porcupine73

One thing to check might be the engine coolant temp sensor. The easiest way to check is with scangauge or similar device plugged into the ODBII port. What temp does it claim the coolant is when the engine is cold? I forget the way these normally fail but for example if it claims the coolant temp is say 100 deg F and the car has been say sitting outside overnight and it is 3 deg F then that could cause some starting issues.

The lines on the belt will not line up every revolution. The purpose of the lines is to make sure you get the right tooth count between all the marks, not that the marks line up every revolution. The thing about air in the lash adjusters in my mind sort of depends on two things. First do you have HLA's, which most likely is yes, I think '96 was the last year for them. Were they all primed before starting the job, which they probably were as long as none were faulty. And, how many times were the cams rotated doing the timing. Too many times can make them lose their prime since the engine isn't running so oil isn't circulating. But even then I believe normally they will reprime themselves after some time with the engine running though there may be some ticking sound until that happens. Someone had a nice post about pulling them out and repriming them in clean oil to get out all the black icky gunk inside that can sometimes make them not pump up properly.

This might help: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/74256-ej22-timing-belt-change/

I don't think it would rip the hitch off. Just with any load way back behind the rear tires I'd take it extra easy on wet surfaces etc because in an emergency maneuver like swerving having a lot of weight back there might make the back end more likely to kick out.

What do you mean when you say it doesn't idle? Just that the RPM's are higher than normal idle for a period of time before settling down?

Hm does yours have the ATF cooler on the side like the mid 90's style, or does it have the ATF cooler on the bottom like that shown in the listing? Or if you have an MT I suppose that aspect won't matter. I'd say it would have the best chance of fitting without too much hassle if the ATF cooler is in the same position. I did manage to fit a late 90's rad into an early 90's soob since the fit was close except the radiator supports on top were a bit different and I had to wrestle with the fan mounting a bit since it was slightly different.

Ah right on, also I think I remember seeing in the manual not to rotate the cams any more than necessary during the timing belt job so that the lash adjusters don't lose their prime. The description sounds like they were rotated many times.

Ouch yes I think if it has to be driven that way I would (cold of course) maybe take the upper rad hose off the radiator and cut it back about 3" and put it back on to try to get some of that kink out of the upper hose. It's severely pinching off the flow which could cause overheating. Assuming of course that the cooling system isn't leaking and is full, i.e. the radiator end tank didn't bust or something like that. Though in my mind it wouldn't really explain not getting any heat out the heater but there could be other damage too. Don't let it overheat or what might have been fairly easy to fix could turn into much worse things such as water pump, head gaskets, etc.

I would think unless the cylinder you are testing is at the bottom then unless the crank is blocked it seems like it will definitely move with 100psig on it.

You specifically mentioned notches so I'm guessing you already saw the many posts that say to use the notches, and _not_ the arrows. If the crank sprocket hash is lined up with the notch on the oil pump, then on the SOHC's turning the cams won't hurt anything. Turning the crank too much though I believe might engage a piston with a valve though I think you would notice that while turning the crank, i.e. it encountering something. Beyond that right it is the hash marks on the cam sprockets to the timing covers and the crank sprocket hash to the hash in the oil pump. Supposedly one tooth off it will start but lack power, two teeth off anywhere I believe the old endrwench article said it wouldn't start.

That part that says 'this' is your emissions evap canister. Regarding the overheating I can't tell completely but that radiator hose looks pinched, not quite pinched off, but it doesn't look right. Did it move the whole radiator and such closer to the engine or something? Also the lower radiator hose - maybe that is completely pinched off?

Found this in my image collection:

I usually undo the bolts on the strut then turn the steering wheel all the way one way or the other and that gets enough play. Just remember to dab some white out or something on the top bolt so that when you put it back on the camber will be close to where it was. Right on you have to turn the nut on the upper bolt because it's not just a normal round bolt. The lower one doesn't really matter but generally it's easier to turn the nut while holding the bolt. Mine are too rusty to do anything with the ball joints the bolt either just snaps and then even after drilling it out it puts up a horrid fight because the joint is rusted into the bearing housing.

cars101.com has the procedures for all the Subaru alarm systems. I don't think '98 had a true ECU based immobilizer like later models but the alarm system definitely can prevent it from cranking. Did it crank before you replaced the battery? I.e. just trying to determine if what the previous owner said is reliable, previous owners often make a lot of assumptions or have faulty thinking.

