Fairtax4me

The left side just looks like dirt. If it was leaking coolant, the source is probably the heater hose above it, or the oring for the crossover pipe. Right side isn't too bad but the o ring under that cam cap is known to leak. Replace the oring under the wrist pin access cover too while you have it out. It's the diamond shaped cover left of the rear main seal.

When the first thing I read is "the P/O changed this" I immediately suspect that as the source of the problem. I don't know if Subaru was using the ECU to control boost by that point, but there are still some functions that are purely vacuum controlled. There should be a diagram on the bottom of the hood wih th proper vacuum hose routing dor that vehicle. If the car has it, you need to get the vacuum hoses as close back to stock as possible. I have an idea that all of your problems will be solved just by doing that. People swap BOVs and ICs all the time, so those parts by themselves should not be the source of problems as long as the vacuum hoses that control the BOV are routed properly.

They are the various incarnations of the ej25. Ej25D was the original DOHC. 96-98 251, sohc version that followed 99-02/03? Ish 252 I think was a turbo but I'm not sure I don't know these engine codes as well as I probably should. 253 was the next in line, 257 is the STI turbo block iirc Plenty of differences between those blocks even though the same heads will bolt onto any of them.

Did someone lock-tite those?! I've never really had any trouble with them just using a breaker bar. Have to be very careful in hose with an impact because the impact wil try to jump back and round off the corners. Need to push into it really hard and use brief trigger pulls. I wanna say those are supposed to be around 70- 80 ftlbs, but I can look it up later. The Subaru FSMs can be hard to find torque specs in. Somewhere in the engine section should be an exploded picture of the various parts and there is ONE flex plate bolt in the picture IIRC, with a number next to it corresponding to a chart of torque specs below the picture.

You made a mistake putting RTV and gasket on the oil pan. It's going to leak. The factory seals the pan with a form of RTV which works very well by itself. Ultra grey works fine as a substitute. There is no need for a rubber gasket, but if one is used it must be used alone with no sealer of any kind. Combining RTV plus a gasket is a sure-fire recipe for leaks. What year and model did you get the trans from?

Tell them both heads are damaged. Put some sand in the cam bearings, tighten them down and turn the cams about 30 times. Done.

Factory tires are usually crap, and wear out in 10-15k miles. The trick is to do your own research on good brands and models of tires that will last longer, and not let a dealer just sell you what they have in stock. Dealers well what will bring them repeat customers, so they make more money. They don't call them "stealerships" for no reason. Tirerack.com is a great place to start looking for new tires that will give you longer tread life.

I would say that if the original owner killed the original transmission at 79k miles, the same driving style that likely killed that one has likely damaged this one. I'd start looking for a replacement.

I would have to say probably not since its uncertain if your vehicle is OBD2 compliant. The ELM327 works only with OBD2 protocols as far as I understand, and none of those protocols will translate directly with Subaru SSM or OBD1. Look into the various SSM programs that are out there. Do some searching on google and you'll find plenty of info. SSM is far more versatile than OBD1 or OBD2, because it interfaces with every control unit in the car, not just the ECU.

Nice thing about Subaru t-stat is that there's no way to install it upside down. It only fits one way. Regardless, I'd start with that, fill the system properly, and see how it does. Head gaskets are a real concern at this point, but even head gaskets don't cause overheating in just 5 minutes. Overheating that quickly is due to low coolant level and/or a malfunctioning thermostat. Another thing I would try since its inexpensive, and I haven't seen it mentioned yet, is a new radiator cap. Get one from Subaru when you pick up the t-stat. Also make sure you are mixing coolant 50/50 with water, or using premixed coolant from the parts store. Straight antifreeze will cause overheating. The system should hold about 1.5 gallons of coolant when full. If you mix 2 gallons of coolant you should have a half gallon left after filling the system. Any more than that and the system is not full, there is an air pocket in the engine which will cause problems with coolant flow and heat evacuation.

The basic definition of Franken-motor is 2.2 heads on a 2.5 block, mixing phases and blocks is pretty normal, usually its the block since the heads and intake used need to match the phase of the wire harness in the car. OBD1: 90-94, OBD2 phase1: 95-98/99, OBD2 phase 2: 99/00-current.

