idosubaru

in general resealing the oil-pump solves most problems (TOD and leakage). some people have experienced issues even after doing the reseal, in those cases a new pump would likely cure things. be sure to replace all the oil pump stuff - new shaft seal, gasket (mickey mouse gasket) and o-ring. have a 1" socket ready to get the nut off the oil pump pulley. it's a 12mm nut, with the oil pump out of the engine, use the 1" socket to hold the rotor on the back steady while you knock it off. works wonders. there's also the front crank seal right above the oil pump, they can leak severly as well, so if you suspect a leak in that area plan on replacing that as well. it's really annoying to replace, not much room to get in there and work with it and tap the new one in place. take your time. and use SUBARU only crank seal. i installed a crap Fel-Pro seal a couple weeks ago for a friend. it was wobbly and did not want to seat straight. finally got it lined up and pressed in after multiple tries. it ended up leaking, i replaced it with a Subaru seal and all is good.

don't be too glum about your dealer. i'm not up to date on all the years and models they offer the extended warranty too, but many people on here have had subaru replace the headgaskets under that plan. talk to them face to face and see what they say, you have a good chance of having them replaced. do not let this thing overheat, you have a great car and engine right now.

loosen/remove the engine mounts, remove the rear trans mount as well (so the engine/trans can tilt back so to speak without stressing the trans mount). then use a jack to push the front of the engine UP and give you the clearance. PITA is right. that's not even the most annoying part. often what looks like oil pan leaks really are something else. have you verified it's not something else ending up at the oil pan mating surface? then new gaskets often leak after being installed anyway. get a good OEM gasket, not a cheap-o, thin aftermarket job. make sure you get the pan and block clean, plan some time for this the cork is usually stuck on the pan really good. now that i think about it, it's so annoying it might be worht $25 to let a machine shop hot tank it for you. then you have to hope the pan is flush and the bolt holes aren't so concave that they cut into the new gasket and leak in a few months. if the bolts have been tightened in the past this is more probable, the bolt heads will deform the oil pan mating surface and make the bolt holes protrude up into the new gasket, degrading it over time.

it's going to be hard for you to believe and swallow this, but it is sort of good news. better than "get a rebuilt". subaru auto trans are extremely reliable. i would not hesitate to install used auto transmission, particularly something as new as your vehicle. i've owned many Subaru 4EAT auto trans, some now around 20 years old and problems are few and far between. low mileage used transmissions can be had for not much money in the states, not sure the about the canadian market though. if you're close to the states it might be worth trying to source one here and going and getting it? they will fit in the trunk of any sedan just fine.

you'll have to look at the transmission side, it's likely a 17mm but could differ some. either way it just unscrews and is very obvious. the cable is a two part mechanism. there's the sheath and then the cable rides inside of it. i would first try by NOT pulling the cable out of the speedometer like you metioned. you can pull it from the fire-wall and reinstall it when you're done, but you may be able to avoid that. once you remove it from the transmission side you should be able to pull the actual cable out from inside the sleeve without ever removing it from the fire/wall or instrument cluster. the cable slides inside the sleeve. since it pulls out from the transmission side, you may be able to slide it off once you remove it from the transmission. make sense? clean it up, relube it and slide the cable back into the sheath (which is still in place and connected to the instrument cluster) and you're done. if that doesn't work for some reason, then yes, pull it out by the firewall. installing can be really tricky as the back of the instrument cluster may not be easily seen...or seen at all depending on the model.

sounds like you're loosing coolant? you'll need to find out where you're loosing it from. pull up the carpet around your passengers side footwell and see if it's wet at all underneath. this would be a sign of a failing heater core. also check and double check all of your hoses. there are MANY tiny hoses running under the intake manifold, through the throttle body, under the alternator, heater core hoses...etc. any one of them can be cracked or have bad clamps. some may requiring removing a few minor parts to get out and check properly. if you can't see any wet spots, try reving the car up to a couple thousand RPM's while looking under the engine. try moving any and every hose you can find, often a small crack won't show itself very easily. particularly at the top of the engine, it won't have fluid in it unless it's full and/or under pressure with fluid circulating. pressing on hoses with the engine running may reveal a tiny crack or clamp that's rusted through the hose. also - how bad did the previous engine overheat? if it was severly overheated there may be block/head issues. were the heads pressure tested before being reused? that's not really necessary unless they were severly overheated/abused.

leave it in drive will driving. there's no reason to put it in neutral while you're driving around. the POWER light should light up when it downshifts. why it is not, i do not know. if it flashes 16 times at start up, then the transmission has a stored code (similar to the check engine light - the POWER light flashes 16 times at start up if there's a problem).

