idosubaru

don't know when you got yours or when they updated their wires, but they made changes at some point to simplify and decrease the number of issues with EJ series engines. any set of wires can easily cause issue on the EJ series engine, they are not forgiving at all, which is why there are so many "cylinder # blank misfire codes" posted in the new generation forum. that's also why there is only one size available for the EJ series, but all the sizes are availabe for the older generation stuff. OEM Subaru is the way to go on EJ stuff, although i like magnecor and install them on EJ stuff as well.

my 97 impreza OBS sucks worse at higher speeds than my XT6 (which gets better highway mileage and has two more cylinders!!!! - both automatic awd). in other words my XT6 won't loose nearly as many mpg at say 70 mph highway speeds as my OBS does. i've only owned one OBS so i don't know if that's model difference or just mine.

get the 7mm wires, they will fit nicer in your stock wire holders and the larger wires won't give you any added value at all. unless of course you like the colors of the bigger ones. there's no performance gain to be had with ignition wires, any that claim to improve performance are really stretching the truth. they may improve performance because your other ones were 10 years old and arcing! but any new ignition wire would solve that problem. i like magnecors because they will last as long as the vehicle, then you can put them on your next one (nice for people like me that own dozens of the same exact car!). the "performance" gain is really that these wires will not degrade over time and will likely perform better at 100,000 miles than other ignition wires. in high performance, high output systems there are other factors to consider but there isn't really any horsepower to be "found" or gained on a stock subaru engine in the ignition department. the stock wires are perfectly capable of delivering the spark necessary to develop the huge horsepower of any EA/ER series engine (ha ha!). i'll never replace the wires in my soobs, i like that for a variety of reasons. if you never want to touch your wires and plugs again guy magnecor wires and torquemaster spark plugs. i've used both and they are excellent. the plugs are very expensive though, but will last 100,000's of miles without degrading. (been there, done that)

there already is one, just no CCR entries. unfortunately CCR is a three letter acronym and the search function doesn't like those (it won't return any results on 3 letter words). you could search for "rebuild" and probably come up with some info on them. lots of threads mention them. Colorado Component Rebuilders is the full name, may want to search on part or all of that. when looking, be sure to keep an eye on the bottom left corner of the webpage, it lists similar threads and often has very helpful information based on what you're searching for or the thread you're currently on.

what i would say has already been mentioned. there are only two typical possibilities - rings or valve stem seals. i'd guess rings. i assume you checked to make sure oil isn't getting into the coolant? i'd do a leak down test next. were the block and heads known to be good when you got them?

here's his thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=67248&highlight=bucket best to post a link to your thread too.

planned obsolescence. the best consumer is an unhappy one..they don't want to do it all perfect now! they have been doing subaru's for decades, they aren't hurting in terms of competition or customer base. last i was there talking to them they were thinking about playing with megasquirt. at the time they had their own dyno and computer set up to control any motor they wanted to dyno.

awesome. i've bought a number of sets and they are fantastic. you can get them cheaper if you look around the internet. i can't recall where i bought my last set but revolution something or another was in the name, just found it plugging around the internet. i beleive they were in NY, i called and ordered over the phone. check their website, they make sets for just about every subaru. a friend was replacing his jeep wires every 15,000 - 30,000 miles. i suggested switching to magnecor and he's never replaced them since...has about 240,000 on his jeep now. another friend i installed them for had some stupid freaking mechanic throw them away and install junk $11 cheapies in their place. so if you do buy them....make sure someone else doesn't throw them away!

do not pull the engine to do a timing belt, that is way overkill. a timing belt can be replaced in 30 minutes, not worth pulling the motor at all. it's a little tight, but remove the fans and there's plenty of room. the EA82's are even easier, i'm usually doing the ER27 XT6's. headgaskets - leave the engine in too, very easy. but that's for another thread another day. if you had any oil on the dipstick you did not ruin your engine at all, there would have been plenty of oil in there to prevent damage. sure, i'd change it right away. you could always add two quarts and see how far it comes up and the difference is what was left in the engine....if you're worried. but even if the oil doesn't read at all on the dipstick, there can still be enough oil in there to prevent engine damage. very risky, very bad idea, but i'm just saying....you probably didn't ruin your engine at all. here's how to repack the pulley bearings: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50430 this is easier to do on the XT6 than the EA82 though, the bearing seals are a little trickier to access on the EA82. very easy on the XT6 though. if you don't know what a brand new pulley feels like you should stop by the store and grab one off the shelf just to see, they are very tight and smooth. it is doubtful that any of your existing pulleys feel like a new one. old bearings with no grease generate more heat and are more likely to seize or fail - this will significantly shorten your timing belt life. i run without covers as well, it's the way to go for sure.

there is no ECU issue. a 95 2.2 drops right in with no manifold or exhaust issues. later 2.2's work with swapping the exhaust manifold as well, very simple.

