DaveT

Certainly worth checking the belts.

That rules out the exhaust. Does the fuel pressure stay up while trying to get it going?

Easy test. Support the y pipe, loosen the studs to get a 1/2" gap between the heads and the flanges. Short test run. If it runs normal, something is blocking exhaust. Gutting the cats will increase emissions. Not a huge difference in power or anything else.

I'm not sure pulling a vacuum on the coolant system is a good idea. Certainly not more than a few psi. The small amount of air left after the usual "burp" procedure will work it's way out in a few drive cycles IF everything else is working correctly, sealed / no leaks. I saw a funnel system for sale on amazon that makes it a lot easier to fully fill the system without making a mess.

Oem or best quality Stant for the thermostat. I'm running a 180 degree in one, and a 190 (normal temp) in the other. The heater is much better in the car 190 degree car. I'm in CT, so get a range of temps year round. I run 10w-40 synthetic oil. +1 oil pump seals, including the shaft seal. The bubbling bothers me. That's not normal especially if it is coming from the cooling system. There should be nearly none to zero air in the radiator / upper hose. Check the upper hose by sharply squeening it while listening for the giggle pin, and air gurgles. Check the level in the recovery tank. Before every cold start for a while, to see what is going on. It takes several times / days to gather this data l, unless things are going downhill fast. Waiting to see the temp gauge go over normal while low on coolant is bad for headgaskets.

I'd drive it. Look up "tick of death" for the noise. When the leaking gets bad enough, reseal the cam tower /s. Did you use the oem metal reinforced o rings?

I have a dual range 5 speed trans laying around that needs a home. Someone on here will likely know the ratios, but iirc it was noticeably slower in low range.

Look at the fsm cooling system diagram to find all of the little bypass hoses. Once you decide any one of them isn't looking good, Replace all of the cooling system hoses before they fail. Not worth the risk to wait until failure.

Buy it. Fix or find and rebuild an engine. I choose fixing driveline over rust any day.

Maybe an o ring? Or gasket sheet blank. Or sheet rubber of your choice. I have bought sheets from mcmaster Carr and MSc direct. Then cut to match.

There are numerous connections between the battery, power distribution, fuse block, ignition switch, etc. Any one of them could get intermittent. I've seen wires break inside the insulation also. But that's rare. I might wire in a test light to key systems, such that when it quits, you could tell if that system was getting power, or loosing it.

Always good when it's a simple thing. I have yet to have one of them fall out. Been driving these since 1988.

Does it crank with an even rhythm, or uneven? Pedal down and crank is flood clearing mode. 1 or 2 seconds of carb cleaner into the air intake will make it run for a few seconds if the spark, timing and distributor are all good. Pull one of the smaller hoses to squirt it in toward the throttle body.

fuel pressure sounds good. check the timing belts check the rotor in the distributor check for power at the coil

We have an 09 Forester. The foglights are wired stick right now, and can only be on with the low beams. Which is wrong, since in really foggy conditions, the fog lights are more effective with the headlights off. I've had opportunities to verify this with my older cars with aftermarket fog lights over the years. I also often run with the fogs on in good weather, as they fill in places the headlights alone don't hit well. I check that they are aimed properly. I usually leave them off in city driving.

What I run is mid quality conventional battery, but I get the biggest one that will fit in the battery space. This gets you some extra reserve, some extra cca. And, at it's end of life, (about 5 years) it still has enough to start the car, so you can still let it go a bit longer. I looked at those fancy batteries a while back. They cost about double a conventional one, last about twice as long. Doesn't make financial sense. I haven't priced them lately, so check.

I have done 1. I'm in CT.

I vot.some very stuck ones out by heating the block to near operating temperature with a space heater and a heat gun . Makes a big difference. If one strips, helicoil or one of the fanicer repair kits will work.

If you have both front wheels off the ground, put it in 1st. No parking brake, engine off. Turn one wheel, see the other turn opposite direction. This would be normal. Clicking when turning usually is a bad out cvj.

I have Seen mention of a pin that tells the ecu if it is running with a standard or auto transmission. So that should not matter. I've swapped spfi engines between 87 gl through 93 loyale, no problem, never had to change out the ecu. Possible difference may exist between CA and 49 state, but I do not know.

I made one from an old radiator cap. Only use a hand pump with a gauge as you don't want to go overpressure. I have found some this way. I've also had leaks that were too small / slow to detect this way. Found external ones by seeing the residue build up. Headgasket ones by tracking consumption, which inevitably goes up, until unusable, then gone when replaced.

The vacuum actuated egr valve parts are all metal. If the vacuum line is disconnected, the valve is closed, unless it is broken. Cap the vacuum line on the engine side. The egr is supposed to reduce the combustion temperature (NOX emissions) under certain conditions, I've not seen much of anything claiming it makes much difference in performance.

was it actually blown? That is - all blackened / silvered / melted? Or just broken / cracked fuse element?

987687 sounds about right. Why I prefer 4wd over all wheel drive.

I have opened one or 2. They are computer controlled. At one time I was going to reverse engineer the things, but I have not yet needed to.