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98 Outback Checking engine and dumped oil. 2.5l to 2.2l swap ?


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Hello,  

 

At work right now so my full research will start when I get home, but figured it would be nice  to have some pointers of where to look  in the forum ( keywords, etc) and maybe where to look on my car  to better assist my research phase. 

 

**my 1998 subaru Outback 2.5l auto with about 130k miles  popped check engine light. 

 

-Drove it about 12 miles,  checked  fluids ( oil, Brake fluid, trans , coolant )  all looked good. 

 

- pulled battery Cable to try and reset   light in case it was a one time thing. 

 

-Reconnected battery, Started car , idled until temp guage started reading,  still check engine light. 

 

-Turned off car  fluid check again . . . oil was way low, looked  under car, 0.5 + quarts dumped right under the car.  seemed to be  coming from Driver side left  of engine  above the lower Radiator hose  connection behind the plastic  cover that is behind the belts. 

 

Wondering  if   it ends up being a big issue  if swapping from the 2.5 to the 2.2  is a common thing ? 

 

The research and Adventure now begins! 

 

Any thoughts, questions or pointers would be awesome. ( will be doing a photo bucket account or the like to get  plenty 

of photos flowing :0) 

 

 

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I'd take off the covers. May be just front cam seals.

 

O.

 Sorry for being a newb,  

 

Q:  if it was a seal, would I get the low oil pressure light   as well as check engine, or prior? That is what made me assume major badness. that I never got oil pressure light first. 

 

But I got only the check engine light. and NOT  the low oil :0/ 

Edited by legacy93wagon
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You can also go down to Autozone or some other parts store and they should be able to read your cel and give you the code for it.

In California it is against the law for  anything but a licensed mechanic to run the codes for a client.  Some special interest  lobbying  on that one I'm sure.  :0( 

 

I can / will be buying my own reader ( on my 93  it was easy to jumper and  read the flashes)

 

thanks for pointing me  at that though :0) 

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 Sorry for being a newb,  

 

Q:  if it was a seal, would I get the low oil pressure light   as well as check engine, or prior? That is what made me assume major badness. that I never got oil pressure light first. 

 

But I got only the check engine light. and NOT  the low oil :0/ 

 

Excellent description, this is easy:

1.  replace the leaking $7 cam seal

2.  read the codes for the check engine light.

 

The oil light is nearly pointless on these engines - it doesn't really come on until you've got like 1 quart or less in the engine and things are already toast.

The check engine light probably isn't even related - read the code first.

 

Ideally you replace the entire timing belt kit, 4 cam seals, reseal the oil pump while it's all apart.  Gates kits on amazon are reasonably priced for all timing bits.

 

Or sure, have at it and install an EJ22, great engines.

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Excellent description, this is easy:

1.  replace the leaking $7 cam seal

2.  read the codes for the check engine light.

 

The oil light is nearly pointless on these engines - it doesn't really come on until you've got like 1 quart or less in the engine and things are already toast.

The check engine light probably isn't even related - read the code first.

 

Ideally you replace the entire timing belt kit, 4 cam seals, reseal the oil pump while it's all apart.  Gates kits on amazon are reasonably priced for all timing bits.

 

Or sure, have at it and install an EJ22, great engines.

Thanks so much :0)  at $500  for a JDM ej22  and my love for the 2.2 over the 2.5 I just might.  

 

But   do  like the seals job  a bit better. ( youtube)  :0D 

 

Most of the kits come with the water pump.  If this a need ?  Thinking might as well replace radiator hoses while I'm in there . . . 

 

The gates kit I see: http://smile.amazon.com/Gates-TCK277A-Timing-Belt-Kit/dp/B0033DGU1Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1446610295&vehicle=1998-13-64-39--1-6-6-198-121-1-1-421--3-0&sr=1-3&ymm=1998%3Asubaru%3Alegacy&keywords=timing+belt+kit

 

and another kit I looked at : http://smile.amazon.com/Evergreen-TBK277AWPT-Subaru-Legacy-Outback/dp/B007P72AZE/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1446610295&vehicle=1998-13-64-39--1-6-6-198-121-1-1-421--3-0&sr=1-2&ymm=1998%3Asubaru%3Alegacy&keywords=timing+belt+kit

 

 

Evergreen kit has the seals  too.   Reviews decent on both. . . Thoughts ? 

