Fairtax4me

I've gone the junk yard route twice but its tricky to find one that isn't rusted out. Dealer is the best bet for quality and fitment. Try the online places to save a few $.

Before the head gasket replacement was the engine overheated several times?

I've seen turbo swap kits (people selling engine, tran,s diff, ECU, harnesses,etc) for about that much. Probably could be done in that range if you can find the rest of what you need for a decent price. Start searching on RS2.5 and NASIOC for more info on turbo swaps. DI.com might have some info too.

Don't trust info from a Haynes manual too much. Probably just a vacuum leak. You were just messing with a lot of vacuum lines and old lines are easy to crack or break. Double check the hose that goes from the solenoid to the intake manifold. Also check over all of the lines for the EGR and BPT valves. To test the solenoid stick your head under the drivers side of the dash and find the two green plugs. Connect them and turn the key ON. This puts the ECU in test mode, all of the solenoids and relays will starts clicking and the fans will switch on and off. Stick a longer hose on the solenoid where the short hose goes to the MAP sensor. Blow into the hose and air should flow then stop as the solenoid clicks. If air flows all the time or not at all either the hose to the intake or the solenoid is clogged.

95 heads would have hydraulic lash adjusters which are known to make some noise, and they will fade in and out while running. You can check lash adjusters with a prybar when the valves are closed. Just use the prybar to push against the rocker arm. If the lash adjuster squishes its bled out. A half bottle of MMO in the oil can clean out the ball valves in the adjusters and keep them from bleeding out. Wait until the ticking starts then turn off the engine and check for play in the lash adjusters. If its not making noise they will be pumped up and there will be no "squish". You could also swap to solid lash adjusters by swapping in whole rocker assemblies from a 97-98 2.2.

So you gutted the T stat, filled the system, and drove 35 miles. Bubbles after all that is not a good sign. If the system is definitely full (holds something like 1.5 gallons) any air bubbles should work out if you leave the cap off and let it idle for a few minutes. With no t-stat any bubbles should be free to escape because coolant flow will be unhindered, so any new air entering the system is almost certainly coming from the head gasket. There are plenty of places for bubbles to hide in the engine and heater core so make sure to bring engine speed up a little to increase coolant flow while purging the air. If after 10-15 minutes there are still large bubbles then its time for head gaskets.

I don't see the problem. The car isn't overheating, the extra coolant in the overflow when hot is NORMAL. The system pressurizes as it gets warm, which causes some of the coolant to push out into the reservoir. When the system cools that coolant is drawn back in. This is the whole reason WHY there is an overflow reservoir. The lower hose is cold because that's the OUTLET from the radiator, which is what COOLS the liquid. None of this means coolant is not flowing, and if its not overheating, or even running slightly warm, I don't see the issue.

Not much to leak in that area except valve cover gaskets and head gaskets, and that looks like its leaking from the head gasket. Pretty common for hem the seep there and shouldn't be a big deal, that's generally a very slow leak. Just be sure to check the oil level often to keep tabs on how much its leaking. How many miles on the engine? Has the timing belt been changed? The best time to replace head gaskets is when the timing belt is due. Knock it all out at the same time so you have 100k+ worry free miles.

Just doesn't make sense to me. To pressure test the radiator you have to remove the cap, the cap is not on the radiator while doing a pressure test. There are adapters that can test the cap by itself, but the system can't be pressure tested while the cap is on. Maybe the cap failed the pressure test. But a new cap should not have caused it to overheat unless its a cheap aftermarket part, or the wrong pressure rating. 13 psi is what most Subarus use. But there are caps that will fit that are as low as 7 psi. Low pressure in the cooling system can allow the coolant to boil which will lead to overheating. Subarus are very picky about thermostats. An aftermarket thermostat of the wrong design will just cause more overheating. There are only a few that are of the same design as the OEM and will function the correct way. The problem your having is more likely due to low coolant level, than a bad thermostat.

I reuse the weird band clamps if they're in good shape, but I've twisted and even broken a few due to rust. In which case I just replaced them with a random stainless ring clamp. BMW sells some really nice hose clamps that don't stress the hose when you tighten them but they cost like $5 a piece. I just grabbed a handful from the shelf in tractor supply for $1.50 each since they looked nicer than the ones at the local parts stores. Napa is probably a good source for quality clamps as well.

