idosubaru

2.5 liter motors have a higher than normal percentage of head gasket problems, check out all the threads started due to this issue. $1,100 seems about the average head gasket replacement price tag at a shop. drive it awhile, let it sit and idle awhile...keep your eye on the temp gauge and look at/listen to the overflow reservoir for air bubbles. when they first start to fail it is very difficult to detect...which makes it really easy to sell too. if you don't mind the risk, the work, the money for replacing a head gasket then go for it. a 95 or earlier legacy, or up to 99 impreza (maybe later??) 2.2 liter outback is a better bet in my oppinion. they do not have the head gasket issues that the 2.5 has. i went with an impreza outback sport with the 2.2 for my wife and am glad i did. other than that, check for torque bind if it's an auto transmission. drive in really tight circles on solid pavement and feel for any "dragging", hopping, or signs the trans is binding. it's an interference motor, at that mileage youll want to make sure the timing belts and water pump are new. breakage there can cause major engine damage. if the timing belt isn't new plan on a $500+ timing belt replacment soon (or do it yourself cheaper).

where did you read about the 2wd distributor being an "upgrade"? i'd like to see that, never heard about it. on the studs. the miracle cure is to weld a nut on top of them and then you can use a socket wrench to get them out. this works every time. take note of the distributor position if you remove it to do this. this is so fast, it's the way to go every time. if you can't do that, use a left handed drill bit to drill them out. file it/grind it to make the top flat and drill center. it should eventually come out without messing the threads up so no need to helicoil. helicoil would work but i don't think you'll need to do that. do not use an EZ out- they suck. if it comes out with an easy-out that only means it probably would have come out with a good pair of channel locks.

yep. my current daily driver was converted to coil overs when i got it, i'm converting it back to air suspension! coil over is the way to go for sure, far less trouble that way. i like the air suspension.

color is all up to you, if there was a one size fits all solution we'd all be driving the same color! the original pearl white XT6 color is very nice and hides dirt and other markings well. dark cars show dirt/dust more. that's how i think anyway, i have other things i'd rather do than wash my car. if you want dark, check out the old Subaru XT6 sales brochures, there's a reason they stuck that dark maroon color on there, it's hot!

ECM is commonly used as well "M" for Module. i would bet they are interchangeable. XT6 ECU's swap between FWD, AWD, Automatic and 5 speed no problem. I do not know for sure, but i would bet the same is true of similar EJ models. in the older generation EA82's there are many different part numbers for turbo, non turbo and such. There are a few differences across model change years and MPFI, SPFI, etc and such but many of the ECU's are interchangeable. it really comes down to the wiring harness and i would guess that it is the same. I don't recall any major changes from 1997 - 1998. motor swaps are fine from 97-98 so i'd bet ECU's are as well.

frank, i got a caliper you can have. i won't have internet access all day, but you can call if you still need one. gary

i'm on here everyday and have yet to see info on doing anything to the new H6. ask the dealer to copy the pages from the FSM..or better yet buy an FSM if you plan on keeping the car/doing your maintenance. or stop at the autoparts store and thumb through a Haynes manual and see if they have the newer H6 covered (probably do) and if it gives you what you want. there are times special tools are needed, but usually they aren't necessary.

seen a few others grab the kuhmo's and have heard good things from them as well.

does he get a bone for that? i guess he doesn't bark all the time if it got you out of bed?

check out http://www.tirerack.com, they have all sorts of ratings, reviews and stuff for each tire brand/type. very good information and feedback from people that bought and used them. different types/tread/rubber have an affect on gas mileage as well, might want to look into those ratings. i don't know so i can't elaborate on the specifics.

depends how good your insurance is!! nipper being certified is the one you should listen to but i'll share my experience. buddy had a bad compressor in his honda that the shop wanted $1,300 to fix. i swapped in another one and i told him we needed to pull a vaccuum on it and i even have a vaccuum puller. he refused, he's impatient. he put about two cans of R134a in and the thing still blows colder than mine ever has to this day. can came with some cheap gauge and instructions on it. if i tried that mine would quit working in 4 months i know it!! $100 for parts and my free labor and he's been golden since. i've pulled vacuum and charged a/c myself. i'm not certified and i know little about refrigerant and stuff. i read up on the internet and got a set of gauges, vaccuum puller. (i'll admit i rarely use the gauges, boo for me) some subaru's (the XT6's for sure) have the glass you can look through. this isn't how you're "supposed" to do it, but it is a method that others have used and i have too without problem yet. again, it's not right, you're not supposed to, there's a "real" way...all that disclaimer stuff.

GT = Georgia Tech

head gasket. water flowed through the engine fine. in the thermostat, out the water pump side. noticed while turning the crank that i could hear "swishing" through the open radiator hoses. not good....removed some spark plugs and see coolant in cyilnder 1. the bad news is that i installed a brand new intake manifold gasket before installing the motor so it has to be a head gasket. i'll check first, but most likely head gasket. at least i found the problem. not what i wanted to find, but i can fix that.

