AdventureSubaru

If it's a manual trans you can leave it in 5th gear to break it free. If automatic you can pull the access plug to the flex plate bolts (Passenger side of the intake manifold behind the IACV) and have a friend hold a big screwdriver or pry bar between the access slots of the flex plate. Those bolts are a pain. Starter bump is generally okay if you can get your bar anchored well. Every once in a great while it ends in disaster though. From what I see your timing covers are off or broken. If the bolt is really stuck, you can always just break the plastic off and do the timing job with the crank pulley on. I did that once when an idler was failing and I only had a handful of tools. Timing job in a Dennys parking lot. That was fun.

These are great little cars. Drive tight circles and feel for torque bind. Check engine light is generally nothing scary. Knock sensors etc. are frequent issues as they get up there in miles. Oil leaks are also common as they get higher miles. Usually cam and crank seals a o rings. valve covers etc.

Shoot - if you have a good EJ25 block, just put your existing heads on that block and drive. No need to get complicated. You'd only spend the cost of gaskets and head resurfacing.

Some of the ebay kits don't cost much extra with the flywheel. Exedy is most trusted but I have done a few bahnof clutches with good results so far.. Some will say resurface it but I have had no issues with wiping a flywheel clean and installing the clutch kit.

To each their own. I've never had a set go bad under my watch. Bought a couple that already had the issues and fixed them, but I've had several with over 250k and original head gaskets. Maybe if I knew it had been run hot or run with straight water over coolant I'd do it, but I've never recommended head gaskets as preventative maintenance.

Don't touch the head gaskets or rear main unless you can confirm failures. There's a dealer upgrade stainless seperator plate that fixes the problem. A search on here should give you the part number. During timing belt it's usually a good idea to do cam and crank seals - water pump is probably due at that mileage as well. (You are doing all the idlers/tensioner as well correct? They usually fail before the belt does.)

No. Unless you can confirm head gasket failure, leave them alone. They rarely fail on this motor. My advice is to get some engine/parts cleaner and clean up the motor and watch for where leaks are developing. That rear seperator plate is the hard one to replace because it involves pulling the motor. The rest are easy. Valve cover gaskets, cam seals, crank seal, o ring on the filler tube. May as well do timing belt kit in the process unless it's rather new. Misfires and rough running would be more spark/fuel related - if there's no check engine light I would follow this process Spark plugs and wires Fuel filter MAF sensor All 4 options you presented are overkill unless you get a rod knock or something. Replace gaskets and seals, chase where that misfire comes from and keep driving it. Even if the head gaskets are leaking, it's $50 in parts and a day of work to do it.

I'm with gary on this one. The 1990-1998 cars with an EJ22 are standing the test of time just fine when maintained. The two things to look for would be 1. Rust as they are the older cars out there. and 2. Maintenance or abuse. Avoid anything that looks modified or neglected. The 2000 and newer cars were good machines but less reliable than the earlier EJ22 90s cars. I still see more 2000-2008 cars in need of head gaskets and such than the 90-98 2.2s. Apart from the rust factor, I would trust the earlier cars to last longer. I don't subscribe to the newer=better theory in this case. Too many head gasket issues. The great things I always say about these 90s cars is that they are known - we already know every weak point in the designs and the best and cheapest way to fix them. They are also very simple and cheap to fix if something goes wrong. An EJ22 motor in good running condition can be had for $300. and installed in a day. Junkyard parts are readily available and short of bad rust, they are simple and easy to repair - great for college. Cheaper cars also mean it's often best to carry liability only insurance and worry far less if it becomes subject to spills, stains, scratches, dents etc. that usually come with the territory for younger drivers. Lastly I think every kid needs to start with more of a "beater" car. I started out with a rattle trap that got me wherever I needed to go and didn't cost me much on gas or insurance. I prized it, but as I was able to drive nicer and newer cars I know the hard work and value it takes to acquire a newer and nicer machine. To have something that doesn't have rust or 200,000 miles on it is a luxury to me, not a standard. The lower the starting point, the more we recognize and appreciate the higher places we have to work toward. Certainly find a good reliable car for him, but don't spoil him.

