1 Lucky Texan

when was the timing belt system serviced last on that car? You will bend valves if it fails. And it's rarely the belt that fails, an idler will seize or puke it's bearings. if you suspect the car was neglected, or even just has normal build-up with age, nothing wrong with a throttle-body and maybe IACV cleaning, and a SeaFoam vacuum line or spray-nozzle treatment. many people like Marvel Mystery Oil treatments too, mostly for hydraulic lifters I guess. Techron seems to actually work. not sure it's better than SeaFoam in the tank though... Subaru Coolant Conditioner can help slow/stop/prevent small coolant leaks - ONLY install per bottle directions - ONE bottle max. (if you drain and re-fill the cooling system and swap any parts, ONLY use an OEM style thermostat - there IS a difference)

is the check engine light on? automatic transmission? KYB struts are the most commonly preferred. you can find DIY help here and elsewhere online for that.

sweet - should be easy/cheap fix!

yeah, likely to spew codes if a ground were really bad. But, some codes stay 'pending' unless they occur 2 or more times within X drive cycles w'ever. might be nice to see what the fuel trims are if you can get frezeframe or live data. Some smartphones apps can do that with a $20 elm327 BT adapter i think. My old Innova scanner can get FF data. related to other posts - if the car runs better in open-loop or immediately after a hard reset, there's likely bad data from an A:F sensor. or related sensor. O2, MAF, Knock, maybe engine temp, etc.

does the ECU send a 5v signal to some of those sensors? maybe that is screwed-up or those sensors have a common (but poor) ground?

in a turn, force is vectored to the outside of the turn so, maybe start there as you say. After a run on the highway, compare the temperature of the rear hubs - side-to-side. The hotter one may have a bad wheel bearing or some craziness with the brakes. def check the lugs/studs too. You could lift the 2 rear corners and try to lift/rock the wheel up/down in a 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock manner. Shouldn't be any motion. (again, compare side-to-side). I found a bad wheel bearing that way, the tire rocked about 2mm. Some folks say you can rest a hand on the spring and rotate the wheel - feeling for roughness/vibration.

any big pothole strikes, wrecks or work done before this began? you hear the noise in reverse too?

probably the P0420 code. DO NOT replace the cat conv based on some text from a scanner, many things can cause various codes and it may not be anything more complex than an exhaust leak or disconnected wiring harness. a good mechanic can perform tests to determine if a sensor or cat converter is bad. certainly converters DO go bad, but sometimes a much less expensive repair is all that is needed. proceed carefully - even getting a second/third opinion before dropping mega $$$$$.

weird would it do it in both directions of a circle? Can you bounce the parked car at each corner and create the sound? Does touching the brakes lightly change the sound? Certain it's coming from the rear? some things to inspect; lug nuts and studs as said above , brake caliper brackets, u-joints, axles i guess - you might check temps of the hubs after a highway run with an infrared remote thermometer. maybe some crazy wheel bearing issue?

GG and others can give detailed info - certainly extra attention should be paid to keeping the torque converter in place if at all possible. Remove hood or use the 'alternate' hood prop location (may need to unhook windshield washer hoses)

s'boarder, what problem are you having?

have someone 'pace' the car in a parking lot to try to get as close as possible to the area with the noise. does the noise track with tire rotations, getting faster as you move forward? or is it only a one time noise? Does it happen AS you turn the steering wheel or only after you first move forward?

I mostly see car-part.com mentioned. Certainly , if there are local yards with wrecked soobs in them, you'd check there first. Nowadays, most auto recyclers share inventories on a national network i guess.

if the timing slipped, there is likely valve-piston interference with bent valves. unless you want a 'project' - just get another engine to drop in.

in reading and only one personal experience, belts CAN look pretty good with time/miles. The idlers are what usually blow-up. On my WRX the toothed cog/idler was very rough and slightly wobbly after 8.5 years and less than 60k miles. One other idler was slightly rough. i have seen pics posted of blow-out idler bearings and the belt looks OK. that 2.5 is a bender - if the timing slips - you WILL have valve damage.

wow! congrats!

tic/dash-line on the tab at rear of crank spocket is the correct mark for timing. But TDC is the triangle/arrow on the front of the sprocket. sounds like you may have slipped timing? tell us why you are doing this test and give details as mentioned above. If you feel ANY resistance turning the crank, STOP - newer soobs are all interference engines.

do you smell fuel? maybe it's flooded, try holding the gas pedal on the floor to start - that's the clear flood signal to the computer. (if a 90 model is like newer ones anyway) sure it has spark? some older cars had crank pos. sensors that would go bad.

does the car seem to behave OK until warmed-up a little? Seems like severely damaged center diff in the 5spd stick. . They are often worse when warm/hot. jerkiness when turning tight on dry pavement is almost always torque bind. does the car have a history of operation with different sized tires? trans or rear differential swap?

MIL's Forry has a new gas tank now. takes fuel as fast as you can get it in. Dunno how long that will last. I may have more info later as my BIL asked for an engineer's report on the problem.

any recent work on the interior? new seat covers or carpet? plasticizers can out-gas and collect on the glass.

^^ good post, re-compressing a tensioner is always done at a glacial pace - over several minutes. uh, just in case it wasn't mentioned, use the timing line at the back of the crank pulley pointing at 12 - towards the boss with the crank position sensor in it., NOT the triangle/arrow on the front. It will be at about the 3 o'clock position.

triple check everything. Count the teeth from all the timing marks to the next timing mark. Count after new belt is installed BEFORE pulling the tensioner pin, count AFTER pulling the pin, count again after rotating the crank twice by hand. After the crank is turned, any marks on the belt will no longer be in sync, but tooth counts and timing marks will always be the same. On suggestion from the forum, I put a piece of cardboard on the radiator to help protect it from slipped tools.

would it behave the same with the cruise control? auto trans? did it do this before the engine swap?

my WRX broke loose with the car in 5th, chocked, with e-brake on. Used a 6 point socket , breaker and cheater pipe. some people have used the starter bump method and I was prepared to do that as plan B.