad.

i got your PM, but wasn't around for a couple days. it looks like you got this taken care of. like already mentioned, the resistor pack likely needs replaced. you could try cleaning it and soldering it or taking it to an eletrical shop, they may be able to fix it for you. or just get a used one or two. they don't fail all that often, not enough to warrant paying whatever outrageous amount the dealer wants. of course the last post with part numbers might allow you to find them somewhere else, i wouldn't know where though. for used ones, try posting the Parts Wanted section of this forum, someone on here can probably help you out. i imagine most if not all EA82's share that part, so it should be easy to find. and any junkyard with the blower fan will have the resistor as well so long as they still have the vehicle, they just might not list it in their computers and such. so ask around until you find one willing to check for you.

that sucks it's cracking up again. i'd find a shop to install a used one for you. before you drive 2,500 to slap me, i know it's annoying that yours is now kaput, but subaru auto trans are very reliable. i'd rather source a low mileage unit and have it installed than pay the astronomical prices for a rebuilt. particularly for a car that's not worth very much. if you were in an accident you'd be hard pressed to get your money back out of the insurance company for it. they run $500. local reputable shop charges $150-$200 with a new filter (unnecessary though) to install a trans you supply. i had an engine shipped for $95, so your market is rather large when searching. i'd rather spend $750 more than once than pay for a rebuild. i'd also have the radiator coolant lines, tires and possibly the TCU checked and make sure something isn't causing them to fail. and i agree, i would avoid national chains and find a reputable local mom and pop shop. sometimes searching outside of town is a better bet, there are predators everywhere but city shops seem to be more so in my experience.

by oil pump seal i meant crank seal too. had 3 loose screws (the oil pump, not me, i have far more). i'm doing the clutch tonight, will check the separator plate whether it's plastic or not and replace the gasket. car was running fine and i just yanked the motor so i'll leave the rear main. didn't want to start another thread, but wasn't sure about the cams...the EA's have the o-ring with the seals and i've heard people talk about "half moons" and spark plug hole gaskets. i got the spark plug gaskets. the dealer told me there was no oring for the cams to worry about. what are the 'half moons'?

yes there are people that like them and have good results. the problem is mostly age and limitatoins of the engine. with the age...nearly everything on any car needs attention, with the extra heat and abuse of a turbo they need it more. head gaskets, water pump, coolant hoses everywhere...throttle body, heater core inlet, heater core outlet, turbo return coolant line, turbo inlet coolant line and number smaller lines up front as well as the radiator lines, caps and the radiator itself...ideally all of that stuff and the turbo oil lines all need to be in great shape. turbo's overheat and blow headgaskets quick. not too mention turbo's need replacing and cause their own problems as well. keep everything in good shape and don't push the limits and they can be good cars. next is the limitations. start increasing power and you run into more problems. first..there's that long list of parts that are nearly 20 years old now. if you start looking into major and expensive mods for more power...it's easier just to upgrade to another engine that is newer, has more availability and can handle it.

checked all the pulleys i also got the spark plug hole rocker cover gaskets.

i searched and didn't find this. i got water pump, oil pump and cam seals. are there any additional cam seal orings or anything to address while i'm there?

after removing the lines, just crank the car over, you'll see which one fluid comes out. don't start it or run it like that, just crank it as a test. i wouldn't use the radiator cooler at all. run the trans lines to the cooler and back. using the radiator adds nothing but more failure modes to your trans...more hoses, more clamps and even worse, your radiator is old or will be at some point and you can't see the internal cooling mechanism to see if it's failing, corroded or compromised in anyway. just use your new dedicated cooler.

youre sure the oil leak is up front? you need the cam o-rings as well, every single one i've seen is brittle and breaks when i remove them now, they're hard as a rock after 20 years. the cam seals sits inside a cam cap. it's held on to the cam carrier with 3 10mm bolts, remove those bolts and slide the cam cap forward. you would want to anyway, makes replacing the cam seals that much easier, you can do it off the car then. behind that cap is an o-ring you'll want to replace. http://www.thepartsbin.com sells a cam seal "kit" that includes the seal and oring. if you don't have it, get it from Subaru. reseal the oil pump while you have the belts off. once the timing belt is off you only have to remove 5 bolts and a nut to reseal the oil pump, that's it. it has a shaft seal, an oring and an oil pump to engine gasket. though the gasket is more like o-ring material. it's the "mickey mouse" gasket, yo'ull see it. there are 5 10mm bolts holding the oil pump to the block. remove those, then put a 1" socket on the back of the oil pump to hold the shaft in place while you knock the nut loose on the front of it. the nut and oil pump sprocket come off, revealing the seal underneath. replace them all...i've seen people replace one and leave the leaky one in there????? leaking on the exhaust if often valve cover gaskets. they are simple to replace but can be annoying since they're really tight. do yourself a favor and get a 10 mm ratcheting wrench to make it much simple. these have nothing to do with timing belt jobs and can be done entirely on their own, just remove all the valve cover bolts and replace the gasket. they are old, brittle and cracking by now and one of hte most common to leak...particularly doing the exhaust burning leaky thing.

