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Whole gearbox swap = easier than repair. I find it easier to pull the gearbox out from under rather than pull the engine from above. The drive shafts can be left to slide off as you take the box out, no need to pull them off first. Once the gearbox is clear of the bellhousing of the engine, push it left, remove shaft then push it right and remove the other shaft. Lining it back up if stub axle is a little tricker but possible. I’ve done it several time now and it works a treat!

yup, swap out the trans. you mentioned noise was only in 2nd gear. bad diff would make noise according to speed of the car regardless of gear

Ok so on the ground by 2026 didn't happen - but i did finally get things to the point where the subframe and diff are now semi-permanently attached to the car. Hooray! Using the holes in the bed for access I cleaned and tacked in the subframe, using the diff and its sheet metal as a jig to get everything in evenly Once everything was pretty sturdily tacked - I pulled the jack out from under everything. So far so good! I pulled the CV axles off of the knuckle/wheel assemblies and bolted in the stock lateral links and stacked the tires on blocks to get an idea of where I want the wheels wheels to sit at rest, and this is where the next complication arises - overall things look really good, except the wheels rub on the front of the arches left to their own devices. I'll need to play with this a little more - I'll either need to do a little bodywork to extend the wheelwells about an inch or two forward, or I may also consider options to move the whole diff/subframe assembly backwards about the same amount, though then i run into other clearance problems in the tunnel. I'll need to spend some time under the car staring at it to figure out which I'd prefer to do. Currently my gut says the latter is the easiest. For now, however, this still lets me move forward somewhat with the suspension construction. the more pressing issue at this stage is that the rear track is still several inches wide at the back. I loosely bolted the rear coils in place, and that let me get an idea of how much room I have to cut and move things inboard. I can almost see the end result - II'll be able to scrap the plan of using the impreza towers and modify the stock wheel wells without too much trouble, even though I might want to reenforce them after the fact. Had I known this prior I would have just cut the tops out, but oh well. Maybe if i do another in the future I can save myself the exploratory chopping. Or hell, even if someone else does this similarly - hopefully I can save you a little trouble. Did a little measuring and this is what I came up with: Forgive my mixed units and felt tip marker sketch on my mechanics crawler (free USPS cardboard) - but here's the broad strokes: I have a little more than roughly 2" / 5cm of horizontal clearance before the coils begin contacting things they shouldn't. The stock rear lateral links measure about 41cm long bolt center to bolt center, and I'm estimating about 10cm of vertical drop from their frame mounts to the knuckle mounts. if my math is mathed correctly, that means I'll need to shorten the link about 6cm to get the wheel moved inboard the requisite 5cm. I'm going to pull the links all the way off so I can measure them on the ground to double check these measurements - as I've found some adjustable links that would appear to be able to get close to these lengths without much serious modification and if i can do that and save myself a few hours of fabrication, I'd prefer to do that. I've also gotta figure out the trailing arm mount, but that'll come after I figure out the width issue. Anyways, that's all for my new years update - until next time kids!

Thanks for the suggestions. I've passed them on to my daughter. She has a big savings account and could easily buy a very young car if she valued having a decent looking car, but this one is generally super reliable, which is good enough for her. She'd rather buy a piece of land.

Resolved, replaced both converters. Thanks Brusbrother. Got this car from Georgia for my daughter, so it's rust free, I'm sure you can appreciate that. Concern is what caused this and hoping it doesn't destroy the new ones - oil level was increasing and bad mileage, pretty sure running rich. Found and replaced one cracked injector while chasing the clogged converter issue. Time will tell. Runs great, looks great, ready for college next year, she got a free ride at her top private school pre-med and was the first player in school history to be named first team all state twice as a junior and senior. Not bad from a rural public school with very poor academic options. /end proud dad brag

I haven't posted here for years, partly due to login issues. @Turbone fixed those for me recently (thank you!). All the Subarus I had before have moved along, but I have more than ever before - 2006 Outback Wagon, 2004 Legacy Wagon, and the newest arrival is a 1994 Loyale AT my son just bought. The engine is suspect from a large oil leak that resulted in the engine's being run low on oil. We'll see about the leak and then if the noises clear up. His goal is to put a dual range MT in is but we'll see how easy that is to find...

Thanks this was what i was trying to find.

