idosubaru

the motor and transmission will come out of the engine bay as an assembly too if you want to do that. yank them together. normally there's a rubber plug underneath the throttle body on top the engine. remove this access plug and you can unbolt the TC (torque converter) from the flexplate. remove one bolt...rotate crank and remove the next bolt...keep going all the way around until they are all out. listen to john on reinstalling the torque converter/input shaft. the shaft is very tricky to get to seat the last 1/4". there are a number of posts and i've posted at length on suggestions how to seat that remaining bit. you must make sure it's seated that last little bit or you'll crack the oil pump housing inside the transmission and that is no fun to deal with. usually requires transmission replacement unless you want to tear into it. do not torque any bolts to seat it that last 1/4", it will break. the FSM actually gives measurements you can use to help determine if it's properly seated before installing the engine. when yo'ure installing it you'll generally wiggle it back and forth as you gradually pull in and out and rotate it...eventually you'll feel it drop that last little bit and you know it's in right. seen a couple people not pay attention or know about that last 1/4" and break things like john mentioned.

MMO won't cause problems. a quart of ATF or bottle of seafoam can help as well. this will help with HLA issues. these treatments will do nothing for the oil pump seals though. the oil pump seals typically start to fail as well which is $10 in parts but requires removing the timing belts to change. either way, drive it and it will be fine, just turn the music up.

the auto trans changed a good bit in 1998. they have a screw on filter on the side. i wouldn't gamble on that unless someone tells you they will work for sure. not sure about these "problems" that were fixed after 1997 though. i've never heard of serious issues with the 4EAT's. they are quite reliable for automatic transmissions. i'd look for a good unit, install an aftermarket transmission cooler and make sure all your tires match. with those things in place i would be surprised if you had any problems with it. heat kills transmissions, on a 1990 vehicle it is likely the radiator, water pump or some other component of the cooling system failed in the last 17 years. that would cause the coolant to run hot and the ATF to run hot...not good for transmissions. that's also 17 years of possible tire mismatching as well...all of these are likely causes of AWD transmission failure. the ATF cooler ($30) and matching tires should keep you runnning fine. i have some 4EAT's from 1991 XT6, they may be compatible with the legacy 4EAT's? i don't know. not sure where you are either, shipping might be counterproductive.

i've put over 50,000 miles on a clicking cv's. the stock axles do not fail. reman'ed axles suck (i've had brand new ones brake out of the box in less than 100 miles). I install used Subaru axles, remanned axles are not an option. use the search function and you'll see a number of people that have had relatively new axles from auto parts stores fail. (i'm one of them). but the stock axles almost never fail...even with the 20 year old EA and ER series vehicles. the offroad guys break them, but they do all sorts of extreme stuff and body lifts, angles on the joints. there is no need to replace the boot unless you really want to. eventually after 30,000-50,000 miles the axle will start clicking while driving straight (in my experience). this is when i start thinking about replacing them with a used Subaru axle. return the subaru parts. keep your eye out for a good used axle, someone will sell you one for $25 or so and they are much more reliable than the cheap-o remanne'd units from the auto parts stores. there are plenty of people that have used them and not had problems, but listen to all the people who have had problems, there is a statistical trend to take note of. "one experience is not conclusive". i'm pulling a 20 year old XT6 axle off a parts car next week to install on my daily driver with broken boots. if it starts clicking or you want to keep them lasting longer, pack grease in the broken boot by hand. it'll fling back out but helps some. if they start clicking, often squirting some grease in there will quiet them down instantly. but that's not worth it in my oppinion, i just drive them forever until i feel like replacing them or am going in for some other work like brakes, struts, or something. doing all that labor just for an axle change isn't worth it when i can wait and do it in conjuction with something else.

tri-cities and tri-state....is ambiguous. there are more than one tri-city and tri-state areas in the country.

i'd guess it's possible, the condensor is largely malleable metal like aluminum or possible brass. whatever it is, it's not resistant to damage like steel. condensors are very easy to replace. i replaced one earlier this summer.

moderators.....Vendor Forum

have your battery tested as well. failure of one often signals failure of the other.

i agree, replace the ignition coil for sure. i have a couple and so do others on the board. i think there are two styles across EJ motors though and i'm not familiar with which are which. find out which style you need or what other models work on your car and post in the parts wanted section. being hard to find up there, might be best buying two while you're at it.

even removing the driveshaft, completely disconnecting the rear drivetrain doesn't help with mileage. i'm sure it does some minor amount that doesn't really show up in the daily variations of driving.

what hubs did you use in the rear? XT6 or legacy?

can you post a picture? some of us like stuff sitting higher.

6 cylinder never had a turbo option. only the 4 cylinder models had a turbo option. also is it FWD or AWD, XT6 came with auto of both. if the POWER light blinks on the dash (in the center where the outline of the car is)...it'll blink 16 times only right at start up then stops, that means the transmission or TCU related circuits are having issues. that could be something simple or could mean the transmission is on it's way out. if you're not sure, turn it off and start it again, the light only blinks immediately at start up if there's an issue. this applied to AWD ONLY - (front wheel drive has conventional coil over suspension). run the car for a mininum of 10 minutes, preferrably leave it running continuously...if you stop it you gotta start counting again. if the air suspension light starts blinking on the dash idiot lights then the air suspension has issues. or if it's sitting on the ground and the air bags aren't aired up...this will be VERY obvious, the car will bounce like nothing you've ever ridden in before if the air suspension is shot. this system is very tricky to trouble shoot, but it can be done. don't expect a mechanic to figure this out without lots of $$$$. also - if it's an AWD make sure the tires match. driving the automatics with mismatched tires is bad for the AWD transmission internals. if the steering light is on or the steering is tight, most of the time that only means the brushes need to be replaced in the pump. it's an electrically driven power steering pump, not a belt driven type like most cars. brushes are $15-$30 from the dealer and very easy to replace. then check for anything else you would on a normal car, radiator caps, oil caps, coolant overflow tank, oil dipstick for signs of head gasket or major engine problems, coolant out the exhaust at start up, broken or clicking cv boots, battery terminals, transmission shifting fine, CE light...etc.

