idosubaru

i guess used isn't an option either, the most recent model that fits what you want?

how many miles? how long has it been doing this? it sounds to me like a CV joint but you shouldn't be able to "feel" them until they get really bad. look at the axle where it attaches behind the wheel. it has a rubber boot on each end. the one right behind the tire is only visible by getting on the ground and looking behind the wheel. the inner boot is more centrally located and can be seen by popping the hood as well. i'd suspect the one behind the wheel though. you're looking for a crack in the boot and there should be grease everywhere too. if it just started doing this - then it's not likely to be the CV axle. if it's been doing it for awhile and getting worse then maybe. do you feel it when turning both directions (right and left)? ball joints will also cause bad vibrations and noises going around turns. since the axles are easy to make a visual check on, do that first and post back. to check wheel bearings though you can jack the car up and see if the wheel has much play in it by grabbing it and trying to "shake" it so to speak.

hey, feels good to finally have it kicked though! remember this if you ever get an EJ vehicle (legacy/impreza/etc), they are 20 times worse in the ignition wire department, those motors hate hate hate aftermarket wires.

if you're down there with the resistors pull out the blower fan squirrel cage and make sure it's all cleaned out. they often have bits of insulation or other unwelcome pieces of junk in them. makes it quieter and will work better. of course if yours is perfect that no need.

already answered earlier, one big positive about this motor: no damage will occur, that's the beauty of pre-1997 2.2's, there's no damage when the timing belt breaks. if they don't know, maybe you can talk them into replacing it and the water pump if you buy it? timing belt should have been replaced twice by this mileage, if you have no idea when it was replaced i would do it and the water pump right after buying it. about $150 in parts. $400 - $600 to pay a shop to do it. if you're happy with the price then get it.

in general there shouldn't be a need to replace the headgaskets pre-emptively. they typically give you signs and shouldn't leave you stranded, so shouldn't be a huge concern. of course if you plan on keeping the car for 250,000....300,000 miles or you travel long distances in this vehicle often then it might be worth it to you. if the motor was already coming out or coming apart for something else - clutch work or major engine work then sure the headgasket might be worth addressing while it's out.

that circlip should tap back inside like you said. will require some force to get it to clip in place. it's been awhile and i haven't done it often, but it should go in with some help. if it's an AWD i'd wonder if one of the ujoints in the driveshaft are going bad if everything else seems to be good and tight. or i'd suspect the aftermarket axle, i've had very bad luck (exploding to pieces) with brand new ones from the parts stores. i only use Subaru or MWE rebuilt ones now.

that's a good car, if you need one now then go for it. a little higher mileage than i'd like for someone not doing their own work, but these things typically soar past 200,000. you will want to know when the timing belts were done last unless you don't mind them breaking and leaving you stranded somewhere. they are 60,000 mile belts on this engine...so who knows how old they are if there's no record. check KBB and comparable prices. i would not pay that much for it, but you can't take oppinions like that on the internet. my area subaru's are a dime a dozen. you can score awesome deals around here. if time isn't in your favor then you're forced to make a quick buy as well (another reason i always have more than one vehicle at my disposal). i picked up my current daily driver for $450 this summer. 110,000 miles, i installed new timing belts, water pump, oil pump and 200,000+ here i come. i like buying cars from someone that knows something about it rather than a salesman. did you search craigslist at all in your area? i've bought awesome soobs for dirt cheap and flown to pick them up before, then drive back. another way to get a great deal....just depends how flexible you are and how willing you are to pay top dollar for something. it's partly a game to me....

that clip should be on the trans axle stub. it's not a big deal that the stub came out, that's how they come out assuming you have an automatic transmission. i can't say the possibility or probability of what may happen without that clip in place, but i'd rather it be there myself. unfortunately for whatever reason aftermarket, rebuilt, remann'ed, auto parts store Subaru axles suck really really bad. you're better off installing an original Subaru axle than the "new" ones. or have MWE from colorado send you one of there's. how many miles are on this vehicle? does it ever feel loose or slow to respond when you steer? if so, then it is probably your steering rack bushings. older roos drive so much nicer with new rack bushings installed (very easy to do). if it wobbles more through turns than driving straight and worse when turning one way than another, i'd suspect a bad ball joint. otherwise tie rod ends may be to blame. make sure your axle nut is torqued tight and not backing off.

just look the name up and call them. don't bother with mail and waiting and wondering. most people will gladly talk for 3 minutes about the vehicle, if not then so what, they're the freaks not you! ultimate white pages, i use it all the time to look people up. it gives addresses to so if you have that you can verify for sure the person you need to contact if it gives multiple people with the same name.

oh yeah? when is my best friends 4 runner going to finally break something? 1997 SR5 with 250,000 miles and the ONLY thing he's done to it is a new power steering pump. he hasn't even done the timing belt! i need to plug around some 4 runner information and try to do that timing belt for him.

reseal the oil pump is the one missing item i would certainly address. and check the screws on the back to make sure they are tight. typical advice here is to locktite those screws, but i've yet to encounter loose ones. having extra t-belt pulleys on hand and replacing any that are bad saves down time. return the ones you don't need. this will also allow you to see how tight and smooth a brand new pulley feels so you can compare it to your old ones. tpyically the toothed sprocket (mentioned earlier) is the one to have the most noise from the few that i've seen. i'd at least have one of these available. this may seem like over kill but times have changed. in the past these bearings weren't an issue since timing belt intervals were every 60,000 miles, so you'd have 60,000 - 120,000 and 180,000 to address them. with 100,000 mile timing belts you're expecting the pulley bearings to last 200,000 miles if you skip the first timing belt change. and with the 2.5's all being interference design a failed pulley will eat even a brand new timing belt and cause major internal engine damage (pistons will collide with valves). the bearings can be replaced usually (and even repacked), but that will take some research. the pulleys are quite expensive from Subaru, so it's one very annoying part of the process for someone trying to save some cash. Subaru doesn't replace them all that often so it's not a big deal, but they're not responsible for anything if you're tbelt blows at 170,000 either.

