1197sts

I just had the same thing happen, seized engine with parts of the rod jammed so hard there was no way it would turn, can't get to the bolts to take the torque converter off the old engine. Then trouble getting the torque converter back in. Thanks for the great info in this thread.

Thank you!

Can someone tell me which manual the above referenced head torque sequence if from?

I have a question regarding towing, I know it is strongly recommended to not tow a Subaru with an automatic transmission. My question is if it was towed a short distance, say 5 miles, will it do damage to the transmission?

I have found the hose going from the radiator to the overflow tank can get loose at the connection to the radiator and not suck out of the tank. Simple fix is to put a ty wrap on it. It may not be you issue but would be an easy thing to try.

I have a similar situation, I have a EJ251 with about 178K on it that I want to use as a spare engine, ran pretty well before I removed it. The timing components are suspect but that is easy to fix. It had a pretty significant oil leak, appeared to be from the right head gasket. I cut open the oil filter and there is no evidence of bearing failure. I don't hear any rod knock. I am planning on replacing the headgaskets using mls turbo gaskets, new rings, seal well and I will have a good spare engine. Playing devil's advocate here, with the rod bearings being the weak spot on these engines isn't it pretty risky to not split the block?

If you really want to make the engine last you may want to consider changing the oil pump, at least take the back plate off and inspect it. Subaru put smaller oil pumps on these engines for some reason and it is a weak spot. GD would be a good source for this, but if I recall correctly a 10 or 11mm pump is a good upgrade.

I also had a 96 Outback with the EJ22 and 5 sp manual transmission. It was a great combination for reliability, not a hot performer but not too bad. Too bad it got totaled or I would most likely still be driving it. Since it was a first gen 2.2 it was non interference. The 2nd gen 2.2 was kind of an odd engine for Subaru to make, I think they got 7 additional horsepower out of it but made it interference. Not a great compromise in my opinion. I have a comment on the interference issue, I have since had lots of EJ25 engines, if you keep up on maintenance they are very reliable. I replace all idlers at the timing belt replacement interval, along with tensioner, water pump, seals if needed, thermostat and coolant, and even oil pump as needed, beware the small oil pumps on old worn out engines with big clearances.

With the head installed you could do a compression check, with the head removed you can do a simple leak check by turning the head over, make sure Cams are unloaded and spray a light oil or brake clean into the recessed area of the head where the valves are and it should hold for a few minutes. Make sure to be careful when turning the cams as valve to valve damage is possible with a twin cam head. From what you are describing I doubt you have bent valves, if all it did was spring back when you took the belt off, that is very common. I have found it hard to verify if valves are bent or not just by looking, it doesn't take much for them to leak.

Just to be clear, there are some situations where valve damage can happen if the cams are turned the wrong direction when the timing belt is off. When the crank is properly positioned take caution when turning the left cams, the manual warns to turn in specific directions only for each cam. DOHC caution turning cams.pdf

Similar to what others have said, what makes the most sense to me is: When you install the engine, and the TC is properly seated the flex plate will not touch the TC, you will have a small gap (approx 1/8 inch) that will close as you tighten the flex plate bolts, drawing the TC forward to the flex plate.

I have attached a page from the maintenance manual, items 19 and 22 are the fuel hoses (Auto Trans version). The illustration does not show it realistically, the lines are burried between the manifold and the block. I got a screwdriver on 4 of 6 clamps and it did seem to fix the problem. I really wont know for sure until it get really cold again, as that is when it was the most noticeable. Sorry for the delayed response.

Caboobaroo, Just wanted to make sure, I found 3 fuel hoses with clamps in the intake manifold area, are those the ones? I am assuming this is ordinary fuel line hose, not a dealer part? I also saw 2 larger diameter hoses that don't have clamps, I am thinking these are evap or return lines? Do these have leak issues also? Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestion, makes sense as it is cold in my area also.

