idosubaru

on older subaru's you reuse the head bolts, 99 percent sure the newer EJ models are the same. no gasket dressing neccessary or recommended on the head gaskets.

i think clutches, throw out bearings and flywheels only differ from AWD to FWD, but are still interchangeable. you need to keep everything FWD or AWD for the clutch parts. but i'm not familiar with carbed models at all.

the XT front struts i've seen have much larger diameter springs on the front than in the back. are you buying parts individually or can you buy the entire strut assembly? i'd get XT FWD or EA82 FWD struts and install those. for future refernce, on the rears you can remove the top plate and flip it upside down to lower it another inch or something.

what did you hold it in place with when you started welding? "to the left john" "a little higher" "okay, don't move!!!!" fire up the welder.....

those revolutions will not cause oil loss you're describing. i've got 150,000 mile motors that are "geared too low" in my oppinion as well. the old manual trans motors are similar in the XT6. you won't see oil loss on these motors at 50,000, 100,000, 150,000...etc. you should have that kind of oil loss inspected and corrected. i've heard others have similiar oil loss issues on some newer soobs.

cool, can anyone verify what this thing does. how to bypass it on a non-turbo car and what it plugs into? anyone got a pic of the hoses for it?

i just posted a couple threads this week about gaskets and such. pulling the engine if it's an EA82 is way over kill. by the time you have the engine out i can have the timing belts, cams and heads laying on the work bench....well, depending how rusty those timing covers are, but i break them off anyway. even the head gaskets are easily done with the motor in the car. pulling the exhaust, vacuum hoses, coolant hoses, radaitor hoses, throttle cables, clutch cables, hill holder, cruise control, wiring, motor mounts, transmission mounts lining up the transmission, splitting the case. it's all easy and straight forward but bottom line is that it takes time. definiltely nice working on a motor on the ground, but unless you need clutch/rear main seal work everything else is easy with the motor in the car. timing belts, pulley bearings, water pump, oil pump seals are all great items to consider if you like reliability. good luck.

i doubt the engine is permanently seized. if it never ran that would be hard to believe. piece of plastic won't keep an engine from turning over...at least not right away.... 22 mm crank bolt. remove plugs and turn it over by hand. look for fluid (gas) in the cylinders when you pull the spark plugs.

crank sensor is fairly common, very easy to replace. i'd guess it can cause starting issues and definitely the check engine light. they don't fail that often so i'd consider a used one if new is expensive. i wouldn't be too concerned with starting issues if the car runs okay - starter, battery, battery terminals or cables. all really easy stuff to figure out. sounds like a good deal.

thanks boosted balls, looked at the RX at my place and it's the same. so i'm assuming same part, been searching for a pic. DANG IT - i was hoping this was my issue. that would explain the code 44 i'm getting. why do i get the 44 code on the RX ECU but not the XT Turbo ECU? RX gives a code 44 and primes the fuel pump. XT Turbo ECU does neither one of these....sounds bad but i'm confused at the moment. got compression. got spark. got air. seems like i get fuel on the RX ECU...but who knows.

EDIT - will an NA motor run fine on a turbo ECU. car was originally turbo, i put in a non turbo motor. well crap...what is this thing bolted to the dropping resistor on the passengers side right behind the air box? i don't have it plugged in? maybe that's my issue.

44 Wastegate Duty Solenoid (Turbo Models) 45 Pressure Sensor Duty Solenoid (Turbo Models) could either of these turbo items cause a non-turbo motor to not get fuel? anyone know where these items are located? will an NA car run fine on a non-turbo ECU? i think they will.

dang it, that's what i have. i was hoping that was my problem.

yep, it's all good. was thinking about that, but that it runs fine with the RX ECU really has me baffled? what is the thing bolted to the dropping resistor on the passengers side? has an elecrical plug, two vacuum attachments and two other hose fittings and i have no clue what they are for? i assumed this was a turbo gizmo....

that looks like they covered everything right to me. XT Turbo is unlikely to have an LSD, but it will be a 3.7 final drive. on the head bolts, helicoil would work great, but drilling straight and not into something you don't want to would be risky i think. a good drill press would be nice if you can pull the block. i'd think a long stud idea would work like he said. if you could source a bolt the same thread and material as a head bolt (it's a 1.25 pitch thread), locktite it in place and it should hold a nut. if you're pulling the motor, taking the block to a machine shop might be the best bet. they'd fix it perfect for $50. that's what i would do, i've messed up drilling into stuff before on much shorter bolts too. this is the first time i think i've seen this on the boards or know of anyone that has had this on here or xt6.net.

i would install something in the castle nut. it would probably stay, but for a ball joint it's nothing you even want to try really. some combination of hitting them with a screwdriver or nail or other small items usually works them out. sometimes you have to go backwards a little to get anywhere forwards too. you can get the ball joint out without a pickle fork if you don't have one, i've never used one.