Hopefully Subaru upgraded the FSM in the EJ series, the TPS values and figures in the FSM for the XT6 are not even close. i would assume the FSM for the EJ series isn't the same, but just a word of caution. i would inspect the knock sensor and wiring as well like nipper suggested. regarding the TPS if it's consistent in it's issues, which it seems it is, then the wiring is likely okay. i'd check for corrossion on the TPS sensor connectors, the metal tabs that actually plug into the wiring harness. and i'd check the wiring harness side as well for corrossion. you could also check the pins for the TPS at the ECU, with all the wiring work that was done a bent pin wouldn't be that surprising. i'd expect more problems than you're having, but it's an easy check at least. the TPS on the older series engines can be disassembled and cleaned internally and can help substantially in the running department. never looked at the EJ stuff, but i'd imagine it can be disassembled as well. but you're probaby like me and have a bunch you can just swap out.

here's a write up about the speedo-cable if that's what you're after: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71341 at the bottom of the original post you'll see where i mention an easy way to regrease the cable. you'll likely want to approach it that way, should be quick and simple. at this point i'm guessing you'll need another cable though, but maybe it's not too bad yet.

PB Blaster and Liquid Wrench are excellent. WD40 is not meant for this application.

make sure it's the pan leaking, other leaks can make the pan mating area wet and look like it's the pan but it's not.

i had zero luck with one and i tried it on a few different dents. different sizes, big, small, easy, hard, creased. got no results with it. get access and push it out from the other side. i've heard you can put dry ice on some dents and that may pop the dent out. might be nice to do it when it's warm, creating a larger temperature difference.

the best wipers are new ones. installing new ones has always been far more rewarding than any particular brand for me. find one you like and replace. in areas with snow and ice and bad road conditions i haven't found a substitute for replacing the dang things.

i'd go with the OE kit and your mechanic as well. most, but not all kits, come with everything you need except the clips nipper refers too. make sure the throw out bearing and pilot bearing are both replaced, even if they don't come with the kit. and replace the clips as well, which haven't come in any of the kits i've bought. fairly straight forward, he won't have any trouble doing this subaru clutch, even if it's his first one.

dragging brakes can also affect gas mileage. i've done a brake job and notice an increase in MPG afterwards. be sure the caliper pins are greased when the brakes are addressed.

keep an eye on the coolant level in the overflow and radiator and also your temp gauge. they will be your friends for the next couple weeks.

this is the case if you're separating the engine and trans in the car. if you have good tools and access and are familiar, which it sounds like you are, with this type of work i think you'll find it not that bad, just a tad annoying maybe. i just use new studs and nuts. i use studs from the auto parts store, they'll have boxes of them, just pick one that matches. they'll say "we don't carry that one" if they look up your model, but they'll have one nearly exactly the same that works fine. you'll figure it out if you take one to the store with you, very simple. i would guess he's quoting 5 hours total time. to remove. remove the exhaust. remove the rear driveshaft from the extension housing. unbolt the carrier housing from the vehicle, two 17 mm bolts i believe and it should pull out. 4 12mm bolt to actually separate the two halves of the driveshaft if you want or need to, but i don't think it's necessary if you don't mind it hanging in the way slightly. knock the two pins out of the CV axles where they attach to the trans. may have to unbolt the strut from the hub (two lower bolts) to gain enough clearance for the axles to slide off the trans stubs. ive removed axles from a trans by removing them once i started pulling the trans, but it required quite a bit of stress on the axles and some persuasion via large tools, i wouldn't want to do that on a non-parts car. disconnect the shifter linkage, easy. disconnect the speedo cable, unscrew it from the transmission side, that's easy as well. remove the rear trans cross member mounting bolts (4 i think). remove the flex plate bolts from the torque converter through the rubber plug filled access hole on top the bell housing. it's right underneath your intake hose/throttle body, can't miss it. remove plug and keep rotating the motor until you remove all the torque coverter bolts. disconnect the transmission wiring harness. unbolt the transmission fluid hoses. now you're ready to remove the bellhousing bolts and separate the transmission from the engine. gradually work your way around. i think you'll also have to loosen your engine mount bolts and get a jack under the front of your engine to tilt the engine/trans combo "back" so the tail of the trans starts pointing down. i could be wrong, but i think you'll need to do that to get the clearance for the trans to come out. and you'll want it angled that way for installation as well. if you need to tilt the engine in this way, it's not a bad time to consider replacing the engine oil pan seal if needed. the way the sump in the pan is situated the engine has to be tilted in this manner to replace the oil pan gasket, so now's the time to do it if you think it might need it. you can prep the transmission you're going to install ahead of time. install a new rear output shaft seal and torque converter seal. install new hoses on the transmission before installing it, much easier out of the car than in it. now's a good time to install an aftermarket ATF cooler and/or an ATF temp sensor if you think you'll need it. depends on your driving habits and what the vehicle is used for. install the ATF temp sensor first to get a reading on your temps. you'll want a new separator plate gasket (back of the engine, next to the rear main seal), and possible a new separator plate if yours is plastic. you can search about that here on the boards, you'll want a metal one as they plastic ones can crack. some say replace the rear main seal while you're in there as well. i typically replace them while i'm there, but i will say that subaru rear mains in my experience are the least likely seal to leak, so make your decision based on that. i recall two recently replace rear main seals leaking last year - mr. radon and steve - both had newly replaced rear mains start leaking on them. i'll also mention the torque converter shaft has what's called a ring seal on it. make sure you note exactly where and how it fits on the shaft just in case the used one you buy has it missing or it's loose. try and note the one that comes out of the transmission in your car, it should still be in place as you slide the torque converter out. it's like a C shaped graphite seal that goes around the shaft that slides into the trans. very strange seal, Subaru only part for sure.