With engine running I am getting a strong gas odor inside car, seems worse at idle. Any ideas?

I had a similar problem a few months back on my 2000 Legacy with 180K miles, after signaling a left hand turn there would be a clicking sound like a stuck solenoid or relay. It would not stop until I cycled the turn signal lever. Typical of these types of problems it started out intermittent, sometimes the symptoms would change, and progressively got worse. It took a while to figure it out, turned out to be the turn signal/light switch assembly. BTW the flasher unit is below the dash next to and slightly behind the fuse panel.

Update: It turned out to be the turn signal switch assembly (same one that has headlights). Also changed the flasher unit but that wasn't the problem.

You don't need to replace the head bolts.

Update: Lights don't make any difference, brakes no difference. It always happens after turning on the left turn signal. The only way to turn it off is select right turn signal. The hazard switch also does not make any difference. The most likely culprits are the Turn signal and hazard module, and the turn signal/light switch assembly.

I have an intermittent rapid clicking coming from behind the dash on my 2000 Legacy L. Sounds like a relay or solenoid rapidly cycling. When I play with the turn signal switch I can get it to stop. Anyone know if there is a flasher unit or control module that may be the culprit? Any suggestions or ideas are appreciated.

I spent approx 260 on the ebay timing kit, includes timing belt, all idlers, tensioner, water pump & seals. All quality brand name Japanese made parts. I don't use the black seals however, I prefer oem for cam and crank seals. some people change cam and crank seals whenever they are there, I only do as required. I think I forgot to put on the original list valve cover gasket kits including spark plug gaskets and bolt gaskets. Fel pro makes a good kit, and I have had good luck with erastic (not sure on the spelling). Available on ebay for approx 15-25.00. The dealer parts came out to about 165.00. You will spend another 40-50 on oil, coolant, sealant, etc. There are a few dealers who have pretty good prices for usmb referrals. You may want to consider having the heads surfaced and leak checked at a machine shop, depending on condition. Try to find a shop that knows subaru, easy to do here in the Northwest, not sure about SoCal.

I just did headgaskets on a 2000 legacy, I highly recommend using the turbo headgasket, some of the ebay kits are great for timing components. Re seal baffle plate Re seal rear piston pin access cover need new o-ring New water pump New t-stat PCV valve Check screws on back of oil pump need new o-ring for reassembly Optional, re seal cam seals and crank seal, use brown viton seals Make sure oil pan is sealed good, now is the time to reseal if needed Here is my parts list: Headgasket 2 11044AA642 Intake gaskat 2 14035AA383 Exhast gasket 2 44011AC030 Oil pump o-ring 1 10991AA001 Oil fill neck o-ring 1 806923060 Thermostat 1 21200AA072 Thermostat gasket 1 21236AA010 Rear piston plug o-ring 1 806931070 PCV valve 1 11810AA000 Spark plugs 4 22401AA310 Oil Filter 1 15208AA12A Oil drain plug gasket 1 11126AA000 Oil Pan Seal 1 11122AA000 Dip Stick o-rings 2 806910170 Water pump gasket (metal) 1 21114AA051 Ebay kit for timing belt, idlers, tensioner, water pump.

Generally speaking if it has been overheated twice I would not just do headgaskets. The lower end most likely has been compromised. You could cut apart your oil filter and look for evidence of bearing material. If you can do your own work you could tear down the block and inspect the bearings, crank journals, cylinder walls, you may get away with a cheap rebuild. If that is not something you want to do you could look for a used engine, you could get just a shortblock if your heads are good. Several people recommend to do headgaskets on any engine you buy used and of course water pump, timing idlers, tstat, etc.

I did verify it does have metal. Just for info, there are lots of sohc 2.5 engines with plastic cam pulleys, I have seen It on foresters and impresa's.

I am getting ready to do a head gasket job, need to find out if I will need special tools. Does a 2000 Legacy have plastic cam sprocket(s)?