montana tom

Hi Zett; With 3-4 thousand to spend at the end of the summer you should be able to find a REBORN outback (00-04 )with new head gaskets,seals ,timing components, and an all over check up on brakes, suspension. I sell them in that condition all the time , prices run 2800-4500 on most of them. Only as a last resort should you talk to a dealership. Do not buy a car from them.The mechanics in back might be who to talk to not a salesman. They may know of a subaru shop OR one of them might run a sideline mechanic business. I see Huntington is not to far away and Charleston is sort of nearby. Watch Craigs list. I advertise all my reborn Subi's on C.R. Some one there may be doing the same thing as me. Do not bat an eye at 200,000 miles on the odometer. Most of the ones I sell are over 200,000 . My personal vehicle is a 2000 5 speed it currently has 298,000 miles , the wife's is a 2001 with 254,000 miles , both run strong and are completely reliable. Included a photo of a 2003 obw with 225,000 on the odometer. New h.g. timing components ,seals , front and rear brakes, new axle ,new rear wheel bearing , and more . Its selling this Thursday for $4500. I've got a 2000 limited here with 216,000 for $ 3700. These cars are out there, however I do not know about rust issues in your neck of the woods. Here in the NW we have little to no rust out issues. Beware a badly rusted car!

Well, not sure on a new one but our 2001 routinely gets loaded full of rocks ,seats down. Then we hook a 4 x 6 covered trailer also stuffed full of chairs and show tents and much more rock products. We then tow it literally 100's of miles one way to a show at 70 mph. Follows us home like a puppy.

Pick up another MAF if you can, preferably a known good one(borrow a friends) or wrecking yard, do not buy a china knockoff. MAF are famous for slowly going bad in that year group. Seems a solder joint inside makes intermittent contact. They don't always throw a code .

SMo; You haven't really told us what your car is doing. A bad ujoint is going to cause vibration .. a failing duty C and clutches are going to cause torque bind, with no driveline to the rear differential you can't feel torque bind so .... what symptoms do you have ? With it not connected to anything, Of course the drive line still turns and your toasted front ujoint is still going to vibrate. 230,000 miles on a 2000 ob is nothing. My personal driver is a 2000 obw 5 speed with 298,000+ I would load it up and drive to the Florida keys or New Brunswick Canada, today ! I expect if I can avoid suicidal deer and elk , and the occasional attack Turkey that that car will hit 400,000 or maybe even 500,000. Used drivelines for that car are readily available around $100 . BUY one and drive that subi for another 200,000 miles , IMO the newer Subarus are not as reliable as the older ones. You live in the desert , no rust issues . If 230,000 scares you then look for a different one with lower miles.

Hi Zett; Are you looking at the first generation outbacks (96-99) or second generation (00-04) The first generation 97-99 2.5 double cam motor can have serious HG issues, requiring instant attention / repair. The second generation is MUCH more forgiving about head gaskets. 2000 and up subi's will need their head gaskets changed at some point after 150,000 miles or so. However they just drip... oil and antifreeze ... directly on your catalytic so you'll smell it BUT, they are slow drips easily monitored and easy to keep topped up, literally for years if you don't mind the smell. It gives you time to save up for the job. Look around your area for a yard filled with Subaru's ,They will be Subaru people... stop in and ask where they have their work done. You may have to travel some but I'm sure there will be a Subaru specialty repair shop. After all W.V. has mountains and snow thats where Subi's Shine!

I would of spent the $100 and gotten a used shaft. GD has good connections , around here that drive line rebuild would be in the $400 range.

My guess would be a C/V joint .

Drain and fill, could take 3 times to get all the old fluid out. Safer than power flushing. Filter on the outside of trans is supposed to be lifetime BUT... if you change it only use an original one.

Just lining up the cams may not be enough. I brought a 96 2.2 in the shop last week for a timing belt set. Both cams lined up perfect ... at the crank it was almost at 1 o'clock ! Still ran just fine ....without pulling the center cover you would need to visually set the crank keyway at the six o'clock position to get close enough to claim the timing was sort of on. It's worth looking at just to be sure. Yes the tps is suspect. If possible try another. 99 2.2 ,does it have a MAF in the fresh air intake ? If so and you have another , swap it out. This kind of problem can make you go bald, ripping your hair out and banging your head against the wall. Any chance a connector isn't snapped all the way on / together ? go back thru and check them all, one not quite snapped in would give you intermittent operation.