i used to agree until my friend did what i told him was a bad idea. check out this awesome $64 paint job. walmart special, i was wrong. you won't believe how good this looks.....i didn't when he drove it to work: http://xt6.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1440&highlight=dollar

replace the entire compressor is the easy solution. they can be had for $35 (i have one) and are very easy to replace. yes you have to open the lines but if you swap the compressor quickly very little air gets in the system if you vent the freon slowly the lines discharge until they equal atmospheric pressure and then the freon sits in there. sure some air gets in but not much. i don't do it this way as i have a vaccuum puller, but it does work. i've seen plenty of friends swap compressors and charge and their a/c works for years. or you can swap compressors and someone else pull the vacuum and charge (pun intended!!!).

any auto store sells cans of R134 a that you need. unless you have major issues or loss you only need freon, don't get the kind with oil in the can. your system will have plenty of oil in it. try one can of just freon first. a buddy in atlanta was adding a can every summer just about and then for the past year or two hasn't had to add any for some reason. still worked out better than hundreds at a shop. if that doesn't work, then you may want to try a can of freon with the stop-leak additive in it. i don't use that stuff but know others that have with good results.

what bolt pattern does the forester EJ25 have? i know the 2.2 changed between a 6 and 4 bolt pattern around 1999, was wondering if the 2.5 did the same. anyone know if the forester EJ25 in 1999 had an EGR system on it?

90 is OBDI and 97 is OBDII so i think there would be significant compatability issues. but that's just a guess from what i've read on here. might want to look into swapping the long block ony and retaining the intake manifold on the 97 if that's possible. or swap the 97 wiring harness onto the 90 long block. the 97 won't have EGR where the 90 will, so you'll have to deal with that as well. plug the hole and remove the EGR stuff and that should be taken care of easily. but again..i haven't done it.

I know what to do about the exhaust, a/c lines and power steering. Forester is a manual trans, will the 1998 EJ22 bolt up and work fine with the ECU? saw some discussions in a search but no good answers on the forester.

don't know if this is obvious but the front diff and transmission are essentially an assembly, very rarely are they separated. they are typically both replaced at the same time and not separated. doesn't look like forester transmissions are very common, i see none in TX or anywhere near you. you may want to put a post on the parts wanted forum here and on the forester board. i'd start looking into swapping in another EJ series (non forester) transmission. you won't have any problems bolting any 1999 transmission right up to your engine, they are a direct replacement. but the final drive may be different so you'd need to match the rear diff if it's not the same. i can't offer specifics of what exact years will work but you have a wide range of options with the manual transmission that will drop in so i'd ask around about that and save yourself a couple thousand dollars.

i'd look for some input from some people on here.....i'm not well versed in foresters and trans problems but i'll give my oppinion. the MT are reliable, your best bet is to score a used manual transmission and have it installed. i would bet you could find a used trans for $500 or less and have a shop install it for $200 (not the dealer, local transmission shop around here does AWD trans installs for $150-$200). you can get an EJ transmission for $200 for sure, but you may have to swap the rear differntial (which is really easy and they are cheap) if it's not a forester transmission. EJ22 transmissions are easy to come by. if the clutch is fine, you shouldn't need to replace it. was it slipping at all? the front diff does not have a transfer clutch at all that i'm aware of. sounds suspicious to me. if the front diff is bad i would not keep that transmission. i have seen bad front diffs be replaced but the new one get quickly eaten up. apparently a damaged front diff can cause issue where it mates to the transmission gearing/power transfer and this trans damage can eat away your next front diff. probably not likely and they should be able to check for that. but i wouldn't do it when manual transmissions for EJ cars are easy and cheap to find and rarely fail. i think you can end up with a used trans installed and new rear main seal insatlled for under $1,000.

that's the kicker....97 and up interference motors aren't worth taking the chance on. even if the belt looks good i'd rather get in there and roll them pulleys around and make sure none are seized or tight. MA you don't change you're own belt? no time?

you want an XT6? buy one of mine. usually the radiators go bad (they are almost 20 years old by now) and there are no aftermarket sources for radiators...then the dealer wants around $400-$600 for a new one. so it's easy to try and put it off and dump some coolant/block sealant stuff in it and overheating is not good for 20 year old gaskets and seals. if you ever see an aftermarket radiator for the XT6 it's just listed wrong, it will always end up being a 4 cylinder radiator. which can be made to work, it fits but the outlet and inlet diameters are too small and the fans won't mount up without some drilling/tapping/sheet metal screws.

it is a difficult job. it technically requries a special tool to unscrew the retaining nut, it's an odd thing. but it can be done without the tool of course, start it with a punch. personally i'd recommend a used unit like GD said. install it as is with some new grease or rebuild it it with new bearings. this way you can take your time and the car isn't needlessly down for a long time. at 200,000 i rebuilt my front hubs as preventative maintenance. rebuilt a spare set and swapped them in, quick and easy.

like they said, EGR. you'll have to block that hole off, but the head is perfectly useable on your motor. not true. Loyale and other vehicles are included in the "Older Generation Forum" beyond 1990 because they have the older generation EA and ER series motors in them. New Generation forum is for EJ models. The Older Gen forum says Before 1990 Unless Loyale, XT6 etc...for this reason.