montana tom

I agree its the mechanism, and the outside handle does rust up and get sticky, but I have found that inside the door there is a small pivot point that rusts up badly and lubing the outside handle won't make it in to lube that point. Remove the inner panel and work the latch, lube up any moving part of the linkage inside ,sometimes removing them and sanding works wonders. Don't just rely on a wd-40 product , use a spray white lube that will stick around and help keep the rust away.

If you have the donut and the 2 new bolts with springs and nuts, then this is not hard at all. Your car came with a jack to change tires so you can lift it up. Sawzall is not needed ... those old bolts will either unthread or break... worse case if the bolt heads strip before breaking then a hacksaw will cut them enough that a hammer will finish breaking them. The whole exhaust is rubber mounted it will pull away after the bolts are removed. The old donut will need to be persuaded with a screwdriver and hammer to come off, then just stick on the new donut, put in the new bolts and springs , let down the jack and your done! No $70.00 hr and 2 hr drive involved.

Go for repairing the evil you have... give it new head gaskets , you have to buy the TB, idlers & WP no matter what. This way you know when everything was changed , no surprises. As far as running into any problems ... anything you find probably would have needed repair no matter what option you go with.

Scott; The rear shafts rarely go bad unless the boots are torn. Yes they are different than fronts, save your money ,don't fix em if they aren't broke .

Find out why that engine is not seating ... BEFORE buying anything else. Something will break if you don't fix it ! Amazing they got the motor mounts to go in with it 1/2" back!

Your idle is normal. The shuddering is probably your brakes and or rotors. I would have somebody inspect your front brakes.

If you applied power and your actuator did not work ,then it may not be the wires as suggested ... Currently on page 4 see my post on 2008 obw hatch not working and see the picture and part # of factory part that you may need.

Cruise control blinks and is non functional when the check engine lite comes on. Fix or just clear codes and cruise unit should function normal. As far as the o2 sensor goes, it usually ends up being the front or upstream one that throws a code. Live feed would be the best way to diagnose this but that is usually not a free option.

I just replaced that donut on a 99 forester and yes both bolts broke... the parts house had no trouble getting original equipment , bolts, springs & nuts. What was left of the old donut had to be chiseled off , and reassembly was no problem.

Great info, Thank you, located npr rings & acl bearings , recommendations or warnings on valves ?

Hi all ; looking to purchase an engine kit to rebuild my 01 2.5 . There seem to be many out there and they all claim to be "top quality" I keep running across "DNJ" parts ... Are they ok ? I am leaning towards a re ring kit (rings , bearings , gaskets) at around $280.00 but rock island is offering a kit with pistons ,rings , bearings and lower gaskets at $325.00. I've seen other kits on ebay and they look to be (china junk) I could be wrong. Does anybody have any experience with any of these (kits) ? I'm not building a race car but I dont want to have to do this over any time soon. Same question on the valve sets on ebay ... very cheap..... but are they any good ? Anybody trying them ?

My 2001 obw broke its timing belt at 200,000 miles (was told it was replaced) and yes it bent quite a few valves ... but it didn't hurt the short block. I had a set of used heads to put on and that motor is running better than before. See how much to rebuild or replace your heads and consider just putting new or used heads on your block. The ej-20 2.0 will be noticeably weaker than a 2.5. Or look in the wrecking yards for a 2000-2004 ej 25. heads or complete motor. I have installed many japanese take out motors in subarus and have always had good luck with them , but in my opinion you won't be happy with the 2.0 in a obw.

This sounds similar to an issue I had with the rear latch on a 2008 obw. On the inside is there a small (3x2) plastic cover that could be pried off? If so ,pop it off, shine a light inside , look for a long white plastic arm on the right (drivers) side. flip it either up to horizontal or down and see if your hatch locks. Look for my post (on page 3) on 2008 obw rear hatch to see pictures and hear the saga .

Surprised me the first time it happened. This only happens with automatics, manual transmissions have a fixed stub axle.

Update, the brand new part from subaru parts online has failed ! Worked perfect from 2-19 till late last week then quit again. After contacting them they sent a new replacement part , also nib subi part. I installed it today ... worked twice ... then same thing ! This happens with the remote control or the door panel. All other lock / unlock door functions work fine ??? Good thing they have that manual switch for the rear latch! Has anybody else had this happen ? Could I have gotten two defective latch assemblies ? The first was dated 1-2015 , todays was dated 11-2014 , did subi have a bad run of assemblies ?

