idosubaru

subaru transmissions overall are very reliable. even the automatics have a very good track record. i'd go used and always, always change your ATF often. if torque bind scares you, ask the yard what their policy is and print out some pages from here documenting the prevalence of it in case they ask. just ask what they'd do if you install the trans and it has torque bind....this might help negotiate a lower price as well. junk yards don't have set prices like someone already mentioned, they can flex. keep your tires matching and change your fluid often. make sure your mechanic knows the trickiness of seating the torque converter that final 1/4" when installing the trans. it's very easy to miss and bolting it up like that will ruin your trans...that has happened a number of times. not good.

an EJ22 ECU will run an EJ25 just fine and an EJ25 ECU will run an EJ22 just fine...the engines are interchangeable without messing with any wiring or computers. ...but i do not know that the pinouts are identical at the ECU wiring harness, that would be the thing you need to know. NASIOC might have some better information since they play with that stuff more if you don't get anything solid here.

that has rarely worked for the engines i've worked on. another northeast thing?

use the search button under the newer generation forum. you'll find all sorts of information. look for links to the "endwrench" site, that's Subaru's website for technical information and they offer excellent timing belt change details.

i'm not really familiar with the older EJ22's like you have, but the newer ones have a rear cam seal/o-ring. if yours has this, then it could be the culprit. the next possibility is the rear main seal. what do you mean by "rear of the engine"? can you not tell if it's coming from between the engine/transmission or if it's coming from one side, like passengers side or drivers side.?

he probably won't have rusted bolt issues. you're in the northeast, that's much more prevalent there/here. and also that's more prevalent with 80's or early 90's stuff. particularly EA/ER series older generation stuff. even being in the pseudo northeast where i am i've yet to have any problems getting the timing covers off any EJ vehicle.

i don't have a chain wrench. there's a notch on the cam shaft that a crescent wrench fits on...curious what size wrench that is as 24mm is the biggest wrench i have.

i always tighten the axle nut as much as my socket and 3 foot pipe will allow. i do not use torque wrench on the axle nut. i know that's not recommended, but i get it as tight as i can and i've never had a problem.

did you do it yourself the first time? first time always takes..or should take much longer, particularly on an interference engine like this. what else are you replacing? just the timing belt? since your next belt change after this will be nearing the 300,000 mark, you'll likely also want to replace the water pump as well and most likely some of the pulleys. buy them all and replace the ones you don't need or be prepared for some downtime figuring out which ones you need. i think i always end of replacing the geared idler pulley, those seem to degrade the fastest. what all your replace will make a difference on time. figure on 3 hours and up depending what else you get into. more if you're not comfortable around this kind of work.

are you sure it's the trans? could it be something else? it could be the pilot bearing or throw out bearing? were those replaced at some point, when the trans was replaced before? also - check your trans gear oil level. you already tried a used unit? they have so few issues, i always recommend used over rebuilds. but...manual rebuilds aren't as bad as automatics at least. i know a good shop in Westminster, MD about an hour and a half from you. they are not cheap, not over the top expensive either, but they do good work and are straight shooters. i have a friend that's a mechanic and he does complete engine rebuilds, not sure if he does transmissions. i can call and ask if yo'ure interested, i've recommended others on this board to him. again an hour and a half. the last guy i recommended to him was over an hour away.

the XT is like any other EA82 vehicle. the pump has a sock in it, but there shouldn't be any need to mess with that. the fuel filter is easy as cake to see, get to and replace. it's at the fire wall on the drivers side, up high with a hose on one side and a hose on the other, and it clips in a metal bracket.

what size wrench is needed to hold the cam in place while loosening the cam pulley bolt? been searching for awhile and got nothing.

right on nipper. i've always driven XT6's and have never read or paid any attention to safety, air bags, side impact blah blah blah. wanted to check it out as i get ready to put a legacy on the road too. actually the publication my insurance company sent was an interesting read, that's what got me thinking about it. thanks for the links.

my insurance company sent out a comprehensive list of vehicles. it showed the actual injury claims per accident per vehicle...adjusted somehow. unfortunately i don't have it any more. it created a base number of 100 and anything under that reflected a lower number of injury claims for that vehicle relative to others. i'd like actual statistics like that better than stars. maybe i'll call my insurance company.

i did, my ealier post: i didn't see anything. all of the sites i visited had horrible layouts. i'll try again.

sweet! nice hit kevin.

okay i did find that site, but i could not find out what those numbers meant. i'm sure it's there somewhere but they had no definition, scale or comparision to other vehicles that i could find.