There's lots of things as mentioned above that it could be. I had something similar on my '96 Legacy, which I thought it was a ball joint because it started shortly after I replaced the ball joint. It would do it randomly over bumps. It would always to it in reverse if going over a bump like backing into the driveway. It turned out to be one of the front stabilizer bar end links. It wasn't obvious at first, but it somehow like stretched up near the top and the bolt hole was all hogged out. I picked up some links for like $9 from rockauto and that took care of it. Though getting all the old rusty hardware off was trickiest and one of the bolts for the bushings snapped.

An easy thing to check also is do you ever see any air bubbles blowing into the coolant overflow tank, i.e. looking like it's boiling?

Stock is on the front, the top bolt only is the eccentric bolt for camber. The bottom bolt is just a normal bolt. In the rear I'm pretty sure stock is just two normal bolts, i.e. no allowance for rear camber adjustment stock on the mcpherson setup. Though one or two fast camber bolts can be used to make it adjustable. The fast cam bolts I didn't have any trouble with but some people have had issues with them slipping or I think snapping if they're overtorqued. So the place you are getting them from, if they are saying two fast cam bolts, then that is either for the rear, one on each side, or it is for replacing the factory eccentric bolt on the top front one per side if the the fast cam bolts have more adjustment, or it is for replacing the normal lower bolt on the front with a fast cam bolt so you can get more adjustment (also keeping the top factory eccentric bolt).

In addition to all the good points above, 4EAT phase I was not known for having that shrinking seal issue. That was moreso the first year or two or maybe three of the 4EAT Phase II. I wonder if your issue might be the brake bands? Having accidentally put the ATF into the front diff will be fine just drain the front diff and put in the correct GL5 gear oil. It could probably have used a change anyway if it wasn't done recently. Fortunately it wasn't the other way around, putting the gear oil into the trans fill tube, that would be bad.

I did a 96 Legacy with Outback struts and king springs lift springs. That was many years back so I'm trying to remember for sure, but the rear I think the factory bolts didn't allow any camber adjustment. I think it it was sitting like +30 or +40 with the outback struts and king springs. So I used a fast cam bolt on each side in the rear to get close to zero. Zero might not have been optimal it was just easier to set to zero. The fronts I believe I was still able to get zero or slightly negative with the stock bolt but it was at the very limit of its adjustability.

The two I've used in recent years are the Advance Auto silver pads and Centric posi quiet. The Advance Auto silver I've really liked. They are consistent even when cold/wet and seem to brake just fine for a daily driver though they are an economy pad. The centric posi quiet are nice and definitely smooth when warm and dry. I don't like though how they get extremely grabby when even slightly wet and somewhat when cold.

Right on it may very well not be the timing belt it's just something easy to check that can break if left go too long and will cause no start. It's not either of the two visible belts, those are the power steering / alt and a/c belts (if it has a/c), you'd have to remove the small cover sort of near the coolant overflow to check it (unless of course the timing covers are already missing/removed/broken/not put back on previously).

How's the coolant level in the overflow and when the cap is removed? Do you notice the coolant in the overflow 'boiling' (i.e. exhaust bubbles blowing into it?). How's the radiator cap? I.e. With the engine cold squeeze the upper rad hose as hard as you can. You shouldn't hear any coolant going into the overflow / feel the hose slowly compress. It's kind of a crude test but it's quick and easy.

It seems like if the connectors were never used then the original factory tape is still on there that needs to be cut back to get the wires accessible. The other black is probably just trapped in there somewhere. Is the timing belt broken per chance? I can't remember if that will cause no spark but obviously it definitely will cause no start.

I'm not completely sure on that year but earlier years the tradition was the lines ran from under the rear seat above the fuel tank to each rear wheel, at least on wagons though I think sedans might be the same way. If you life the rear seat on the passenger side you might see like a plastic sticky piece that if you life will reveal where the brake lines go from inside the cabin to under the vehicle.

Right on and if it's the lines above the tank get ready because on my soobs that was the first thing to rust out, followed by the trans cooler lines under the battery, fuel filler pipe, fuel lines where they come in under the rear seat, trans cooler lines on the trans itself, and so on. The lines above the tank pretty well have to be spliced under the rear seat because the entire lines under there rust pretty badly and replacing just a small section (which isn't even really possible without dropping the fuel tank).