Fairtax4me

What year is your other engine? Anything up to 2009 needs to run 5w-30. 5-20 is too thin at operating temp, even for cold climate.

Sometimes when the lifters are removed the buttons can pop out and stick, and when the rocker shaft is re-installed they cause the valve to hang open slightly. Let it sit overnight and see if it will start fine next morning. Sometimes just sitting with pressure on them will get them to bleed back down. If that doesn't help, you may need to remove the rocker shaft again and bleed the lifters out. They'll make a hell of a racket for about 20 minutes.

No need to mess with timing or anything like that. Its a straightforward off and back on kinda swap. Which side did you remove? Did you unplug anything to get access? Did you prime the lifters before putting them back in the rocker arms?

I usually remove the one screw on the side of the dash behind the little D shaped cover. Then one or two on a bracket under the dash in the corner. That allows you to pull the corner of the dash out about 2" and gives more room to remove the blower unit.

No need to drain the oil before removal of the pump, but you will want to change it after doing the work. You will need a catch pan or bucket under the pump to catch the oil that does come out when you remove it. It isn't much, but just enough to make a mess. Permatex Anaerobic Sealant is what I prefer for oil pumps on these. It prevents getting little globs of RTV breaking away from the pump and clogging the feed ports for the rocker shafts in the heads. http://www.walmart.com/ip/32930742?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=202&adid=22222222227021903836&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=51798629711&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=83201292551&veh=sem Usually comes in a bit larger size tube at most parts stores for around $10-12.

Damaged sensor, or damaged Reluctor wheel. Also I can't remember when the switch was, but around 98-99 they switched from a reluctor wheel on the hub to a reluctor on the axle. If the axle that was installed doesn't have the tone wheel it will set the light, but only after you start moving.

I don't think that black module is factory. How are the wires to the module tapped into the wiring for the car? Blue tap connectors? Or solder and heat shrink wrap? There are only a few places where the factory wiring is soldered together, and only where multiple wires of the same color join. There should be no blue/red crimp connectors or tap connectors. Anywhere you see those are repaired wiring or add ons which could be causing your problem.

That's the TCM. The clicking solenoid is for the key cylinder lock to prevent removal of the key while the gear selector is in any gear except park. Need to check voltage at the brake switch to see if its getting 12v. Then check voltage while the brake pedal is pressed to see if the voltage is dropping too low when the circuit is under load. There are four wires going in. Two of them are for the cruise control, the other two are for the brake lights. Pretty sure the brake light wires are larger.

You never know what happened in the care of its previous owner. Everyone loves to say "I've never had any problems with it!" But "problem" is a relative term. Maybe they could have just been unattentive, and there was a problem they never noticed. (Happens quite often) Bad o2 sensor makes it run rich, the old oil could have been heavily fuel diluted for months. Unfortunate for you, (that's $20 worth of oil down the drain!). Good thing you've got a spare engine around!

Combination of coolant and sulfur from heavy acceleration does smell absolutely awful. Could be a failed head gasket or cracked head as said before. Misfiring at startup could be indicative of coolant in one or more cylinders. Typically the spark plugs in a cylinder burning coolant will have some hard crusty ash buildup or blue-greenish/yellowish crud on the ground electrode. If the CEL has come on for a misfire pull the plug for that cylinder and see how it looks. A leakdown test will tell for sure, but sounds like the heads need to come off.

Oil light comes on, its beyond too late. Pressure switch threshold is only 3psi on these. Was the engine run low on oil or overheated at some point?

Are either of the belts loose? Does it make the same squeal if you accelerate quickly on flat ground? Does the squeal go away if you lightly press the clutch pedal?

You may need to consult your local Caraholics Anonymous chapter.

This I don't agree with. Valve failure may not be a "common" occurance on a Subaru, but just because it isn't common doesn't mean the clearance shouldn't be checked. An exhaust valve with tight clearance will not cause a running/driving issue until AFTER it has burned. Once it's burned its too late to make the clearance adjustment, the head has to come off to replace the valve. Maybe you pay $200 now to have the valve clearance checked and adjusted. Maybe you wait and pay $2000 later to have the head removed to have the valve replaced. Granted, this is not an old Volkswagen, its a fairly new Subaru, the valves probably should not need adjustment at 105k miles, which is why Subaru simply states to "inspect" them. IMO It is a check that should be done regardless.

Any luck John?

How long do you plan to keep this car? You go cheap on these struts and you'll be replacing them again in a year, maybe two if you're lucky. I've not seen a KYB preassembled strut/spring/mount combo for sale anywhere. If it's not KYB, its not worth my time. Even though I have to assemble the strut and spring before putting it on the car, its still worth it to me to not have to repeat the job again. Of course I also have a client aspect to deal with, in that I get an ear-full from my customer if the parts I install are sub-par and cause a problem (new or the same) in only a short time. I've installed plenty of Monroe, Gabriel, and other cheap and no-name brand shocks and struts and have never been as satisfied with them as I have with KYB. On an American vehicle (Ford, GM, Chrysler) usually Monroe will suffice. I have ordered from Partsgeek a few times. Usually good prices, and decent shipping rates. I've not had to deal with their customer service, so can't speak to that aspect.

Nope. Doesn't work. You can put the 2.5 heads on the 2.2 block. Or just get another 90-98 2.2. Need a 95-98 manifold and wire harness. Need a manifold with EGR if you need to pass emissions inspection.

Drop the Y pipe off the heads and look up the exhaust ports with a flashlight. If you see oil running down from the valve guides, you have your answer. Not common for the guides to wear on these. Also not common for the stem seals to fail. I would suspect someone has had them replaced with a non-subaru stem seal.

How long have you been driving soobs to have been through 155 prior to this one?!

This is the amber signal bulb correct? If you have a multi-meter, check for 12v on both the wires to the bulb socket. Black probe should be connected to a clean ground. 12v on boh sides with the signal On (it should alternate 12 to 0) means a bad ground. The ground for the brake and signal lamps are in the same area behind the side panel in the right rear of the cargo area.

So the plugs are not fouled? If there's any ash buildup on the plugs I would suspect a ring issue.

Battery is dead.

How much is it smoking? Is the smoke white or blueish white color?

Sounds like what a bad knock sensor will cause. Also, is the MAP sensor mounted on the TB? That's not something that's normally cleaned.

Oh the good old days... Happy happy joy joy time!