idosubaru

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.

try checking the fluid level, replacing the filter and replacing the fluid. could be something that simple.

another good point is that at 144,000 it is highly unlikely it is the original belt, but in actuality who knows? anyway to get a straight answer from the previous owner for sure? double check which place he had it "replaced" at, maybe you called the wrong one? but - if it is the original belt i wouldn't drive it any further than your mechanic. i would think an inspection like i mentioned earlier would possible show if it had 144,000 miles on it, it seems it would look pretty ragged.

it is risky to run on an unknown timing belt. the risk is a high end risk too because this is an interference motor, so breakage could result in serious engine damage. before the trip i would at least pull the timing belt covers and look at the timing belt. the side covers take all off 3 minutes to remove and inspect. well worth the 5 minutes to look at the belt and make sure it's not cracking or glazed over. that's alot of money, but my cousin was quoted $699 from the dealer for the timing belt change i don't think that included the water pump, but maybe it did i don't recall exactly. she paid me for parts and i did it for free. make sure they inspect the pulleys as well, if a pulley is old and seizes it will break the belt no matter how new or old it is. then you're back right where you started, but worse. i replaced my cousins pulley. at your mileage the cogged pulley should almost definitely be replaced, they are typically the first to show signs of wear.

be sure to look at or take a picture of the cable set-up on the pedal, i recall installing mine incorrectly first time i did it. had to take it off and do it again.

what kind of mileage are you getting, i'm looking into this same transmission - except FWD EA82, but i think the same ratio. did mileage go up?

throw this in the old generation forum, lots of Brat owners there that won't see it here.

i doubt new plugs will help. are you sure it's recommended to use 87? i figure it is, just checking. it's not a turbo 2.5? some states have different regulations for gas in the winter to reduce pollution, might have better luck in the summer if VA does the same.

the 190,000 isn't necessarily what worries me but the 2.5 is. you never know with the head gasket. if that doesn't bother you then get it. at 200,000 another important issue is with timing belt pulleys. they have bearings and bearings don't last forever. if one bearing fails the belt and motor will be severly damaged. so a timing belt only change is nice but doesnt' provide what i consider reliability (but everyones definition is different). the pulleys should at the minimum be checked, i would address them all if it was my car. the water pump as well should be replaced as it is driven by the timing belt as well and overheating is a terrible thing for head gaskets. if you're willing to live with the 2.5 head gasket possibilities, this sounds like a good deal even if you pay to have the timing belt stuff addressed afterwards. maybe they replace the timing belts and you offer to pay for new pulleys and water pump? they'll be 'right there' when they replace the belt anyway, only takes a minute to replace the pulleys. it won't start falling apart at that mileage, but wheel bearings, water pumps, alternators, starters, auto trans, calipers don't last forever on any vehicle. with the exception of the auto trans these are all minor in my oppinion.

ha ha, i know you're fired up about this but that was funny. i'd be fired up too. wow that much rust? i thought that was a northeast thing, that sucks if it's that bad. do seperate threads for the codes/MAP sensors someone on the board will probably offer up some simple ideas. i'm thinking hose/PCV/vaccuum related as well. sounds like it's been all downhill, i'd be seriously jacked up too.

engine - you speaking of the old one? CV joints - forget those, they won't cause any issues any time soon. boots cracked, are they clicking yet? i've gone 50,000+ miles with them clicking around turns. the OEM subaru axles are very durable. wheel bearings - front or rear? CEL's - which ones? starter? - is it not starting?

i think i'd first replace the spark pack with a used one for $25. if it's a cylinder mis-fire then first isolate that cylinder - what are cyilnder dedicated items - plug, wires, spark pack and injectors. not gas, that would show up elsewhere, that's crazy talk. cylinder mis-fires on these EJ motors are typically ignition related. are the spark plug wires Subaru OEM wires? if you had an independent mechanic replace the wires, there's a good chance they are not subaru wires. get subaru wires and NGK spark plugs. these 2.2 and 2.5 motors are sensitive to having perfect ignitions. plugs - wires need to be OEM and carefully installed. they are easy to check and replace, so start there. you can even swap the bad cylinder plug and wire with ones from a good cylinder. if the error code "moves" or changes to that other cylinder then you know the plug or wire is bad. that you've replaced the wires twice is the reason i said i'd replace the spark pack first. but make sure they are OEM wires.

honda's and toyota's are excellent vehicles, i highly recommend them often to friends/coworkers. but....the dealers and service of these vehicles is no different than subaru. some are great, some hose everyone. to think another manufacturer is a gauranteed source of 100% warranty coverage and outstanding dealership service on any mechanical problem is wishful thinking. overall from what i've seen there's little difference across manufacturers in the big picture. like i said, some are great, some hose people. your acura is a great choice, your either spent time researching which engine/trans to get or got lucky but you chose wisely. but there are plenty of other acura's that have transmission, paint and other common problems. if someone who bought a TL has transmission problems rules out all other Acura's to eternity because of that, they are reducing their choice of good vehicles to choose from (like the CL you have). research and good decisions can be made with any make, be it subaru, acura, honda, etc. knowledge is always a good thing. to blindly accept all products from any manufacturer as the best choice...or the other way 'round, is not in the best interest of someone looking for a reliable vehicle. good luck and have fun!

i've had none of that experience. if i did, i would get something else as my wife drives it. oil and brake pads, that's all it's consumed. friends and relatives with EJ's haven't had anything either. not all people you've talked to have bad experiences. the board is not a great place to look for praises, people come here for help. sort of analogous to going to the hospital and making the assumption that everyone in the US must be sickly.a good indicator is someone who isn't biased, someone who works on alot of different cars for instance. they see trends, not individual experiences. you got hosed by someone dumping a known bad car, no need to attribute to subaru what was done by someone else. you've now got a 2.2, a great motor. post your issues with it and go from there. plenty of 200,000 mile plus owners on this board, i think that's a good sign. hope the 2.2 treats you right or you score better on your next used car.

price depends if you go with cheap or subaru OEM gaskets. you're looking at $50 starting price for a gasket set. that doesn't include timing belts, water pump or oil pump seals. that can all be had for another $50 or more. head gasket job usually include milling the heads as well.