EA82 timing pulley's aren't too expensive to buy from places like http://www.thepartsbin.com you can also repack the bearings yourself, see here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50430 the drivers side usually breaks first, it has to drive the oil pump, distributor and more pulleys to go around. the bearings in the pulleys will seize, your belt will begin to slide over the pulleys....heat up, wear the facing off and eventually break. best to replace or fix that noisey bearing.

i think i've noticed one weight on driveshafts before but i've never payed close attention. if driveshaft balancing prices are high might be better off just sourcing a used driveshaft they can usually be found very cheap. post in the parts wanted forum here.

walmart has an adapter that will plug into the stock wiring harness. it's the right plug but the wires will be noted wrong in the instructions. best to hard wire your speakers yourself and use the plug for power, ground, etc. we have the part number and wiring codes for XT6 and possibly XT models at http://www.xt6.net people have posted various ways of fitting stereos to the slanted XT and XT6 platform there as well.

separator plate and rear main seal like already mentioned. i'd install new hoses and clamps for the ATF lines. i'd get an aftermarket transmission cooler as well and completely bypass the stock radiator side-tank deal if you want this car for another 100,000 miles. some trans rebuilders install one by default because it's "that good" of an idea to do it. they run $30 plus whatever they'd charge to install.

2.5 is an interference engine. timing belts aren't that hard, i'd assume nothing and test the motor. you can pressurize the cylinders (just blow air in them) with an air compressor and see if air is gushing out the intake or exhaust. if it is you bent some valves. a friend of mine did a 2.5 that broke a timing belt last year, had to replace one bent valve and that was it. not a big deal. or install a new belt and do a compression test. very easy to do. compression testers are $20 or so. or just install the old belt, compression test and if all is good then get new timing belt, etc. subaru dealer i talked to said he's definitely seen 2.5's come in with broken timing belts which did not experience any damage. he said most do not. maybe he was lying, but i don't know why he would. that's at the dealer i trust "the most" around here, and i dont' really trust any.

i have never heard of this happening even on the 20+ year old older generation subaru's. from all the diffs i've played with i'd guess this could be done in the car as there isn't much "on top" of the diff that you'd need to get to and can't access. as a last resort, the diff isn't that hard to remove and you can drop it on the ground with the rear axles still attached as well. a bit of effort getting it back in place by yourself (60 pound diff with axles still attached) but just a few minutes of grunt work and it's all good.

both should be great cars. i like to ask for service records. cars with fewer owners and more service records are generallly better maintained and that treats you right down the road. i've owned a ton of subaru's and without a doubt the ones coming from single owners with service records are in tip top shape and have fewer issues years later. the 2.2 rocks. the 96 is a non-interference engine, the 97 is an interference engine. on the 97 i'd recommend changing the timing belt, water pump and timing pulleys/tensioners when i first get the car. that is no small expense. parts alone are $300 or more dollars. don't need to replace all the pulleys, just the noisey ones, which is usually the lower sprocketed pulley. on the 97 with interference engine you don't want to risk a broken timing belt, not on a car that will last a long long time if maintained properly. on the 96 i'd personally do the same thing for reliability but at least the engine won't have internal damage if the belt breaks (non-interference engine). i got 1997 impreza a little over a year ago, great car.over 20,000 miles and hasn't need a thing. new brake pads and all that stuff i did when i first got it..timing belts, water pump etc as preventative.

oil pressure range is normal. the owners manuals for EA82 vehicles mentions the psi difference as being normal.

you'll have to remove the p/s belt to get the new d/s belt on. leave the rear timing covers, no point in removing them really. make sure all your timing pulley bearings are good, a seized pulley will shred your timing belt in no time. if they are noisey (most are at 20 years old and have no grease left in them) consider new pulleys, pressing new bearings, or repacking them with grease. your new belts will shred if a bearing goes bad. turn the cam sprockets using a 10mm ratchet on one of the three cam sprocket bolts. it will feel very tight turning the cam, that's normal resistance from the valve train. non interference engine, so you can turn them all day long and not worry about them touching anythign internally. line up the middle of the three marks ||| on the bellhousing and the d/s cam. install d/s belt. now double check that the marks are dead on after you install and release the tensioner. easy to be a tooth or so off, make sure it's dead on before moving along. once the drivers side is right, install the passengers side. rotate flywheel/flexplate 360 degrees (one complete turn), bringing the ||| marks back up to the top. (just for reference the drivers side cam will now be pointing down). now install the p/s belt.

by diff he means the rear differential. obviously, just to be clear. the stubby shafts in the front differential pop out too, so you could swap those if you wanted to. with the cv axle still attached and a good pull, they'll pop right ouf of the front diff (connected to the trans). push them back in, they have a clip on the inside end that holds them in place.

noisey bearings will clear right up and run perfectly smooth/like new once you pack new grease. the only pulleys i've had to trash are completely seized up. they will tend to "ooze" out around the lips of the pulleys once the car is run and heated up. i suppose pressure builds up, heats up, expands or the grease just works it's way out. i run with no timing covers so i wipe the excess grease away after running it the first few times. don't overfill them with grease either, this will add to the oozing effect and you can actually push the outer seal off while you're pumping.

awesome, glad it's getting better. if you remember to post a follow up in a couple weeks/months i'd like to hear what comes of it.