GeneralDisorder

Exedy clutch kits *are* OEM and a lot cheaper on Amazon than the dealership pricing. That's the route to go for sure. GD

First of all - we can help you but you need to do a couple things for us: 1. Start your own thread. This one is for discussion of a repair path for a problem that is known - not discovery of a new one. 2. We need to know year, model, engine and transmission type. Pictures if you have them and if any other pertinent information you can think of. We are not mind readers nor do we have crystal balls. I can't tell you anything at all about your problem from what you have posted thus far. Nor will anyone of consequence see your post unless you start your own thread... see #1. GD

HG oil leaks. Very common. Virtually every one I look at has some amount of seepage. GD

As to it's fixability.... I have no idea. I can tell you that changing the front diff support bearings and resetting the R&P clearances is time consuming and requires patience, a clean, organized workspace, and accurate insturments calibrated in hundredth's of a millimeter - not to mention they are pressed onto the carrier. Doubtful you could accomplish a lasting repair given the circumstances you describe. I would be looking for a replacement transmission. It really sounds to me like there's teeth missing or severely damaged from being de-meshed due to the failed bearings. I doubt that a bearing replacement alone would even be warranted. It will probably need a ring gear and a pinion shaft as well as the diff bearings....at the very least. GD

All usdm 2.0's are DOHC turbocharged except the new 2012 impreza.... GD

I use all japanese components - NTN, Mitsuboshi, Tama, etc and my parts price on a 2.0 timing belt job is about $260 my cost. Don't forget the crank seal, oil pump o-ring, and thermostat.... I include those. My labor on that is $240 to $300. I could beat that dealer by at least $200 and do a more thorough job. GD

Speedo is driven from the pinion shaft so it will work as long as the pinion is turning. Sounds like you have a major front diff majfunction to me. There is only one bearing on either side of the front diff - they are tapered roller bearings and they also set the R&P lash via the threaded bearing cup holders on either side. Nothing the axle cup can possibly touch would cause a bearing failure or even touch any of the bearing components. The cup may have damaged the seal leading to oil loss and then failure..... GD

What you describe isn't really possible. The bearing on the front diff can't be "knocked sideways" by the axle cup. Sounds like..... Well honestly I cant even begin to imagine what's going on with your tranny. I have rebuilt a number of subaru transmissions though - looking at one half done on my bench right now - and I don't see what you describe being possible. GD

If you can't take the play out of it by tightening the axle nut then the bearing is shot. You won't be able to accurately detect the failure except by noise/heat unless you remove all the brake components and the axle to "feel" the bearing. GD

Wouldn't really matter. The damage was likely already done long before the oil change took place. GD

Nothing really - just used for a single year in some 2000 models - not sure which exactly. Rare to see them. Generally the differences between the 251 and 253 are minor - the fuel and ignition management are the big differences. The long blocks generally interchange without issue. I would assume that is true of the 252 also. GD

Just cut open the oil filter or drop the pan. You will find the metal and you will know for certain. You can even drop the pan and find the offending rod. You can rotate the engine to a posistion where the rod will "float" and you can feel the play with your fingers. I have done this plenty of times. But I can guarantee it's a rod knock without you doing anything at all. I own a Subaru repair and performance shop and I see this all the time. Just this last week I pulled a rod knocking '05 STi engine, an EJ22 with a rod that snapped in half, and I have an '08 WRX with a rod knock awaiting my cherry picker on Monday. Not to mention a guy I know from a car lot down the street stopped by with an EJ205 WRX that's got a rod knock he wanted me to listen to. That's 4 in one week. :cool: GD

It's just a rebrand of ThreeBond: http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/Threebond/engine/Sealants/RTV_Gasket/16805 Personally I prefer anaerobic over the various forms of RTV regardless of brand. It's much more shop friendly - infinite shelf life, won't cure so you don't have to cap the tube, easier clean up, and doesn't permanently adhere to clothing, rags, etc. RTV has it's place - but as a gasket replacement technology it has been surpassed by the anaerobic flange sealants IMO. I think you will see less of it in the future as the OEM's move to better products that are well suited to the machined and die-cast aluminium of modern components. GD

Subaru needs to bring back a form of the justy. With a direct-injected FB based engine in the 1.0 liter range. They are now pushing ~145 HP from the FB20 in the new Impreza. I'm sure something in the 1.0 range could make 80+ HP and could easily pull in MPG figures in the high 40's or 50's. Offering an AWD option with decent ground clearance in the small, fuel efficient class would be a real winner from my perspective. Something to replace my EA81 hatch with. The Justy was a real POS and since then Subaru has lost sight of it's roots - small, fuel efficient alternatives to big trucks that will still take you where you want to go. IMO they haven't tried hard enough to grab that market sector and it seems like they have all the technology to do so. About the only competitor in that bracket is Suzuki and they are a long way from competing with Subaru on popularity or dealership support. I want two things - FAST awd sports cars, and an AWD fuel efficient camping/hiking/fishing/etc rig that will take me way out and cost little to operate. Are those two things so difficult to offer? Subaru is really missing the boat here. There are TONS of people that would buy such a car. Lots of people would love something more efficient but can't bring themselves to buy a higly efficient comuter that has 12" tires and gets stuck on wet leaves. It's impractical to own for the way they live their lives. But special purpose vehicles aren't in the cards either. So they are stuck with an enormous Outback that gets 25 MPG or an EA81 that is getting really fricken old. GD