editing looks good, cleaned up well. don't know if there's a way to avoid it sounding like "all EJ25's" have an issue....maybe "may have an issue" or "have higher risk of HG issues"...something to indicate that plenty still go 200,000 miles without issue as well.

when removing, i'll guess an extra hour or two to pull the engine and trans together versus dropping the trans. leave yourself plenty of room to go up with the lift to get it to clear the radiator upper support if you pull them together. the 4WD auto trans are rather heavy, but not impossible to move around yourself. but very difficult to install without any equipment or help getting it up.

not too bad at all. you can have the transmission out in no time if you drop it from underneath, but that's not the preferred way to do it. getting it back in that way is tough. easiest way, particularly for your first time is to pull the engine and transmission together out of the car. pull them out as an assembly, they'll both come out. much easier to separate them and reinstall that way. you'll want to take a special precaution, again particularly on your first time with seating the torque converter. the last 1/4 to an 1/8" is very tricky to seat and it's hard to tell if it's really seated or not. it'll look like it's seated but it's not seated fully yet. you'll have to gradually turn and twist it while pulling/pushing in and out for it to finally seat the last 1/4". do not attempt to bolt it up and pull it together, that will crack the trans oil pump. i actually did it twice the first time i did it to make sure i understood how it seated fully.

cool, sounds good. i figured as much from you, since you know me. my eyes were rolling since i knew others would jump all over that too...thanks for pointing it out!

i am in agreement with nipper and second his previous post. all that needs to be said is "all EJ25's from 1996-(sometime in) 2003 are suspect". there is no mileage gaurantee and not every EJ25 will experience this, so realize it's a small percentage risk and make your decisions accordingly based on all your variables...finances, resources, desires, needs, personality...etc. a break down of which models have EJ22's and EJ25's would be helpful, but the breakdowns of the various EJ25 designs is confusing and not necessary.

the solution is not always starting another thread. for someone needing HG info, it is time well spent to sift through what is here. rarely does one thread bare out info from all of the most experienced people on the board.

we are telling you that any non-turbo EJ25 from 1996-sometimes-in-2003 will fall in the category you're speaking of. if you go looking for debate s and information to contradict that you can find it. you can always find contradictory information on the internet about anything, particularly something like this with lots of oppinions and negative exeperiences. SOHC and DOHC does not matter. there are two failure modes dependant on model engine, but you didn't ask about that and that only muddies the water even more. either way, they are both headgasket leaks so i don't think you care which mode of failure it is. i'll say it again, any non-turbo EJ25 from 1996-2003 (mid-year) fits in this category you speak of. you won't find more specific info on here because there isn't any. if you want turbo info i'd check elsewhere for more comprehensive info and experience.

that is certainly not the case. there's a higher percentage rate of headgasket issues with these motors, they are not "garaunteed to blow" at any mileage. use the SEARCH function, just above and to the center/right in the solid gray bar. you can search the New Generation forum and realize that there are hundreds of posts on this topic. if it's a non-turbo engine, then any 2.5 liter engine from 1996 (first year made) to 2003 falls into this category. from 1996 - 2003 the only way to avoid the HG issue is to get a 2.2. i do not know anything about the turbo motors, NASIOC would be a better place to get more info on those.