Numbchux

Don't take anything apart, just get it in the air and get under there and see if that axle is seated in the transmission. If it's not, my preferred method is to pop the ball joint out of the control arm, and swing the whole knuckle assembly in until the joint bottoms out and you can sort of use it like a slide hammer to pop it back in.

I have seen axles not fully engaged into the transmission/rear diff. Never seen an EJ hub stripped.

Very interesting, and I'm sure it'll be a fun car. Yea, those transfer gears typically don't hold up well to being the sole output, but the light weight and relatively low power levels here will help. Might want to start budgeting to upgrade those. Custom driveshaft, I assume? Seems like a pretty niche market. Someone with the time and skill to assemble an engine, and notch the crossmember and framerail, but wants some bolt-on brackets? Probably a great candidate for a BRZ transmission, or Bill's bellhousing to a Toyota RWD transmission.

OK, well, that is kind of strange. Regardless, though, your car doesn't have the CVT, it's a 4EAT. So a CVT will behave very differently. Go test-drive it, you might like it. The infinitely-variable ratios might suit your driving style better.

Yea, I'm a bit unclear on the complaint. Especially since the Imprezas didn't get the CVT until 2012, your 2011 has a conventional automatic. A new Outback is only available with a CVT, no manual or conventional auto since 2014. It is a second revision of the CVT that gets fewer complaints than the older ones. That said, I drive my mom's 2012 Impreza Premium (CVT with paddle shifters) all the time and I like it, it's different, but does exactly what it was designed to do, and I've never experienced anything that I would call bucking or shifting as long as I was being consistent with the throttle.

Where did the replacement parts come from? Remanufactured? We've had terrible luck with remanufactured power steering components lately. We've had several Subarus in for pumps, reman one non-functional out of the box, warrantied once or twice before we give up and put a new OE one in, which works perfectly. Get a decent used pump and try that.

I used an XT rack in my Loyale. It was a direct swap, it was a quicker ratio, but only barely. IMHO not worth the work unless you have to replace the rack anyway.

On flat ground, yes. But as the suspension travels, the control arm and steering link both move in an arc. If they're not the same length, they will not move in the same arc. I did a quick google search and found this picture. It's a little oversimplified as it shows those arcs above horizontal, but a cars travel is completely below horizontal. And I would illustrate it with the 2 arcs overlapping at ride height....but the basic property is the same

Shortening the steering linkage will effect how the toe changes through the suspension travel. That's what we're talking about, shortened rods has been done but you end up with bump steer.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/

These cars are not known for stripping splines like the '80s cars, so that doesn't surprise me. But, no, it doesn't change anything. The AWD system for virtually all Automatic Transmission Subarus is very front-biased. Once the computer detects the front wheels slipping, then it sends power to the rear. That said, your car should try to move with a broken axle (VERY bad for it, maybe someone already tried and burned out the transfer clutches). Manually selecting 1 or 2 on the shifter will help, but still allow quite a bit of slip. FWD fuse should be used with the spare tire, it is NOT sufficient for towing. Make sure there is not a fuse in there. If there isn't a fuse, you'll probably need transfer clutches and/or a duty C solenoid. It's not a terrible job to replace them, and relatively common, so a moderately-sized or bigger Subaru dealer will probably have seen it before and be able to recommend a parts list.

Yep, while Nissan and Subaru are pretty distinctly separate companies, the stuff that they didn't design and build in house frequently saw some overlap. Some automatic transmission internals are probably the only thing so closely related between the Pathfinder and Outback...but still. At the very least, when functioning correctly, neither transmission should make a different sound than the other. Still leaves a lot of possibilities what you might be hearing. I have Nissan rear brake calipers on my XT6, zero modification required.

Wow, I'm impressed. We've had a lot of people come on here and say they're going to do this, but once they realize the difficulty.....yikes. To my knowledge, it's only been done one other time. Keep the information coming, and I'll add it to the FAQ. I suspect you'll need custom axle shafts, as the EA81 front crossmember will have narrowed your track width fairly considerably.