Should be pretty easy to see if its coming out of the dipstick tube. Look straight down behind the intake box on the engine. Little yellow handle is the trans dipstick. There is an o-ring on the dipstick that can dry out and shrink, then pressure in the trans causes the dipstick to pop out and let oil leak out. See if the tube or the area around it looks wet. There might be some dirt and crud there but it shouldn't look wet under the tube. If its clean and dry by the dipstick tube then the oil is coming from the input shaft seal and that means the mainshaft bearing is bad.

How much do you want to spend? You could do a 257 block Frankenmotor (non-turbo) for the cost of some gaskets. To put a turbo setup in the car you're talking several thousand on parts just to make the engine run, and quite a bit of time swapping wiring harnesses. Not to mention another $1500-2000 for a transmission that will hold up to the 257 power, and matching ratio rear diff.

Is the oil coming up out of the dipstick tube? I would normally expect this if it were overfilled. Overfilling causes the fluid to cavitate and foam. Is this a manual or auto trans? How old is the oil?

If you removed the torque converter from the trans you probably cut the input seal on the trans. Double check the hoses for the trans cooler since one of those may have got knicked or split while installing the engine.

The only "mechanic in a bottle" fix I've ever seen actually work on a head gasket leak is this stuff called Blue Devil. It costs about $65 a bottle but I have seen it work twice on badly leaking head gaskets. One was mixing coolant and oil and burning coolant in the cylinders. I drained almost 4 gallons of sludge (oil and coolant) out of the engine (Ford 351). I followed the directions on the bottle and let the engine run for just as long as they instructed. I literally watched the steam in the exhaust, and the bubbles in the radiator disappear. Blue devil is not chunky and I couldn't see any evidence of it leaving deposits in the radiator. After the treatment was done I simply drained and refilled with fresh coolant. As far as I know that engine is still running without trouble almost two years later. The other time I've seen it used was a friend of mine had a minor head gasket leak on a Chevy 4.3 v6. Told him about Blue Devil, he bought some and used it and it did repair the leak in that engine as well. He sold the vehicle about 3 months later, so I can't say for sure how long it has lasted. It does sound to me like you need a new radiator. There are some flushes available but they don't work to remove stop leak crud. A radiator repair shop would have the ability to flush it but it may cost as much or more than a new radiator. Someone just suggested Radiatorbarn.com in another post. You might check them out to save over parts chain store prices.

Collapsed hoses means the system is low, and has air in it. Coolant could be getting pushed out by exhaust gasses, or it may just be leaking. First things first, change the thermostat refill with coolant and purge the system or air. Fill the engine through the upper hose before filling the radiator to minimize air stuck in the block. Use coolant conditioner and monitor for leaks over the next few days. Put a sheet of cardboard or plywood under the engine with an old white sheet stretched across it to help find small leaks. These almost never mix coolant and oil, but the signs are usually a light brown/yellow sludge in the filler cap or on the dipstick after sitting overnight. Greenish tint to the oil would be the UV dye added to some new oils to help detect leaks. Valvoline Maxlife has this, I'm sure other high mileage and synthetic blend oils do as well. If the oil is foamy (lots of small bubbles in it) it may be overfilled, or the anti-foam agent in the oil has broken down prematurely. Second edit: some leaks do not occur unless the system is pressurized AND hot. Pressure testing a cold system is not always conclusive. If you have the proper adapter be sure to test the cap as well, and make sure the rubber seals on the cap are clean, and the same for the sealing areas on the radiator neck.

Also wondering why the car was at the mechanic to begin with. Was it there because of a cooling system problem or did the mechanic just "find" this issue while it was there for other work? Who was the mechanic? Dealer? Independent shop? Do they specialize in Subaru or just general auto? If this was a 98 model engine I would say its probably trashed, but the 2.5 got beefed up a bit in 99 and is less prone to damage from overheating. Still, repeated overheating is the leading killer of Subaru engines. If it overheated one time you may have dodged a bullet, but don't let it happen again. Either the fluid level got low again, or the cap the mechanic put on is faulty or not to spec. You can get a good idea of any internal damage that was done by getting an oil sample analysis done. Blackstone Labs and Oil Analyzers Inc are reputable companies that do fluid analysis. Analysis usually costs about $25.

