idosubaru

wow....quoted $2,700 for headgasket? good thing you checked around because that's an outrageous price. you buy a rebuilt motor for that from CCR probably. $1,000 - $1,500 is about the normal rate, sounds like you got it done right. typically the newer headgaskets are better and mitigate the problem. the only failure i recall seeing of a replaced headgasket (someone on the board here) was due to something else....like overheating due to bad radiator/thermostat/water pump which blew the headgasket. you should be golden, thanks for the update and resolution.

i'm having the same issue with my XT6. the gauge will show hotter than normal only on very humid and hot days with the a/c running and at highway speeds. radiator hoses, radiator, thermostat and water pump are all new. fans all come on properly, nothing blocking the front of the radiator. except the aftermarket ATF cooler i have mounted in front of the condensor/radiator but i've had those installed the exact same way on the exact same cars before with no issues. i popped the hood once and saw the top radiator hose collapsed. should i replace that with another? what causes the collapsing?

your transmission will hold the EA82T power just fine. EA82T's don't put out all that much anyway.

i'd buy an older subaru with the EJ22 engine in the $1,000 - $2,000 range. then when you get home spend the money on new timing belts, water pump, oil pump seals, crank seal and cam seals. the EJ22 is your best bet in terms of reliability and not very expensive. don't spend significant amounts of your disposable income on a car at this point, that's a bad financial/long term decision. i can easily score EJ22 subaru's around the maryland area in the sub $2,000 range. 2.5RS are nice, but you don't want that 2.5 motor. when the headgasket goes out you're looking at another 1,000 - 1,500 to fix that. good luck and keep your head up...

if the accident wasn't your fault they will give you far more than that. you need a lawyer unless you're really good at dealing with this kind of situation. if the accident was your fault then you're more at the mercy of your insurance company. i'm not surprised at all at $2,600 figure. i'm not saying they don't cost more, only that i'm not surprised. take the money and buy this one for half the $1,300 (or talk him down): http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/car/185618511.html then you'll have $1,300 in your pocket minus flight and gas or shipping ($500-$800).

i'd check the wiring in the drivers side door. has it ever been in an accident around that door area or the door been removed? where the wiring passes through the door and into the car it could be cut/shorted/exposed due to the tight bend and possible sharp metal curves around the door jamb. or replace the drivers side switch, it may be bad. could probably test the wires with a voltmeter for a short/continuity.

what do you mean by "car feels like it's moving side to side"? i'd look into the axle and wheel lug nuts immediately. one may have come loose or the studs can shear off leaving fewer to hold the wheel in place. jack each front tire up and check for play as you push and pull on the tops and sides of the tire. ball joints and tie rods should be inspected very soon since they are a safety concern. otherwise, whole car body vibrations can also be driveshaft ujoints. they can be difficult to check though visually and usually need to remove the driveshaft to check for sure.

there are no hard and fast facts about the head gasket issues. you can hear lots of oppinions and experiences but they are individual experiences and oppinions, none of which provide the quantitative answers you're looking for. Subaru did change the headgasket and that's the major modification that i'm aware of. i have not heard of other changes. i was under the impression that the "issues" ceased in 2000 or 2001, earlier than the info you provided suggests. it is said that installing the new headgasket nearly permanently solves the head gasket issues by itself. reoccurrence with the new headgasket is very rare and when it does happen can probably be attributed to something else (installation, old stock gasket, over heating due to failed water pump/radiator.etc).

describe wobble a little more. make sure axle nut and tire lugs are all tight. driveshaft ujoints and ball joints come to mind as well as alot of other things. the more descript you can be the better.

a place in cleveland, OH. don't recall the name.

i had an older generation JDM motor come with a bad headgasket. "good running condition" was the prepurchase claim. after installing and finding the head gasket leak their warranty consisted of offering two head gaskets which i have yet to see either. yes it's only one experience but i'll never buy one again. easier to find, rebuild or reseal as i see fit.

fan is either on or off.

sounds like it's binding. make sure all your tires are the same size and the tread is similar. change your ATF. after that you're looking at replacing the clutch packs or rear extension housings or entire transmission. look up "torque bind" on the forums here, TONS of information on this.

are you sure they don't come with grease in them? i've never heard of packing grease into a ball joint, but i haven't done that many either. i have a new set i just bought and looked at, they appear ready to go out of the box to me. i wouldn't pull it apart just to oil the top of the ball joints.

