idosubaru

check out your owners manual. you can't get all the fluid out anyway by draining a trans like you can an engine anyway, so the "mixing" fluids concern isn't one. you could find out from Subaru exactly what fluid they use and it comes with and add that. fill through the dipstick, a funnel is handy for this. check it a couple times, the ATF doesn't read as consistently as engine oil and follow the owners manual instructions...when warm, shift through the gears..etc.

the noise isn't going to go away with time due to "pumping up", so no need to give it more time for that. you replaced the headgaskets? how long did you drive with bad headgaskets? where you adding coolant or water when they were bad? how bad were they? (i'm asking for a reason).

if you "buggered" the end key/crank pulley area there is a company that sells a kit to repair that. beats replacing the engine. if i could remember any more about it, i'd tell you but i don't. and you should let us know if that's your only issue. for a rebuilt i would only consider CCR in colorado. you won't hear higher recommendations from more people in the subaru community. give emily a call if your serious about going this route.

in general no. if it's too loose and not holding it then it could. but one screw is plenty to hold it in place and in alignment. as long as it wasn't loose...and in that case it probably would have been maxed out in terms of adjustment and the car wouldnt' have ran at all, i would imagine it's fine. mentioned this at XT6 but i wouldn't go cracking it open unless you had a spare one handy. hasn't been that long ago since we've seen a "hey i jacked up my TPS and need another one right now" post, hate to see that happen to you if you need this car.

body shop should have good experience with this as well and would likely be cheaper than Subaru. for an air bag light might be nice to have them check it out anyway.

no, nothing is worth messing with to try and get to fit. it's all different. i have a set of custom pipes and the original receipt to have them made was $250 or so...not much at all to just have a custom one made. take an original XT6 header and have them use the original mounts and fab up a new one. for what it's worth you saw mine at XT6.net...it added nothing so i wouldn't be too excited about it.

when someone pulls out in front of you while towing something the last thing you'll be freaking out about is if you have an ATF cooler at all.

no way, that's no big deal at all. soobs can easily tow a motorcycle, boat, and other such items without a problem. if you're going to be towing a fair amount and you plan on keeping this vehicle for awhile the best bet is to get an ATF temperature monitor and see what temperatures you're actually running. based on that info, then install an aftermarket ATF cooler. you could try one of those laser thermometers too...point and shoot temp readings, use it on the ATF hoses. weight, vehicle, type of driving and other variables make a difference in the end temperature of the ATF. too cool isn't ideal either, so checking temps first is best. if you're rarely using it and not loading it up very much a small trailer like that may not necessitate an ATF cooler. if you're seeing large mountains, steep grades, heavy weight and making frequent trips in 90+ degree summer heat then it might be good to check it or consider it. depending when/how you'd be using this you might want to consider brake upgrades instead of an ATF cooler. i would imagine the stock cooler is up to the job (depending on all those variables mentioned). braking distance will increase with heavier loads, there's no way around that. if you plan on significant loads, you could install larger rotors and calipers up front and/or in the rear. safety on an item like this is huge. fold up, hang out of the way trailers are super nice for storing out of the way. check into other trailers and think about what all you might use it for, don't want to forgo a slightly larger trailer that you could use later.

you have the transmission labeled correctly. Part one is the transmission stub shaft (stubby shaft, axle stub). looks like the wrong axle to me. you need the right axle and you need to hope that your stubby shaft is still useable and not too badly damaged. if it's an automatic the stubby shafts pull right out no problems. i'd probably get another set and install them, thye just pop in and out. yank it and it comes out, pop another one in. if it's a manual trans those stubby shafts really aren't replaceable...well they are but it's a huge job and not one you want to do incorrectly. i would wonder if the other side is the right spline count as well, that can ruin the hub assembly if it's the wrong axle.

there is no need for OEM oil filters, there are excellent aftermarket sources. puralator pure one is one of them.

please do this, i've replaced the steering air bag but thought the p/s required removing the dash so i've avoided it for now. great information, thank you for taking the time to be observant and posting this. it's been very hard (as you know) to get much information on it. for now i'm going to replace the p/s air bag, check the up front sensors and then have a shop look over the system.

wow that's rediculous, more rediculous than i thought it would be.

i've only heard of them being sourced at the dealer, but i'm not saying they aren't available elsewhere, never looked. dealers can be very uninformative about what they do or don't have, might want to check before hand just in case.

i would have 5 quarts on hand.

oh yeah? i didn't even think to check with them. you sholud post the price if you know it!