Start with sway bars. Best and cheapest upgrade you can make by far. Get some from an outback wagon. The rear bar will make the biggest difference, going from a 13 to a either 17 or 19mm (IIRC) bar. The wagon needs more anti sway in the back because of the higher COG. If your rear sags get some new springs and new KYB struts. You can use early WRX struts and springs (up to 07 I think) all around to get a bit lower ride height and stiffer feel. Use saggy butt spacers if the rear is too low to help level it out. But like I said, best upgrade by far is gonna be ditching that tiny rear sway bar.

That's is an astounding deal on a timing kit with a new tensioner. Usually without that the kits are $120-$150 and the tensioner is another $90+. One quick tip, if that kit comes with a paper water pump gasket just throw it out. Get a dealer gasket (stamped steel coated with rubber) or just use anaerobic sealant. (Do not use Blue RTV) Upper and lower radiator and the J hose on the water pump are the biggies. The heater hoses almost never go bad, but if you do replace them just get the molded ones from the dealer. I think it's less than $30 for the pair. The last radiator hoses I bought were Dayco and they sucked as far as fitment is concerned. Kinda feel like I wasted my money on those but they haven't blown up yet so maybe the hassle of cutting and trimming and trying to make them fit properly was worth the $5 I saved. (Also having regrets about the Dayco alternator belt I just bought. coincidence?) Dealer hoses aren't that expensive and will last longer than the rest of the car, and they fit perfectly without cutting.

I can't recommend a shop, but... Duty C replacement is possible with the trans still in the car. That's done fairly often. No need to remove the whole thing because just the tail section needs to come off. I think it's 8 or 10 bolts and a couple of alignment dowels. It's not all that bad of a job. I know there is a writeup or two on this site about it but the search feature here isn't as smart as Google. There should also be some info on Subaruoutback.org. They used practically the same transmission from 1990 to 2009. As long as the writeup you find is for a 4EAT the info is relavent.

Very important on these to get the engine and radiator full of coolant. Otherwise you run into issues with slow coolant flow which will cause the thermostat to close. If you didn't pour in at least 1.5 gallons of coolant the system is not full. Clogged heater core may be possible but you wouldn't have heat if that's the case, and that wouldn't be intermittent. The main cause of overheating due to bad head gaskets is because air and exhaust gasses displace the coolant in the system. Coolant is pushed out into the overflow and some is burned in the cylinder where the leak is. This causes a low fluid level in the system, which causes improper/slow flow of coolant. A water pump can't pump air, so any coolant that's stuck in the engine overheats because it is not moving out to the radiator to disperse that heat. As long as the system is kept full it will function, even with a bad head gasket, but when the level gets too low coolant flow is affected and the temp will begin to rise. Blower fan is a separate issue. Usually a fuse. Possible the resistor block burned out, but that would usually leave you with only the highest fan speed. Double check fuse for the blower (remove and test with an ohmmeter even if it looks fine. If not that possibly the fan motor just took the dirt nap.

External oil leaks do not mean it is leaking coolant. I still think you should clean the area and check again for leaks every few days, or every day if you can. If the head gaskets actually are leaking now is the time to replace them since you're due for a timing belt.

It's probably not leaking oil from the head gaskets. Valve cover gaskets, yes. And you should replace those first and give it a good cleaning before paying a dealer a bunch of money for no reason.

Broken piston crown is usually due to detonation. More commonly known as "Pinging". If the fuel mixture in the cylinder goes lean under boost this is what you end up with. The other leading causes of detonation are low octane fuel, and oil in the fuel mixture( Usually from leaking valve stem seals or worn rings). Detonation causes a shockwave in the cylinder which can have the same effect as a hammer strike, and things get broken. Unfortunately that engine is toast. Might make a good glass-top coffee table! Was it caused by the turbo? Absolutely not. This engine is designed to have a turbo, and to withstand the pressures created by the turbo.

Hard to say, it looks like an original, but it also kinda looks crooked( but that may just be a shadow. ) Up to you. I'd probably replace it, but I've done several and am comfortable with the idea. I also have tools to remove the old seal without scratching the crank. Make sure to replace the O-ring under the access cover of the left.