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And yet my Forester has gotten that kind of mileage twice. CA will be more kind to a tire, my car is correctly aligned, I keep the pressure where it should be, and the tires I use are developed for high mileage rather than grip.

Yep, That's the top one. Cheap is a relative term. You can easily price one on the internet or by a call to the local dealer. Seems I paid under a hundred bucks a few years back but check you price under master cylinder, clutch. You might be able to bleed it and get by for a while if money is tight, or they can be rebuilt with new seals, but I'm not sure if Americans would carry the seal kit. If you do this system in a really professional manner you replace both clutch and master cyl, the line if any cracking, and then bleed the system. It works just like a brake system or any other hydraulic system. You need fluid to push, have the air out, and a good seal on the both ends.

that is tough I know. When my Mercedes was rear ended they offered me something like $3,000, the new engine, transmission, rear end and brakes meant nothing. It was actually cheaper for me to fix it and drive it another year than replace the car.

Some of them leak at high temps only for quite a while. The exhaust gas in the coolant would be the killer for me and I would be scouring the local cragslist and junkyards for a good 2.2. It seems to me that most of the rest of the engine would be too tired to invest in head gaskets and a smiilar 2.5 would be likly to have the same problem a bit later. if it was a cherry car and I had the bucks I'd contact CCR for a rebuilt, or is that Credence Clearwater Revival? Oh well, those guys in Colorado.

Thotherskip did a good post http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/index.html I found it locked but perhaps the more computer literate here can help. You will find more good stuff on the endwrench (Subaru's help for indy mechanics), as well as there is an online manual somewhere to download that may help. Don't worry so much about haed replacement as most only need surfacing at worst. Somebody else did a good post with pix in the FAQ at the top of the new gen intro page. The search function should help you with info.

I'd say you have the "swap in a 2.2 code". We all have opinions but mine would be at 200,000 miles I would not do a head gasket change. At 150,000 I would.

I never had a warranty, I bought it second hand. It was over what had been the mileage for warranty but under 100,000 miles if I recall. I had service records on it and followed every reccomendation though. Try the goop if you haven't. I've been running the goop since it came out with no ill effects and no water leaks.

Susie, Subaru has some gunk that is supposed to help your engine. They usually give it to you free, and while you are there see if your car qualifies for the recall on head gaskets. They paid for mine out of warranty.

On mny last Mercedes I just used a cheap auto parts store one. It took a bit of adapting but lasted as long as the stock one and was still going when I sold it. I suppose you have to make sure it was similar to the stock one.

My Forester had Michellins for the first two times and they were good for 65, 70,000 miles. I changed the last set out a bit early for a set of Big O Aspens that have only been on six months or so and show no noticeable wear. I'd carefully check the alignment and put a set of good tires on it. A tire should give its rated mileage on a properly set up Forester unless you have truly miserable conditions.

Gary's advice is good. A lot of it depends on if you have more time or money. In my case I just paid to have someone do the job as I figured it would tie my car up for at least a week if I did it myself. It took me at two weekends to put struts and brakes on as I did one end the first weekend and the other the next weekend. A lot of us have to do mechanical stuff along with a lot of other boring chores like go to work, get groceries, etc. It would be different for me if I had a spare engine sitting around to work on and could just swap it out. By the way I have always hated valve adjustment with shims like the early 2.5. those things are so finicky and quite try my patience.

do yourself a favor and take the heads to the same machine shop that the local Subaru guys use. You don't want to be the first one they have done. Then do what they reccomend. You also want to look at the water pump, tensioners, and reseal it. A Subaru mechanic would have figured all that in. Nipper is right you always clean or replace a radiator when you have it out for major service. when I said $1500 I was figureing what a local Subaru mechanic would charge to do the entire thing. I've heard prices as cheap as $1200 in you area but it seems you always find something you did not expect when you take soemthing apart. For example all hoses are probably tired and fan belt, etc.

