Fairtax4me

What year and engine? That general area is where the water pump is. Thermostat housing, lower radiator hose, and the bypass hose all attach there as well.

Yup. Should be able to start and run it for a few seconds after putting the belt on to make sure it will run smooth. Just make sure to put the crank pulley is on so the crank sprocket can get loose. The pressure of the crank bolt forces the crank pulley and sprocket against the crankshaft and keeps it from spinning. Without the crank pulley in place the only thing keeping the crank sprocket lined up is the key which is not intended to hold the sprocket while the engine is running. Also be sure to wrap the end of the alternator lead with electrical tape so it doesn't short to the block.

I'm not entirely sure how those work but I would first try unplugging the sensor and plugging it back in. More often than not a bad connection causes problems like this. From looking at the FSM it looks like you will only be able to unplug the main power seat harness connector. The connectors for the sensors and occupant detection control module are not accessible. Still worth a shot though since there could be a poor power or ground connection in the main harness plug. You might be able to find a used seat through Car-part.com. It's very expensive to shop a seat though, and shipping a seat with an airbag in it presents other problems. Its an explosive, which is highly regulated, which means it costs quite a bit more. But you may be able to find a place close enough that you can just drive over to pick up the seat.

Cruise control has its own vacuum pump so isn't really connected to engine running. However, if the CEL is on the cruise will be disabled. If the CEL is on get the codes scanned. If its not on make sure the bulb works during the bulb test. Turn the key to ON, or Start the engine and the CEL should illuminate for a few seconds then go out. Also just noticed you said you put a CAI on the car. Are All of the original breather hoses and the hose for the IAC connected to the CAI tube? Is the MAF sensor plugged in?

Are you sure something didnt get crammed under the seat and damage the wiring? Is it the occupant sensor or the side airbag inflator that has gone bad?

Truthfully I put the new belt on (properly) and just use it to hold the cams when I torque the cam sprocket bolts. Probably not supposed to but I've never had a problem doing it that way. Torque spec on the cam bolts is only like 50 ft lbs. (check the FSM for your year as that spec may be different for the newer engines)

The 6s are flat (horizontally opposed) just like the 4s. 3 cylinders on each half, pointing away from each other. The 6 does pack more punch than the 4 but at the expense of fuel mileage. Unless you need to tow something the 4 should do fine, assuming you don't overload the car with cargo and passengers. Wind noise from the doors is a Subaru trait because of the frameless window design. The 2008 Impreza was the first Subaru with framed windows since the SVX which ended production in '96. Before that I think the frameless window went all the way back to the '70s. The wind noise can be fixed by replacing the gusset seal (the triangle in the corner), but that only lasts a couple years and it will start whistling again. In 2010 the Outback got framed windows, thus, no more wind noise.

I don't recall ever hearing about a mark on the flywheel on EJs. I think the old EA cars had only a mark on the flywheel. There are only 24 teeth on the crank sprocket so being one tooth off there means its 15 degrees out of time, which is a huge angle. You'll be able to see pretty clearly that that's out. As long as the hash mark on the reluctor is close to the mark on the oil pump housing it should be fine. For the cams just point the hash marks at the notches in the covers. If you find that the mark on the drivers side doesn't exactly line up with the notch, its usually best to set the hash to the right of the notch (toward the drivers side). Be sure to turn the crank so the crank and cams are at their timing marks before removing the old belt. It also helps to loosen the cam sprocket bolts before removing the belt since that will hold them in place.

If you're loading up with gear and people on a regular basis I'd go with the Outback. It's the most occupant room, the biggest cargo area, and has good ground clearance for snow and minor off-road. Outback is also low enough that you can put bikes on the roof fairly easily (much easier than putting them on the roof of a Cherokee). Hatch clearance for a hitch mount cargo carrier I wouldn't think should be an issue. The hitch will be roughly the same distance below the hatch as it is on the Cherokee.

Can't drill from the broken side because its usually sheared at some strange angle or uneven. Go from the back side where the threads are (dont have to drill as far) and the end of the bolt is already convex and easy to start a pilot hole. I've usually had to buy a new set of cheapo drill bits anytime I need to drill out a bolt. (cheapos wear out quick but a cheap set of bits is $15) 30 minutes later the bolt is nothing but little shavings and you can run a longer bolt clean through the knuckle and put a nut on the other side. $20 for drill bits and a bolt, nut, and lock washer, Or $150 for a junkyard knuckle? Ill take option one.

