subaruUser

I hear you Pierbon and your post made me smile. Guess I've just grown inpatient since I've had this thing in pieces for just about 90 days Actually got the car together over the past weekend. Good news is it started up and runs, bad news made a weird noise when starting and immediatly threw code P0748. Trans light flashing non-stop. Shifts hard on engagement and goes straight to 4th (fail-safe mode). No other drive gears work. Bit of research I did on new issue shows solenoid probably damaged from removal error of jacking on trans pan. Might just have to throw the towel in and take it to a shop at this point. Fear I may have broke something else in there.

Just wanted to thank all you guys who helped and contributed to this thread.Happy to say I dropped the engine back in today and while I didn't finish the install the TC was perfect. I can say without a doubt that I had the thing seated twice when I thought that it wasn't. As a few said the easiest way to know it's seated is when you drop the motor back in, you should have about an 1/8" gap between the flywheel. This is exactly how things looked. Looking back it actually wasn't too difficult to seat but the anxiety of having never done it and not knowing if it was correct was my problem! I regret to report that due to not being able to obtain the input shaft o-ring I wasn't able to change it. Hopefully this won't lead to the shift engagement delay mentioned. I really wanted to change it but I can have this thing down anymore the OD just went out on our Pathfinder, looks like my next work is already cut out for. It amazes me to read how quick some members can tear these cars down and throw back together as it has taken me quite a bit of time. I have however forgot how some things go back together since it's been awhile since taking it apart. The Haynes manual I have doesn't cover it all that great in detail. I've been reading the FSM too but the manual even though it says it for an 03 there's a good bit different, maybe because it's for the foreign models . Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to finish getting things together and she'll run without having anymore issues.

Went to two Subaru dealers and no luck in obtaining the Input Shaft o-ring. Second dealer told me the part has been superseded but neither part was stocked locally. Would like to replace but since it's unavailable not sure what I'm going to do, really need to get this car back together. It's been in pieces since Thanksgiving Picked up my engine tonight from the Machine shop. They were able to install the rear crank sleeve and RMS. Machinist told me it wasn't easy but he got it. Glad I spared myself the pain and paid the $25 at this point. Let's pray that thing doesn't leak. Decisions, decisions,,,, order a $2.00 o-ring and have to wait another week or try and get this thing dropped in and back together??

I think the name Is dependent on the brand. I have heard ones called Redisleeve, Spedisleeve, etc. For example Silver Seal's brand name is Microsleeve.

I spoke with customer service at Silverseal.com and confirmed they make a sleeve that fits the rear crankshaft of EJ motors. For those interested their sleeve is 3.381 and my crank was 3.383 and FSM specs it as 3.384. They told me a little light heat with a light bulb or blow dryer and you can gently slide it on and shouldn't need their tool either as they have discontinued the install tool. Great deal overall as their sleeves run $7.70 + about $9 for shipping making the total less than $20. The SKF sleeve I mentioned above actually cost me $60! I received the sleeve on Saturday and took it to the machinist who currently has my motor. He checked it and said it should be a nice fit. Hope this helps others who make this unfortunate mistake. I've learned and hopefully won't need another one of these again but it's a relief their is actually a company that makes a sleeve the fits the rear crankshaft of our EJ motors.

OK, so sounds like I'll be taking the TC off again to replace that o-ring. As for if I have the hang of seating the TC yet, not sure! I haven't re-installed the motor yet to determine if it's indeed seated all the way. To me it looks seated but honestly both times it wasn't too hard to get to what I believe is seated. This makes me question if it actually is since so many say it's a difficult task. Have you seated one on for the Phase 2 ever? I've never seen one seated so just hoping I getting it seated at this point. Too bad your just a little too far south I would love an experienced set of eyes to take a look and tell me what they think.

Thanks for the info and insight. Dang it, I looked at o-ring and thought about replacing but got side tracked and didn't. TC is back on already so now I need to decide if I want to go back down that road. Oh, yeah wanted to ask again about the trans pan magnet. Is it normal for that thing to be covered in a greasy type sludge?

Thanks for clarifying, got ya! Yeah it's entirely something else like you say as the input shaft appears higher and in mid-line of trans. As I mentioned just getting paranoid due to issues I've had!

Oh, forgot one other item had a question about the pan magnet was covered in the ferrous type of oil like sludge, is this normal? The fluid color was nice and red but I flushed it shortly after purchasing and also removed a Napa oil filter from the Trans and installed the correct Subaru specific ATF filter

I don't believe this is the shift rod. Its actually directly above the shift rod i beleive but higher up in the case. The shaft I'm talking about runs front to back, shift rod runs side to side and valve body, correct? It may be the shaft for the pinion gear as the other member above mentioned. Like i mentioned dont know anything really about transmissions but being cautious to avoid anymore mistkes. I may just be paranoid because this project has became such a mess. I'm still waiting for the crank sleeve I ordered from MI to get the engine squared away. Guess I'm probably safe to seal the tranny pan and move on for now. Going to use Permatex The Right Stuff gray. Since I don't have access to any of these ThreeBond products and The Right Stuff seems like it may be an step-up/improvement for Ultra Grey.

