Gloyale

sweet, glad you got it solved. You can leave it jammed open and just use the blend door to adjust heat. Although in Reno summer you may want to close it again! Yeah the newer ones don't even have a valve for coolant bypass, they just use the blend door.

check the linkage between teh blend flap and teh bypass valve in the hoses. Just above/right of the throttle pedal. Left side of the ventilation box/controls.

i agree but i use re-use the pistons unless damaged. i just use a hooked tool in my 2 or 5 lb slide hammer to pull pins on my engines Phase ii 2.5 absolutely has different cooling jackets. actually shallower. meaning the "pots" are not so tall. The inside of the cylinder is obviously the same stroke and bore, but on their cylinders outer water jacket side the portion around the top that is open is a more even ring, higher up on the pot. This makes them less likely to vibrate with harmonics than the earlier, taller pot phase I 25d. And then to compare to the semi-closed deck EJ255/257 is an even greater difference than the full open deck EJ251/3. It isn't about changing the cooling amount, but it's uniformity and a more rigid block. Portions of the outer wall of the cylinder are actually visible on the OUTSIDE of the block, exposed to air. these changes make the jacket a more uniform flow rate over the entire casting, rather than the deep pockets of weird dimension around the base of the 25d cylinder.

correct got sidetracked although in severe cold the fresh/recirc can be vital to get closed. just to clarify. per FSM and observed testing today, the re-circ switch vents to atmosphere to close the fresh air flap. all other positions, vacuum applied, flap open for fresh air. Check valve in the line that supplies the vacuum holds it when engine turned off. so if you want to store the car wth flap closed, switch to max/recirc before shut off.

Firing order 1324 Cyl positions rear 3 4 1 2 Front Check that. And then check for 12v to coil. Check 2 wires to the disty from coil How do you know the timing is correct if you can't get it to run?

So.....you might have an issue. But I would submit that what you are seeing is the initial "recovery" charging of the battery after it discharges hundreds of amps to start car. Alt pushes maximum output about 14.4 volts.....As battery recovers, and fewer amps are needed the amount of charge drops, and the VR levels out the voltage accordingly. Subaru systems don't run at 14+ volts all the time. Closer to 12.5, which is close to what you are reading. And load testing it with 78 amps of draw is pretty close to the max output of 110 which happens at higher RPMs.....the alt cannot produce 75% of max amps at idle. I don't think the engineers designed it to idle long time with ALL items on. They figure your gonna drive, not idle with the lights and blowers and wipers all at max. Running up the RPS a few hundred brought it to 13.8? sounds like it's working to me. If the voltage tries to drop below 11.x then there is an issue.

unless there is a check valve, it is close when engine vac goes away *** Edit*** Just checked FSM, there is supposed to be a check valve. so I guess they would stay open in factory form. I do know on my car that there is not a check valve, so that's why mine closes when engine off. Someone must have removed it. I like it that way.

there is one vac hose that operates the Fresh/recirc flap on the blower box. Opens the flap when car starts, closes to keep critters out when engine off. Sometimes I pull the line and clamp it in winter to make it recirc. Canadian models have a switch for doing this, but we gotta unhook it manually in the US cars for recirc. follow the cable from the Hot/cold selector down to the blend door assembly and make sure it's housing is secured in the clip and not just sliding around with no effect on the door.

I disagree. Not that it's terrible always, and certainly with the updated parts it's better. But the 95-98 25d still use the small 48mm rod journals, and they lack the capacity in the cooling jacket around the cyliders that the 2.2 has. 2.2 has thicker cylinder walls, less of a "Notch" in them for case bolts. I personally love the 2.2, and I've seen very few HG failures on them. And when they do, the heads pop off with 6 bolts...don't even really have to take the VCs off. The composite graphite gasket is more forgiveing of imperfections, so I ussually don't even resurface them just clean em well and check for straight....which they always are. also, just apples to apples, the HG job to repair 2.5 and install new pistons and rings is way more expensive and labor intense than replacing the HGs in the 2.2

I don't think so. Even if the gear ratios are the same, I think the TCU that runs the trans and the valve body in the trans changed slightly. I can't say for sure but I would try looking for a 99-04 trans from an Outback or Forrester, or Legacy GT