There's the buffer and a buffer cover Covers are discontinued, but there are still a few buffers in the Subaru of America warehouses, Any Subaru dealer in the US can order them. $15-20 ea

So, theres a lot of levels to this, being that i intend to make this car outlast me so ill try to keep this organized First and foremost, I both want and need to replace, revamp, or otherwise retrofit most of my undercarriage, while its served perfectly as my daily driver, I can feel and hear that my tie rods are bad, ball joints too I'm sure, my power steering works most of the time but id like to do whatever is best to get it at maximum capability again, idk what CV Axles or how to figure out certain part specifics like that so please explain it to me like I'm a child should you do so. I'd also like to swap it to coilovers for now, please drop me some specifics or what kinds of coilovers will fit exactly so i can start to search for them as ive been lost so far, eventually ill return it to functional air suspension and hopefully get it all working again so i can show off the height calibration stuff. Generally, I'd like to restore as much of this car to "original" as humanly possible. I, of course, want to customize it a small bit but I'd feel like im ruining the car if i start trying to turbo things and stance it so im hoping to keep it tame, focus on function as much as i can, but i cant rely on the ER27 for as long as Id like to keep the car, if yall think its possible for me to revive the ER27, id love that, the engine has a classic charm and rumble to it i wont get out of my next ask for advice Which brings me to my main point and the full extent of my intentions for the car I love the flat 6 engines, the EG33 isn't as easy to obtain, but the EZ30-36 are common enough and powerful enough that I can reasonably obtain one and a donor subie for 3-800 dollars(if yall are fckin with this idea, should I get the 03 or 05 3.0, is One better?) My hope and plan is to lift the ER27 out, replace it with an ez30 and hopefully keep the oem 5 speed, i understand the saying is easier than doing, im trying to establish a baseline and a timeline so I can put my dream car back together. Truly any advice, anything yall know, and any parts you could offer me would do me a world of good. Anything common with the car that could help me would a miracle as well because finding people nowadays who even know what the car is in my area leaves me finding a better time looking for actual unicorn cars on Facebook marketplace. Many thanks and have a good one. Edit: today I remembered to ask you all about my backfiring and further about my electrical issues, is this car common for bad grounds? Why might it be backfiring or making that loud pop and bang before idling well again, to be clear it usually does this while starting for the first time, often getting one bang or two off and then being okay.

I forgot it had electric power steering. So that's one less thing to worry about. lol 99% of the time the AC won't turn it, it's because you're low on refrigerant and the low pressure cutout switch is tripped. There's no point in doing any other diagnostics until you get a set of gauges on it and check the charge. An ER27 is a big EA82 engine, with the same bellhousing. A newer engine will need a bellhousing adapter and redrilled flywheel, unless you run a newer transmission too, which is its own whole set of adaptations. Pitch stop is the link on top of the engine to the firewall. You have to fab brackets for it for an engine swap.

I could be done if several components were adapted to work between the two engines. Wiring looms can be laid over each other and whichever one is needed is the one used. Realistically though, once you go for the larger power and more reliable engine you won’t look back. Tuck the original parts under the workbench all sealed up and labelled for a future resto - if it ever happens. That’s the plan for my brumby too - upgrade the drivetrain, everything factory that’s removed is kept for future resto options (that will no doubt never happen).

If it were me, I'd be collecting parts to keep the ER running before thinking about an engine swap. I know the oil pumps and water pumps are higher flow than the EA pumps. Parts is going to be the everlasting gobstopper, you've just got to be stubborn and eat the elephant one bite at a time. My EA82 is the exact same way, but mine is more of a loping "rap rap rap rap" that's a lower tone, not a "clack" nor a "tick". But my oil pump also leaks from the "freeze plugs". Once my engine is warm it's quiet as a field mouse. I run 5w30 in the winter and 10w30 in the summer. If you have the vision, keeping the ER27 would be the way to go. They're very uncommon and you'd be keeping a piece of Subaru history alive. I've never had the privilege of hearing, seeing, or putting a wrench to one but if they're anything like their 4-cylinder brother, then it'd be extremely adverse to dying so long as the fluids are maintained. Good luck the XT6 is up there as one of the weirdest Subarus. :]

