Friend has a 2000 Forester with a manual transmission. It doesn't have an engine. So the big question is, which of the two crank gears is this car supposed to have?
I know around this time they could either have the reluctor wheel with a lot of teeth, or the older style with not so many teeth. It would be fantastic to know rock solid for sure which one it needs before having to change them out in car.

 

If anyone knows for 100% sure which it needs, that would be great... We're trying not to confuse this anymore.

Take the VIN to a Subaru Dealer, they should be able to tell you.

X2. Tell them you need the part number. Then you can google it and find out for sure.

 

Also be sure to get the matching cam sprocket.

Edited July 14, 201411 yr by Fairtax4me

Take the VIN to a Subaru Dealer, they should be able to tell you.

That's a good idea, thanks.

 

 

X2. Tell them you need the part number. Then you can google it and find out for sure.

 

Also be sure to get the matching cam sprocket.

What cam gear goes with which sprocket? Does the cam gear with only two bumps go with the new style crank gear that has a bunch of teeth?

Yes I believe that's the one.

The old cam sprockets have 7 teeth on the back.

or just buy rthe exact same engine that came in the car.

it will have what you need.

and if you search at www.car-part.com,

they will return ONLY the engines that match.

 

other block, head, and intake combinations will work,

but not without the correct cam and crank sprockets.

 

but you knew that.

Not to burst any bubbles, but I've seen instances in which the engine has the 32 tooth crank gear and the older 7 trigger cam gear. There is a thread on either nasioc or rs25 (I feel like it's on rs25 because I avoid nasioc generally) where a guy got a replacement engine for his impreza and only checked the crank gear before instalation. He had about a month worth of troubleshooting before he checked the cam gears and found the 7 trigger on the old motor.

Huh, we actually have the original heads, so no worries there. Not putting a crap 2.5 back in there... it's getting a 2.2 heh.

You do have the original heads? What became of the block?

The guy before my friend had the car junked it for some unknown reason... it's an odd situation.

Hold on there, it's a common misconception that the 2.5's are a crappy engine. When in fact the 251 which is what you have is actually a fantastic engine. I have almost 275,000 on my 2000 forester and have never hand any major issues. She keeps pushing. Now when it comes to earlyre outback and forester that's when the 2.5D was in place, which in fact that is a shitty engine.

 

and this is one reason why you can pick up a 251 for cheap.

 

Happy forestering!

 

PRWA

They ain't cheap here. Any engine 2000 or newer, junkyards want $1000+.

Old 2.2s you can get for $400-700 with 100-175k on them.

I've worked an a lot of subarus, all the 2.5s blow up. Yes, even your single cam ones. 

When the SOHC 2.5 in my outback blew up I got a 2.2 shortblock from the junkyard for $40. So they're not too expensive. Of course random guy on craigslist is gonna want too much, but when you know somebody at a junkyard