Gloyale

You got hosed. OEM belt, waterpump, and all seals should be less than $300. I suppose if you paid dealer price for all the idlers too, it could be $700, but that is way too much. Buy the idler set from PCI for 80, use an OEM belt and seals. Get he waterpump from Napa. Headgasket parts should only be another $200 tops. Machining: just surfacing should be about $150 for both heads. A full valve job and pressure test could be alot more, but I never do them unless there was a compression problem installed on engine.

Yeah, but he would also be getting massive coolant loss, poor running, smoke and steam out of the hood. He hasn't mentioned that, just that hte gauge jumps up , then back down quickly

NGK brand wires are actually better than the OEM I think. The OEMs you get from the dealer now for some reason are just a hair short. You have to leave them out of a few clips to make em reach. The NGK sets are perfect, but actually a bit more than the dealer here charges me for OEM. Change your plugs out with NGK v-power or platnium while you're at it. Removing the washer fluid resevior and the intake snorkus makes plug change alot easier.

I don't think it would have passed emmisions with a truely "burnt valve" I'll bet that isn't really the issue. I mean, how could he know unless he pulled the heads off?

I consider 160k to be a fairly low milage subaru. I couldn't dream of buying a 99 for less than 4000 around here. Where is everyone finding these supossedly perfect problem free lowmilage subarus for $1500 bucks with new headgaskets and timingbelts and no leaks.? lol

You need the bracket for the pump too. but it is a pretty easy conversion. Let me know if you wanna get rid of the old manual steering rack. I could use one.

true, but then you are back to waiting for it to fail again. Replacing the bearings in the trans is not too hard, just very messy(gear oil everywhere) The front main shaft bearing just slides off the larger rear main shaft bearing you need a press. Or you could just take the mainshaft to a shop and have the new bearing pressed on.

No, those sheilds are steel, I've welded them many times. And I am convinced they are Armor more than heat sheilds. If you look at them, the lower portion(underneath) is pretty heavy duty steel for a heat shield.

Search for my thread on "easy bearing replacement"

Since you pulled the motor already, this is kinda pointless. But just an FYI to anyone with headgasket issues blowing out all you'r coolant. If you open the bleeder screw on the passenger side of the radiator.....just a few turns....it will spew off steam, and pressure. And because of it's location over the engine outlet to rad, most of the gasses getting into the system are expelled through the vent, rather than out the overflow. This helps retain you're coolant MUCH longer. example... we went and bought a legacy for $200 the other day. had to drive it 80 miles home. idled fine, but within 500 feet of highway speed driving, temp shot to red. So we opened that vent... and bypassed heater core(to remove the trap for bubble), then refilled and burped the coolant(park on an incline nose up) car drove 20 miles or so at 50-60 miles per hour up and down hills, with the temp needle stuck in the middle, like it should be. Transmission then died a violent and shaky death. LOL. but anyways..... I am sure it would have not overheated and made the 60 more miles home except for the trans siezing(yes, seizing)

I agree with all this for the most part. 2.2 I've used a few non-OE gaskets. But I typically use all OEM for all gaskets, the aftermarket valvecovers, and cam seals start leaking too early for my tastes. As far as machining heads, I do it because it's nearly impossible to remove all the old gasket material. Plus I can wire wheel all the carbon out of the combustion chabers and from the valves, then they just dishwash the whole head. I get them back spotless, with a true face, ready to install. I only have the mess of cleaning the block to deal with. I am truely blessed to have the Willamette Valley's best machine shop here in my backyard. Bob Forrest, the finishes on the heads he does are perfect. absolutely perfect. Not disagreeing with you, good to know in case I ever get a customer who needs the "bare minimum" service

Do you use OEM gaskets? And do you Machine heads?

1. The Original Poster in this thread did not state anything about year/model/engine he is quoting that price for. 2. You CANNOT buy a 200-300 dollar EJ22 in this area that is ready to install. Not unless you get lucky. Call a yard here, and even with my "commercial" price, 400 is the cheapest you can get for high miles, unknown condition. low milage are $600 and up depending on phase I or II. Even those are likely to need resealed. 3. I've had to replace headgaskets in four different EJ22s in the last year. They are not impervious to failure. 4. Putting a Non-interferance 2.2 into a newer model (say 92 engine into 2000 outback) is a VERY tricky prospect, not easily done without alot of time to swap various crap around. May still leave you with CELs. It is also Illegal to some extent. Putting older motor into newer car is a modification of OEM polution control. Meaning most shops won't do it. Not that anything would be nessecarilly "wrong" about it. So let's stop talking about swaps, and give the guy asnswers to the question he actually asked. Johnette, year make and model please?

