idosubaru

starting in '05 or '06 the STi wheels are different so you'll need to verify whether they are WRX or WRX STi. they went to a 5x114 lug pattern instead of the more subaru-common 5x100.

oil pump seal usually solves the problem. i've seen numerous failed gaskets in various states, slighty deformed to completely ripped apart and sucked down the oil ports. very common for this gasket to be compromised. might want to consider replacing the crank shaft seal as well while the tbelts are off. or at least have one on hand if it looks like it's seeping at all. HLA's can cause the same noise if they are stuck or frozen. infrequent oil changes would cause this condition. this can be "treated" with ATF, MMO, or seafoam. this is a rather large job and since the oil pump is the usual cause i would not go through all the trouble without knowing for sure it needs new ones. that information on how to replace them is on the board already, i've posted numerous times on how to do it and how to diagnose the bad HLA's once you get it apart.

if you installed a new gasket, it probably got "kinked" while you were installing it. check right where the oil is coming out, see if you can tell that the gasket is pinched inside the valve cover. this is my guess. or you reused an old gasket that needs replaced.

i'm wondering if FWD has smaller tie rod ends than AWD? seems like a poor manufacturing decision but could be an artifact of old processes/parts

on newer generation Subaru's (EJ) the manual trans do not have the option to lock the center diff. BOO for SUBARU for not keeping that trait of the older generation models. for automatic trans subarus you can install a duty solenoid C switch and control lock up of the transfer clutches for the rear. this will essentially "lock" the front and back, the car will hop and jump like a truck in 4WD. can't do that with the manual trans, the center diff will always remain open. on older model manual transmissions (EA, ER series vehicles) they offered locking center differentials and even dual range. those are great vehicles in terms of 4WD capability.

ram engines is the way to go for engine internals. they are great guys and know their stuff. there's an XT6 running around with those forged pistons in it and he likes them. whether it's necessary or not i have no idea. probably not on stock boost. you'll have temp problems before anything is my guess. make sure the radiator and cooling system is pristine. forged water pump maybe....

i am unfortunately aware of this, my relatives and friends have owned the notorious neons (cast block/aluminum heads!!) and the POS GM 6 cylinders that i've had to work on). i'm only saying between the 2.2 and 2.5 there is little comparison. since he's talking about subaru's that's what i've been talking about. i've yet to see a 2.2 in MD with a blown headgasket. 2.5's i see all the time.

ive never seen any cams like that on XT6's or EA82's and i've pulled a few that had blown head gaskets and were run for awhile with water leaking badly inside the head gaskets. cams always looked good. the one i pulled apart that was run without oil had metal scarring and flakes, nothing looked like it was deteriorating like that. interesting pictures.

i would recommend anyone that doesn't do their own engine work be more cautious than myself on the older 2.5's. i think it's an issue for the average car buyer. do a head gasket search on this forum and you will be lucky to see any 2.2 head gasket failures, it's always a 2.5 so i don't think relating it to mileage alone is fair to prospective buyers.. also, while i see a blown headgasket 2.5 for sale about every month or two, i have yet to ever see a 2.2 with a blown head gasket for sale locally. most high mileage headgaskets blow on older cars due to overheating the engine (bad radiator, water pump, low coolant, etc). 2.5's leak for no reason. i have also pulled over on the side of the road and seen 2.5's with bad headgaskets and the owner scratching their head. never seen a 2.2 on the side of the road.

36,000 isn't that abnormal for brake pads, but for all the calipers and rotors all needing replaced at the same time, i know for a fact without looking at the car that it doesn't *need* all that money put into it. i'd probably finish the job without replacing any parts except pads if it was my vehicle.

more details. why did you take the car in? were the brakes working? were they making any noises? any grinding noises? is this covered under warranty? any previous brake work done in the past? does this vehicle have 36,000 miles on it, or it's been 36,000 since the last brake job? sounds like a sham to me. i get calls about once a month from friends/family that say some place is telling them they need new rotors and calipers. this is very rarely the case, particularly on subarus. but shops make lots more money replacing all those parts. there is absolutely no way that both front calipers are sticking, that's like winning the lottery twice, very highly unrealistic. but i hear it all the time from people that take their car to the shop. they're just getting worked over. calipers just don't "happen" to fail at the same time. what is more likely is that the calipers only need the slides greased. the calipers have slides that allow both sides of the caliper to clamp onto the brake pad. over time these slides get dirty and need grease or else they "stick" and don't slide as easily as they should. wipe the slides off and regrease - this is standard procedure for a quality brake job. unfortunately most places pay BY THE JOB, so the quicker they get it done, the more money they make. that means they aint getting paid to do it right and don't get paid to grease your slides. so if you've had a brake job before, they probably didnt' grease your slides and they need it now. as for the caliper itself...if it was sticking there is a rebuild kit that most mechanics don't want to mess with. rebuilding a caliper only takes a couple minutes - there's ONE piston seal (or two if you have two pot calipers) per caliper and a snap ring and boot cover. three parts and a few minutes and the rebuild kits are cheap. i get mine for under $10 for older subaru's, don't know what the new ones cost. rotors, i doubt it. either way you've already taken the car in and there's no way to check or prove anything. but i'd bet much money that you're getting hosed.