I'm betting it was overheated a few times by its previous owner and this is why the shop has diagnosed bad head gaskets, because they probably are now. One thing aluminum engines do not like is overheating. Water pump leaks all the coolant out and the next thing you know the engine overheats and the head gaskets are compromised. Pull the timing covers off and check the rear halves of the covers for signs of melting where they bolt to the heads. This is a sure indication of overheating. If the covers are melted pull the engine and put new head gaskets in it. I had one that was overheated and burned an exhaust valve on one side. Fixed that and a few months later had to tear it down and do the head gasket on the other side because it had failed. Timing covers were melted so bad they were rubbing against the cam sprockets and were almost ground through in a few places.

You may have to get them pretty tight but that's the only way other than cutting the stud, which I've also done. Vice grips are easier. Some of them have an Allen or torx in the end but if its rusty the right size bit doesn't fit anymore and usually rounds off, or the bit breaks because there is too much torque required to remove the nut. Your favorite flavor of penetrating oil will definitely help.

Vice grips on the boot side of the stud. Just cram them in there and clamp them down.

Wagon doesn't have speakers in the rear deck. (There is no deck) Wagon only has speakers in the doors and 6.5" speakers fit perfectly. Depending on the speaker design you may or may not need an adapter, but most 6.5" speakers come with adapters to fit them into a 6.25" mount.

Timing belts have 105k mile or 10 year change interval. (Whichever comes first) The newer belts don't stretch. At least not an amount that will be noticable to you or I. Biggest deal with the belts is to make sure the idlers and water pump get changed when the belt is changed. These timing belts seldom break on their own. A seized idler pulley or water pump is almost always the cause of a broken belt.

The lower heat shields on the Y pipe are always loose. Easy fix is to get a 2" exhaust clamp and tighten it around the end of the shield. Do one on each side and they'll never make noise again.

Someone really did a half rump roast brake job on it. Put a fresh set of new pads on the front and bleed all of the lines. With that mileage its about double overdue for new brake fluid if it wasn't changed at 30k. (The new bad word filters are creative )

Belt looks good to me. Normal wear and no evident signs that its rubbing on something or has has oil or coolant spilled all over it. Timing belts aren't supposed to be as tight as a serpentine or vgroove belt (alternator,AC). A small amount of "slack" is normal. Those stupid cover bolts do that all the time, just zip tie the cover back on. I can't really tell if that's rust or mud on the muffler. Are you concerned that its leaking?

Sounds like hogwash to me. USB is standardized. Anything that has a USB plug has to have certain characteristics. Whether its an iPhone or a thumb drive they all use the same pinout. Perhaps it doesn't deliver enough current to charge an iPad, but an iPhone only needs 0.5A current, and any recently designed USB port will deliver at least 1A. The newer ones are up to 2A.

All the speedometers work on the same signal. They all use the same 8 pulse AC wave, not just Subaru, if it has a gear driven sensor it has the same signal. The timing of the signal is what determines how high the needle goes. What determines the timing is the ratio of the sensor drive gears.

It's mostly held in because the knuckle clamps down around the outside of the case when the bolt is tightened. But the bolt does serve as a safety catch in case it gets loose so the ball join doesn't fall out of the knuckle.

There is a 12v socket in the console under the radio. Get a $5 12v socket USB charger and plug your iPhone cable into it. Lots of auto parts stores sell them, radio shack, Walmart, target, take your pic.

Fel-pros are $20 each at Autozone and are the same as dealer part for that engine. Have the FHI check logo stamped on them. Can't recommend a shop off the top of my head. Phone book may have some listings, or call a few repair shops and ask who they use for machine work. EJ22 heads rarely warp though. Unless there is scoring or burn marks on the head (under the fire ring), you probably don't need to have them resurfaced. The old gaskets are graphite and have plenty of squish room to take up small imperfections. Just be sure to get the fire ring area nice and clean. If you find that the heads are heavily corroded around the coolant ports then you should definitely have them machined.

Every car has recalls and TSBs. Toyota has a current recall campaign on the Tacoma and Tundra covering about a 10 year span because of SEVERE rusting of the frame. There was a HUGE recall on Fords not too long ago, something about the windsheild wiper motors catching on fire IIRC. Plenty of others out there as well. Point is, there have been NO major NHTSA safety recalls on Subarus in any time that I can remember. Whatever Subaru you pick is going to be a good car for you. Which one you pick is going to be decided by how much space you need, and what kind of fuel mileage you want. Space: 1. Legacy Wagon and Outback 2. Forester 3. Impreza Fuel Economy 1. Impreza 2. Legacy 3. Forester

I would guess you probably broke an axle joint. The broken one will have the boot all twisted around and weird looking. (Possibly ripped)