Numbchux

I've seen several times, all on mid-'90s EJs. Pull the vacuum hose and there will be fuel in it.

Was it exceptionally cold that day? How many miles are on it? How's the maintenance been (specifically, spark plugs)? And then yea, I'd be inspecting that fuel pump cap: https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/symptoms-of-fuel-pump-o-ring-problem.41182/

Yep, the 6-cylinder will mechanically bolt into the 4-cylinder car, they are the same chassis. But ALL the wiring will have to be changed, which means the dash has to come out. Having done dozens of engine swaps, and recently replaced the rear subframe in my 330k mile 2000 OBK, the subframe is 1000x easier.

Yea, the ATV ones (which are lighter and have a much larger customer base) are several thousand. A small run of heavier duty ones are probably going to be more like $5k. You could be a real offroader for that. There was a video floating around of an EA81 hatch with tracks on it years ago. I assume they were purchased for a 6-lug truck and bolted onto the Subaru for laughs. Those are more like $20k for a set.

OK, yes, Engine control wires absolutely go through the SMJ on those. To be honest, I never worried about the shielding. It should run back to the ECU (and grounded through the ECU), I don't recall noticing that path being broken in a harness thin, but I may have missed it. In practice, I've not found this to be terribly crucial. In one case, on my Loyale, I was having a bad connection between ECU and crank sensor, and I strung 2 pieces of new wire from the ECU to engine harness. It was supposed to be temporary, but I never had an issue, and never changed it (It probably lived for 5 years after that).

It's theoretically possible, but AFAIK no such product exists, and if it does it will be a $5k+ set of rally coilovers.

FYI, I haven't responded because you haven't posted WTF you're working on.

03 is likely second gen (certainly is om the US, other markets generally got them sooner). You'll need a turbo LHD engine crossmember (should be able to use a WRX one), but other than that, all major mechanical parts should bolt up. Wiring will not be plug and play, different body styles and different driving positions will make sure of that, but with good diagrams and good understanding of them, it could be modified. Dash will have to come out of both for the wiring conversion. Big job, likely makes more sense to sell what you have, and just buy what you want. But each to their own

Every brand carries an ATF that is Dex II compatible, usually labeled Dexron III or Dexron/Mercon or Dex/Merc, Most offer synthetic and/or high-mileage options, although if you're considering synthetic, I'd just get Subaru HP fluid. IMO, pick your favorite brand, or shop around for price, and buy any of the options that say Dex II or III on the bottle.

Yep, that switch is definitely leaking. Aftermarket ones are about $8, Subaru MSRP is $22.75. I've had a couple aftermarket ones leak in pretty short order and have been putting Subaru ones in. Even used an OEM Subaru one in my Celica when it began to leak (I was working at the dealership at the time, so my price on a Subaru one was cheaper than a Toyota one).

Yep, manually selecting 1st makes the duty C logic a bit more aggressive.

Yep, EA82. EA81s have the disty on the front. EA81 would be 4 speed, very different trans. Being that it's carbed means I think it has to be '85-early '87, which likely means narrow trans tunnel, so the trans crossmember might not fit. But everything else should be good.

ASSuming your donor is a non-turbo EA82, and your Loyale is already 4WD. If it's turbo, it won't be D/R unless it's an RX, which is it's own can of worms. Trans and crossmember, starter, flywheel (you'll need a clutch kit, too, but get a new one), flywheel bolts. Pedal box, clutch cable, shift linkage, center console (the GL has a much nicer center console, but it won't have space for the automatic shoulder belt retractors in the Loyale, I don't remember how that all works out, I think I'd already chucked the auto belts by the time I did the center console. At least the front half of the driveshaft Probably rear diff (EA82 D/R will use a 3.9, IIRC the 3AT uses a 3.7). The only way a non-turbo EA82 would have a rear LSD, is if it's been swapped in it. Don't need the cluster, in fact, it's a pain to swap it, as the wiring is completely different. Don't need the master cylinder unless you plan to retrofit the hill holder, and even still, you can just plug one of the ports on the master.

ASSuming it's not an H6 VDC model, that will have MPT AWD, which is extremely FWD biased. Hard to quantify how much delay is "normal". It always feels like a week to me (why I'm obsessed with VDC cars...), but I've spent hundreds of hours ice racing. Put the FWD fuse in and drive it around for awhile, that will completely disable the rear drive, and give you an idea of how much power is getting sent to the back. The rear drive is just a set of clutch packs. They can stick and wear. Not a terrible job, doesn't require pulling the transmission.

They redesigned the heads for the 2011/2012 Leg/OBK to "fix" the issue. They rarely leak externally like most EJ251/253s, but they blow internally just as often. A smell pretty much just means you have something leaking. Could be almost anything. The common failure mode of those head gaskets is to overheat.

No "reprogram" But a few minutes with the FSM wiring diagrams you can modify it. There are 2 outputs from the keyless entry unit or body integrated unit (My 2000 Outback has a keyless entry module, where my 2004s have a BIU, I'm guessing the 2000 Forester is the former). One goes to the driver's door, and the other to all the other doors. Cut both wires, splice both of the body-side wires together to the output on the module that used to go just to the driver's door. And poof, they all open on the first click.

Based on the information given, I can confidently say, "maybe".

Extremely tall ask, especially for someone asking such basic questions. I'll slide my bet onto "this project never happens". You have a big list of things there, it's not going to happen quickly. I'd guess multiple hundreds of hours of labor to complete that list. Maybe with hundreds of hours of research/parts gathering, you could have the car out of commission for one hundred hours of work time. However you slice it, that's an enormous amount of labor to bring it up to 30 year old technology. The early EJ22s are reliable and fairly simple, but not fast. If your target is a long travel thing like the Subaru version of Caswell's Baja Pig. You'll be looking at turbo platforms, or H6s, or both. You'll need a better transmission and rear diff. And custom suspension and axles. All of which means any work you do with the Legacy parts will get you no closer, and have to be completely un-/re-done. Sure, swap the engine/transmission. Keep the suspension stock and serviceable. And it'll be a fun, reliable little street car. If you want to offroad it, get a D/R 5MT to go behind the EJ22, redrill the hubs to 6-lug and a 4" lift. And you'll have a fun, reliable little wheeler. If you want any more than that, you're starting with a rough platform, and definitely have the wrong donor to get there. Really think what your budget (money AND time) is, and what your goals are.

The dealership where I worked stocked many of those hoses, we saw them leak all the time. Doesn't surprise me at all. Grab those 2 hoses from your local dealership (you can shop around if you like, but I'd bet any discount you'd see through an online retailer will quickly disappear in shipping cost), and swap them out. Very little volume is in those lines, so the system doesn't need to be drained to do it. There are 2 more sections of hose at the bottom of the radiator (steel line in between that runs next to the engine/under the battery), have a look at those, too.

Those are the transmission cooler hoses.

On an EJ, with it just before or just after TDC, you can pound the wrist pin out from the far side with a long punch or round steel. And yea, you won't find a "kit", just individual part numbers directly from Subaru. No need to replace them, though.

It's only ~1/2" thick. The threads in the block are much deeper than that. Maybe Aluminum would work, but I feel better with it being steel.

Yea, steel is a must, I think.

Agreed, it would not have come from the factory with it. Some dealerships might install them (if you buy a machine from the equipment dealer where I now work, we put a block heater in it, even if you didn't ask for it) by default, so it's possible you have one.

Yea, when I worked at the dealership, I know they extended the warranty on the '10-'14 low beams. I don't really understand, that. Had low beams burn out in all of our '00-'04s. I only replace with LEDs, though. Never again.