with air tools there's little difference between pulling the motor and leaving it. with hand tools pulling the motor is super nice. only letting you know that the 2.2 is an option. i'm not saying you should, or that i would, or that it's the best option. in order to be as helpful as possible i try to suggest your options and let you decide based on your own $, time, space, ability, and access to parts. the 2.2 swap can be a cheaper alternative for some. it's a direct swap with no electrical issues. put engine in, plug connectors together and done. the exhaust is easy to address. grab a 2.2 manifold and it all bolts up or get a 1995 2.2 and there's no issue since it has the same dual port head set up as a 2.5. if i were looking for a new motor today, i wouldn't even look around, i'd buy one from CCR. you bring up a good point, i wonder if there should be a thread in the Product Review forum for everyone that has purchased a CCR engine.

i wouldn't want a 2.5 with that many miles on it unless it had the head gaskets replaced. this thread doesn't need to turn into another head gasket discussion, just do a search on "head gasket" in this forum and do a little reading. subaru's don't have a "transfer case" so make sure you're not getting hosed. if it's binding, do a search on "torque bind" on this forum and read up on it a little. sometimes changing the ATF can alleviate that. but if it's been driven awhile like that the rear clutches probably need replaced. installing the FWD fuse in the FWD fuse holder will disable the rear transfer clutches and allow you to drive the vehicle around in FWD with no problems. if there aren't many subarus around and you need a car right now then you don't have much choice, but that's high in this area for a vehicle with problems and particularly problems that bad. you have to go with local supply and demand and you're present need.

slap on new belts, fill the oil up and you're golden. be advised there are two belts, not just one. check all the timing belt pulleys, if they are seized they need replaced. at this age it's best to regrease or replace them all. i've seen very few that are still in good condition (actually none even close to what a stock well greased pulley should be). there's no possibility of damage to this engine (EA82). all engines your year and before are non-interference variety. as for the low oil....fill it back up. as long as there was something in there the engine shouldn't be damaged. if it's *really* low like you're adding 3 or 4 quarts, then you should go ahead and change it. what was in there is likely used and abused. now...like he said..if the engine seized and broke a belt due to bad oil then your engine is hosed...so depends what you mean but "low oil".

search for timing belt change information, removing the cam sprockets (to replace cam seals), lining up the cams. that's fairly simple, but instructions help and that's the most complicated part. with the timing belts off, the water pump, oil pump and cam seals are almost staring you in the face. just unbolt the ones you want to replace.

10mm should be it. some PB blaster or Liquid Wrench may help if it's that stuck. (WD40 aint the same). some carefully applied heat (to the nut) would probably back it right off very easily if you have a torch and can keep it from blasting your reservoir plastic.

no, i meant a 2.2 complete engine swap. they can be had for cheap if you look...$200 or so isn't that hard. the entire engine will bolt up, plug up and can be cheaper than a headgasket job depending on many factors. TONS of information here about doing it as well as success stories to go with it. you can probably sell your 2.5 for as much as you pay for a used 2.2...so the parts costs could be very minimal.

no, i meant a 2.2 complete engine swap. they can be had for cheap if you look...$200 or so isn't that hard. the entire engine will bolt up, plug up and can be cheaper than a headgasket job depending on many factors. TONS of information here about doing it as well as success stories to go with it.

a 3/4" socket set works wonders and is well worth the $ if you plan on working on cars indefinitely. they break them loose instantly every time. i've broken three 1/2" breaker bars and sockets. if you don't want to spring for that, then try all the above methods, using a hammer on the end of your socket works too - wail it hard, it's the poor mans impact wrench. a jack under the socket, lifting up (with legs)...there's lots of ways to do it.

might want to ask them what the exact name is of the part their pricing you and see if those match up? maybe one price is price per clutch but there are actually multiple clutches involved so the other price is for a set of the same clutch? i haven't had to do one of these myself yet so i'm not familiar with how many clutches are needed, but there is more than one disc in there.

i see you already looked over it, but make sure it's the headgaskets. subaru gaskets are the way to go. use the new design and the issue is not recurring if done properly. might want new heads or at the very least have these tested and resurfaced. some people try to get by without having the heads milled, they may have done that expecting the problem wouldn't come back any time soon (and they were right!). assuming the heads and block are good the new subaru gasket design will solve your issues. a 2.2 swap could be easier and cheaper with fewer worries about the block and heads being bad. the conditioner subaru uses is an alternative for the external leaking later head gasket issues, probably not applicable to your vehicle and probably not warranted now if your issues are already headgasket related.

interesting, the only EA81 i've worked on this summer had torn boots and was much louder than i would have expected and his car only has 80,000 miles on it. why would EA81's deteriorate quicker? closer to the ground, smaller? the original posters 87 wagon would be an EA82?

nice! not surprised at all! forgot to mention, i haven't seen them fail too often (actually never personally) so i'd make sure yours is bad and also wouldn't think twice about installing a used one.

i've seen saran wrap too! failure due to a torn boot is so unlikely i don't think it's worth the effort. but that's from the guy that puts 50,000 miles on them after they start clicking!

do you have the wiring diagram? be nice to check the continuity and resistance between the engine harness connector (big one) and injector harness. this will tell you if the harness itself has issues. if you have a multimeter this will only take a minute once you figure out which pins of the connector are for those FI's.

it's a solenoid, purge control solenoid i believe or transmission related. doubtful you'll find this at the parts store. someone on here will probably send you one for $5 or buy one for $50 at the dealer (i made that price up).