ShawnW

Alternators can fail in both ways. They can fail to charge, and they can overcharge. You may have experienced the fail to charge but I bet not the overcharge. Its entirely possible you were overheating as well. Where did this replacement engine come from and how do you know it was good?

I must point out, that you would probably be doing the same thing if you were independently wealthy. I wouldn't mind blowing a part of my fortune this way.

Any update on this or do we know this person/car here?

I love the ones I have! BTW Let me know if you need more cores. Happy to send.

I think its a machining change but am not sure. Most I have seen with it had hydraulic lifters but I haven't taken the time recently to do a verification of that.

My buddy did the same thing you are trying to do and everything worked out fine.

Get a new one at the dealer 413967100. You will see yours is actually in pretty good condition.

In this photo it looks like you haven't slid the tensioner over and then bolted it down. There should be a gap between the tensioner bracket and the tensioner itself on the right side.

The center cover will work, the oil pan will as well. Remember to check oil level the bigger pan holds about 1/2 qt more.

OH! My bad. I have seen these in the paddock and no problems witnessed so far. The jack I suggested is WAY to heavy for toting to RallyX. Sorry its only good for the garage. Pumps fast with dual piston but not light enough.

The crank pulley bolt is a 22MM. Mentioned above is 5/8" and that isn't big enough. Be sure the key is pointed down when you remove the belt. I remove the cogged idler on the water pump. Then you can turn the shortblock over if you need to get the key back up on top and put the gear on. Then rotate back to the down position and put the timing belt back on. If the tip of the key got torn its possible the end of the crank snout got damaged as well. Verify this isn't the case before proceeding. If it is call me, I can try to get you a kit to fix the crank and key from a local shop here in Denver that makes them. You are going to have to compress the the tensioner. If its got a blue bearing and pivots(which is stock for this year), then you need to do so in a press, SLOWLY, over a 10 minute period put light pressure on. You can press it while its on the engine as well with a prybar but again, super slowly take over a minute to do its motion in this case. Finesse and patience required. Lots of people have done it too fast and pushed the oil past the seal. Later on this can cause the timing to jump, bend valves, etc. If in doubt put a new tensioner on. DO NOT compress this tensioner in a vise.

Was replacing one a week at the dealer. Very common.

If you drain it first not much is going to come out. If its just 4th gear, its either the linkage/bushings are shot, damage to the gear itself, or the rail slider in the trans is worn. With 220K miles all of these are possible. IT would be a good buy even if you paid a shop to replace the transmission most of the time. I like the 99 GT Wagon better but thats just looks, the ride, newer engine and newer creature comforts are worth it.

Lets not forget this code CAN be properly diagnosed. It requires skills and training that most dealer technicians don't have and many aren't very good at paying attention during dealer training on this. The big problem is the instructor at dealer factory training doesn't have defective vehicles to show off. They have the technicians look at properly working cars with a problem 'ghosted' on a dummy box. In other words they trick the computer into throwing bad numbers and have the tech pick the part in need of replacement based on those numbers. The fact is: 1. Many of these are "fixed" by replacing the: A. Front 02 sensor B. Catalytic converter Why does this work? Many codes like the 420, are cleared from memory after a repair and road tested. Many of these codes require "2 consecutive trips with the fault." So: Many times a simple clear of the codes would "fix" the problem, or in other words, it would have self reset itself. Many times the fix is as simple as premium fuel and a long highway road trip on mostly flat ground. Its amazing how good your car will run after 120 miles of highway driving for most people. It cleans carbon deposits, gets the catalyst really hot, cleans the tip of the sensors, spark plugs, injectors, etc. This code is also tripped by: Loose air filter box/box not clipped in on the bottom edge behind the throttle body. Any up or downstream air leaks can contribute to these numbers. Anywhere past the MAP/MAF sensor depending on vehicle and before the rear 02 sensor. Find a good shop with a high end scanner that will look at the numbers. A good tech (me included) can see o2 sensor activity, check for leaks, and visually inspect the car and be right about 90 percent of the time. A bad shop will replace both cats and both 02 sensors and send you looking for your credit card. Its possible all of these are bad too and the diagnostic is a waste of money but not very often. The Front 02, or "Bank 1 sensor 1" on most Subarus is typically in need of replacement every 105K miles on US model cars. This aids in fuel economy and prevents the catalysts from being damaged by overly rich mixtures. This is a wear item and frequently original on every car I see around here. People will change 4 platinum spark plugs at 8-18 dollars a plug but they won't do 1 sensor that is 100 bucks. The outcome is virtually identical in HP and MPG improvement but nobody replaces this sensor. On many Subaru's its actually easier to replace the 02 sensor than the 4 spark plugs. This code is one of the most difficult to diagnose properly. I used to hate these until I understood the system better. Now I hate EVAP codes that aren't gas cap leaks and even those can be simple.

Yes you could but why not roll the engine over and do it the "right" way? Yes yours are adjustable and not shim+bucket.

The big thing for me is will they stand behind it if they have a part fail-which in this case sounds promising. I have had to go with a supplier that is local and will for this reason and I am constantly working on customers vehicles and can't wait more than a few hours to get parts. I am happy to attempt to beat TIE's prices whenever possible for USMB people on a timing kit if somebody wants a quote. Am working on having the kits on my website with nice photos for quality comparison as well.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/ar996.htm Article above describes the methods and how smooth, etc it should be.

Lots of people like the "GO/NO GO" gauges but I don't think they are as accurate on this job. As stated, the slight drag place is much better. I do these any time the heads are off and have to be re-torqued if anybody else is wondering how often to do it. Try to maintain them at least every 105K miles which usually is about head gasket time on most I have seen in this age range.

I can get you one if it comes to it. I would do the O2 sensor while you are at it. The question above of mileage kindof made me laugh a little, if this is used as a mail/delivery vehicle, is probably not going to be a relevant number unless you have seen a drop and drive it the same route on a weekly basis, etc.

I am pretty sure the Forester is the tightest clearance to the fans and you do need to remove them to get a socket on the crank pulley bolt.

I really try to not buy their stuff when possible. If you have a Costco Membership, check out the Arcan jack they are selling. I bought it for $99 and its been amazing in the last 5 months I have had it so far. IT will jack a car high enough to pull a trans mission out on my transmission jack, something like 22".

Check car-part.com to see how much one costs. Shop time on r+r is around 7 hours with a new clutch being installed. Its a piece of cake on a lift, and not so bad on jack stands with a transmission jack.

It might but I think I would just get a little trailer instead for ease of loading and keeping the center of gravity down.

Yep, I agree. Thats where the Sure Shot bottle comes in. You can pressurize it with shop air.

Don't be afraid to do a search of the forums please. The Offroad FAQ thread in the OffRoad Forum is a great start to what you are after here.