Dan: Important thing is the final drive ratio. Also is that it has a Hydrolic push clutch rather than a cable pull clutch. Your 2000 outback should be 4:11 at the tranny and rear end . I "THINK" the imprezza is the same but you must find out or it won't drive. Call foreign engines in coeur D alene 800 552 1595. They are Japanese importers. They sell engines and trannys (for more $ than you want to spend)... But they are really nice folks and they will gladly tell you if the imprezza tranny will fit. Or call pull in save in North Spokane, about what they may have ... the south lot hardly has any subi's , but the north lot is loaded.

You'll have to remove the assembly from the car (relatively easy). At that point you will be able to hand rotate the top cap and see how it feels. If you feel anything ... I recommend replacement. If It feels smooth but loose attempting to squirt grease in could prolong its life. But... if you have it out why not replace it. To replace you need to disassemble (not so easy).

I agree about the air flow ... however little that might be. I think they put the lower cover and the large plastic top covers on , so when the buyer opens the hood it looks FULL (even though it isn't) Consumer wants to think he is getting something for $20,000 +

Confirm your fuel pump is putting out , also make sure your getting full voltage at battery , the fuel pump won't run past the start position if voltage is down. Pop the rear seat up and check if power is reaching the fuel pump. Double check all your grounds. If it idles fine for 5 seconds , I doubt that it is a vacuum / disconnected line issue. Fuel or electric is my guess.

Not that I've ever noticed. Been removing them for years. I guess the bottom of the motor can get splashed ... big deal..

They will come out the bottom. You'll want to pull the heat shield and pull the entire drive shaft out. Put a baggy over the end snout and secure with a zip tie .I find it easier to pull the motor first. Lots more working / wiggle room that way. Can't help you about the 6 speed , I'm sure someone else has that information.

I think maybe the imprezza had a power light... The clunking I would check your tranny and motor mounts. The steering, definitely check and tighten the belt.

Right now your car is worth little more than scrap metal. If your broke park it. Other wise haul it south and get it fixed correctly.... chances are the dealer would screw it up.

Take it south to GD's shop and let him put a new motor in .

Keep anything out of the turbo . Use tape over open holes , cap or plug the oil lines. Otherwise its just an EJ 2.5. Why do you need to cut the a/c belt ? If its a tight one just remove the adjuster assembly .

Must be rust out.

Thanks GD that's great news!

I think so, $40.00 extra for piece of mind. The one I installed last year is running fine ... but still, I can't afford to have comebacks. Not so much the money but reputation . 200858175013 ebay item # $266 with branded belt

Last summer I installed a timing kit , ntn, koyo , nsk and a mitsuboshi belt. Didn't think anything of it until after the install when I noticed it was mitsuboshi, made in Malaysia...I double checked all the idlers and they were good. I let it leave the shop hoping I wasn't making a costly mistake. In the months since then I have installed over a dozen timing kits, almost all with mitsuboshi belts and every one was made in Japan... Today I went to install a kit in a 96 2.2 and the mitsubishi timing belt is made in Thailand... all the ntn nsk koyo idlers are all still Japan made. I'm wondering if mitsuboshi has moved manufacturing facility's to Asia? Was i getting old stock with the japan made belts ? Or is there knockoff mitsuboshi timing belts being marketed ? A subaru branded belt costs me almost $40.00 more with a kit . I do install them for the customers that want only original equipment parts, but for my resale cars i always used the mitsuboshi belts.

After you get your fueling issues corrected, IF you still have the shaking problem. When the car is fully warmed up and shaking , Do a compression test. Much easier than pulling a valve cover. (if you own or can borrow a compression tester) A tight valve will drop compression readings on that cylinder. If you find a low cylinder, that is the valve cover to remove and check valve adjustment. (Of course if one is tight you must check them all) If you find a tight one and your lucky the valve won't be burnt and your car will be back to 100% (for an 18 year old car)

Your on the east coast , lots of corrosion on things .That lateral bolt can be a bugger to remove. I recommend having a new lateral bolt on hand before starting.(at least locate a local dealer with one on the shelf ) I've had to cut them out before. I've also had to replace the bushings on the links as the bolt seized inside. I have also fought the axle itself , not wanting to slide out of the hub OR wanting to pop off the differential. I groan anytime I have to go to the rear wheels on that year group.