thanks guys, went perfect with the 3/8" as i had some of that. i just used straight transmission hose. none of the bends compromise the hose at all, so molded OE hoses aren't necessary for this application. next time i'm running straight hose from the ATF cooler all the way to the transmission to eliminate all those extra clamps in between.

nope i didn't catch that, good call. it's very confusing...there are essentially 3 different "temp sensors". (4 in an XT6 engine bay for those that like trivia). one for the ECU, one for the temperature gauge in the dash and one for the fans. the one for the fans is a thermoswitch like he just mentioned. it's the one that screws into the radiator, should be the only thing with a wire screwed into the radiator. maybe the wire is just corroded, dirty or not plugged in?

shouldn't really matter if it's JDM or USDM anyway except that you might not be able to use the intake manifold of the JDM. engine i got last summer was a 40,000 mile JDM special. can't use the intake manifold because the wiring harness is all different. colors are all different and plugs were different as well. anyway, long blocks are all the same, so not sure it really matters. mine came complete with a blown headgasket. for the cost of an EJ25, i say go with CCR every time if you're in the states, but i'd imagine international shipping may kill that deal.

i want to pick up some replacement trans hose so i can replace it tonight when i get home. anyone know what size it is for sure? 1997 Impreza OBS, though all 4EAT's being nearly identical i think most EJ's should be the same.

there should be a relay somewhere, and those fail quite often. particularly the fan relays. i have a bad one right now as well!

depends who the buyer is. if it implies some kind of warranty that you otherwise wouldn't have then maybe for some people. but probably not worth it for the high, top dollar costs associated with a used car lot. depends on the definition of "Certified Preowned" but in general i say no. for the most part a low mileage and newer subaru is going to have so few issues that this "inspection" is more marketing than anything else. it's a way for them to convince people to buy vehicles for top dollar. the benefit to cost ratio is really low for the buyer. but if you're not familiar with cars and checking obvious things then it might be worth it. OF COURSE the CV joints aren't busted, OF COURSE the tie rods don't need replaced. OF COURSE the engine and transmission run fine and the brake fluid isn't leaking, the transmission fluid isn't leaking, the diff fluid isn't leaking....that wouldn't be normal or expected on a car only a few years old, these items just typically don't exhibit issues at only a couple years and low miles. and those are easy to spot items anyway. it's easy to come up with an enormous list of "checked over and inspected items" and that's very good that they aren't broken. but it's also very unlikely for them to have been broken in the first place. so yes it's important for these things to get checked, but not worth paying top dollar for either. if you can't do a quick glance yourself of fluids and boots and stuff, don't want to bother paying a mechanic to check it over (say doing a private vehicle sale) or don't have time then yes it's worth it.

in general i'd wait for the 45,000 if you're not experiecing any issues and not going past your oil change iterval. most of those "services" end up being high dollar items where you're paying alot for minor details. for example: Subaru's Certified xx,xxx service: Check ATF, Check Brake fluid, Check coolant level, Check Brake pads, Inspect tie rods, ball joints, cv boots...... a long list of stuff that really means nothing. it's a quick glance over for $300. If i crawled under your car, popped the hood and 13 minutes later asked for that kind of money you'd call me nuts. But they make a long list and give it a label and it's all of a sudden a signature service and "peace of mind". if you need timing belts, then obviously that's important. but generic "tune-ups" and "xx,xxx" services tend to be pricey for not much if any return. if you don't know much about cars and don't have a choice and want that peace of mind of having it done then you should have it done. if you can glance over the services listed and manage these items yourself then by all means do that and only pay for the services you need. this forum can help you determine which items are "filler", which you can easily glance at yourself and which are legit to take to the shop.

your 03 engine is different than the 95...but not by much. the 03 should be an EJ25 2.5 liter and your 1995 was an EJ22 2.2 liter. same basic motor, they are even interchangeable without much effort. one main difference is that you now have 105,000 mile timing belt internvals instead of 60,000. and if it's an auto trans you now have a screw on filter that your 1995 didn't have. it should have come with a service manual, all of your maintenance and service information is in there. if you don't have one, you should get one or look it up online.

does it keep the interior cool at all? either way that doesn't sound normal. i'd test drive another one and see what it does as well. then get really PO'ed when you find out they lied to you about a car that's BRAND FREAKING NEW. you didn't pay for this kind of treatment, you paid for a warranty and service, it's time for them to honor that. if you wanted to buy something with quirks and unknown issues with no warranty or service you would have bought a 2000 subaru.

the free shipping to USMB members was a temporary promotion that has now expired, the date is on the same page.