that link doesn't work...my machine or bad link?

oil pressure gauges may not be accurate. verify the sending unit, wiring, etc. you put oil in it right? did an oil change?

bad alternator, bad bad alternator. the battery could fail in short order too. i don't know exact statistics but lots of cars i install a new alternator in loose the battery within a year as well (usually much sooner). a failing alternator does bad things to batteries. i'd at least have the battery tested.

the bellows is just a dust shield i think, if fluid is coming out of it then there's likely a seal that's leaking somewhere inside of it. you said it needs sealed up, so it's leaking fluid? probably best to find a used rack or scavenge some used but good boots for it.

you are tough. what a piece.

for the suspension i'd look at the ball joint and tie rods. steering rack boots can cause quite a bit of drift while driving and also need more response than normal to get it to turn. very easy to repalce as well.

find out if any fluid is moving, pull the fluid lines and see if any fluid is moving like 4x4 said. after this i'd drain the fluid and see if there are any chunks or pieces in the fluid/pan. a dented pan will restrict ATF flow. i'd start sourcing another transmission while you diagnose. there were no problems or work done to this transmission recently?

good points...verify that leak! i've yet to pull a subaru motor with any rear main seal issues...even 200,000 miles. crank, cam, oil pump, valve covers...everything else goes like crazy but i never see leaky rear mains.

you're talking about the newer generation subaru's when you say "98". that's a completely different animal than the older generation motors. the 2.5 in that Legacy GT can and does pass the HC test and nearly every other headgasket test even with a bad headgasket when they first start to go. very common to go misdiagnosed due to this. it's happened multiple times on the board and i've seen a mechanic do the HC test on a bad headgasket 2.5, but it still passes. he knew nothing about Subaru and just couldn't believe it...he did the test about 10 times. then he saw the light and ended up installing another motor with some advice from myself. for your problems....more details will help diagnose. where is it puking coolant from? hoses, radiator caps, gaskets, water pump...lots of things can cause puking, we need to know where it's coming from. headgasket issues will cause bubbling into the overflow tank when the car is overheating or shut off. bubbles are bad here. if you're looking for a cheap and easy fix, retorquing the headbolts is not the way to go. like you said, best just to replace the gasket if you're already down to the heads. but...subaru adds a conditioner to mitigate the 2.5 headgasket issues in the earlier 2.5 motors. i'm still wondering if this "conditioner" that they sell for the 2.5 wouldn't help a minor headgasket issue on other motors. still an aluminum block, i'd give it a try. a flush would likely remove most of the HC from the sytem as you suggested.

86...does it have a flapper style or hot wire style air flow sensor (the MAF GD speaks of in the last post)? if it's the hot wire type, one way to check is to look inside of it and there are three very very fine wires, you can only see them if you remove the sensor and look in the right kind of light inside of it. any broken wire will cause problems. they can fail in other ways as well though, so best bet is to swap in a good one. i'd say we need to start with what kind of codes you're getting. what do you mean by "all over the place". reset the codes and tell us what you get after that. do you know how to read the codes, maybe that's confusing you? i've seen others count the blinks incorrectly, not hard to do particularly if you do'nt have the books. when you swapped motors...did you just swap the long block or an entire engine block...sounds like you swapped an entire engine block except the throttle body? so you swapped the entire intake manifold? if you swapped wiring harness or sensors at all you need to make sure they are compatible as the XT Turbo changed significantly from 86 to 87. i'm having problems getting my Turbo running well after a swap and it's due to wiring changes that i still haven't nailed down just yet.

pulling the cv joints apart is dirty and messy. also takes time and the parts really don't save much. $50 for both sides. then you're kicking yourself if they start clicking soon after you do the job. for that cost you can buy a genuine used Subaru axle with good boots already on it. so it ends up being quicker and cheaper to replace with a used axle. axle replacement is not hard at all, 30 minutes to an hour (with the right tools). or buy new from Subaru if price doesn't matter. anyone know what they run? i haven't priced any newer EJ subaru axles recently. i think the newer EJ series cars are decently priced if i remember correctly. if you plan on doing alot of these...own alot of subaru's, or do driving that breaks alot of boots (lots of miles, off road) or like to learn then it's more beneficial to replace the boots. just don't buy remanne'd axles.