I think it would not align again for many revolutions. The marks are only designed for installation. We will see what others think I hope, but if it was mine I'd spin it through and if nothing hit I'd try to start it if you aligned it correctly in the first place.

And now another vote. If I had a 96 2.5 with near 150,000 miles on it I'd just change the head gaskets. Everything else is now 10 years old and it seems you are puting 15,000 miles a year on it. I'd figure if I put $1500 in it with a good mechanic I'd likly get at least three more years without a car payment and I'd be pretty satisfied. That's $500 a year so it is not too bad and odds are excellent the rest of the engine and most of the car will last that long. If you do a search here I am pretty sure there have been posts from Subaru mechanics in Colorado, but I'm not sure how close to you they are.

then that would be the way to go. I needed the interior height of a Forester but I hated to get a 2.5. I reckon if it ever dies it gets a good old 2.2.

With a 2,2 that would be a nice car. They came with 2.2s in other parts of the world. If everthing worked it would be rare for someone to notice the swap and several folks have done it. Check to see if they look at engine numbers where you live in an inspection. Ask your mechanic friend as it could be a pain if they do.

The flywheel was a casualty of the MPG and emissions wars. There used to be a lot of material to turn but it was one of those things that ate a tiny bit more fuel. Modern flywheels have less material and are more prone to warp and chatter after turning. Many mechanics just replace it to avoid the angry customer with a chattering clutch.

On the other hand a stock Subaru clutch might just last the life of the car, I'm not unhappy with the new one I had fitted a few years ago. I'm afraid we Americans and our need for power has caused the possible timeing belt problems. Subaru drove the accessories off the belt since they designed this upgraded engine. It was fine until the need for more power caused the compression to be raised to interfere with valves and pistons on a broken belt. At this point it is still fine if the maintence is done and the problem components are replaced on time.

If you have the engine out to do the clutch it's easier to do the front end work. If funds are a problem I'd leave the axles until some sign of failure. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the only axle problems I've seen pound a long time before they give up. Struts are the same way you can still drive the car with them fairly tacky, but you lose good wheel control over bumps. The reason you should have the timing belt, tensioners, and water pump in good shape is any one can kill the engine. Unlike the old subies if the water pump or anything else takes out the timing belt the valves hit the pistons.

The timeing belt and water pump should have been replaced circa 100,000 miles. If this was done fine, otherwise it is quite risky.

If I was still a working mechanic I'd probably err on the side of overkill because you don't want customers coming back mad. In my case I got PO 420 and just replaced the front ox sensor, I also purchased the rear but it has been a few years and maybe 30,000 miles and the code has not come back. If it was a customer car I might have done the cats too, but here in CA they are special and quite expensive for my 99. You can use an atermarket ox sensor but it is often more trouble and in some cases they are not quite right. If a friend had used a cetain model with good results it would make me more likely to try one. I have used a rebuilt cat in the past with good results and it was far cheaper. I supect as long as it fits and is about the right size it would work.

shhhh, he was happy.

does it quiet down when the engine is fully warmed up? Mine has had some interesting noises, the most noticeable of which is cold piston slap. This is very common I understand on the later cars. One other thing which is kind of odd is that once every couple of months when it has been sitting it rattles quite loudly for a few seconds on start up. I have taken this to be the result of all oil draining down while sitting and since it does not seem to hurt I live with it. You could also need to adjust the mechanical lifters or the other things folks have metioned. It might be good to listen to a similar car with similar mileage if you can find one. Most cars seem to have thier noise quirks these days.

does this mean Canadian Customs are hoser hosers?

you did get two of the big possible problems Dennis. Most of the rest are really service items. The wheel bearings do suffer back there don't they? I'm on the originals here in CA but no frost and better roads. You should be in the same boat as I am, I reckon all the mileage I get now is practically free and is saving me the car payments as well as tax and insurance are cheaper.