dwwataz

I've had a number Subarus; 2 legacy wagons, forester suv, impreza coupe, built WRX. Spark plugs suck on some models but timing belt is right there instead of a fender. Only non maintenance problems I've had has been self inflicted... Taking a slammed WRX mudding with ecu in stock location(floor under passenger's foot). Ask me how that turned out. Blew my rear diff, blew a couple clutches and my 5 speed was all but missing 3 gears. Axles and bearings were replaced last year at 12 years old..not bad if you ask me. My coilovers are going but again, coilovers do that. Other than that..Buy good rotors and pads...Some stuff you can skimp on but brakes and suspension is something I wont. Too much chance for personal injury there for you and others. I don't really know the 98-04 Foresters but 02-03 WRX 2.0 were known for spun bearings. I believe 04-07 STI 2.5(maybe the later WRX 2.5 too?) had piston ring issues. With the extensive modifications I've done, I've yet to experience any electrical issues in any of them. One bad window switch in the WRX, but still using all original engine sensors, all relays, fuses, etc. I also recommend adding gear oil after changing your clutch...Again, ask me how that turned out.

I was a tech for quite a while before I messed up my back in a accident a couple years ago. Either the service writer is a lying POS(which they tend to be. throw in soulless and grimey), the tech isn't skilled enough to do so, or he's just too lazy. Anyone given a trans swap job should be competent enough to figure out the bolt holes and how to drill a hole. It literally takes seconds with a masonary bit. There might have been a miscommunication between the two as well..Service writers have this uncanny ability to not read the information given to them by techs. In fact, they spend almost twice as much time asking you questions you've already answered or trying to con you into unethical, and sometimes illegal, tasks rather than reading said information. Talk to SW and tell him the procedure. If he doesn't understand, again they understand $$$ and that's about it, ask to speak to technician. Bring a photo, a step by step, or a playboy. Whatever he needs to grasp it

What he said ^

When I was at Honda it was 0.2(1/5) an hour. Model, year, MAKE was irrelevant.. You'd be surprised how many Fords, Nissans, etc, came in.

Honestly, her wants sound similar to mine. I have a BUILT 02 WRX(V7 EJ07 on steroids swap) that I'm still breaking in. I had an above average set up before the swap and I've always driven like a 90s Geo Metro. Every now and then, when there is next to no traffic or late at night and safe to do so, I get on it and have fun. I don't see anything wrong with having that umph but not always utilizing it. Mind you, as others have suggested, it is not a very cheap project. Period. Mine is one of the easier ones. I had to get a custom harness and use a JDM ecu to add to my existing to utilize my AVCS...Other than that, it was pretty much plug and play.. This being a very popular, and again relatively easy swap, wasn't cheap. Without giving a dollar amount, it was more than a decent used WRX. In fact, over the years I've invest $30k EASY into this car. That includes the 8 I paid for it years ago and the various turbos, suspension set ups, exhaust, literally anything you can think of that I've gone through or broken or failed etc. The key thing here is how much she has to work with. If she has 13k... Buy a newer WRX or STI, as that's enough down payment for almost anything and maybe you'll get one that hasn't been molested. If she only have 5-6, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, ALMOST any WRX you find that cheap...crap. Period. If this is something that'll truly be a project, and there is no real timeline and you can progressively put money into, I say buy a GC8 and go from there. You can find a non RS in decent enough body condition to work with for $600-2000. I had a 97 coupe that I intended on doing just that...til' it was stolen a few years ago( yes, they took the beater and left the beast lol). Those are the lightest impezas out there, and when done up, best looking ones too. I actually have EVERY item needed for the swap in my shed, except the harnesses. I do intend on buying a 98 RS and doing this same thing hopefully by next summer. It's not easy, especially if you cant read wiring diagrams. Given I have the parts, I expect to pay $2k+ in machine shop work-pistons-gaskets-seals-etc, pads and rotors, misc things that I didn't know needed to be replaced or broken/stripped bolts. Sorry for the lengthy and boring post. The moral of the story is, ultimately only she can say whats best for her. If there is 0 intention to really push her car, I personally wouldn't see the point..even I get on it a few times a week! Hope this helped in some way. I also hope I didn't come across as an rump roast..

I second the Impreza notion. I've owned 2 Legacy wagons (NA H4), 1 Forrester SUV (NA H4), a 97 Impreza coupe(2.2 NA), and have owned my current 02' WRX a number of years. Don't get me wrong, I loved every Subaru, but nothing sums up the perfect AWD experience like the Impreza. As stated above, any combination you can come up with has been done. Twice, 20 times, etc. There simply isn't a market for performance H6. Trust me.. I researched a lot on how I could fit an H6 and 2 turbos under my hood. Not possible without immense modification and even more money. Besides, with the WRX/STI platform you can easily achieve torque of your liking out of the turbo H4 I settled instead for an 02 JDM V7 STI engine, trans, rear diff/axles and brembo brakes. As far as swaps go it was easy. In order to retain AVCS alone I had to buy a special harness, use the JDM ECU, and route said harness..Problem is, wont pass emissions with JDM ecu. Solution- USDM ecu tune for break in/emissions and a JDM ecu tunes for daily driving and another to run e85 to utilize the BC AVCS cams, monster turbo, and ALL supporting mods. The trans being much bigger than my factory 5 speed was a bit difficult to get in without crushing wires, brake/clutch lines, my face(which was under there when we dropped it in). I'm sorry if it seems like it went off topic. My intention was to inform. Like I said, this is one of the easiest swaps for an Impreza. Even doing a V8 or V9 swap gets harder(for my 02 at any rate) Moral of story, yes you can physically put pretty much any Subaru engine in any Subaru car, but it is sooooooooooo much more involved than you might think. No insults intended. Welcome to the Subaru community, you're going to love it! Even in stock form these cars are safer and more fun to drive than anything else I've driven( I've had 87 and 90 Mustang GT, 97 Camaro SS, 91 and 88 S10 lowriders)

Timing was spot on. Single mark up top on Intake cams and double marks pointed down towards exhaust cams( ex pointed up). Crank was aligned perfectly as well.

I had an issue with 2 of em on my RR hub. First when I did coilovers and lateral links/trailing arms.. I ended up getting a new hub because the bearing was bad and threw away the original links as well. Second time was during my 6 speed/r180/brembo swap.. Torched it with MAP gas(yellow) bottle and hit it with my 18v impact. Prior to that moment I'd spent an hour trying breaker bars and cheaters bars til I remembered about the bottle of gas I had lol. Those bolts are a real PITA.. Good luck man!

OK, so I got BC stage 2 AVCS cams for my V7 EJ207 and after installing my timing belt I'm interfering. If I leave my driver's side exhaust cam out of alignment, the crank will spin freely all day. As soon as I line it up.. it interferes. I've tried going 180 out, I've tried going 190484645 out and it always comes to a stop at the same exact spot. I'm stumped. I was a Honda tech prior to messing up my back in an accident and I now do HVAC, so I'm very mechanically inclined. This is my second Subaru and second TB job on this car alone.