I haven't worked on one of those engines (I'm more of a Gen II wagon fan), but those problems could just be it's time for routine maintenance... Change your spark plugs, wires, cap, and rotor, check for vacuum leaks (vacuum hoses, brake booster, stuck evap, intake gaskets, etc), clean throttle body, clean MAF sensor, check temperature sensor, clean idle air control valve, adjust idle throttle stop, change fuel filters, check fuel pressure under full load, etc. Some lifter tick is normal with that many miles - you can try various flushes and such, or just live with it. It sounds like this car is new to you, so keep a close eye on the oil level until you know just how fast it uses it - running it with no oil will make that engine swap suddenly a high priority. https://charm.li/ is good for quickly looking things up, https://project-car.net/technical-info/ has a pdf service manual, and you can google for other manuals... or ebay a full set. Will come in handy with the amount of work you plan on doing.

The tick isn’t anything detrimental - just lifter tick. Parts are basically unobtainiam for the XT6 other than those shared with the L series - and even these are starting to dry up. The H6 conversion would be sick. The wiring is the biggest part of the job. After that it’s driving it so you don’t kill the gearbox! That said, a mate of mine ran the 3L H6 in a gen2 Liberty with the same gearbox that’s in your XT6 - just a dual range version. The thing was mint offroad with the locking centre diff. Sadly he killed the diff one trip in the sand as it didn’t lock and he fried it. Enjoy the journey - collect parts when you can find them! The air bag setup you might need to go down the custom aftermarket route. I don’t have any leads on this sorry.

I think you should start with simpler projects, like CVs, ball joints, and tie rod ends, before worrying about an engine swap. Until you're confident with routine maintenance like that, an engine swap isn't even something you can consider. Then worry about suspension mods and such until you're comfortable with fab work and re-engineering things. Then you can start researching engine swaps or other large projects. Is there even anything wrong with your current engine?

Sounds like the shifter knuckle needs new bushes or to be replaced with a new unit.

Got the other ABS connector for the Impreza and have both fuel pumps working on the switch now, seems to empty and fill the main tank as desired. Finally took the center diff back out of the 6MT from the black Outback. Does just appear to be the faces of those shafts that were rubbing together, planetary seems fine. Have done a little PID tuning on the cams in the EZ36. For quite a while now they've been very unstable at low engine temperatures. It's been a tough problem to solve because you can only really try a few things before the engine's warm enough to smooth things out. Fortunately (?) it's been very cold here lately so I've been able to get them tuned in better. I did add another row to the table to lower the PID values before the coolant gets up to temp but I think it's mainly just been changing the values to make it more stable in general that helped. Still a few things to improve on that front but at least progress was made.

www.car-part.com is a good search platform.

They're a solid platform. Interference engine so I'd immediately be installing all new Subaru or Aisin timing belt, tensionser, pulleys, and water pump if it's in good enough condition to warrant that. You don't really want a 25 year old lower cogged idler - they are by far the most failure prone item on there. If minimalist is preferred: replace the timing belt and lower cogged idler - those are the two parts most likely to fail. The others don't fail often anyway and often times give you warnings the others don't. After market belts and pulleys aren't as good, I've seen the pulleys fail and the included tensioner bolts shear. While you're in there it's not a bad idea to reseal the oil pump (anaerobic sealant, one o-ring, and the crank seal) and tighten the backing plate screws - more than one are always loose.

How are you guys still arguing over whether an engine is interferential or not? EVERY SUBARU ENGINE AFTER 1997 is interferential. EVERY.ONE. Geez, I've been gone a few years and you guys are still arguing this point? 🙄 We lost non-interferential in return for a lousy 5Mph power gain. Crap trade if you ask me.

Well the mystery got solved and the solution is rather embarrassing! I had no idea this car has an immobilizer and that the fancy Subaru key is necessary to start the engine. Shortly before the starter motor issue arose I had a simple copy of the key made at the grocery store for about $1.98. l was using that key exclusively to try and start the engine. Finally on another Subaru Outback forum somebody asked about my key. As soon as I tried the fancy Subaru key the problem disappeared! Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Maybe this thread will help someone else in the future with the same issue.