Current goes from + terminal, through the primary side of coil, out through the neg. side of coil, to one side of the points. When points are closed, voltage goes across them to ground, completing the circuit. Current flow stays within the primary windings. When the points open, the current needs to go somewhere so it jumps into the secondary winding (amplified to 10,000 V or more)and fires through the coil lead, to the cap, across the rotor, back out the cap through the sparkplug wire into the plug, where it jumps the last obstacle to ground and makes a spark. All that has to happen literally dozens of times PER SECOND at EXCACTLY the right time or it all doesn't work.

Points ignition doesn't use a *module* All the action happens mechanically

Use NGK or ACTUAL OEM wires. Lot's of places call a part *OEM* simply because it is a similar "type" of wire. Definately don't use autolite, or Beldin "maxpower"(a common Autozone brand) For you're code, very carefully check the wire connections for the Fuel injectors. Make sure there is no exposed wire or missing insulation. Try to use zipties or something to seperate the Plug wires from the injector wire harness. Never "confirmed" this to be a problem, but it has "solved" the mystery code for me on 2, 2000 Outbacks now.

Perhaps they are splitting the case and sending the block halves in for resurfacing? I would think if that was the case they would want to do a full rebuild , rings, bearings, etc.... adn that would be MORE than $2300

Should still make spark. Try this. use a multimeter to test for continuity between the 2 parts of the points. as you rotate motor by hand. You should see the continuity go from zero to Infinite each time a lobe opens and closes the points.

You're in Virginia. The market for these cars is not as high as it is on the west coast. Plus the cars out here have ZERO rust. I'd say $3000 is actually kinda low for my area. But in CA, older cars are slightly less desirable as CALI has insane emmissions laws that even some perfect running vehichles just can't pass. $2000-$3000 sounds about right for good examples of this generation of legacies. Hell I see 98 and 99 Outbacks still selling here for $4800 or more. I am still pretty sure that there were NOT any regular Legacies with the 2.5 in 96. GT and Outback only I am 90% sure.

Are you using you're original disty or one that came with this motor?

Well, too samll a gap, and the primary circuit is never broken, so the voltage never jumps to the secondary side(spark out to disty) If the gap is too large, the points don't close long enough to build hte charge to fire through the secondary side. Also, it could help to very lightly file or scrape the contacts of the points themselves. And yes, I am quite sure that the condensor goes on the positive side. There is a VERY high resistance in that condensor, so the Voltage doesn't really get "grounded", too much resistance. Much easier for hte voltage to run through the coil windings. But when 20k volts builds up after the points close eachtime, it allows that surge a path to ground.

I believe it should be on the positive side as well. That is where that type of condensor has always been on every subaru and non-subaru points setup I've ever seen

Look at the last pic you posted. inside the disty, to the right of the shaft, is a screw that is holding down the plate the points are mounted on. Loosen that screw. Rotate the engine by hand, watching the lobes that the points ride on. Stop when the points ride on the highest part of the lobe. This is the "open" position of the points, and where you would make the adjustment to the proper gap. Adjust by sliding the plate under that screw, then tighten when you get it set. I'll bet this is the problem.

That is on the high side, but not toatally unreasonable. Espescially if they are including things like a new timing belt and a FULL reseal. As far as can it be done well for less. Definately. Parts and Machining should be around $500 or less. So if they are charging $2500, then $2000 of that is for there labor. I don't think it should be that much. They ussually run between 1000-1600 for me when I do them. Depends on whether we are doing T-belt, oil pump, waterpump, Plugs and wires, clutch, etc... at the same time. Off the top of my head, I charged about $1650 for the last 2.5 GT I did. In addition to the HGs, I replaced T-belt, front seals, valve covers, T-stat, Plugs and wires, and Clutch. I do only Subaru, so I know excactly how to efficiently disassemble, save time.

Have you checked you're point gap? Dwell?