Fairtax4me

Merry Christmas!

The "hex" part didnt register in my mind earlier. Dremel a notch in the tops and you can use a large flat screwdriver. An impact screwdriver is still recommended, just with a flat tip.

Impact screwdriver.

If you need extra height, when you're ready to lift, take the front wheels off and set the car down on the lower ball joints on top of a couple 2x6 blocks stacked on each other. 4x4 blocks work well too. Gives an extra couple inches if you really need it. Had to do that on my buddies k20 truck because the lift didnt go nearly high enough to get the engine over the front cowl.

Looks like a solid clean car to me. Not sure I would spend that much on a car for teenagers to drive. I would look for an older Legacy, 95-99 era, (Something not so perfect, and cheaper to maintain and insure, Impreza of that era costs about 1.5x as much to insure, because younger drivers like to "mod" them and drive the snot out of them.) but to each his own.

It was only a problem on the 2.5 non-turbo engines. If you don't have any leaks around the head gaskets, don't bother with it.

There won't any issue with dropping it off later. Happens all the time. People often call in and then don't have the time to being the car in on the same day. Just as long as you do get it in and get the issue documented with the service dept.

95-96 are roller rocker with HLA. 97-98 are roller with Solid lash adjusters. We're happy to help!

As far as I know the slave cylinder pushrod has a spring behind it which is supposed to keep it pushed against the fork at all times.

Most CPO warrantys extend the original powertrain warranty for about a year. Powertrain typically covers engine, transmission, and differentials. You should have documentation of what is covered in the Subaru CPO warranty with the warranty information you (should have) recieved when purchasing the car. I would definitely push the issue here. Old differentials whine and can do so for tens of thousands of miles with no problems. A diff whining with only 40k on it could be premature wear due to incorrect assembly at the factory.

Gasket goo can be a problem when people use it on the oil pump, which is why Anaerobic sealant is the stuff to use. Cooling system is a different beast though. Big passages, and not many places for RTV to get stuck.

My only concern would be that the intake rockers may not be lubricated where they pivot on the rocker shaft. But that's a pretty slim chance.

The 10mm bolt in the middle of the end blocks. Remove those and the end blocks will slide off the shaft. Then the rocker arms will slide off. The center block can get a bit sticky but just wiggle it and it will slide off as well. Be sure to lay the arms out in order, and be sure to mark or note the orientation of the rocker shaft so you don't flip the shaft when rebuilding the assembly. There is a spring and check ball in one end IIRC. Make sure that end points the same way when you put it back together. Blow the rocker shaft out with cleaner and compressed air. Make sure you get all of the little holes in the shaft clear. Remove the HLAs from the rocker arms and blow the ports in the arms out. When you put it all back together, dunk the rocker shaft in a container of oil to fill the center and let all the air out. Also oil the arms or wipe the bores with assembly lube before sliding them onto the rocker shaft.

Probably need a new clutch master cylinder. There is a valve in the MC which is supposed to let fluid in from the reservoir so the slave cylinder extends all the way. Right now you have a vacuum in the system holding the slave cylinder in. If you open the bleeder now air will suck into the slave cylinder and mayl not work out. Try working the pedal all the way up and down a bunch of times with the reservoir cap off. If you can get the system to pull fluid in and start working properly, then open the bleeder and flush the system until new fluid comes out of the bleeder.

Couple posts up ^^^ Look around near the starter. Dipstick handle is yellow but usually covered in grime.

There must be some serious wear on that mating surface if a dealer gasket won't seal. Are you sure all of the old gasket material is removed from the pump and block? Should see nothing but shiny clean aluminum. Is the pump new? It's possible the bolts were over tightened originally and warped the pump housing. You could try RTV or paint the gasket with Indian Head gasket shellac. Indian head takes a while to dry but makes a very good seal.

There are feed holes in all of the rocker arms. You'll have to disassemble the rocker shaft again. There are spring washers between the rockers and the center block to keep the rocker arms in position. Make sure the spring washers are still there. They are known to break and fall off. That can cause some issues with proper oil pressure reaching the HLAs. The washer halves usually wash down into the oil pan and settle on the bottom, nothing to worry about, but if they are missing from the rocker assembly they should be replaced.

Hard to believe with an area of that population that there isn't a shop nearby willing to work on that engine (or that even knows how to diagnose a bad head gasket). All they need to do is put a leak down tester on it with the radiator cap open. Might start a new thread asking for suggestions to get more attention. Otherwise, pick up the phone book and start calling around.

Good point. It still takes 2-3 seconds of cranking to make the 3-4 psi that makes the oil pressure light turn off, so a 1/4 turn by hand won't hurt anything, but don't free spin it over and over again. Set the crank and leave it there.

Does it idle that high on cold start? Does the idle stay that high when the engine is warm? Or is it just hanging between shifts? Replace the PCV valve if it hasn't been done recently. Check all the breather and PCV hoses for splits. Be sure to check the hose to the MAP sensor, and the hoses under the manifold to the purge solenoid. Could have a stuck Nuetral position switch on the trans. It's the furthest back of the two switches on the side of the trans. Follow the wire up to the bellhousing and unplug it. Check the switch for changing continuity as you move the shifter in and out of gear.

Paint marks aren't always on the dashes. Those have a very thin dash mark on the outer edge of the pulley. It can be hard to see. If the arrows are pointing different directions its out of time.

SOHC is über easy. Looks like your crank key is at 9. Turn the crank counter-clockwise to 6 o'clock. Then you can turn the cams over to their marks. Line up the dash on the outer edge of the sprocket straight up with the seam in the head. The little arrows will be at 45°. You probably want to put new valve cover gaskets on it while its out. Did you take all of the bolts out of the water pump?

Just replace the cover. Junkyard or post a want ad here on the forum.

Paper gaskets are junk! Like Upnorthguy said, get a dealer gasket. It's rubber coated steel, and will have no problems sealing. Get a thermostat housing gasket from the dealer as well.

First you need to set the pistons at half stroke. Rotate the crank keyway toward either 12 or 6 o'clock, whichever is closest. Now you can use a wrench to turn the camshafts to their timing marks. The big deal with the DOHC heads is there can be valve to valve interference, so rotate slowly, and if you feel the cam stop hard at any point back off. It's usually best to remove the valve covers so you can see which valves are open. If all four valves on one cylinder are open at the same time, there is a high chance of interference. Turn one cam 90° so one set of valves closes before turning the other cam to its timing mark. Once there, turn the other cam back 90° to its original position