ccrinc

$150 or $250 off all engines for the month of September. If you are a USMB member, also mention that for an additional discount! Emily www.ccrengines.com

Now, I can't speak to their overall quality, nor would I want to bash any other company, but... We had a customer last month who bought one, then had a serious problem at 1,000 miles. According to her, they refused to warranty it because she didn't have it installed by one of their "approved" installers. As I understand, there was no mention of this whatsoever in their warranty paperwork. This is hearsay. Please understand that. But, if I were you, I would ask lots of questions before buying. (Oh, and we give a USMB discount) Emily www.ccrengines.com

When rebuild any of the 2000+ engines, we use only the Subaru 642 turbo headgaskets. That solves the problem. You might be trouble free for 100,000 miles, but eventually the original style of head gaskets for those engines is going to start to leak oil. When they do, have them replaced with the 642 style. Emily www.ccrengines.com

Back of left (driver's) head.

First, check the level of your ATF. Sounds like it's VERY low.

MOST of the aftermarket are iffey, however Viton ones from reputable supply houses can be good, as long as they're "made in Japan". We get the majority of ours in engine gasket kits from the dealer, but when we have to go aftermarket, we get them from WorldPac or local Rebuilder's Supply which sells (I think) Safety Products brand. Northeast Imported Parts used to sell them, but now they're for newer engines only. Oh, and they only sell to businesses.

Actually, mid-'98 is when they went to rear thrust on the 2.5 engines. You can tell by looking at the back of the block where the rear main seal seats. If there is a ridge there, it's rear thrust. If not, it's center thrust. Emily www.ccrengines.com

Specifically, the ACL Race Bearings in the red & yellow box. The non-race bearings in the blue & silver box are made in China and are um, sub-standard.

This.

If it flashes 16 times, it is telling you to read your transmission codes because there is an electronic problem. Either GD or Garry posted the self-diagnostic process in detail the other day. Do that instead of guessing what the problem is.

Actually that's wrong: The carb heads have a hole off the back of the exhaust port that needs to be plugged to use in a SPFI vehicle.

SPFI heads have an opening on the back of the right one for the EGR hose. You can have the carb head drilled and tapped for that. Otherwise, they're identical.

Yay! Sometimes it's the little things. Always think spark-fuel-air first.

I think you'd be good with that. This is a common issue with the standard head gaskets for any of 2000-up SOHC 2.5 engines. If you have them replaced, insist on using the turbo 642 head gaskets. We use only those now due to that situation and have not had a single problem since.

While I sympathize with your situation, I feel this is a good place to put in my .02 worth. 1) If you're going to do a fix on an overheating car, do it all the way. Piecemeal just doesn't work. You can't throw head gaskets at it one week, then a thermostat next week and a radiator cap later. In the meantime, it overheats again, and you're back to square one. Wait until you can afford to do the whole thing right. 2) Don't scrimp on parts. Subaru Genuine headgaskets and thermo are a must, while you can get away with OEM stuff like NSK idlers and NAPA hoses, some parts just HAVE to be Genuine Subaru. 3) While the heads rarely crack, they MUST be surfaced. Frequently the block too: they warp easily and you can't ask a gasket to seal the gaps from warped parts. 4) Research, research, research...BEFORE you even pick up a wrench. Invest in a factory manual if you have (the engine section only). While there are many VERY knowledgeable people here, some who throw random guesses at the problem just confuses you more. 5) Mark everything as to where it hooks back up to and take lots of careful pictures. It helps unless you know them well enough to do blindfolded. OK, that's more like $5 worth. But over 17+ years, I've learned a few things, and one of them is that half a fix will only fix it halfway. Emily

In my professional opinion...it's broke.

I have an '02 LL Bean with over 200,000 miles (heck, I bought with 204,000). We rebuilt the engine and put new tires on it. It rides great, very smooth and comfortable. Haven't had a single trans. issue. Has all the bells & whistles, even the heated windshield! I can use mid-grade here at altitude, but premium at lower altitudes. Around town mileage is about 23 for me, but consider the altitude has an effect on this, as well as the extra 5 lbs. of lead in my right foot. I find acceleration to be just fine. It's almost like a turbo: REAL acceleration kicks in at about 3500 rpm. Off the line, it won't beat some cars, but it sure holds its own. Yes, the engine is complicated, but very durable. I would definitely recommend it. Emily

Still beats the $80 the dealer wants to program a new remote for an '02 Expedition! (gasp!) And, of course, only they can do the programming.

I had a '92 SVX and I loved it! (Coincidentally, my grandson spotted my old one in Provo, UT last week: I had sold it to a guy in CO Springs about 3 yrs. ago). That said: The engines are awesome. Strong, reliable, some Legacy turbo parts interchange, most other parts are SVX only. Changing the spark plugs is a bch. Wheel bearings are known to fail. Mine didn't while I had it, but I think I just got lucky. Windshield: dealer item only, no matter what glass place you go through. Get glass insurance! Transmission: best thing, hands down, you can do is put a Transtar shift kit in the valve body. It takes the delay off the shifting and gives a quick, firm but smooth shift. This takes the strain off the internals. Obtain a few "spare parts cars". I did and it saved my bacon a couple of times. They are awesome to drive, ride like a dream, are fast as hell, the only true "concept car" ever offered as a production model to the American public. Those windows rock: no highway air buffeting and fantastic visibility. Oh, go ahead and get one. Don't plan on it being your daily driver for the next ten years, but enjoy it while/when you can. You only live once, right?

OMG!! That's highway robbery...literally. (Edit: just looked at the original thread. To me, machining means surfacing, not rebuilding. Still, I believe it's a bit pricey.)

PCV Valve. Yep, yep. A $12 fix.

The EA71 pistons are no weaker than the EA81 pistons: however, due to the placement of the wrist pin, you get more thrust. We have tried this: the EJ20 piston is NOT the same size: it's too small. Plus, you wanna see broken ring landings? Look to the EJ20 pistons! I'm sorry, sir, but this time you simply do not know whereof you speak.

You can increase EA81 HP by using 1600 (EA71) pistons and decking the head 30/1000ths. This will give approx. a 10-15hp increase. We've done it many times for aircraft, hovercraft and mudboats. No other mods necessary, although switching a Weber carb also (allegedly) will add power. Oh, and you can also do the SPFI intake as well. Not sure on the HP increase, but if you need to go from carb to fuel injected, this would do it.

What makes them different is: 1) They are mostly aluminum. Most engines over the years had a cast iron block with either aluminum or cast iron head(s). Since those two metals react to heat differently, retorquing was a common procedure. 2) Um, duh. They're horizontal.

The only heads that ever needed retorquing were the early EA series; After the advent of the EA82 engines, retorque is not necessary. Mazdas are a whole different engine. What works for them does not work for a Subaru.