Subberman

And there would be no way for me to know their condition, right? So it still sounds like I am better off to keep looking for a 00-05 with a blown engine.

So I found this post, apparently regarding the same issue on older models. I will look at the car again and check/pull the abs relay. (Sorry, haven't figured out how to correctly link to other forum posts)

Moving the heads, intake, cam & crank gears from the 07 to the 00 engine would not be much extra work if that would allow me to use my engine in the car. I have head gaskets and timing belt kit sitting on the engine in my garage waiting to be installed when I find a car to put it in. That's assuming the 07 heads are good. Apparently engine was run low on oil so that isn't a given but I suspected the damage was probably crank/rod bearings. I checked out the car yesterday and it's a pretty good vehicle except for the engine. One issue I found has me stumped though. The car has sat for a few months and the battery is dead, so I put the jumper cables on to power it up and check that everything seems operational and see if any codes were set. Even without the key in it was drawing a lot of current and the abs hydraulic unit was making noise like the pump was running. Any ideas on what could be going on? Why would the hydraulic unit be powered up even with the key off? Still looking for a good 00-05 I could put my engine into, but so far haven't found anything decent and this is a pretty nice car at a good price.

Ahh, I did not realize that. Is there a work-around? What about installing an ecu from a 2000-2005 and leaving the intake, etc. on the 2000 engine?

So I have a working EJ25 out of a 2000 Outback collecting dust in my garage. I'd like to buy a decent, newer Outback with a bad engine to put it in. I'm currently looking at a 2007 that's in good shape except for the engine. What issues will I encounter with this swap? I believe the main one is that the ECU relies on the MAP for load calculations for one engine and the MAF on the other? Am I correct that I should be OK if I use the intake from the 2007 on my good long block. Both are automatic transmission. Which, if any sensors do I need to swap into my engine from the blown 2007? Much thanks in advance for any advice.

Problem is, as I mentioned, the engine was overheated when the original head gaskets failed at 90k. But it's gone 180k since so maybe it wasn't badly overheated. Also, oil maintenance was less than perfect. Still, I have trouble throwing away an engine that could be put back in service with just the cost of a timing belt kit. Are there any measurements or other indicators regarding the condition of the bearings possible without disassembly? I could check sideplay, for example on some rods but I doubt that's helpful.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I see that there is general agreement not to split the block so I'll go with the suggestions. It was burning some oil so I'll do the rings too.

My wife's daily driver, a 2000 Outback with 270k miles, started making an engine noise. Research on youtube led me to believe it was likely a spun rod bearing. I discounted the possibility that it was the timing belt tensioner because a reputable local shop had replaced the timing belt less than a year ago (it was past due and I didn't have time). Since time was tight and I knew there was a good possibility the engine could not be economically repaired, I swapped in another engine from the junkyard. That was a couple of months ago and everything is working fine. Yesterday I started to tear into her old engine to see exactly what had happened and if it was worth fixing. I removed the oil pan/pickup and TB cover and found that the TB tensioner had failed and the belt was floppy loose. Also, there is no metal in the oil so it appears the rod bearings are ok for the time being. Sooo, I'm inclined to fix her old engine to keep as a backup or sell. I will obviously replace the head gaskets and TB components, but I'm wondering what else I should do while I'm at it. I know the car overheated when the original head gaskets failed at around 90k and it has plenty of miles on it, so even if the bearings are ok at the moment, I figure they can't be too far away from failure. Even with new TB and HG, I can't have a lot of confidence in the engine or sell it to someone as a "good" engine. Should I split the crank case for a more thorough inspection? Internal engine work is a little out of my comfort zone so I would probably take it to a machine shop, but I worry it would then become too costly to justify the work. What about replacing the rings, oil pump, and water pump? I'm reluctant to do all that without new bearings.

Hello, we have a 2000 Outback and I've been using the forums for years when I have a Subaru question. Fortunately that hasn't been too often, and I've always found the answers I've needed without posting, so I haven't needed to make an account until now. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks to all the contributors over the years that have posted such useful info!