lstevens76

What year, model, engine, and mileage subaru? Have you experienced or noticed any noises or other problems? Any recent work done (such as head gasket, etc...)?

Ok, if it is oil how sure are you it is the Head gasket? You have valve cover gaskets, rear main, separator plate, etc... that can all cause oil to leak down and hit the exhaust. And a valve cover gasket leak can look like a head gasket leak as well. Are you losing/using coolant? Do you see coolant on the ground under the car?

I assumed you were putting plywood and using the transmission pan. That's my fault because that's the best place to jack. I didn't think about you wanted to verify that it was safe to do so. Just use a piece of plywood so it distributes the weight.

Moog makes Springs for the Impreza and they supposed to be better then OEM. But I haven't used them yet so that is not from personal experience.

If you have the front end on jackstands as you should there shouldn't be a problem getting a floor jack underneath that transmission.

4WD vrs AWD is the difference between being able to turn it off or on. If you a have a selector to "engage" 4WD then it is a 4WD. If it is always turning the wheels then it is an AWD. And 28 isn't bad in all accounts, but even outside the US was the gas tank that small? I don't think your running all the way to empty.

Bad thermostat, faulty water pump, clogged radiator. I would suspect it's one of those three and not an air bubble. the reason people say to fill from the top radiator hose is that water has to go through the thermostat to get into the engine. What you described is no flow through the radiator.

I agree with replacing other "normal maintenance" items, but the crank sensor will leave you stranded if it fails. I also agree on the "rarely goes out" as well. Both of them are simply using magnetics to read the position of the crank/cam. There are no moving parts to the sensors themselves and unlike other sensors they are not in the exhaust flow, fuel flow, air flow, etc... and not required to read liquids or air making them very rare to fail compared to other sensors in the system (such as the MAF).

Just to explain the white marks. On a new timing belt there are white lines that show you where to line up the belt along with an arrow to confirm you put it on the correct way. Those white lines allow you to make sure you have the proper teeth and tension between the crankshaft and camshafts. That is there only purpose, but they wear off over time.

The "sport" which was the "Outback Sport" never came with a 2.0, just an FYI. On the '96 I had and the '00 I have now I average 25 to 30mpg which is anywhere from 350 to 400 miles a tank (I usually get between 14 and 15 gallons on a fill up if I run it close to E). Getting only 250 the first question would be how many gallons do you get on a fill up? My grandfather won't let his vehicles go below 1/4 of a tank so of course his fill ups aren't realistic for a full tank on mileage is why I'm asking.

Did you use a new timing belt? If not did the timing belt still have the white marks or did you count the teeth? Did you unplug the crankshaft position senor possible? (double check and make sure nothing there came lose)

One last thing that a lot of shops don't know how to check on a Subaru: Ball Joints. Subaru ball joints are checked differently than a lot of others. With a prybar you can check them yourself.

1995 was the crossover year. I've seen Impreza's and Legacy's both OBD1 and OBD2. I know where there is a '95 1.8L Impreza that is OBD2, but I've also seen one that is OBD1. 1996 was the first year all Subaru's were OBD2. Do you have the factory service manual? How much are you planning on spending? Evergreen sells a full kit for this, but I would use Fel-Pro head gaskets not the Evergreen. Subaru sells a full OEM gasket kit that Amazon has for $250, but you would still need rings, bearings, etc... As for the part your trying to identify either find the FSM (search on here), subscribe to alldatadiy.com, or go purchase it. If you can't find it in the FSM then post pictures for others to identify it. A description isn't always the best option especially when we don't know where on the IM it's exactly located. And I fully understand your reasoning, just wish others would. A swap is all great when you know the history of an engine, but if you don't and you can rebuild it yourself your better off.

wt covered the common swaps and heres a few other options. Almost all EJ series short blocks will mount to your heads. This means you can use a newer short block with your heads and intake. You can also use EJ22 Heads on an EJ25 block giving other options as well. The wiring issue he is referring to is primarily at the intake and the newer (99+) EJ22 and EJ25 sohc have different intakes and heads causing interchangeability problems.

Was it the top or the bottom part of the plug? If it has any metal in it get one of those extendable magnets and pull it out. Otherwise your going to need something like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/24-inch-2-in-1-pickup-tool-94162.html

Did this mechanic hook up a live data scanner and see what the cats are doing? Has the code been cleared to see if it returns and when it returns? A P0420 refers to a Catalyst Inefficiency. What this actually means is that the readings between the front 02 Sensor and the Rear 02 sensor differ enough to make the computer believe the cat is not working correctly. A bad rear 02 sensor that is "within spec" but not providing correct readings can trip this code. A front 02 sensor with the same issue as above can cause the same thing. A bad catalytic converter can cause this. An engine running way to rich or way to lean can also produce this on older vehicles due to catalytic wear. This doesn't mean the cat is done, it means there are pre-existing problems that are causing the issue. If he didn't "diagnose" the problem and just read the codes, this mechanic doesn't know. Replace the knock sensor and clear the codes and see what comes back. That is the first step. You might also try a tank or two of premium fuel.

I always tell people to fix the obvious first. Glad you got it running.

I can wish. I have to do the rear HVAC Assembly on my Durango due to a blend door actually breaking (it happens more than people know). I have to tear out the entire rear passenger side interior to get to the thing, evac the AC, and drain the rear heater core. It all depends on the car, but most of them require a lot of tear down just to get access.

I'm confused, Bushwick are you in the US? O'Rielly, Autozone, Advanced Auto, and NAPA all sell a Dexron 3/Mercon transmission fluid that us usually available in there generic as well. I've never had a hard time finding it. Now if you are not in the US that.could be an entirely different situation.

A blend door actuator is what it sounds like he is referring to not the HVAC controls. The actuator is essentially the motor that controls the blend doors to move where the air is flowing or what temperature the air coming out is. And most cars require a lot of tear down to get them out.

And thus is why always look beyond the initial problem. :-) And good job on finding it before it caused a lot more issues. :-)

The 252 supposedly only came in the '00 and '01 legacy and outback cars. It was never in the forester. Also, the 252 is basically identical as far as gaskets, etc... go to the 251 or 253. There is very little difference.

Interesting you haven't seen it since the first one I posted a link to has had the head gaskets done. Any of the 2.5L engines you want to see the HG and TB serviced if possible. And your still limiting yourself to 100k, which is going to push that price up a lot. If the vehicle has been maintained well and had the head gaskets/timing belt done along with possibly struts (depending on the miles) you would be fine with any vehicle even high mileage. But you also live in the northeast so the biggest concern is looking for rust. Specifically you want to check the area around the strut mounts. As of around '02 all Subaru's pretty much came standard with either a 2.5L or a 2.0l turbo engine.

Unless he is 100% sure he completely bled the air out of the system I won't say one way or the other. Its way too common for people to not get the air bled out.

Were the valves adjusted at 100k as they were supposed to be done? When was the last timing belt done? If it's louder from one side of the engine than the other you need to look into it. if it was simply equal on both sides it would be a bit different.