you can fit almost everything you need in the hidden trunk compartments. i have an alternator, timing belts, ignition coil with FET, one each of all the timing pulleys, extra relays, fusible links, extra drive belt, tire plugs and tools...eventhough most of that stuff is new in mine it easily stores out of the way. i also have a real jack, they can also fit in the backmost compartment and tools. you don't really need many tools - 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm some sockets, extensions, wrenches and screwdrivers and you can fix nearly anything that would be fixable that is. but yeah, you can't beat wagons for their functionality. that's the great thing about it, you have both! i really like having the impreza OBS for that reason, easily throw-and-go with large items. i have a hitch as well, the XT6 can certainly pull more easier and safer than an EA82 once you have one of those and a trailer.

the owners manual will tell you how large your gas tank is. figure your gas milegae and multiply it out...that will give you a base. 15 gallons times 20mpg, you should easily get to 300 miles per tank if you think you can pull 20 mpg, which most soobs do. like nipper said that light is very accurate, i've tested it numerous times...sometimes i've made it and sometimes i haven't!

good point, i was assuming he doesn't want that expense. he mentioned the prices of used engines around him are not far from a rebuilt. buy a used engine for $1,000, pay $1,000 for headgasket replacement and additional parts and then $$ engine removal and install. that total is likley to be $2,000 - $3,000. Which you and i would agree is reasonable for what you're getting. I'd just do the headgasket myself, but if he's paying labor, CCR might be a better route at that point.

unless it's really cheap i would avoid a used EJ25. paying $1,000 for a used motor that ends up having a bad headgasket would seriously annoy me. at the very least, talk to the vendor and ask if they have a warranty. even with a warranty though you're paying labor all over again to remove/install another one. only you know the kind of risks you like to take, but i wouldn't go that route. i have a couple blown EJ25 vehicles at my house right now, they are very easy to find. 1998 80,000.....blown headgasket. if finances were a concern i would choose the 2.2 swap myself.

what kind of car? are you saying that you don't know if you have air struts or not? have a look at them. you'll either see coil overs or a big black air bag. check the fronts and rears as it is possible to not convert them all. the air tank and compressor is under the front drivers side fender for most (if not all) air suspension subaru's. i'm not sure what you have so i'm hesitant to say "all" just in case i'm forgetting something....

the older generation soobs have a fusible link box in the engine bay. if this is done they will fry one of the fusible links and often that is the only damage. your EJ (forester) will have a fuse box in the engine bay as well although it is set up much differently. i can't recall off the top of my head and my impreza isn't here right now, but check your fuses and fusible links (if any) in this box. after that, check the rest of your fuses, i don't know where they reside in the forester but it's down on the lower left by the front drivers side door for most. ECU damage is possible, but probably not.

sorry to hear about that. with enough effort they may still fix it. they might just be hoping you go away. there's tons of info on here, i'd look through as much as you can. there's alot of good stuff, but impossible to compile it all.

most likely a head gasket. they typically blow very easily if the car is overheated. often times overheatin caused by coolant loss (a hose, clamp, leak or water pump failure) will cause a blown headgasket right away due to the fact that the gasket is 20 years old. there's an off chance, unlikely, that the intake manifold gasket is leaking coolant into the the engine. not likely, but they are much cheaper and easier to fix. if you fix the headgasket, make sure you fix the cause of it blowing. you probably have a bad radiator, hose or clamp or leak somewhere else.

probably wouldn't be worth it if you went through the trouble and didn't fix the problems. i think you might do well to type in "bad strut" or something in yahoo or google and see if you can find some good info on diagnosing bad struts, i do not know. you might get good info too...like "bad struts cause bad tire wear on the inside edges"...or maybe not. i think one would be highly likely...seems odd both struts failed at the same time unless something caused it...like towing or off road driving. has it ever had a hitch? that is a ton of miles and the struts are suspect...some struts need replacing before 100,000 miles, even newer EJ soobs. but it's still a shot in the dark to me.