Gnuman

Heh, beat me to it. . .

That is about what you will end up paying for them. Usually they can be cleaned and most of them will end up being as good as new. you flush them out with carb cleaner and then with new oil (wear gloves) the they sometimes get a build up of varnish which causes them to not adjust properly. that is why cleaning them fixes them. you may want to get new o-rings for them though. . .

That line carries the exhaust gases to recirculate. . . So, emissions. You can probably drill it a bit and install a helicoil.

A seal puller has two curved hooks on the ebd, so you can tap it in between the cam and the seal without scratching the cam, and the hook shape makes it easier to pry out the old seal. to put the new ones in, I use a deep impact socket as a driver, and gently tap on it with a hammer until the seal seats against the cam housing. The cam seals (Subaru part number 806732150 ) mate up nicely with a 32mm deep impact socket. You want a deep socket so that you can use it over the end of the camshaft. If you plan on replacing the crank seal as well (Subaru part number 806733030 ) you will want a 36mm deep impact socket. I also second taking the radiator out, as it simply gives you a lot more room to work with. When tapping the new seals in, I use the side of the hammer as I'm not striking with any significant force anyway, just tap tap tap. . . SOHC egines use 2 cam seals and 1 crank seal DOHC engines use 4 cam seals and 1 crank seal I also recommend changing out the other seals at the same time (valve cover seals and valve cover retaining bolt seals. If you have them, spark plug channel seals as well). Also, I get my parts from Jason at Auburn Subaru.

Well, if you had gone the other way (and ended up in Concord CA) I could have helped you with this, as I have done several of them, and have all the tools to do so. New Hapmshire, however, is a bit of a hike for me. . . The EJ22 is a rock solid engine and while it can blow headgaskets, it takes a lot to make it do so. The EJ25 was much more prone to this, which was a problem that Subaru addressed by redesigning the headgaskets used in the first incarnation of this engine (the DOHC Phase 1).

After you spray it with WD40 or PB Blaster, give it a squirt of oil to keep it lubricated. You can also use a light grease as that will last a bit longer.

To avoid confusion, there are two yellow dipsticks on the ATX. The one on the left (driver's side in the US) is transmission fluid. The one on the right is for the front diff oil. that should also be checked from time to time. The hoses you need to move for the transmission fluid (on the left) go to the brake booster (one) and the heater coil (two of those), and perhaps the AC line (that will be a big one that is covered wth foam rubber insulation). Oh, I can also confirm that you are not a moron! The dipstick for the ATX is fairly hidden, and you had the very good sense to ask others that have dealt with this.

there is a hard rubber plug at the top right hand side of the rear of the engine block, where the bell housing mates up with it. The bolts that connect these two pieces are 12mm heads. Personally, I use an offset box wrench to reach them as that is the easiest thing I have found to reach around the wiring and hoses in that area. I also use a 22mm socket on a breaker bar to turn the engine (bringing each bolt into position) and to hold the engine in place while turning the bolt. Once they are broken loose, they are very easy to turn and can be removed (ane replaced on reassembly) by hand for a good portion of the threads. Particularly if you have small and nimble fingers, this makes it a lot easier to not drop the bolts behind the flex plate (drive plate). Hope this helps!

The 14mm allen socket from Autozone is on a 1/2" drive socket. add a 3' or 6" extemsion and a breaker bar, then put a pipe on the breaker bar. You swing it sticking out the front of the car and you have plenty of room. All you really need the 4' wrench for is to break the thing loose. then you can use a standard 1/2" drive ratchet. i also vote that the only time you need to break these loose is to replace them with a cooler or heater. the tstat housing is plenty to change out the coolant.

Is the top chart 4EAT specific? If so, tehn the 4.111 is the ratio you need it to be. There should be a sticker on the rear of the diff to say what the ratio of the diff is. As for replacing the seals, the choice is all yours. In favor of it is the fact that this used diff that you are getting has a history that you know nothing about. you do not know if it leaks at the seals or not. Replacing them would make sure. On the downside, do you really want to mess with the seals if you don't have to? One point of advice: if the seals leak after you put the diff in, you *can* replace them with the diff in the car.

I actually pull the engine first and then use the engine hoist (that my pick and pull provides) to pull the tranny right out the front.