Yeah, that's a lot of crap (including the engine) to move - when I get to that point. At the moment I'm just pissed at the bait+switch that DHL is pulling on me - again - over my shipment from Rock. UPS said it'll be here next Tuesday for a reasonable price. DHL said that for five bucks more they'd have it here tomorrow (Thursday). Tracking now says next Tuesday, and I strongly doubt they won't screw that up, because we're rural and just past the edge of their delivery area (by, like, a mile) so I have no idea how or where (let alone when) I'll get it. I'm an idiot, because I knew better. I'm Charlie Brown running to kick the ball - again.

Thank you. That's what I thought but was puzzled by the short life. I greased them up good and filled the cavity ten years ago but I have not greased them since and the car gets driven through icy water a lot. I ordered the new bearings and seals today. I have a seal driver set. I snowmobile in to my cabin in the winter so I'm hoping they might last until spring but I kind of doubt it. Yesterday when I cranked the axle nut enough to gain another hole in the castle nut it seemed to tighten them up a little. If they wear down and loosen up again I'll change them out. That just means that I'll be doing it in the snow on the side of the road where I park in the winter. But hey it's a $300 car that I have been driving for 15 years.

(A few months later, 'cause I had to clean out enough of the garage to get the car in over the pit and buy a Warn Pullzall (110VAC comealong - got a smokin' deal on it) to pull it in, then wait for a break in the weather, since the garage is unheated...) But now the cover's off and I've confirmed that the driver's side chain broke. Since the driver's side chain drives the passenger side chain, what sounded to me like just the crank and no cams cranking was in fact just the crank and no cams cranking. It's not clear whether the chain broke on its own, or whether it was caused by a guide fragmenting, and there are some loose plastic bits in there. Doesn't matter much, timing kit is en route from Rock. As for whether anything got hit, jury's still out. It's so damn tight along the sides of the engine that I'm not sure I can get a compression gauge in there. But I'm also replacing the steering rack while it's over the pit, so I'll be dropping the exhaust and can take a peek up at the valves. Otherwise, I'll just see how things behave once the new kit is installed. I do have an untested junkyard motor on the shelf (bought as a spare a couple of years ago), so I can draw upon that if necessary. But I'll see how it goes over the next few days.

Thanks. Looks like a pushbutton 5 speed will have to do for now. This morning we towed home an '87 GL turbo parts car and that is what it has. Hopefully with the parts car the turbo swap will just be a lot of "doing" and not so much figuring out what to do and how.

Better to change a manual than auto trans!

Yeah fair enough! You didn’t do the “mandatory” double pump if the throttle before turning the ignition on? Or the other way to do it is ignition on to prime the fuel bowl, ignition off, double pump, ignition on and start. I do this one when I haven’t driven my brumby in a while, especially in summer when it seems the bowl evaporates and needs filling again.

Have you drained the gearbox oil and see what comes out with it? Also carefully feel around inside the gearbox through the drain hole for any other fragments that may be present. Noise will travel to different areas. You’d need to use a dowel/long screw driver/stethoscope to pinpoint where the noise is coming from more precisely. Seems more likely that second gear is chipped, possibly both gears - if that’s the case you’d get an un-rhythmic sequence that will repeat after some time. This is because all gearsets have at least one gear that’s got an uneven number of teeth so they wear all teeth against each other for even wear across all the two gear cogs’ teeth.

Great to see you back. Enjoy your time. Lost count of how many times I’ve typed “save the dual range fivespeed” In exclamation. Good luck. I think you’ll score. Those cars mentioned, kind of parallels our own at one time. We just sold our 2006 OBW seems either you get a good one or one that’s constantly having issues. These days my daily addiction is the 2000-04 Legacy/OBW but yet to own the 2004 with the fly by wire. Having that in the 06 scared this old dinosaur. The vehicles that are fly by wire these days are many and I’m just taking a while to accept that.

I got a 2009 Outback special edition instead. Only 95,000 miles on it. It spent 2016-2025 in Arizona and before that in Colorado. Pretty much rust free. I drove it home to Fairbanks, Alaska.

Already surpassed the 40 years milestone of being with my "BumbleBeast" in continous ownership and, despite that this SportsWagon is looking smaller as new cars around tend to get bigger; I preffer this Yellow noisy fellow over any other car, everyday in any weather condition. Lousy cellphone photo Kind Regards.

Any updates on this? Going to do any racing this summer?