With a 4" lift, you will need to space down EVERYTHING in the subframes. And have a custom length steering coupler made. And a custom Dogbone/Pitch stopper. You will have to modify shifter or at least move the cable mount on the body if it's an Automatic. You will need to space down the carrier bearing, change the exhaust or let it hang stupid low. You'll need longer radiator hoses (forester hoses may work) You may need to modify your airbox or use one from an older model to clear the dogbone. You will need to take the brake lines out of the brackets on the struts and relocate the ABS wires to a lower mounting point. And if you plan to drive it hard or wheel it you will want to crossbrace the rear subframe blocks so they don't deflect side to side and wiggle the captive nuts out of the unibody. There is alot of sideload on those blocks and 4" of leverage on them makes them bend and break the body. MUST crossbrace the rear. And THEN, to clear tires larger than about 205/60/15 you will need to go to the Outback struts. So with that combo you're gonna have almost 6" of lift over the stock height. That's a big subaru. Lot's of work but cool when it's done. Just be aware that's a serious undertaking, and will take lots of little custom mods and money items. You can get a pretty good amount of clearance for snow/mud simply by adding the Outback struts with no other spacers or changes.

an 83 would be an EA81 engine. no timing belts. If by chance the year is listed wrong, and it's say a 85+ then it will likely be an EA82 engine. Timing belts and tensioners for that engine are still readily available. this thread started about the Xt6, ER27 engine.....timing belts and parts for those are scarce. But EA82 stuff is still around plenty (minus oil pumps)

The bigger job it does is keep the engine/trans from bucking upward under throttle. they ussually just break or bend in impacts.

2.2 legacy still interfernece, but if the HG's been done, and the trans is newer, it will run forever. The outback you will be doing HG's again in the next 3~5 years.

carbon build up on piston tops. Carbon heats up to nearly cherry red, sparks fuel mixture before it should. Run lot's of good fuel treatment like lucas. Seriously buy a 32 oz bottle and put 4~6 oz in the next 6-8 tanks. If you really want to solve it. Pull the heads and pistons, clean them, and replace rings and reseal engine.

Probably a rear wheel bearing. Which on that model is a bolt on affair. Bearing is about $100~ and can be replaced with a few hand tools in less than an hour, Depending on how much rust the car has.

My recommendation would be this: 96-99 Outback struts front and rear 2" lift strut top blocks then, grab these items from an outback and swap to your car....Steering joint, Front subframe spacers and bolts, Front A-arm pivots, Trans crossmember(s) Rear trailing arm mounts. Possibly rear subframe spacers but may not be needed...the rear has alot of room for travel. If you don't want to deal with spacers and such, I would spend your money on a good set of 4 new Outback struts and see where that get's you. May be enough for your tastes.

Bingo. Fel-pro SUCKS and has low quality, non japanese, non OE style parts in their kits. Expect your headgasket to fail again within 2 years.

screwed up relay

Ah.....2wd? or California Car? Must be cause sounds like you have hte SPFI fuel system which does use a simple relay. 49 state 87's had Carbs and the Rev sensor type relay. You have a simple 4 pole standard hitachi/mitsuba relay. From what you describe yes it sounds like it failed and isn't closing. Test pump by bypassing with a jumper from 3 to 4.

have to say I've never ever seen one come out. A few leakers, but never one that just comes out completely. that's a new one. Maybe those PepBoys plugs are not so good a fit eh???

flush or just below. That's how all seals and plugs on subarus are. Many seals are prone to being over driven. espscially important for rear main, and Cam seals.

Oh, they spin if there is no pin there. Like old air cooled VW main bearings. don't know why they were so far pushed down. Wonder if someone drilled them deeper to "get them out of the way". It can definately be frustrating to get the bearings on the pins.

for big tires starting uphill you would want the heavier flywheel/dampner weight so that you can just pop the clutch out and not slip it. with lighter flywheel you are more likely to stall and need to slip clutch.

This would yeild at least a stumbling sputter. And would not have died while cruising. Would have been a gradual flooding not like a switch. I am not saying it's not possible. But I am indeed skeptical of this analysis. I would want to see proof of the injector spraying fuel with KeyOnEngineOff (koeo)