There are two types of rear diff for EJ series transmissions. One has roll pins on axle stubs like the front diff has, and on the other, the halfshaft pulls out of the diff. Inspect before you start. Also drain the diff before you start to avoid getting a faceful of gear oill. That stuff is nasty! I start by putting the car up on jackstands and pulling the propeller shaft (disconnect it at the rear diff. If it moves far enough out of the way that you can clear it, good. Otherwise, also pull the 4 bolts from just behind the center bearing. That is all the space you will need) Next loosen the 14mm boltsfrom around the rock shield that protects the rear diff as well as the two hanger nuts on the rear. take the shield off and put a jack under the diff for safety. If yoru diff is the type with the roll pins, you should have removed them by now. If not do so now. If you have the type that does not have roll pins, get a big pry bar. with the rock shield off, you should have 6(?) bolts to remove before you can lower the diff. Again, loosen them first to avoid complications later. Lower the diff just a bit so you can shove it off to one side and tilt it enough to pull one halfshaft out. Once you have one side free, you can pull the other side free and the diff is out of the car! That may sound like a lot, but it really isn't. There are about twice as many steps to getting the 4EAT out and you have already done that. . . .

HG problems were in the Phase I (96-99 DOHC) with a coolant jacket to combustion chamber leak. This was addressed with a redesigned headgasket that fixes the problem There was a smaller problem with the Phase II EJ25 from 99-03 SOHC (IIRC) that was coolant jacket to outside world. This was "corrected" by adding a "conditioner" to the coolant (basically a glorified stop-leak). In the Impreza I have only seen SOHC engines unless you want to get into turbos, which you probably don't want to deal with. My advice with regards to your grandmother is any Imp wagon, or a late modle Imp hatch with the basic engine. I would skip the 00-03 Imps just because i don't like the way Subaru addressed the HG problem in those years. I just hit Vehix.com and came up with 7 between 5 and 10K within 100 miles of me These were all between 99 and 2004. The hatch had not come out by then, so it looks like a wagon is your best bet. IIRC teh impreza never got the DOHC engine, so you should be pretty safe there.

Rough idle can be caused by a number of things: Vacuum leak in the intake area, Timing belt misaligned by a tooth (you said the problem preceded the timing belt change, but at that age it could have easily jumped before the timing belt change. ) bad/old plugs and or plug wires. Idle Air Control valve dirty, Idle switch maladjusted. If your mechanic has a manual for these cars, these should be fairly easy to check up on.

PB Blaster, impact wrench, and it comes right off. If not, jam the flex plate/flywheel in place and use a Craftsman 1/2' breaker bar and a big pipe. . . .

I'm with bheinen74 on this. Being AWD, your car has two differentials, One in the front that looks like part of the tranny, and one in the rear, that looks like any RWD diff. The ratios on these two differentials have to match, or you will damage the AWD mecanism of your transmission. It will physically fit, but that is only half the story. let's first be sure that it is the right diferential, then we will help you get it into the car. First things first: is the tranny original to your car? If not, what is it out of? Do you know the final ratio of the tranny? Next, do you know the final ratio of the Diff? There may be a sticker on the back to tell you what this ratio is.

How about model and year so we can help better? I'm fairly familiar with the drive gear on anything up to about 2000 and could likely look at a picture to see if the later ones are different. . . Some things to consider are if the diff matches your 4EAT. look at teh final ratio on the tranny and the diff ratio to see if they are the same. If they are not the same, you will get into trouble big time. As for removing the propeller shaft, you have to be able to swing it clear of the diff to get eh diff out. if you cannot do this, you will need to remove at least the rear half of the shaft. I recomend that you break all the nuts and bolts loose before taking any all the way off. You would not believe what an unholy *(&^(*&^ it is to have just one nut you need to get loose and the diff is swinging about as you try to break it loose. . . nah, I havn't been there. Why do you ask?

Any good anaerobic sealant. I use "The Right Stuff" from Permetex, myself.

It sounds to me like the TC is not all the way set. That last little bit is what is binding you up, is my guess at this. it seems to me that you need to pull the tranny free and spin the TC in both directions while pushing lightly, and feel for that last little "chunk" that tells you that you are finally all the way in.

Actually, it sounds like the ABS sensors are acting as sensors for the AWD system as well. Having one gone is making the TCU think one wheel is constantly spinning/stuck?

Chains on the front give you pulling and turning abilities. On the rear only you get just a little go, and no steering. Choose wisely. . .

Emily has 272,000 on her so far. . . never swapped anything in the drive train (well, tires. . .)

The location seems to be somewhere in Mass and I doubt that the salesman really cares if he broke the law by making a false claim. That said, we should probably do lunch some time. You are fairly close to me so I could meet out your way if you know a good place. Shoot me a PM/email if interested. I also happen to believe in that document that is so often ignored, and tainted by the pandering to special interests. . .

Because it is often adjusted multiple times during the life of the clutch, it will be needing adjustment when you get a new clutch put in. The procedure is to find an uphill stretch of road, and adjust it so the brakes are just releasing when the clutch starts to engage. This may take several tries, until you get it just the way you like it.

That slap has been around for so long that people honestly thought Subaru sold a Diesel version of their cars. Well, now they do, but unfortunately, not in the US (emissions problems, I've heard). Will not hurt your engine, but it will make you want to pull up at the pump with the green handle. . .