First off, your 2007 is not a CVT. the 2.5i Limited was only available with either a 5- or 4-speed automatic. The 4-speed is VERY similar internals to what was in your pathfinder. I can't speak to what the noise might be, sounds like it could be anything from a gear or bearing problem, to interference in the radio, or something vibrating somewhere. I'd recommend buying a Haynes manual. They're about $40, and will have a lot of information on how to do these things. And I'm sure with a little searching you can find how-tos on fluid changes on Subarus, most of them are the same. Subaru maintenance schedule (this is in your owner's manual, too): http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_maintenance.html Factory service manual and owners manual online: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy_Outback/2007/ Maintenance schedule says to inspect the transmission and differential fluids every 30k miles. At the dealership where I work, we drain and fill (draining doesn't get everything out of the transmission, so it's not a fluid change) it every time. That would be excellent maintenance. Personally I do it more like 60k. Flushing fluid is generally overkill, and disconnecting cooler lines and such can open another can of worms. Conventional green coolant is fine, any 75w90 GL-5 gear oil (very common). Transmission calls for Subaru HP fluid, which is a full synthetic. I don't know if there's any aftermarket fluid that meets this standard. Tires are extremely specific to personal preference, usage, and climate. Might be a good idea to check with your local Subaru dealership and see what they recommend. Spark plugs, NGK or OE. Probably a FR5AP-1 or 22401AA65A. The cylinder heads are off to the sides, but the plugs are on the top side of them. You have to remove a couple things to get access (air filter box and washer fluid tank, IIRC), but it's not bad.

Legacy Brighton/L MT = 3.9 Legacy Brighton/L AT = 4.11 Legacy GT AT = 4.11 Outback H6 = 4.11 Outback/Baja AT = 4.44 Outback/Baja MT = 4.11 Turbo Baja = 4.44 All of those except the '04+ Baja use the same (superseded) part number. For the '02 model year, they got a better paint that is more rust resistant, so an '02+ used one is preferrable, the '00-'01 part number supersedes to the '02+ number. FYI, the Subaru part number is 20152AE00B, and MSRP is $339.22

Interested. Probably not high on my budget, but could be a rare opportunity for a legit locker. FWIW, I'd be looking at EJ-style axles, specifically for my '04 Outback Helical r160s exist. This is about true lockers.

I had to grind my 4.444 ring to clear 1.59

$300 US? What style locker? Lunchbox like the Aussie? Designed for what axles?

You can mix and match XT6 and RX center diff, but in order to get better than 3.9, you have to use the EJ R&P, which is much shorter and will not engage the EA diff.

Yep, with the 1-5 gears and shafts from an RX FT4WD box or EJ D/R box, swap in the PT4WD EA82 1.59 low range, and then use the EJ 4.444 R&P (has to be clearanced a bit). Have to use an EJ center diff, I'm not sure if there's a locking version from some other part of the world, but the XT6 or part-time stuff will definitely not work with the EJ pinion.

What engine are you using? With either transmission, the transfer gears in the back of the transmission will be the weak link, as they're not designed to carry full power. The extra gearing of the transfer case and axles will help that, but if you're making more than EA power, that may be an issue. If it's an EJ, those transfer gears are very easy to source, and even upgrade. Here's a thread that might interest you. Subaru engine in a Toyota, not finished, but some good information: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/134618-smiley/ The important part, what he had to do to the Toyota frame to get the Subaru engine to sort of fit. This is an Early SOHC EJ22, the smallest EJ engine: And that's after completely removing the transmission tunnel to raise the drivetrain up into the body as much as possible. If I were building something like that, I would definitely use one of Bill's adapter bellhousings to use a Toyota transmission. Stronger, and without the front diff in the transmission, it won't require the engine/transmission to be nearly as far from the front diff. Which means better ground clearance and/or lower COG, depending how you build it. Another thread that might interest you. Toyota Axles under a Brat. Not the whole frame...but still. Link to pictures in the last post. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/89301-82-brat-solid-axle-build-done/

Yep, the hatch for a car with a raised roof is different. So ASSuming the Outback has a raised roof and LGT doesn't, that will not work. Side windows should.

Front brakes are probably the same. Rears are only an upgrade if you have drums. Struts/springs if you want to lower it. Rear subframe, trailing arm brackets, etc. if you want to lower it correctly. It might have a rear LSD, but there'll be gear ratio and axle concerns. There are many parts that are the same, but very few that would be an upgrade.

I have a super cheap chinese one I bought on Amazon. Seems to have good power, but the clamps do not reliably get a good connection. I find it mildly annoying, but workable, it started my '94 Ford E-150 351 with a very weak battery last week. My wife used it once (I was talking her through it over the phone), and she was really freaked out by that.

EZ wiring would be negligibly more difficult than EJ. Either is a huge project. EZ is a much better end result.... Honestly, though. It sounds like leave it stock is the much better option for your goals. You're bound to have teething pains with an engine swap, fixing/chasing an oil leak sounds so much better.