There shouldn't really be anything wrong with the car at that mileage. But, You'll want to check the bottom rear corners of the head gaskets for seepage. The turbo motors are less prone to head gasket problems but it cna still be an issue. Make sure all 4 tires are the same size and brand, and have even tread wear. If the front tires are brand new and the rear tires are worn more than 3/32" then it will be a candidate for torque bind. You should take it for a drive of about 20-25 minutes, then drive around in a parking lot and make slow tight circles in each direction to check for signs of binding. Also read up on "Ghost walk", and the steps necessary to prevent that issue. It's common on all 05-08 wagons and can be remedied with some changes in rear suspension geometry.

Sounds like its slipping. How many miles on this car?

O2 and Ho2 are just the oxygen sensor. The O2 sensor will show "not ready" until it is warmed to operating temp. After driving if you start the engine how long does it take for the monitor to reset? It should only take a few seconds if the engine and exhaust pipes are warm.

First step, as mike suggested put a Subaru thermostat in it and make sure it is filled properly. You have to fill the engine through the upper radiator hose in order to completely fill the cooling system. Fill the engine first, put the hose back, then fill the radiator.

Like bratman said, a lot of newer vehicles the cruise or traction control systems will be disabled of the CEL is on for certain codes. The idea is to scare people into bringing the car in to have it serviced sooner because most people don't pay much attention to just a check engine light if the engine is running fine otherwise.

ECU grounds the fan relays. If you're sure there isn't a short between the relays and ECU, the ECU is bad.

Radiator fan is running all the time? Tried swapping relays? If its the interior blower fan there is a short between the fan and switch. The fan is constantly powered w/ key ON and is grounded through the resistor block and speed switch.

So the threads are too stripped to just use a new m10 bolt of the proper length? But not stripped so much that the shank of a longer bolt will fit past them? Those threads are so easy to drill out I wouldn't think twice about it, only takes a few minutes and you can run a new bolt through.

Quite often the p0420 code doesn't go away even after replacing both O2 sensors. Lots of things can cause this code and its pretty hard to say exactly what it is without checking just about everything imaginable. Check any vacuum hoses for splits/cracks and loose fitment. An exhaust leak before the rear o2 sensor can cause this code. The manifold to head flange gaskets could be bad and causing this. If the exhaust pipes are very rusty up near the engine there could be a leak. This could also be due to dirty fuel injectors, if the fuel is not burning completely to to poor vaporization. Honestly, I would have them clear the code, and run a tank of two of premium fuel through it.

The connection is loose and too much current is passing through too small of an area of contact. The connector plug is acting just like a fuse when too much current passes theough it, heating up and burning. Possible there is some corrosion forming there causing an issue, but if doesn't look that way from the pics. You'll want to clean the burn off of the pins, pull the socket out of the new connector and crimp the sides together tighter if possible to make a better connection there.

Check timing belt alignment. Check all vacuum hoses for proper fitment, might spray some cleaner or WD-40 around the intake gaskets to make sure they are not leaking. O2 voltages that high usually means the sensor is a A/F sensor which runs on 3.3v reference. Sitting around 4V means the sensor is reporting a very lean mixture. Should be right at 3.3v and fairly steady. Possible the sensor is bad but check other things before dropping big $$$ on a new sensor.

Well, from reading threads here the Frankenmotor with cams is out unless you take it somewhere to get it tuned. If fuel mileage is a concern the 2.2 with delta cams wins. More than enough power to pull itself around with no trouble. Über reliable and you can run regular gas no trouble. The phase 2 2.5 would not work in a 97. If you were using a 99 I think it would swap no problem but there are differences in the idle control and other electronics between 97 and 2000. No real easy way to make it work. You could use the block, but the intake would need to stay with the car, which means the heads have to stay as well (since the intake manifold matches the heads). Frankenmotor really just doesn't work if you care about fuel economy and you'd have to run premium fuel because of the compression. But if you need moaaar powaahhhh!!! go for it.

Looks that way, If its a 96 and doesn't have an OBD2 plug it isn't a US market car. OBD2 was mandated for 1996 model year and most 1995 models have it as well. There is a fair amount of support for the SSM1 (Subaru Select Monitor 1) that was used in the Obd1 cars. Some years ago people figured out how to interface with that using the Yellow SSM plug, and you can do all sorts of things with the right software. Even reflashes for better fuel/timing/spark mapping. This site has info about what's needed to connect a laptop to the car via the SSM plug: http://www.4bc.org/vanagon/engine.html There are several others out there as well.

Good fuse? Which fuse? If you mean the black FWD fuse holder on the strut tower, that should be empty. Fuse installed there disables the AWD.