GeneralDisorder

We use the Deatschwerks pumps on pretty much everything - even have one in my Trans Am and put one in a friend's Vette. They run about $95 shipped to your door with install kit. Sure it's more than junk yard but it's new and it depends on how much you value your time to search the JY. I can't justify going myself anymore. GD

The 25D was always a 10mm pump engine. It wasn't till the 251 came along. Strangely the Legacy 251 came with the 7mm and the Impreza/Forester 251 came with the 9mm. Explain that one.... heavier car with smaller pump? I guess fuel economy. Really, really, REALLY stupid idea Subaru! Like the low tension rings in the FB. WTF? GD

Thanks for the kind words Judy. Really glad I could help point the dealer in the right direction for you. Diagnostics can be tough and finding people that can do it is very, very hard. To anyone out there that wants a career in this field - learn diagnostics and how to run a scope and you can write you own ticket. GD

Because they switched hose designs in about 91. To the S shaped one. So you have to buy a hose for a 91-94 Loyale to use a straight nipple radiator in an 85 to 90. GD

La'bean is just lipstick for the pig in the Forester models. Dead cow, fake tree carcass, etc. GD

Most people, if they use a different site, go with YouTube. GD

Post a video of the noise. GD

Turn the engine with a ratchet till it lines up with the window. Turn the torque converter through the starter hole. GD

Valve lash *can* be done without pulling the cams. There is a special tool just for 97 to 99 25D engines made by Kent moore.... no one does it often enough to buy the $300 tool though. The only other thing that uses bucket-shim is 2002 WRX's for which you need a different tool.... after 02 they went to shimless buckets and removal of the cams is mandatory. We do it as part of the 105k service. It is typically around $1150 to $1250 for everything. That includes all timing components, water pump, valve cover gaskets, cam seals, valve lash, any shims required, spark plugs, etc. This is the same as any 03+ turbo model so it's the same price for a 25D as it is for a 2016 STI. To put it in perspective.... GD

The metallurgy on the Subaru engines is very, very good. The only wear that occurs in the valve train is the burning away of the valve face and seat. Thus causing (mostly the exhaust) valves to tighten and eventually to hang open and burn. This take 100k+ miles to become a problem though. They never make noise unless someone got in there and moved shims around. Tensioners definitely make knocking noises. Often sounds exactly like a rod. Stethoscope on the tensioner mounting bracket will tell for sure. There are no paper copies of service manuals for 95 and newer. They do not print them. You can download and print if you like. They are free over on sl-i.net. Just Google free Subaru factory manual sl-i.net, etc. GD

It would be better all around to just disguise a Weber under the stock airbox. More power, easier to tune, etc. And heck - who doesn't delight in pulling one over on the emissions police. GD

OEM or the code will come back. Pay now or pay later. GD

No it isn't. The H6 has never been available in the Forester. GD

The vacuum accumulator canister is for the HVAC controls. A diagnostic smoke machine is pretty much a must have for troubleshooting turbocharged engines. It's very hard to find small leaks or leaks that only really show under boost without one. A good mechanic will probably charge a minimum 1 hour to do a hookup and show you where the leaks are. Otherwise you pretty much have to take it apart and do visual on every component. GD

Check the air filter. Might be coming apart internally. Remove and inspect carefully. GD

The boost pressure should be the same. Sounds like possibly a boost leak somewhere. Should be an idle control check valve somewhere.... hoses, etc. You don't usually see vacuum above the throttle plate. The throttle plate at partial throttle act's like a venturi and creates the vacuum. Once you get it open far enough to read anything above the throttle blade - well it's making boost at that point and the reading would be almost zero if it wasn't anyway. GD

The solid lifter valve trains don't get loose, they get tight. Look elsewhere for your noise. That won't be it. GD

It IS NOT a lifter since a 98 Forester doesn't have hydraulic lifters unless someone swapped in an older 2.2 engine or a 96 2.5 engine. Could be piston slap, could be timing belt tensioner, could be rod bearing. Don't attempt a rebuild. It's not for a DIY'er. Get another engine or bring it to me if you really want a rebuild. GD

Not really the best idea as that will just foul the oil in the system and pump metal shrapnel through the condenser and possibly plug up the receiver/drier and expansion valve creating a more expensive repair. I would unplug it till you can get a compressor for it. GD

It's very rare to see a failure. If you are getting the fuel pump prime then the ECU is being powered. I would be looking at crank and cam sensor signals. GD

It depends on if you have an bore gauge, micrometers, and are willing to learn to use them for this job. Also need to find a machinist that can do a mainline hone. The process of insuring proper alignment of the case halves during assembly involves noting how the case "wants" to go together and then rather violently "aligning" the case halves using the crankshaft, a dead blow, and a modified torque sequence as you do the final assembly. Basically "walking" the case into alignment using the crankshaft journals. Same goes for the rod bearings. It is also helpful to "read" the wear patterns on the old bearings. This will shows what journals need work and if the crank and rods are straight, or need to be corrected or replaced. GD

Check refrigerant charge and it also often helps to pull a spacer washer out of the compressor clutch to account for wear. GD

Well if it blows cold it's not low on refrigerant - which can cause noises due to the lack of oil circulation because the oil dissolves into the refrigerant and is moved around the system by it. This also indicates no clutch slip. And if it stops when the compressor stops then it's not the clutch bearing. So the compressor is on it's way out. There really isn't much else to it unfortunately. GD

You might have some malware on your phone. It went straight to YouTube for me. No boogaloo.

You need to have an accurate bore gauge. The main clearances are between .0004" and .0012". I shoot for .001" on all my builds. The cases, when they aren't brand new, have VERY POOR assembly accuracy repeatability. Since the mains have a clearance of .001" (or less) when cold, that means .0005" on either side. This means an assembly variation of .0005" will cause TOTAL DESTRUCTION of your engine. Think about that for a second. An average human hair is .004" - a variation of 1/8th the thickness of a single hair will cause utter devastation inside your engine. The steel dowel pins are not accurate enough on their own. Also the repeated disassembly, reassembly process, as well as a hundred thousand+ miles means they can't be trusted. Aluminium has the same density as oak for machinist purposes. You are attempting to assemble an engine made of oak, with the tolerance of 1/8th the thickness of a human hair. Now ask yourself - what, in your life experience, has properly trained you to work in this medium and at these measurements? The rods do this too. You have to measure every rod clearance on three angles not just in the thrust direction. The factory rods have poor assembly repeatability also. You have to see how they want to assemble and then beat on them in the direction that corrects their geometry as you tighten them down in stages..... I caution people about this all the time. There are VERY FEW people in my industry that can do it at all - let alone every time with 100% success. Over the course of my first half dozen engines I quickly adjusted and corrected my process. I lost three engines out of the first six or so. Two to rod bearing failures, and one to a thrust bearing. We have an extremely rigid set of rules and processes that we go through to insure correct assembly and alignment. Once you get past the block half assembly the rest is easy. Everything else is pretty forgiving. The bottom end on a Subaru engine is probably the least forgiving rotating assembly on the planet from a machining and reassembly perspective. Beware. GD