First of all - AWD does not mean that all the wheels have power. It means they *can* have power under the right circumstances. This is true of EVERY SINGLE AWD car on the market - past, present, and future. It is nothing specific to Subaru. When people talk of every-day common "2WD" cars they often don't realize that 99.9% of these are really 1WD. With a plain open differential, as seen in 99.9% of passenger cars, the power will always go to the wheel with the least traction. With most conventional "AWD" systems they are STILL 1WD. With an open front, center, and rear differential the power will still go to the wheel with the least traction. Subaru's automatics use a fluid clutch pack in place of a center diff. This allows the computer to send power to either the front or the rear based on demand - as derived from speed sensor input. But at either end of the vehicle (except in some specially equipped models) you still have an open diff and thus only the wheels at either end of the car with the LEAST traction will be engaged. So all Subaru automatic's are really 2WD. To get to 3WD you need something other than an open differential in the rear. Some of the Forester XT's did come with Viscous Limited Slip Differentials or VLSD's. These have a viscous clutch pack that heats up and causes the diff to cease being completely open. This will transfer power to both rear wheels once enough slip has occured to generate the requisite heating of the viscous fluid. To get to full AWD you then need a front Limited Slip Differential. The only Subaru model that is factory equipped with such an animal is the STi and it only comes as a 6 speed manual. This is pretty much how it breaks down for all makes and models. Subaru is better than almost all other manufacturers in their price range with regards to traction ability. Especially with the automatics. "Torque split" is a meaningless number. It varies based on what the computer wants to do. The 4EAT automatic assumes a 90/10 torque split right out of the gate. When it gets input that it needs to toss more power to the rear it does. Up to 50/50 torque split. It's all handled by the computer and it's so fast that you don't really notice it. It's mostly FWD till it needs the additional power at the back. GD

It is a bad idea because you are relying on the duty-c to dump the transmission fluid pressure away from the clutch pack. If that should fail (as they VERY often do) you will get full 50/50 torque split front/rear and it will leap off the dyno. This could lead to damage to the car/facility and or injury or loss of life. Due to that it's an extremely bad idea. You could remove the rear section of the driveline - that would mechanically isolate the rear and then with the FWD fuse installed you should be able to make the run. But the FWD fuse alone is not a safe way to do it. GD

Slave failure is very common on that year Forester. There was a TSB about them having weak springs. May have been an applicable recall as well..... When you bleed it - compress the slave completely with a c-clamp and leave it there till completely bled. It's the only way to get all the air out. I've never had to replace a master - it's always the slave and never the master in my experience. Slave's are about $40. GD

Line up a new HG with the block - chances are that's inside the fire ring of the gasket. In which case it's a non-issue. Block surfaceing runs about $50 through my machinist. I do it on all the engines I rebuild but not just for a new HG. I use a "fine" roto-loc style disc in my die grinder to very lightly and carefully clean up block surfaces. If you need to do it by hand get the brown (coarse) scotch-brite pads. GD

All the EJ251's and EJ253's are great engines - properly maitained they can approach 500k. You just have to watch for external coolant/oil weepage from the HG's. Figure on doing the HG's immediately on anything you buy. As with anything including the EJ22's - look for signs of abuse. Heavy varnish deposts under the valve covers, melted plastic bits, etc. Subaru's in general are more prone to developing rod knocks due to abuse - usually running them low on oil one way or another or repeated overheating due to coolant leaks. GD

I've seen this a time or two also. Shame on the dealer for not pulling the pump off and checking things out. A leaking seal from old age looks and feels a lot different than a seals that's blown out due to incorrect pump operation. That's just plain ignoranace that they did not question why it was leaking at such low mileage. GD

Yep - a supplemental 10 AWG wire from the alt to the battery with a fuse at or near the battery is essential to insure the alt can't burn up the wiring and connections between itself and the battery. If your battery is good you may never need it but the potential to overload 55 amp sized wire with 20+ year old connections is there even if you get away with it for years without a failure. It's really not that hard to install either. GD

Actually thats not completely true. A partially drained battery is a bottomless amperage pit. The battery will draw the alt at max capacity and overload the wiring. You always need to upgrade the main output from the alt to the battery even if you are otherwise completely stock. GD

All you had to do was pull out the press-fit fuel inlet barb, drill and tap both sides, and stick the barb off the Hitachi on it. Brass plug in the other side. No drama or overnight shipping - 1/8" NPT tap and done. I've had to do this at least half a dozen times. Used carbs present this issue often. GD

It's a rod knock. I've heard it many times. Pull the pan or cut the filter and you will find the metal. GD

I paid up on my subscription but the site hasn't granted me my 500 PM limit yet. I recall something about the admins having to do that manually so perhaps that's the hold up. I brought my messages down to below 80 so it should be ok for now.... GD