Edited by legacy93wagon
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EJ water pumps rarely have issues and easily last 200,000 miles.  if they do have issues - small leaks are about it, so they're benign even when they fail usually.

someone just had a failure...i think on this forum in the past week or two...of an aftemarket water pump.  i forget the mode...

it's never a bad idea to replace bits while it's apart.

 

i prefer subaru seals. 

it was older platforms but i've seen aftermarkets be mis-sized and leak.  they're so cheap i just haven't compared or researched much.

 

i'd lean towards the brown colored seals - in Subaru world anyway those are higher grade materials and more robust than the old "black" seals.  not that there is probably anything that definitive about color, but for Subaru OEM it does mean a distinction that likely has some at least partial correlation in aftermarket.

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  • 1 month later...

Update time: 

 

-Radiator out , will be replacing upper and lower hoses + adding aftermarket trans cooler when it goes back in. 

 

-Drive belts and crank pulley out,  will be replacing all drive belts on re assemble

 

-Driver side timing cover and gears removed, bottom cam seal visibly out of place. new timing belt on hand as well as tension-er and 

*** my unskilled hand / pulley puller chipped both Passenger side timing gears  they will need replaced. Anyone have those part numbers?  and link to correct  tool to remove them? 

 

I tried to use this: http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-pulley-puller-66868.html

 

Should I have used thesehttp://www.harborfreight.com/three-jaw-puller-set-4-pc-69104.html

 

-Got a block heater for this car and would love any pointers on where the dang thing goes, guessing not to many of these live in the interior of Alaska like this one will next year so hard for me to find that info. 

 

-Also leaking oil at power steering pump. That will be a later job I think. 

 

Last little bit would be . . . any suggestions for a mechanic to do an R & R if I foul this thing up and end up doing a full JDM swap. 

 

 

Thanks for reading and thanks for helping so much ! 

 

 

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The chips on the pulleys are benign, If they are not cracked I wouldn't replace. If you want to, a junk yard would be your best option.

I've never had to use a puller to get them off.

You are replacing the idlers, right?

Remove oil pump and tighten screws on back if loose.

Don't tighten the valve covers until after you have tightened your sprockets. A 1" open end will fit the flats on the cams to hold them.

Careful of torque on cam bolts, the specs are very light.

I know where the plug goes, but not enough knowledge to tell you where it goes w/o looking at an engine.

Am sure someone will chime in here.

Continue to take your time and all will be well.

 

O.

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The chips on the pulleys are benign, If they are not cracked I wouldn't replace. If you want to, a junk yard would be your best option.

I've never had to use a puller to get them off.

You are replacing the idlers, right?

Remove oil pump and tighten screws on back if loose.

Don't tighten the valve covers until after you have tightened your sprockets. A 1" open end will fit the flats on the cams to hold them.

Careful of torque on cam bolts, the specs are very light.

I know where the plug goes, but not enough knowledge to tell you where it goes w/o looking at an engine.

Am sure someone will chime in here.

Continue to take your time and all will be well.

 

O.

Thanks so much:0)

 

How did you get the sprockets off yourself ?  I was able to just pull the driver side off, but the passenger is proving difficult.  Yes I will be replacing the idlers as well. I got the timing belt kit   :0) 

 

 

Again thanks, 

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Before I start this one THANK YOU  to all helping me through this. 

 

Just wanting to make  very  sure I have the cams in the correct position.  

 

passenger side cams:  on the car. 

 

Driver side cams: shown off the car in intended / current position

 

 

Does this look right ?  the driver side ones seem wrong to me :0/ 

 

 

Thanks again for any help / feed back! 

 

Edit: just found this : subarutiming1Howitshouldbe.png  is it correct ? 

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Edited by legacy93wagon
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  • 3 weeks later...

So To bring the thread closure. The car had a   bad cam seal. Replaced cam seals, Timing belt, drive belts and Radiator  and heater core hoses ( my dumb ** forgot to put in the block heater while I had the coolant drained)  put about 600 miles on it since.  my old happy car is back. 

 

Thanks again for all the help, and if someone stumbles onto this thread in the future and needs help. Let me know I will see what I can remember and offer :0)

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