No oil leak issues. sorry, i didn't mean to confuse you. i wanted to say "it's bullet proof". but even the best engine needs proper oil changes and maintenance...or it won't last. basic maintenance stuff. so yeah...the 2.2 liter is an awesome motor that is quite capable of a few hundred thousand miles no problem (assuming proper maintenance required by any engine).

control switch...the XT's have a strange sliding mechanism, i was sure other EA82 stuff would be different so i wasn't sure what to call it since i didn't know exactly how it works. but he's right...whatever you use to vary the speeds. that actual button/switch you touch to change it. the contacts in it could be bad. depending on how yours is constructed (again i'm an XT nut), you can test it or look for bad contacts inside it.

like GD said you can't really change the final drive ratio anyway. you can, but it's a very big job that isn't really done. easier to just change transmissions since the front diff and trans are integrated and difficult to separate/reassemble. in a recent gear ratio discussion someone pointed out that going from a 3.7 to a 3.9 made such a small difference in the overall ratio that it's a very insignificant part of the gearing. so i'd imagine the same would be true in going from a 3.9 to a 4.11 as well. best to look at overall gearing i guess, there are other EA transmissions that may have better overall gearing, like the dual range GD mentioned.

the 96 is the last year the 2.2 was a non-interference motor. so if you can keep oil in it and don't drive it with the T in the red it should last a very very long time.

after all that abuse and bad workmanship i don't know that i'd trust the existing block. a CCR engine is a very nice thing, sounds like a good deal. ask them if you can keep the old engine. you can get up to $500 for a complete EJ25 even with bad headgaskets. i think i'd talk them down from the $900 too if they're admitting fault...but i don't know all the gory details either...a warranty involved at all...etc. but they didn't do it right, they essentially gave you bad service the first time around, make them fix it. what a cracked up story. i can't believe the dealer is doing all that work and it's hard to believe they suck SO BAD at working on their own freaking engine? installing an engine taking 10 hours and $900? lots of shops will install engines for well under half that price and it doesn't take near 10 hours. i realize that's not how they operate and you won't find a shop to give you a free engine. makes me wonder if you'd really be getting a new engine and how trust worthy these freaks are? i wouldn't trade it in unless it was a really really great deal. i'd never buy another vehicle from them unless i could get it serviced somewhere else. it blows my mind that they're doing all this service for you for free or at such great deals that other places would never do or have to be fought to do...but they can't get it right??? WTF?

the control/switch could be bad as well. i had the same thing about a year ago and replaced the resistor block, didn't help. replacing the control switch fixed it.

plan on headgasket work, it's highly unlikely to be the water pump. if you don't believe me or are confused as to which way to go, spend some time doing a search on headgaskets and overheating on this forum and read through all the posts about head gaskets leaking...eventhough they still pass the test. you'll find other cases exactly like yours on here, and i've personally seen it happen before as well. it confuses most mechanics, but for whatever reason it happens on this motor. sounds like it's minor enough at this point that replacing the gaskets, timing belts, water pump for $1,500 puts you back in the seat of a good car.

really?? they never have the torque bind issues prevalent in the mid-late 90's 4EAT's. i've never seen one torque bind issue in person or on the older gen forum on the older 4EAT's. they are good transmissions...this is of course assuming they're taken care of, fluid changes, matching tires and proper towing for any AWD transmission.

if i were going through this process i'd get that limited slip/locking front differential mentioned in WJM's thread and install it while the trans is apart for sure. how awesome would that be...true 4 wheel traction. i wouldn't take it to the subaru dealership. should be able to get the same or much better service elsewhere for cheaper. a few on here have taken apart EA manual trans themselves, they are far simpler than auto's.

coolant temperature sensor. check the contacts where it plugs onto the sensor. it's never the sensor that is bad, it's the contacts on the plug. i have a permanent fix to this problem posted. your CEL should come on, but i've seen once before where a CEL didn't come on when the CTS was bad.

forgot to mention that...if you do any kind of driving that puts more than average load on the trans, like driving up steep inclines, frequent shifting, acceleratiung, hauling heavy loads, towing...etc, then get an automatic transmission cooler. technically you should check your average ATF temps and get a cooler if you need it. but not many are equipped or ready to do that. i install an aftermarket cooler on all of my vehicles just because the stock through the radiator side tank set up annoys me. you only need the smallest cooler they sell at the auto parts stores - they run $30-$40 and are well worth it. some automatic transmission rebuild shops install them with new transmissions....for good reason!

solid. there are frequent complaints about their lack of power, but coming from EA world i'd imagine you'd be fine. you're not looking for a race car i'm sure...EJ18...FWD.....sounds like a great gas mileage vehicle for sure.

you need to get the codes read to tell you why the CEL came on. i would probably have the Subaru coolant conditioner put in your vehicle, has it ever been added before that you know of? can you post a picture of the leaking area? are you sure there's no hoses above it that are possibly leaking? heater core hoses/clamps are possibilities. with very small cracks, that tend to occur around the clamps, they can leak randomly depending on termperatures and engine torquing/movements. this probably isn't the case, but best to check and rule out simple parts that cost a few dollars in order to save your engine/headgasket which can mean hundreds/thousands in repairs.