idosubaru

i would replace the entire axle with an MWE unit or Subaru axle. i wouldn't replace both without reason. they do not tend to go at the same time. typically the one closest to the exhaust will break long before the other side for the inner boots (closest to the exhaust). this applies to the fronts and rears. the front outers break often due to the large range of motion for steering. the only benefit is if the mechanic is going to give you a substantial break for doing both at the same time. but that is rarely the case from what i've seen. they'll try to make it look like a "savings" but it rarely is. again, this can only be determined by your mechanic and how he's willing to work with you. other than lifting the car there's no savings in time for the mechanic to replace both axles at the same time. if you really are concerned about it, look at the boots on the "good" side and see if there's any cracking beginning. if you can see significant cracking in the boot...but it's not cracked all the way through yet, then consider replacing both.

EA82's sound way trickier than an XT6. an XT6 you only need to remove the lower 2 strut mount bolts to change an axle. so with the wheel off that's only three bolts/nut - axle nut and two lower strut mount bolts to replace a CV. EA82's have that little room/freedom of movement or is it too cluttered in there?

is it at all speeds? 5mph in a parking lot or cruising?

have you posted about the vibration problems on here? is it at all speeds, where do you feel it, is there any noise associated with it? i would remove the driveshaft and inspect it. a loose ujoint is typically noticeable on the car easily enough, but a seized joint can be nearly impossible to tell without actually removing or disconnecting it, but is equally as bad. have you tried rotating the tires to see if the vibration "moves" say front to back?

attack one code at a time. start with the most likely and move on, often others are incidental and won't come back. i would also concentrate on the CTS issue first. you replaced the CTS, when? have the codes reset now and see which ones come back.

can you describe the noise more? is it always there while you're moving? does it change with speed? how long has it been doing it and has it gotten any worse over time? rotating your tires - back to front and front to back will tell you if it's tire related. the noise would then be up front. if it was brakes, the noise should go away when you apply the brakes. start rolling and when you hear the noise gently press the brakes just enough to engage them, but not enough to stop the car anytime soon. if the noise goes away, then it's your brake pads or caliper slides needing regreased. rear diff should be more a a grinding than high pitched, but maybe it has a bad bearing? rear driveshaft should have associated vibrations with it, so that shouldn't be it.

if it's not torn all the way around then it probably hasn't been like that for long. if there's no clicking with the steering wheel turned at full lock then the joints might be okay. a boot could save it. unless you have a good honest mechanic willing to save you a buck, it'll cost about the same to just install a new axle versus replacing the boot alone. so it's easier typically to replace the entire axle and costs about the same. axle replacement is probably the best bet for you. axle replacement usually runs $150 - $250 depending on your mechanic/local rates. i would price out a Subaru axle or buy from MWE in colorado, they are superior than off the shelf rebuilt axles at the auto parts stores. figure roughly $350 labor plus parts costs. price parts yourself online at autozone, advanced, Subaru online parts. $450 - $600 is my off the top of my head guess, but it varies depending on your mechanic and what parts you use. i'm not sure what range of springs will work. you could look up WRX struts on http://www.thepartsbin.com or autozone and see if the part numbers for the 04 and 06 are the same in the rear. if so you're golden. if not, you'll have to look into it further. i know the lug spacing on the hubs changed around 2005, so there's a chance other suspension changes were made as well.

axles are really easy to replace, the only hard part is the axle nut. they can be annoying to remove if you don't have air tools or a 3/4" socket set for them. i busted 3 1/2" sockets and even a breaker bar before finally upgrading to a 3/4" set, now it's easy. it's not that many bolts at all to do it.

awesome, got it!

awesome, hopefullly you nailed your problem. someone on xt6.net disassembled and cleaned his TPS with excellent results. he may have posted it here as well, i don't recall. the XT6 FSM TPS testing values are way, way off. they're not even close, it's impossible to adjust any TPS to the FSM spec's for an XT6. the TPS on the EA82 is completely different, but i would make sure the EA82 FSM values are correct.

you've got nothing to loose by calling the previous owner. car-fax is a tool, i wouldn't depend on it, but i wouldn't avoid it either. a clean car-fax by no means indicates you're getting a perfect car. but if it's previously been in an accident or something that's certainly good to know. i would never consider car-fax as something to rely on in terms of verifying a "good" car, but it's helpful in weeding out bad ones.

relubed the sliding parts, i consider that significant part of doing the job right. they are typically very dry when i pull them. i have rebuilt some XT6 calipers in the past, but not my current DD yet.

why can't you use your existing crank pulley to time the engine? i assume you have the correct pulley on the engine right? at most you'd need the timing marks to time off of, that should'nt be hard to come up with. post in the parts wanted forum maybe? i don't think XT6 and XT pulleys are interchangeable. and if they were i don't know that the timing mark would be the same. of course you could compare them and see.

i had this problem on a somewhat similar engine, the EA82 derived ER27. the engine ran great and had no issues other than oil consumption and smoking when the leaking oil hit the exhaust. that was really annoying. i did as you mentioned, tightened the leaky bolts, then tried tightening them some more and could not get the oil to stop leaking. it is certainly driveable, the smoking exhaust hitting oil being the most annoying aspect. keep oil in it and it should run fine.

