el_freddo

Seems about right to me. If the system is cooling properly it will shut off until gas temps rise again to trigger the AC pump on. Be glad you have good working AC on a 20+ year old vehicle! In saying all of that, I’m also no expert. Cheers Bennie

The line under the tank you can’t see is back to the water pump much like the heater line does, it plumbs in at the same spot on the water pump on its own port. The yellow line is to purge air from the radiator. The standard turbo radiator doesn’t have a rad cap and relies on this line to help fill the radiator when replacing coolant/initial fill after rebuild etc. Green as stated is the radiator overflow. Think of the cooling system as being upside down. The heater, oil cooler and turbo circuits (including the remote reservoir) come from the block to the turbo, oil cooler and heater independently and return to the waterpump independently. This coolant comes in at the back of the thermostat which meters how much cold coolant from the radiator is allowed into the engine. The outflow to the radiator is simply an overflow of hot coolant and is why Subarus both NA and Turbo warm up so quickly even in cold weather. Looking at a diagram of the coolant flow in the FSM is helpful with these things too. Cheers Bennie

Remove the starter motor hand have a look at the clutch pressure plate for signs of damage. Im guessing there’s no noises when gear is selected and the clutch released? Also not asked yet, what brand of clutch was put in 10,000 miles ago? It’s certainly an odd one! Cheers Bennie

Nope. Well, at least not easily. It would be super slow at best. 2nd/3rd/4th gears work? Or do they at least try to move the car once the clutch is actuated? The thief may have completely stripped 1st gear. Drain the oil and see what comes out with it. If it happens to be dual range like we have over here, it could be in neutral between low and high range. But I doubt you’ve got a dual range gearbox in your EJ Subi stateside… Cheers Bennie

It’s all Lego! Plenty of EJ20s kicking around in Oz if you need pistons etc - but you won’t need them if you look after it (or your mate more to the point). Cheers Bennie

I forgot to mention that about the crank gear. Glad you got it sorted! Cheers Bennie

Also make sure you’re not lining up the arrow on the cam wheels - look for the little line on the rim of the wheel and line that up with the mark on the cam cover. Sounds like you’re almost there! Someone else might know - ‘96 an interference engine? The Gen2 EJ22 got a bump in power and I believe is an interference engine as a result. Cheers Bennie

Yes, very vague. Thought adding the manuals can’t be driven in front wheel drive would have all bases covered Cheers Bennie

If a manual gearbox you can’t drive it in FWD.

That they do: https://www.autoglasswarehouse.com.au/subaru-leone-10-1979-to-7-1984-and-brumby-1-1982-t I reckon you’ll post stateside if you ask. Cheers Bennie

I love those little levers for the low range and diff lock - just like dad’s old WWII Willy’s Jeep! We used to lose the shift levers from time to time and had to back track to find them… Cheers Bennie

DPF full/needing replacement? Other thought was a dodgy ignition switch. Do you have power at the ECU when cranking? That’ll be the tell tale of a dodgy ignition switch, especially if you’ve got power in the on position. Earths all in good condition? Getting power to the engine harness from the main bulkhead harness? That’s where I’d be looking. All the best!

What’s the reason for moving the throttle cable and changing pedals? Cheers Bennie

Wow! It’s amazing to see how much wildlife you come across up there - and how different it is to what we get down here! That suspension mount point cracking off like that is a bit hairy! I’m glad you got it sorted before it really let go. That could be fun… Awesome write ups as usual! Cheers Bennie

Interesting that yours are called a dog gate and ours a cargo barrier. Ours are typically full length floor to ceiling, some are half mesh but still a full frame - this allows the back seats to be folded down for the extra space of carrying something longer than normal. For the middle seat’s lap-sash seatbelt there’s a little opening in the mesh with a plastic fitting for the seatbelt to pass through. https://www.subaru.com.au/forester/accessories/cargo-&-tow/forester-cargo-barrier ^ that’s our version over here of your dog gate. It’s designed for/main purpose is preventing injuries or death from flying objects that were in the cargo area in the event of a crash. The straps that secure them in tend to have a ripples section to help absorb the energy of any potential flying objects while retaining the mount to the body. They’re also handy for filling your cargo space to the brim and not have it over flowing into the rear seat. As you can see in that link provided, the odd shape of yours really threw me and didn’t make any sense going by my knowledge of cargo barriers. There are several aftermarket manufacturers of them for various models too. No doubt produced in China though… Cheers Bennie

Get your battery load tested. Doesn’t matter what brand or how old it is - batteries fail all the time. Some go a long time, some die a week after fitting to a vehicle. My 5c at this point. Cheers Bennie

In Australia we call these “cargo barriers” - but they’re usually symmetrical left to right, unlike that one you’ve got in the image. I can’t even imagine what model vehicle that would fit! Could it be a custom job? How did you end up with it? Cheers Bennie

What’s the 90° in reference to? 90° on the cam shaft = 180° on the crank. It’s also the interval between TDC when starting at TDC on one cylinder. I always do them on the cylinder that’s at TDC on the firing stroke and work my way through the firing order. However, on our other vehicle of another make and model their FSM says to do one cylinder at TDC and the inlet or exhaust of another cylinder at the same time, so only one engine rotation is needed. I do prefer the one cylinder at TDC on the firing stroke at a time. Cheers Bennie

Definitely change the timing belt kit! Check the main fuses under the bonnet to ensure that’s not a possible reason as to why your cluster isn’t working. Also check all the connectors are properly plugged in behind the cluster. Hopefully not rodent damaged! Cheers Bennie

No chance it’s a dust shield rubbing somewhere that changes with heat and brake use? Other thought is the wheel bearing is on the way out. Worth jacking the wheels off the ground and checking for bearing play. Cheers Bennie

I wouldn’t think there would be two wiring systems. Seems a bit over kill and more expensive from a production point of view without any real gain from this setup. Are you sure the cluster being bench tested was actually your cluster in the video? Cheers Bennie

If I’ve got this right, the odometer and trip meter don’t work but the speedo showing how fast the vehicle is travelling does work - correct? Do you have a wiring diagram for the instrument cluster and dashboard wiring loom in the vehicle? I’d start by searching the wiring diagrams to see if there’s a seperate earth or sensor wire to the odometer and trip meter. Then go about interrogating the wiring associated with the speedo, odometer and trip meter to check of any issues. Cheers Bennie

That rasp in the exhaust is normal for the H6, they sound like an angry swarm of wasps I reckon. Very different to the H4 burble. Glad to hear it ran well at the 4wd park. How did the hose on the shock kink? Easy fix I hope. Cheers Bennie

The autos have a set of fluid activated clutch packs. If used all the time there will wear out and become ineffective. Only use it when you have to. Wet bitumen is ok - and you might find the 4wd is activated when the windscreen wipers are in use. Our ‘89 touring wagon did this. Cheers Bennie

Same for all EJs so yes, it’s between the alt and PS pump. Cheers Bennie