nipper

i am going to try this one more time, otherwise im going to bow out. how long after the engine was installed did it fail. If it was a relativley short amount of time, then the dealership labor can be questioned. You dont analyze oil by looking at it, it goes to a lab for a small fee and they can tell what happened to the engine with some accuratcy. They analyze it for chemical greakdown and metals. Yes the rod bearing can be replaced, but only if the crank journal was not damaged. if the engine was baked, there is agood chance the Head gaskets are shot, or stressed so much that i would not trust them. nipper

that means how much curretn the block can handle before it melts down. You are over thinking everything. Did you know that your light switches are rated 230 volts in your house? doesnt mean your running 230 volts. Now that said, make sure you use proper wiring, and use the proper amperage fuses. http://science.howstuffworks.com/question501.htm http://auto.howstuffworks.com/wfc.htm nipper

i keep out of the oil arguments, its safer to talk religon and politics. Use whatever oil you want. If you use synthetic you still have to change the filter at the recomended intervals. Dont go crazy on tools. Personally aside from hand tools, the only tools i carry on a long trip is my AAA gold card and mastercard. Odds are the car will breakdown miles from a parts store, so the tools do no good anyway (murphies law volume 6 paragraph 27 section 6 line f). nipper

If the timing was off the car would not run or you would have no power, so i think your fine. The only thing i would worry about is make sure that crank bolt is properly torqued. Also there is no way you can do damage by being even three teeth off. nipper

let it warm up and see if it goes away. What bothers me is that you didnt notice it before the Tb change.. maybe do an oil change? nipper

have someone else listen to it since we cant, especially since your going on a trip. nipper

are you sure its a valve tick and no piston slap? nipper

did you replace the tnesioner and idlers. If the noise wasnt there before the Tb change, then it is after.. thats where i would look. Have you used a screwdriver as a stethascope to see where its coming from? nipper

each jurisdiction has a different small claims limit. Here in NY its 5000.00 nipper

thermostat and faulty gauge are two totally differnt systems. Over heat is did the gauge go into the hot zone and stay there. The version of overheat really doesnt apply, as it is rare, but you do have steam coming out. Did you notice if the overflow tank was full, that would be a sign that the car over heated.. You have to go by the gauge, and how the car was running. i dont ever recall a temp gauge failing on a sooby. Once again, how long between the car failing and the engine being installed. Also have the engine oil tested. That will tell you if the engine did truly overheat. Unless the shrot block was brand new, and not rebuilt new, you cant certify that the overheat tabs were there to begin with. Look at your warrenty and paperwork to find out if it is a brand new subaru block or a dealer rebuilt block. My gut tells me its a rebuilt block, therefor the tabs may have been melted from when the block was first taken out of a car. nipper

For lighting and other devices there is a saftey factor built in to it. Audio wattage is crazy and there is no real basisi in fact or science for those numbers. Just go by what the mfg says it should be. nipper

2.2L are basically bullitprrof. Check the condition of the tranny fluid, make sure all the tires match, and do some tight u turns to make sure there is no TB. TB can happen after 1997 1/2, but that is usually from owner error (driving on a flat, mismatched tires). Either car is good, but i would go with the Imprezza since it will get better gas mileage. nipper

Rust on the calpers and some parts of the rotos are not a bad thing, its normal. The backing plates i would get replaced, they help keep the abs sensors clean, and debree out of the bck of the discs. Not to mention the plates can fail and get into the the brake surfaces and make odd noises.... stranger things have happened. nipper

im hoping that was 4500 installed. i never heard fo heat tabs, but if anyone wants to jump in and explain them, we can maybe get to th truth of it. i really dont think the rod knock is related to an overheat. You really really have to cook the engine to get the oil to break down and cause rodknock. Ask them what cylinders have rod knock. When subarus get rodknock, its because the oil has broken down due to heat. the last connecting rod to get oil, the rear one on the pass side, is usually the one that fails. I mean you REALLY have to cook the engine, pegged temp gauge the entire 9 yards. Under what conditions did the car fail. Did it over heat? You can always use a failed HG as a defense, since usually a HG fails on an overheat, or a failed HG will cause an overheat, there is no where to prove what came first. How soon after you got the engine did this one fail. I think you may still have grounds for a fight. nipper

hehe jiffylube did mine (i trust my local jiffylube.. others i dont) and there were no issues. nipper

If you loose both you go in limp mode, and car is barely drivable at that pont. The tranny doesnt shift and basically stays in either 2nd or third gear. I forget since not many people hit this point. I know the max engine revs drop down to 5000 rpm or about there. You loose one you just loose the awd. nipper

I used bluestreak because they lasted longer then other brands. i used to test ignition components in another life, and blue streak from Standard auto products outlasted all the rest. You can go with a hotter coil, but plugs dont really matter, just go with the OE plug. Change the heat range as needed and youll be fine. nipper

if you truly want to waterproof it, and are feeling brave, move it into the car. Will require alot of soldering. The other choice is a water proof box. People who use sooby engines in conversions do both. nipper

volts times amps = watts. You are making this overly complicated. Use the max voltage something is rated for, or when in doubt 14 volts (a3.5 if you want to be anal). There is a voltage drop in the wires, one of the reasons you can use 14 instead of 15 volts. nipper

Two methods, power fliush (fine for subarus, i dont know where people hear these things sometimes that it is not). Second is drain fill drive around the block repeat 3x's nipper

heheh time to tell them that subarus are more american then most fords nipper

YOu may need to temporarily wire a test bulb to the ignition switch lead that goes to the starter. If that does not light up when you get a no start, you need to look at the ignition switch. nipper

grrrrrr seems like that i'm sorry should have maybe said think of all the gas youll save while the car waits for a tranny? nipper

PS it can also be the bearing on top of the Strut that allows the car to turn nipper

Odds are you fried the tranny. If the fluid got low enough so that the clutches could not fully engage, it also got low enough that it could not cool or lubricate the surfaces of the clutchs. These are wet clutches and quickly wipe out if they go low on fluid. nipper