OK, so dropped the pan today to straighten it out based on other members mentioning it may cause my next problem. Wow, that red Three Bond is insane to break the seal. Finally got the darn thing off and banged out the bottom. Wish I hand't messed that pan up because that seal was real good, dang it! Now that I am able to see up inside the transmission I may still have an issue. Looking inside the transmission, next to the valve body above the shift select lever there is a shaft that has a spot of shinny wear. I wonder if this is the input shaft? If so it may be out of place. Meaning, from the looks the shaft might have rode somewhere further back in the case giving it this smooth appearance. It appears to be a machine surface and seems odd to be in a location with no contact and to look like that. Not sure though as I know nothing about transmissions, so maybe this isn't even the input shaft and just another part of the transmission. I'm trying to attach a picture here but having problems. Maybe I'm an idiot but can't seem to figure out how to upload pictures to this site or the member content area. I just keep getting deeper and deeper. After all of this I would hate to get this car back together to only learn it may have been something I could have found/fixed during all of this but didn't and it causes further damage. Did I mention at the start of this I only bought this car less than 3000 miles ago!

I realize this is an old thread but posting this info for the benefit of others who like me may run across this thread due to the need to sleeve the rear crankshaft of their EJ25. The Napa link above is not the correct sleeve for EJ25. Trust me, I bought one and crushed it like a beer can trying to install it before buying a micrometer. The above one fits a crank that is 3.338 to 3.346 which is too small. In fact SKF does not make an appropriate sleeve to fit an EJ25 Subaru crank. My crank mic'd at 3.383 and according to FSM new spec is 3.384. SKF listings jump right over the size needed for our cranks. As a few bearing shops told me, "you have an odd duck" (in terms of sizing) and suggested Subaru made a rear crank size that is "uncommon". I did find the other company another poster above mentioned that is listed in MI @ Silver-Seal.com. According to their website they have a sleeve that fits EJ22 and EJ25 and is listed as 3.384. I've order this one and will report back when its received if it fits correctly. In the meantime, if you do decide to go down the road of replacing the RMS, tread lightly, as even though our cranks are steel they are softer than you might think!

Good tip on the RMS and tapping further didn't think about that! Also promising to hear how many RMS you have done with good results. For the converter seal, I indeed looked at it and the spring was still intacted so based on my luck with the job I decided to leave it alone Where is the bushing located you mention to take a look at? I looked inside where the transmission input shaft sits in the trans and appeared fine. I also looked inside the TC and all teeth appeared normal. I currently have it at the point of what I believe is seated so for now I don't plan on pulling it back off unless when I try to drop the motor back in there isn't the 1/8" gap between the flex plate and TC. TC currently takes a slight effort to spin (Car in neutral) but seems to rotate smoothly. I appreciate the wishes for a New Year, I need it, it's been a rough year for sure. Still open to making a new friend if anyone local has done this and could lend a hand/insight. Did I mention I have a heated garage If you have a GF8 too I have a lovely JDM roof rack I would make a nice deal on for lending a hand, win-win.

Yes a good tool indeed. I actually have that tool I was using it and the RMS was in so tight it actually straightened the tool :s I ended up getting out the RMS with a couple of drywall screws which unfortunately is what marred the crank. It's been quite the learning experience.

Dave thanks for the idea. Well yesterday my luck continues, trying to sleeve the crank and the sleeve wouldn't go on and got destroyed. I've never used one before but according to the directions and what others have said should have been easy. Nothing with job for me has been easy, go figure. Finding out if a local machinist can sleeve and just install the damn seal. Gaining a whole lot of experience on this one the hard way. Bet I never mess with a RMS on a Subaru again. Guess that will give me time to do the mock up you suggested above.

That's another way to skin a cat I suppose

Thanks I'm going to be trying to hopefully install this afternoon. Let's hope I'm good!

Searching Google I ran across a thread over on NASIOC. See post #2; http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1607928 According to the member it shows this picture as fully seated and this is how mine looks. Could I be fully seated and turning for days for nothing?

I just got it seated down either to what is the second or could be third (fully seated), but again not sure. Again, if I measure from the trans bell housing mount (flush) to the outer lip of the TC (towards front of car) it's a 1/4". However the reason I wonder if its seated is because if I look through the starter hole, the bottom edge of that starter hole closest to the TC is almost touching and seems like it might not be able to come back anymore.