I just listened to it again and If it is a rod ....it won't hold together much longer. If it is the torque converter bolts , your flex plate will be torn up by now . Easy enough to inspect the converter bolts. If they are loose you'll know quickly by looking in the inspection hole on the top pass side of the bell housing. If you find loose bolts and egg shaped holes pull the motor and replace the flex plate. If the bolts are tight .....then good chance it could be the engine bearings and you're looking at much more $ . If it really sounds that bad, I would not drive it at all (or very little, preferably straight to the shop) until you can figure this out. One way or the other sounds like your motor will be hanging off the hook soon.

Is this an automatic ? Could it be the bolts coming loose on the torque converter?

Mine was stainless, if yours is also I would have your friend tigweld it, if its steel, stick weld should work ok, although wire feed would have less chance of burning a hole . There probably will not be room next to the oil filter to allow heat wrap and if they are chromed steel I wouldn't bother painting them.

I have put UEL stainless headers on my 00 & 01 obw. They claimed to be for an impreza but bolted right on an obw. They are very close to the oil filter but I see no heat damage on the filter so I think thats ok. On my 01, that is the only odd thing about the fit. The 00 has the same issue with being close to the oil filter but it also has a slight rattle when the body flexes. I have had them on the 01 over a year now and I just last month put the set on the 00.After a while I will remove the 00 ones and see about bending whatever they are hitting. Do they "rumble" ? can't say that I've noticed but what they really do is scavenge the exhaust and make them run stronger. No problems with the computer system or anything else after the change. As far as an 09 ??? start on ebay and go from there. Seems in my year group 00-04 they just don't list any for obw but by luck I had a set available to try that were made for an impreza, and they fit just fine. (thats the set on the 01) . If they are available in your year then order a set for an impreza ... treat them gently ,remove your old Y pipe and compare them... if it looks like they might fit then try ... if not box them up and send them back, OR.... find a teenager with an impreza and sell them to him. Good Luck and welcome to the world of subarus!

mounted in the exhaust system. second one in line is downstream. On a 2000-2004 obw the downstream o-2 is near the end of the transmission not sure on a 09. You can't miss them they are the only thing screwed into exhaust system. The one closest to the motor is the upstream 0-2 , its usualy the more expensive of the two.

Run them till they rumble, then change them out when the noise bothers you.

Lol , I saw that price too !!! I paid $105.00 "on sale" Don't understand why they do that ridiculous price change thing ,but I've seen it happen with the china stuff before. I think most all the stainless headers run from 105.00 to 140.00 , some use a slightly larger pipe size, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if they are all made at the same place. What I found odd is they all claim to be for impreza, not obw but they fit just fine ?

I put an unknown brand on my 2001 obw, liked them so much I ordered and installed this set on my 2000 obw Ebay #(221497299785) paid $105.00 delivered E-motors stainless steel header for impreza . Fit good, came with new gaskets and bolts... throw away the bolts (grade 0 junk) sits very close to the oil filter but seems to cause no problems. Slight rattle on low speed corners when body flex allows them to touch the undercarriage. Performance difference is immediate, have not checked milage yet. Should have done this years ago!

Timber; You need to open the front of the motor up, take off the timing belt and remove the crank sprocket, be careful removing it , as the raised lip at the back (right where you might pry) is where the crank sensor receives its signal ,if you bend or break one of the tabs you will need to replace the sprocket. IF YOU ARE LUCKY... when you get the crank sprocket off , the key channel in the crankshaft snout won't be broken..... I have cleaned up bent edges with a die grinder , filed the slot and the new replacement key , I have even cleaned up the slot in the harmonic balancer and put it all back together ,with locktite red and it held ... on a street car not on a rally STI , but you may get lucky. You most likely will want another balancer, you will need a new key , you may need a new sprocket, while you are in there did your town mechanic replace the timing belt rollers ? tensioner ? cam/crank seal ? waterpump ? When this goes back together the balancer bolt must be TIGHT !!! If .....your crank snout is badly broken you should replace the crankshaft... (I think maybe use a different shop than the last time) However .... if you're like most rally (off road) people, you or one of your friends will think of this (just weld it) DON'T DO IT !!! Thats a wrx sti motor worth NOTHING if you weld it !

Try the spray test & see if you have a problem with sparking. If not try to find a donor car you can borrow the MAF from, easy ,easy to R&R if your problem changes you have your answer , if not keep looking. I personally have never had cam or crank sensor send bad signals , they either worked or did not . Again if you can find a willing donor car you can easily swap those out for a few minutes to see what effect that may have. Keep looking you will find it!