GeneralDisorder

95 is a completely different pinout than 96. They are entirely incompatible though they do share the same connector. GD

They blow. Its happens. Usually between 220k and 280k of natural causes. Or more quickly if abused. One of my loaner cars (1990 Legacy) came to me with blown HG's at only 110k miles. As with anything - it's a gasket and it can and will fail. People that say they don't blow are only repeating what they have heard and likely have experienced only a handful of their own cars and the cars of friends and family. I have a statistical sampling numbering in the thousands and YES they absolutely can and do fail. Just less often than the 25D. It's easy to tell and it's easy to diagnose. You look for oily residue in the overflow bottle, you do a cold pressure test, and you drive the car. If there is residue, it holds pressure cold, and overheats after 10-30 minutes of driving anyway - you have a HG failure. GD

You might have someone at a NAPA that actually knows what they are doing - that is not at all the norm. I don't buy parts there and I wouldn't even consider them for machine work. If it came down to that (and it has with some things and I've carried out the threat) I would just buy the machine tools and do it my d*mn self. And as with almost everything - if you want it done right, do it yourself. OR - pay an a$$load to someone like me that can actually do it properly on the car with the correct tools prescribed by the engineers who designed it. It's only "expensive" because of the perceived value of the vehicle and your time. IS your time worth more than the proper repair? If not then do it twice or three times and spend your time rather than your money. Or you can sell your time using the skills YOU have and trade it for money that you buy the skills WE have with. Up to you. But it does say a lot about a person when you consider all the angles doesn't it? GD

When you see a car with play in the "bearing", you replace it correctly with all new parts only to find it still has 1/2" of play at the tire..... you will definitely check bearing pockets for distortion from being abused on a press. GD

I've never seen one leak or break. You're way out in the rhubarb on your logic. Six Star is rebranded, over priced crap. I have sampled their products and while they do have tempting margins, I wouldn't use them. Tama makes the factory thermostat. GD

If it's pre-05 for front bearings they must be pressed. Subaru specifically disallows use of a hydraulic press for this due to the danger of deforming the knuckle. It should also be done on the car so as to not disturb the alignment. Dealer replacement pricing for the pressed in bearings is in the neighborhood of $700. The job is 3.2 hours labor with the Subaru specific on-car press tool. If you bring me a bare knuckle it's still going to be about 1.25 hours so $125. Including measuring the bearing pocket for deformation. And then you'll need an alignment. Plus you want to use a quality bearing, seals, and may need a new hub. Do the math. We use a hub tamer (hub grappler actually), and we charge $400 without a new hub, or $450 with a new hub. So how much are you really going to save? Beware anyone that's going to press this for cheap. They probably shouldn't be doing it. Keep in mind that we see other shops screw this up routinely. It is very easy to get in way over your head. From rusted axle splines, to deformed knuckle pockets, hub's with severe wear lips, and other nasty surprises. If you have no experience pressing bearings, do yourself a favor and have it done professionally or get a used knuckle from the junk yard. GD

The compression will be low unless you swap the pistons, and the 2001 block has the wrong PCV system so it will need to be adapted. GD

Just cut off the connector and crimp/heat shrink the wires together. The connectors regularly break or are incompatible. You don't need a connector there - you can just unbolt the sensor. It's stupid. GD

It is hard on alternators to "charge" a battery. This is NOT the alternators job. The alternator is there to provide electrical power for the vehicle and to replenish the relatively small amount of lost charge due to starting. The battery is also essentially a giant capacitor that smooths out the system. A bad battery that discharges when sitting will absolutely put a heavy load on the alternator resulting in premature failure. We OFTEN replace the battery (and terminals) at the same time we are replacing the alternator. And yes all alternators come with warnings that the battery should be charged or replaced prior to installation and operation. GD

Just use the keyway. It should be at 6 o-clock with both cams at 12. GD

Either there is too much back pressure (filter) on the pump, or more likely given your pressure readings, you have a voltage drop in the circuit, causing the pump to run slow. This is not good for the pump, or for the wiring. You might also check the voltage, voltage drop, and determine no problems which is likely going to point to a bad fuel pressure regulator, or leaking injector, etc causing low pressure.... Also used pumps are not reliable, nor are Autozone parts. Geta proper AEM or Deatschwerks in tank pump for like an 02 WRX. But check that the system can maintain a proper pressure. Should be about 35 psi with the regulator vacuum unplugged. GD

A lot of that stuff on rockauto is closeout so they don't even want a core. You can also easily upgrade to newer model rear discs. Like a 97 Outback, etc. The rears don't have the wheel clearance requirements like the fronts do and all the parking brake stuff should be the same. GD

Unless it just needs a reseal and head surfacing, it's not feasible to rebuild one. You can't get the parts to do so effectively. Primarily if the oil pump is scored to rat $hit then you cannot get a replacement and probably the bottom end is shot anyway. So inspect the oil pump - if it's good then reseal the engine and run it as-is. Rebuilding is no longer feasible. And keep this in mind when using the engine also - replacement parts are non existent. Better to just get an EJ22. GD

The main fusible link in the under-hood fuse box is blown. GD

Yeah - usually this means the whole mess goes in the f*ckit bucket. GD

Just cut out the connector and hard wire the sensor. Check the manifold bulkhead connector pins also. Then check the wiring back to the ECU. GD

It was either back to back or face to face. I recall that I had it so the axle nut clamped the bearings pushing the outer races into their pockets. Seemed to make the most sense given the choice. Likely would work either way. GD

I am personally of the opinion that this design was originally intended to use 7207 bearings for axial thrust capability. We used them effectively in some rally applications. We added a .005" shim to the spacers to get the bearing temp down a bit after some testing. Worked really well and never had another failure after we switched to axial thrust bearings. GD

Engine parameters have nothing to do with it. You have a bad sensor, bad connection, or bad wiring. Just cut the connector off the sensor and the harness and crimp them together. GD

I beg to differ. 1217B is the best stuff ever. I love the pink concrete. Most of you will never experience the joy since it's $90 for a tube of it from Subaru. GD

EJ engines do NOT use gaskets for the oil pan. And neither cork nor rubber is better than RTV. Those are both terrible sealing materials. Silicone and Viton are better but RTV is the best solution by far. Where exactly are you afraid the sealant will end up? GD

You must mean the 87+ GL's That had the styrofoam backed plastic bumpers. Yup....Newer. LoL. There's very little difference between your 86 GL and most newer cars except you are MUCH more likely to be very dead in a collision with your GL and my '69 GMC 2500. By 1986 they were using the same tinfoil they use today (body panel thickness). Just a lot less plastic, less engineered crumple zones, and far fewer safety features. Being unibody, any significant impact will total the GL regardless. GD

Yeah we usually don't in the case of basic HG replacement. But we do see a fair number of short block replacements also. GD

They should be "messed with" if necessary to clean them of engine failure debris. They should be fully dissasembled and cleaned of all metal and old oil. GD

That's nuts. In a shop environment we have no time for such foolishness. The bolts get tightened, the fluids get filled, and the key gets turned. As quickly as can be accomplished. We have a near zero return rate with regards to leaks from RTV sealed components. Ultra Grey is alright. Though it pales in comparison to 1217H or 1217B. GD