davebugs

Welcome. Please update your profile so it tells us a useful city/state. Locals are more likely to chime in. What year, model, miles, etc. Reason I ask is that odds are pretty good (without knowing what car it is) that it's the Oring by the second cat. A local exhaust shop would be where I'd stop. Lookup a place that bends exhaust pipe. If you go a place that wants to sell you shiny new exhaust parts (a bunch of them) it'll cost a fortune. I get a lot of these fixed. They cut out the joint and weld in a new piece for 40 bucks. Not saying that you can get that deal. But someone may want to sell you several pipes, the Oring, sping style clamps, etc. and easily get well into the hundreds.

Let us know how it goes. I hear it's a PITA and I'm not an electrical expert so I just swap the whole throttle bodies if necessary.

ECU's never seem to go bad.. Infact I don't even bother pulling them before scrapping the cars. I do sell a few ignitors though. A couple per year it seems. I've never had a bad one on a car myself. Coil packs are the #1 suspect as already mentioned if the wires are decent.

Neither of my local shops break down the heads on the Suby heads that I have them do.

Muffler shops can buy those "bung holes". I have used a spark plug non-fouler and had it welded in when in a pinch. Autozone stocks them - most other folks don't. Found out about them here at the USMB. Hanging in the "Help" section. 2 per pack IIR (or I always buy 2 - I forget).

Thanks. There are very helpful folks here that have been known to stop over and give a hand, recommend local sources, etc. But only if they know where you are at. Search for trhe Headgasket threads, links to Endwrench, and decide whether to fix yours or swap in a 2.2. I use rod knock as my determining factor on whether to fix or replace. Probably some under "similar threads" at the bottom of your screen right now.

Welcome. Search for "headgasket". You'll find more than you can read in an evening. Then ask specific questions. Please update your city to actually tell us something useful - like a region or state.

Guess I mis-understood this statement making it sound like there was only one Oring. I have seen Orings on a 97 2.2 - actually several - just FYI. One Impreza(don't do many Impreza's) and several Legacy's.

You shouldn't make that statement. We still don't know the year of the engine (must be a secret?). But if they have the Oring on the drivers side front it has the one on the passenger side rear. In my experience them have neither or both, not just one. I realize that I could be worng. But I do quite a few of these - what years only has the one on the drivers side - I havan't come across it yet?

3 cam Orings? they come 2 to a pack, front of drivers side cam, rear of passenger side cam. Oil pump Oring? Where is the third Oring? We're talking the lets say 2" thin Orings? I believe I'm missing something. What year engine? I just reread and don't believe I saw it mentioned.

Some times that cranks sensor simply won't come out - it crushes. Gets all corroded in there. Soak well as prescribed.

For some brands they can only go back so many years to be dealer certified used cars. Years and I believe miles. You know - it it's a Subaru Dealer it's a Subaru less than lets say 5 years old with under 50k (just guessing) and they can "dealer certify" them, add a little warranty, and have folks really pay up for them. Since shortage of cars is becoming an issue this gets them late model inventory and they sell a new car - doesn't get much better than that! Most Suby dealers also sell other makes(often Domestic) that perception aside they are running out of since Detroit prodcuction is such a mess and supply is running out.

You are correct on the location of the Orings. They disappeared by 99 it seems. But are on 97 2.2's. Give your Subaru parts supplier your vin# - they should be able to tell you if the engine has them or not. If you know what you're looking for you can just look. Or look here or Endwrench for pics of lets say a 95 2.2. Those engines definately have the Orings.

Heli Coil it. BTW I don't use Harbor Freight torque wrenches for anything that matters - only lug buts. Don't mean to pile on. But think about it. A cheap untested torque wrench on aluminum threads that should only go 16 lbs? You're lucky it wasn't something more important. I believe I've seen posts here about folks who relocate the knock sensor. Perhaps a search would turn it up. Never done it myself. Come to think of it drilling it with the intake on and in the car will take a long bit. Don't know about access for the heli coil T handle gizmo either. Atleast it's something that only needs 16 lbs and not susceptable to high pressures. Bummer though. Hate it when quick jobs turn complex.

Any foglight or other issues (like grille). Just asking. I haven't interchanged them myself yet - just fenders. Had a lady call tonight about a front bumper cover for a 97 Legacy sedan. I have 2 Outback assy's and a plain old L one on a car yet. Said she could get the whole assy on Ebay for 30 bucks. I told her - she'd better buy that Ebay one. I'm sure getting it to Pittsburgh at no charge wouldn't be an issue for that 30 bucks.

I bought the Snap-on "roto ratchet" in 1/4 inch just for these bolts. Now Gearwrench makes a much cheaper set. I also stuf something in the hole incase I loose one - even when removing the bolts (not just for installation) And do look around for TC seating instructions! You'll want to have it seated properly or have an expensive repair and be pulling the engine again. BTW A trick I use is I take a paint stick and draw a line from each bolt hole towards the center. This line I can see through the holes in the flexplate and makes finding/aligning that first bolt easier when reinstalling the bolts.

I see others are looking perhaps they will answer. Look by the throttle body, there is a Black plastic plate. Remove the plate and turn the crank as necessary to get access.

I swap the whole assembly as well. Never done the bearing.

If nothing else it's a selling feature.

Most of the ones I see are like that. But occasionally there is a reset button right by the hood release. But I only really deal with up to 99's so I may be incorrect.

Don't recall them being difficult. The one nut/bolt is easier gotten from the bottom to have some leverage. That's about all that I remember. You'll want to remove some plumbing around the intake - plastic and air hoses - atleast I do. But not a big or unpleasant job at all. I feel sure that the procedure is written up already and you could find it with some searching.

This will help this very thing not happen to you. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=850226#post850226 Or help you fix one that someone else already screwed up.

Yea - finding someone like that will be EASY!!! I had a brush with this stuff in the early 80's but was going the Copyright route and found out someone else was about 3 months ahead of me. It was for ordering your groceries online when PC's were basically in their infancy. And the real issue then was that liability insurance was killing businesses and this way you just needed warehouses with some employees to pull the orders. Then have the customer drive through or deliver them. The technology was the enabler to solve the business cost(insurance, fixtures, maintenance, etc) issues. In that case it was an idea (with very detailed specifics) but IIR you Copyright ideas and Patent gizmo's. Sounding like 5k to Patent. It basically is a glorified hub/bearing puller looking gizmo so there are similar idea'd products. Anyone could change a minor thing and get around the patent. I invest some overseas. Just like Japan in the 80's China won't respect Patents until they have some of their own. They still file for virtually NO patents themselves (although they seem to scrounge other's Patent fileings and make knockoff products quickly). Therefore they won't hesitate to steal intellectual property, Patents, Copyrights, whatever.

Harmonic balancer tool for 2.2 and early 2.5 is done. I'll test it a little on engines here and hopefully post the pics I just took. I should be able to have basically the same thing made for 2.5's hopefully for about the same price. I'll be starting a thread somewhere about the new tool(s) for Subaru's. The VW tool I'm having 5 more sets made, looking to source a 12mm about 9 1/2" bolt (rather then the current allthread and double nuts). Also buying the only real competitive tool to evaluate before I put a lot of reseources into this.

I keep a cheap (Harbor Freight?) clicker torque wrench set between 80-85 lbs for all aluminum wheels. And it's been set there for years so it may be a little shy of the setting. B ut they "feel good" when they click.