i regularly see awesome deals on late 90's subaru's around here with closer to 100,000 miles on them. unless it's outright cheap i'd look elsewhere. but this all depends how reliable of a car you want and long you plan on keeping it and how good of a deal it is. if you want it for a year or two and not many miles then this is probably fine...but i still wouldn't buy a 2.5. i'd get a 2.2. the 2.5 motor is suspect to headgasket issues and this car will have the 2.5. if the headgaskets were replaced at some point that's a good thing, but if not then that's a $1,500 job. the 2.2 which is found in late 90's subaru's as well does not have head gasket issues and as such is much more reliable. here's the real key to this for me: at this mileage the timing belt tensioners and water pump need to be replaced. i can do this myself but if you were a friend or family member that lived to far away for me to do it for free i'd advise against it for this reason. at 200,000 just replacing the timing belt isn't good enough. if any one of the many pulleys has a bad bearing it will eat even a new timing belt very quickly. then the belt breaks and this is an interference engine so you'd have the possibility (probability) of major engine damage....at least valve damage if not piston. that's high miles for an auto transmission. it's not as common to make the 200,000 - 300,000 miles that manual transmissions do. that being said, it is possible to buy automatic transmissions for this car for only $200-$300 dollars so it's not that expensive. but you'd have to be prepared to source the parts, get them and have someone install them for you ($150-$200 at a transmission shop). subaru parts may be scarce in your area (meaning higher prices for used parts). good luck and have fun,

i'd be very diligent about checking for signs of overheating. look for any and all signs of headgasket issues. i realize the EA81 is a beast, but overheating any engine is not good. "just happened" and "parked since" are subjective terms and sound better than "it overheated once and i just drove it far enough to get home". you don't want to pay top dollar or even close for something that might have issues. drive it a long time, let it idle a long time and see if there are any signs....search the forum here for what to check for overheating and headgasket issues.

i see they both have the 2.2, make sure that legacy doesn't have a 2.5. if it were my daughter and the car is going to be used in any urban areas or places where theft is a concern the Legacy Sedan would be my choice. my wife has an OBS and it's an awesome car, but it's annoying taking that car some places because everything in the car is easily accessible by would be thieves. a sedan provides a trunk space and more security in my oppinion. the OBS is awesome, we can fit 2 bikes inside of ours if we want to go for a ride. lots of room for traveling and carrying weird items. a very functional vehicle and my wife loves it. i would look at her hobbies, habits, recreation and choose the one that best serves those activities. i'd also look at both vehicles and compare the history on them. if one was from a dealer (no known history) and the other was from a private owner with all the service records i would definitely take the one with service records. which brings up the next point....do a carfax on both vehicles. less owners is better. make sure there are no accidents or past claims against both. i've owned about 15 subaru's and there is no doubt in my mind that well cared for vehicles are much more reliable than multiple owner cars with no known service history. be prepared to spend another chunk of change on a timing belt if they can't prove that it's been done recently (or if you can't do it yourself) if it's time. these are interference engines, if the timing belts breaks it can cause severe engine damage. i always change any 1997 and up subaru i get if i don't know for sure it was changed.

magnecor ignition wires are excellent. i put them in everything i drive and all my friends/family vehicles i work on as well if they plan to keep it awhile. i can't say enough about them. ive personally put over 150,000 miles on one set. stick with stock NGK's, others don't offer you anything. if you want to spend money get the torquemaster plugs, they are about $7.50 each but they last forever and there is not gap to degrade over time. stay stock with everything else, it won't gain you anything unless you just want it to be new for reliability but most ignition parts don't fail very often.

did you get all the R12 out? if the system is under or over charged the compressor won't come on. check your fuses and relays, the fuses to the a/c system are subject to blowing, i'd particularly be sure to look at them since they are so easy to inspect visually.

if you want that quality. i had a brand new one about a day old blow to pieces on me. others have had the same issue on this board. installing a used one is a much better option than getting a cheap rebuild. the subaru OEM axles do not break, ever. (well except the off road guys and their lifted rigs, they break everything!)

you have to realize what you're starting with. i think you'll be very disappointed with the results of even the best possible ECU upgrade. you'll smooth out idle and driveability and improve gas mileage more than gain performance (and even those improvements will be minimal). i would bet money you'd get more gains with a thorough tune up (realize the injectors and everything else is 15 years old), plugs, wires, coil, air filter, and playing with the ignition timing than you would with upgrading the ECU on an NA engine. these cars are slow and the ECU is not the solution.

check out MWE - he is respected around here. thread with details and pricing here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49775&page=2&highlight=MWE%2A

if you determine for sure it's the bearing, i'd do the junk yard rear hub swap probably. the rear hubs aren't that hard to swap (unless there's tons of rust, that won't help). i have the tool for removing that special nut but have yet to use it. if you're swapping one rear hub and you have drum brakes, might be a good time to consider doing a rear disc brake swap since you're swapping hubs anyway. you'd have to swap both sides and you're done.

no way i can see that being the case. i've seen a number of bad driveshafts in various states of failure and none have ever caused torque bind symptoms. with one end being bolted to the rear diff and the other slid into a splined shaft, it's still a direct mechanical link from the rear output shaft of trans to rear diff. so one turn equals one turn. warpage bad enough to cause issue would result in stripped splines, horrible vibration and/or fluid leakage our of the rear trans seal. i'd be interested to hear what the exact symptoms were before and after transmission swapping.

or if it does, remove it if those #^$&*^#&^$'s wont' sell you the kit.

benebob just posted info on this about a day or two ago. search for that thread, it has a link. i don't know off the top of my head.

yep, tons of information how to do it on here. the box/kit at the autoparts store will have directions as well. spend a little time reading/searching and then go to the store and they'll help you finalize the deal. $30 tops probably and it should work again...but for how long..who knows how bad the leak is. but worth a shot.

sounds great then arbee! are they including the water pump too? other than that, looks good and that price is decent. good news!