Fairtax4me

Glad you got it fixed! I've seen several of the purge solenoids get carbon crud between the valve and the seat up inside the housing bore. Possibly carbon from the canister. They can usually be disassembled and cleaned, and will work properly again after. It's a good idea if the purge solenoid has crud in it to blow shop air through the piping that runs to the canister (be sure to disconnect the purge line from the canister) or replace the rubber vacuum hoses if the canister is under the hood.

Not very often you end up with burned valves on 2 cylinders at the same time, but that's pretty likely the issue here. Check valve lash clearance.

Very common problem with coil springs in general. Best to just replace them when replacing struts. If the lower and upper rubber insulator cushions are torn or missing it makes the problem 10 times worse because the coating on the springs rubs off against the perch on the strut and leaves bare metal unprotected.

Outback strut by itself will give you just a hair over 1" lift. Put forester spring on and you'll get close to another inch.

I think the later round mounts might be different, but the old square mounts are the same left and right.

Make sure it engages all the gears. You've pretty much covered everything else.

Entirely possible the smaller pulley will not fit on the 130 shaft, it may not even clear the case around the front bearing. Alignment may not be correct either, but may be able to be shimmed out or in a little bit if needed with a washer or by filing the pivot ear a little.

Yes! Corrected my earlier post. Thank-you for the catch Olnick!

Brand isn't such a big deal on an older car with the non- interference engine. (96 and older 2.2L) The old belts have a 60k mile change interval, and the components are fully capable of doing double that. And if the belt ever broke, there wasnt any harm done. With the interference engines and the longer 105k mile change interval expectations change a bit. If the belt breaks there is almost guaranteed engine damage. More than likely a cheap belt will last the 105k interval just fine, but on that off-chance that it doesn't you're stuck with a much higher repair bill. So if for nothing more than peace of mind its usually best to go with a name-brand belt, though its usually not necessary to use OEM Subaru. Components will go 105k easy, but will they make it to 210k? Probably not. The components are often what fail and cause the belt to break because people DONT replace them at that 105 interval like they should. Often the belt doesn't even get replaced at 105, usually it gets drawn out to 120k or longer. Then the mechanic says, "ok you're set til 225k miles!". How can we expect already worn idler bearings to last that long?

Should have a vacuum hose routing diagram sticker on the bottom of the hood.

Good deal! Shiny parts! Hope that took care of it. Alternators are almost fun to replace on these they're so easy.

Both holes are supposed to be threaded. The pivot bolt goes in the lower hole for a cable actuated clutch. You'll need to helicoil the hole. I recommend replacing the release fork since you have it apart. They're prone to wearing at the pivot point and cracking. Only about $35 brand new from the dealer.

Edit: it looks like on the later models they changed the wiring a bit. The 3rd wire is a 6.5v feed to the ECU. Probably don't need to hook that up.

Yes, it indicates a steady misfire. Any time a misfire is detected a code will be set for the cylinder(s) that are misfiring.

Nitty gritty on knock sensor replacement: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/116520-knock-sensor-101-and-replacement/

On the engine itself there is no difference in wiring between auto and manual, except for the EGR valve, which any ej25d should have regardless. If he has wiring hanging loose he swapped part of the harness unnecessarily, or the part that plugs into it has fallen loose down by the transmission. Either way, the harness for the ECU will not affect starter operation. Only two wires for that and none of them should have been swapped. First thing is to make sure the battery has a full charge. Check for proper connection pf the positive cable at the starter, ground cable to the block with the upper starter bolt. Then check for 12v reaching the solenoid wire when the key is turned.

Item Number: 220922982499

They've used several suppliers for OE pumps. Aisin is one that is easy to find. If you have to replace the water pump, replace all the timing components along with it. Especially the idler with the teeth, and the tensioner assembly, since they fail the most, and with the most expensive consequences. (Broken or skipped timing belt = bent valves) MizumoAuto on eBay supplies quality timing kits with Aisin water pumps for around $200-$250.

Flashing CEL indicates a steady misfire.

Antifreeze could have caused the misfire but the low level would not. Try a basic tune-up first. Plugs and wires and some new filters can do wonders.

Pull down the heat shield in the middle of the car and see if the center support bushing is messed up. The shop could have bolted the support bearing bracket on upside down and thrown off the driveshaft angle which will wear out the bushing very quickly. Also check the 4 bolts that secure the two halves of the driveshaft together at the flange by the support bearing, and the 4 bolts that secure the driveshaft to the rear differential flange. Make sure they're all tight.

Impreza usually had a 3.90:1 final drive manual. Outback would be 4.11:1 if a manual trans. They may have same 1-5 ratios, but the FDR is the really important one. Trans ID number is usually on the upper left hand(drivers side) corner of the trans bellhousing right in front of the starter. Either on top or on the side facing the strut tower. Center diff is in the extension housing of the trans. The section between the tail housing and the main case. Often referred to as the "transfer housing" since it also contains the rear transfer gear shafts.

If current was insufficient to run the pump the voltage at the pump would drop when the key is on. Did you check the connector inside the tank where the pump wire harness connects to the bottom of the top plate? (the plate that the hoses and wires to through) Sometimes the wire connector there gets loose and burns which causes the pump to get no power. You will need to unplug the connector to see if there is damage. You can also check for voltage on the ground side of the pump while it has power. If there is voltage more than 1vdc on the ground that would indicate a bad ground connection.

Suspension parts typically have an identifying LH or RH stamped in the part. If not there should be a part number stamped in it, which you can look up on any online Subaru dealer parts website such as 1stsubaruparts.com. Or look up the rear suspension on opposedforces.com.

Manual trans or automatic? Did you compare and match the trans ID numbers before buying the new trans? It's on a white sticker on the bellhousing. It sounds to me like the "new" trans has the wrong final drive ratio. This causes immediate binding of the drivetrain because the front and rear differentials are being turned at different speeds. The center differential is put under incredible stress and has likely failed, which is why the symptoms have changed. If the "new" trans came from a Legacy 2.5i model instead of an Outback it has the wrong final drive ratio.