XT6 parts are the hang up for sure, there's no easy way around that. be advised the search function here doesn't like acronyms unless they are at least 4 letters long. so WRX won't yield any returns. try WRX* or *WRX and see if that helps.

while i've done lots of swaps, engine and trans work, i've never actually disassembled a strut so pardon the follow ups. you bought new GR2 struts (OBS?), installed 04 WRX springs on them and used your top hats and hardware. is that correct? you think the 04 WRX springs made the difference in height and not the new struts?

in general, sounds like a good car at a decent price. but, i would drive it thoroughly and put some miles/time on it and keep your eye on the temperature gauge to look for any HG issues. i would also look at the receipt of all the work done and see what kind of headgasket they used. these are Subaru only HG repairs in my oppinion for this engine, Subaru has an updated headgasket for this application. if it's not a Subaru gasket i would be far more skeptical about it. the reason i stress looking into this is that why would someone pay all that money and turn around and sell the vehicle? it's not that big of a deal and i've seen a few for sale like this, most likely people just get scared and want to dump them in favor of something newer. Phase I Phase II doesn't really matter at this point, but both have HG issues of some type. i would also check the receipts or ask and see if the timing belt has recently been replaced. if not, that's typically a $500 - $800 repairs depending who and how it's done. this engine is an interference motor, you don't want to guess how old or if it's ever been replaced. check for torque bind like nipper said. figure eigths, tight, slow moving sharp turns in parking lots. any binding isn't good....but is reasonably fixable as well.

if you have other vehicles and would rather not part with the time and money then probably not. otherwise a good driving car with an EA81 that don't have many issues to speak of, it would certainly be a great DD for the next few years fairly easily.

that is so bizarre will. which side is ticking, both? where the rail for the cam shaft oil supply connects to the cam carrier there's a 17mm banjo bolt. under this bolt is a pressure spring of some sort. are they in good condition? they shouldn't affect the HLA's too much, but just curious what shape they're in.

thanks matt. huck might have something for me and i'll check locally as well this week when i get back in town, i'll let you know if i strike out.

no way, that's awesome. could you just swap to WRX rear strut assemblies? what years WRX springs would work, do you have an idea on the range of years that would work? did you use new springs or used? this is excellent, thanks!

mike is quoting the low end of the spectrum on dealer XT6 radiator prices. i've seen prices over $600. the auto and manual prices are nearly identical, only a few dollars difference. they are identical except the ATF lines. no aftermarket radiator was ever made for the XT6. don't even bother checking into or calling aftermarket companies, you will waste your time. they might tell you they have one and they will likely swear their computer has to be right and you are stupid and tell you they have one for the XT6. do not order anything, like everyone else who says they "found" the mysterious XT6 radiator that was never made....you'll order it only to find out that it's an EA82 radiator. the radiator shops i've stopped at don't want to touch it. i believe because of the plastic end tanks, but that's from memory. Subaru only on the radiator. local dealers will run $400 on the low end...some will quote up to $650 for an XT6 radiator. you can score on-line deals for around $280 delivered to your door for a new OEM Subaru radiator, that's about the best you can do. EA82 XT radiators can be made to fit, but they are smaller. i know someone running one with working A/C and he has no overheating issues in the summer.

definitely pull the codes, it's silly to guess when the code will likely tell us something important. being an OBDI i think you can plug a connector in and get it to flash the codes for you. the codes will tell you what you need. the mechanic probably didn't use Subaru spark plug wires, i'd look to change them in the near future even if that isn't the problem right now. the EJ engines (which you have) are notorious for running terrible even with brand new aftermarket wires and i've seen it before myself. you mechanic likely doesn't know that.

is the front pillar an option? are there holes in the roof for the roof rack? if there are plenty of holes holding it to the roof, you could loose one and use it for a pass through for a wire. get some fish tape to run the wire and it'd look clean.

even if it was the gaskets, it's strange that they would let loose that quick. i would not use them on an EJ engine, but aftermarket gaskets should hold up for some length of time at least. check everything carefully and make sure you're torque sequence and numbers on the head bolts are correct.