never done a brat but if it's just the ball joint in the lower control arm like other soobs i'll try to help. been a few years, hopefully i recall doing them as i type. the ones i've done are always in the end of the control arm and the bottom of the hub, so if yours is like that here's what i do: i believe the bottom of the hub has a small split in it where the ball joint goes. you can usually get a chisel or something wedge like in there to help pry it open just a little once the ball joint is unbolted of course. once the bolts are disconnected i leave the control arm bolted to the body and wail on the end of it right by the ball joint with a big hammer. wailing on the control arm with a hammer will force the ball joint out of the hub. make sure the control arm is taking the brunt of the force. if the struts are unbolted or loose or the control arm isn't fixed on the other end stuff will bounce around and you won't get much impact on the actual stuck joint. prybars can work too depending on what you got and what you have to leverage against. i'd definitely replace the ball joint. there aren't too many things that can be very hazardous to your life if they fail, but this is one of them. some liquid wrench sprayed up in the joint housing may help as well..or PB Blaster (not WD40). good luck, hope you get it.

DUDE THAT IS BAD!!!! thanks for sharing the pictures, that is really cool. you finished in one day? awesome work man, that is truely fantastic. how did you get it all to line up before welding? height? and side to side? did you overlap the metal at all or just butt it together and weld? i have a soob with a smashed front end and one with a good front end. i want to do this so bad, just to do it. kind of scared i'd never get it lined up though.

turbone, print out the internet price you get and take it back to the store. i've done it twice...actually i just tell them, i don't print it out. both times they knocked prices substantially. XT6 Felpro kit was listed at $220 and they sell them to me for $150. same thing at a different shop with Corteco XT6 head gasket sets. listed for $220 as well and they matched the on-line price i found of $146, they charged me a $5 or $10 fee for it not being in stock. ordering local is nice, no worries on shipping or getting the wrong kit and dealing with returns. it's worth a try. ebay kits go for $55 or less as well for EA82, though i've never ordered one of those.

SO close!!! i'm excited, that digi-dash i cool stuff, i like it! put a new motor in it, this car has never run since i've owned it. this is a Turbo to NON-TURBO conversion so i don't know if there are any vaccuum lines or things that can keep it from starting? are the Turbo and non-turbo ECU's compatible? with the stock ECU the car doesn't get any fuel. when i crank it, the fuel pump does nothing. swapped in another fuel pump, same thing. when i plug the green connectors in for TEST mode the fuel pump does not cycle. if i plug in an RX ECU the fuel pump cycles like it's supposed to with the green connector plugged in and fuel comes out the engine lines. but i get a code 44 with the RX ECU (but not with the XT Turbo ECU). i'm wondering if this is EGR related because it's not in my 88 FSM and the turbo motor had an EGR system, the new motor does not. but...the car still doesn't start on the RX ECU. should it work okay for the XT engine non-turbo? i'm thinking the stock XT Turbo ECU is shot - it doesn't pump any fuel and it doesn't show the 44 code the RX ECU shows. No trouble codes (except a 44 with the RX ECU), got spark, compression excellent, timing belts dead on, fuel injectors all have good resistance. continuity from all injector harnesses, the dropping resistor tests within spec. there is a device that bolts to the dropping resistor and has some vacuum lines on it....what is this, because i don't have it hooked up to anything? i took a picture and left my camera at home (GRRRR, at my parents now).

is the clutch just old and needs replaced? do you think a new clutch, new pressure plate and resurface the flywheel (and replace if it's out of spec) wouldn't be enough? i'm assuming you already have a 4WD clutch since it's a 4WD. an XT6 clutch will work and holds up a little better i believe. the more knowledgeable folks might have suggestions on which brands and the exact differences. you may need the XT6 flywheel, but otherwise it's a straight interchange. properly installed XT6 clutches hold up great to the 145 stock horsepower and torque, do you plan on exceeding that by much?

you can list the car for sale here - there's a for sale forum if you'd like. the 2.5 should sell for $300 or more even with the headgaskets the way they are. list it on craigslist, ebay, here, etc.

$101 and free shipping at http://www.thepartsbin.com i've had good luck with them, never a problem. dylan had them send him the wrong clutch though on his first order. nice first impression them hosers!

awesome, thanks! how does it handle climing the mountains in 5th on the interstate? need to downshift? dang hijacker......thanks for the heads up!

definitely not. overheating will blow a headgasket on any motor though, so try to avoid letting it get hot at all. really high on the gauge could mean severe local heating within the motor. this is probalby not the head gasket, but will be if you run it hot. make sure the coolant level is full, sounds like low coolant level to me. verify this and report back. then you need to find out where the coolant is going. more likely water pump or radiator leak. thermostat should be replaced as well. costs less than 10 dollars, two bolts and who knows how old it is.