I have not been able to find much safety data on 1996-1999 Legacy Sedans. been to a bunch of websites, including the NHSTA and didn't find anything. anyone got any good links?

kevin, post that picture in the parts wanted forum, someone probably has one they can send you? i have one in maryland...but i'm not there right now. i might be there sometime this week, if i do i'll try to remember to snag it for you.

the 4EAT doesn't have a center diff, but he's on the right track. keep the rear extension housing with the clutch packs in it. the entire assembly is not that hard to remove from the rear of the transmission. this is the assembly you'd need to fix torque bind if you ever have that in the future. i would also remove the shifting mechanism on the passengers side. the actual external electrical part that the shifter linkage connector too. those are the two parts i'd recommend keeping. doubt you'll ever need a torque converter or oil pan but they are easy enough to remove and have been replaced before. the stubby axle shafts pull right out with the c-clip attached so you could yank them off if you wanted. i'd personally keep the torque converter ring seal because it's a strange part and i've seen them in poor condition before. most likely you'll never have to deal with a 4EAT problem again so you probably wouldn't want that. it's a Subaru only part and they may or may not have it in stock. it's a round graphite like seal that's got a cut in it, a broken circle so to speak and it sits on the shaft that connects to the torque conveter and goes inside the trans. i like keeping a good used one on hand, just in case, but you'll probably never need it.

yes it's possible, but don't do it. if for some reason you're really bent on doing it this way, pull everything you can off, leaving just the block to yank if you're disassembling the engine anyway.

i think i'd start with a compression test to make sure everything is in properly in place. are the cams and timing belt all set dead on? they can not be off, even by a little or it will do what you're talking about. check compression, spark and fuel and let us know.

it makes a huge difference why you're asking this question. are you having it done, what engine, what mileage, is something already happening?? that wasn't the original poster that posted, he hasn't replied yet. you should edit this post. the EJ22 from 1997 and up is an interference engine just like the EJ25, and can have valve damage. and also the engine doesn't have to come out to fix the valves, though that is the most popular way to do it.

a trusting mechanic is your best asset, use him. we can help you with any subaru specific info. on this manual trans i can't imagine him having any issues replacing the clutch. straight forward as far as clutches go. i would replace the rear main seal, throw out bearing, pilot bearing and retaining clips. and of course the timing belt and water pump stuff would all be nice if it's needed and now is a great time for him to do it. if done right, you're good for another 100,000 miles. the oil pan gasket is a real pain to do in the car, requires unbolting engine mounts and actually jacking the engine up, though it doesn't need to come completely out. so if it appears to be leaking at all, do it when he pulls the engine to do the clutch.

two tips: use a 1" socket on the oil pump rotor. fits perfect and holds it in place while you remove the 12mm nut off the shaft. when reinstalling, don't try to push the oil pump flush to the engine, then install the bolts. instead, hold the pump a 1/2" from the block, insert the 2 or 3 bolts, then seat the oil pump. otherwise the bolt holes are tricky to line up based on the way the rotor spins in the block housing. i would not use any sealant on the mickey mouse gasket, but that's personal preference i suppose. the Subaru FSM does not say to do that, i never have and have never had any problems so i'll stick the FSM on that one. the FSM does mention using sealant (i prefer the expensive anaerobic but other can be used) to be used on the oil pump housing. at 12 oclock and 6 oclock place a very small dab of sealant outside of the mickey mouse gasket (not on it). you'll notice on the engine block that the two halves of the block come together there, the sealant is intended to fill any gap that could be caused by the mating of the engine halves. be sure you have a small dab of sealant at that juncture. there's little room between the engine and radiator. it can be done without removing it but is easier and less risky to the radiator to remove it on an EA82. might want to make that decision based on how big your hands are. if you've done the cam and crank seals you don't really need much more info. pull the timing belts (which you've already done). follow everything you did to replace the crank seal...then remove 5 10mm bolts holding the pump to the block. it's very easy...just 5 more bolts than you did before and follow the tips above.