Well, I'm still at it pulled the TC back out to look again and measure input shaft distance. From what I can tell from FSM my distance is correct so shouldn't be input shaft causing issue. Reinserted TC and now stuck on first click. Maybe it was seated when I removed, I don't know! Wish that I had some experience with this. Any locals in the PDX/Vancouver area who might be able to help me? I would be SO thankful. Currently sitting on radiator support with feet on crossmember turning....

Wow, 1/4" behind the mating surface. The TC edge currently is still 1/4" outside of the mating surface at the moment so it sounds like I'm not fully seated, man what a PITA! I had a hell of a time tonight getting the RMS out and marred the crank/seal surface. Spent a good 1/2 hour lightly sanding smooth with 800 grit paper. It appeared to have been leaking but judging by how difficult it was to remove, maybe not. After reading about the RMS tonight probably should have left the damn thing alone I might have just created my next problem down the road, sigh.

OK, so seems a little debate on replacement of the front oil seal. I'm now leaning towards replacing it, since I may have stressed it and I'm already need deep in replacing the RMS, resealing the back seperator plate/wrist pin access and dropping the pan, So figure I might as well go all the way at this point! I also see there is an o-ring on the front of the input shaft seems might be logical to replace that too while I'm there, thoughts? Another thread on a different forum mentioned a method of pulling the input shaft from the transmission and installing on the TC/oil pump shaft and then sliding the complete unit back into the car. What do you guys think of this method? Imdew I appreciate your input and will be look closely at dropping the pan to smooth it out as I was reading about that issue with clearance. Not to sound like a complete newb but can you explain what "aft trans mount" is? I will try putting the starter in the hole as well too but unfamiliar what you mean by "push the TC aft", can you explain further? Miles I will for sure be putting the intake on after the motor is matted to the flywheel! My biggest worry at the moment besides getting the TC back on correctly is if I any hidden damaged during the stress of removal. As mentioned above things didn't come apart too easy for me due to pain of learning and lack of experience and the engine separated about 3 inches and pushed back on the TC a few times which worries me about damage to the oil pump that seems like from what I've read is like glass when stresses like these occur. At the moment currently awaiting for a new dog bone to arrive at the dealer that was stress cracked during the removal. Hoping this weekend will be the "Christmas Miracle" and the car will be back together correctly and operational.

Ok, so if I understand correctly the damage occurs when the TC is too far outside of the bell housing and people then push it back with weight/pressure of engine trying to install with force? I'll try looking in from the starter and bottom to see how close things are. Thanks

So I finally got the engine back together and now moving on to try and get this TC back on correctly. I need to do this right as I already have a another vehicle (non Subaru) that needs a new transmission and I'm trying to get this fixed before that goes out. I can't afford to buy a new transmission for the Subaru too, so I'm desperate for help to do this right. I have no experience with this (and no help), so you guys here are all I've got to get this seated right. I've read numerous threads on many forums, including the links provided (thank you all!) and have tried to seat it but am not sure it's all way in. So here's what I have done thus far; I took the oil pump shaft and clipped the c-clip to it and carefully slid it down to where it locks onto the TC. The oil pump shaft tube is locked in firm on the side it clips into and has playable movement (slight up and down) on the other side, I assume this is correct but don't know? I then took that complete assembly (TC with oil pump shaft clipped on) and slid it inside the transmission and did the fish hook thing turning to try and seat. It took awhile to get the first seating but did dropped but was no all one, two or three it all happened at once. So now I'm a the point where I'm nit sure if it's fully seated back to the third stop point. I have kept trying to get it to seat further turning both directions and no success. So I'm now wondering is it seated fully or isn't it. If it isn't not sure what to do as after hours of trying I'm left feeling hopeless From what I can tell it's a 1/4" out still but really don't know. I took a few pictures but they're not the best; https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7KBRkTonMkWmYbPb17ZlhxjVatHYk7ER-Mx4sUtYam0=w155-h207-p-no https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/JtClgTRZ1Wcea86wvLUlki9m8BZwu0dk-h5S6GS8gYE=w155-h207-p-no I hope posting a link is acceptable as I tried to add the URL and it gave me errors. First post I made it allowed me but not now. So if anyone can give me an idea if I have done this correctly and if the TC is seated I would be very grateful. I'm under the impression it's not but after a long time of turning it won't go anymore and I'm lost. My family is hoping I get this car fixed so we can go see Grandma for the holidays, I'm feeling doubtful. I need to make some Subaru friends! If any local guys near me have experienced with this I would love for some help/advice. If beers your thing I can provide!

Thanks guys for the info. Good no nonsense forum here! So sounds like Tranny is OK as long as I seat TC correctly and even though snap ring is slightly bent I can probably straighten and reuse. Thanks Dave for the detail pictures, very helpful. Adventure I appreciate the post and thread, I'll take a look. Should I replace that front seal or not mess with it? Doesn't look to be leaking but its tempting with it right there starring at me.