Most of us are in full agreement that the Ej22 is the superior motor. I think our understanding of the EJ25 DOHC is catching up though. When heads are resurfaced and correct gaskets (Or turbo) are used the repeat failure rate seems to be declining. I think half the problem is the motor design itself with failing gaskets and weaker rod bearings. The other half is the fact that so many overheat and wear on the bearings and block/heads that the heat sets them up for future failures down the road. The DOHC is not a bad motor by itself. Half of it's infamy is that it came into play alongside the bullet proof EJ22 (And that was following the EA81 and EA82s) so when you're used to subarus lasting 300k consistently without any real engine work, you get blindsided by anything happening before 150k. We're kinda spoiled by how reliable they usually are. Find me a Kia that lasts that long though.... Seen a number of 250k+ EJ25 DOHCs. While I prefer the EJ22 for it's durability and simplicity, the EJ25 is still a perfectly decent motor. The OP will likely get many many more miles out of this one before it needs much else.

front struts were still the same through at least 2004. Rears changed but I've driven plenty of both and seen more rear sag in 2000+ than in the 90s cars.

Your description suggests finding a solid 1993-1998 Impreza (Especially the Outback Sport edition) These came with the phase 1 Ej22 which is the most durable motor subaru made since the 80s EA81 push rod motors. For top reliability, disregard the comment for 1999 and newer imprezas as they featured the Phase 2 motors and were as prone to head gasket failures as their SOHC EJ25 counterparts. Not a bad motor but not nearly as durable as earlier ones. Read up on here on what to look for. On a 93-98 I would not be scared of high mileage. Look to see that the car was well maintained, is not a rust bucket. Check for torque bind and fluids, etc. These motors commonly go over 300k and have seen a handful top 500k

yup. Can't use the arrow. get a flashlight and find the hash mark on the back of the sprocket and time it correctly. Cross fingers that there's no valve damage. Helped a local guy who timed his incorrectly off of the marks on the center timing cover. Once timed it fired right up. Not sure if there's consensus on whether the arrow mark creates a collision in there or not.

Triple check timing. It's almost always something missed. Keep it simple - No start = no spark, no fuel, timing issue. The poor mans test is almost always sufficient. Pull a plug and check for spark. Spray some starter fluid down the throttle body and see if it starts. Pull your timing covers and check all your marks. (The hash marks must align on the crank pulley, not the arrow. And don't use the marks on the timing cover for anything there either. I'm betting the timing is off.

It can be done in the car. Many have done it. I did one last week but it will likely be the last time I do. It doesn't really take any longer, but 2 reasons I would prefer to pull the motor. 1. Head gaskets seating/damage. - Working the head around int there with bolts protruding and head gasket able to flop and slide around gave way more chances to gouge the gasket or get oil/residue on the gasket or mating surfaces. 2. Torquing procedure - particularly on the drivers side was not nearly as exact for those times when you have to tighten 180 or 90 degrees at a time. It came together fine and is already a high miles motor, but if I were to do it again, I'd like the peace of mind that it's pretty exact and sealed up right.

Yep. for this style of gasket make sure to have the heads machined.

Yep. you're trying to put a phase 1 engine in place of a phase 2. As mentioned, the blocks are the same so you can put the forester heads on the outback block and make a good motor. Or shop for a different motor. 2000-2002 legacy and outback, 1999-02 Forester and Impreza (Imprezas will mostly be single port EJ22s but bolt in just fine other than getting the Y pipe from the impreza.

Post pics of the motors themselves. It's one of 2 things - Either we are looking at a Phase 1 EJ22 in the forester or a phase 2 EJ25. Phase 1s are compatible and phase 2 are not. I suspect that it's phase 2 as all phase 1 motors would have matching wiring harnesses.

New PCV valve and new spark plugs and wires if they aren't new. I'm just on the other side of the "hill" from you and work on a lot of these motors. If you want the fun trick - run the gas tank to near empty. Buy a gallon of Acetone from a hardware store. Go to the gas station and put your acetone in the tank with 4 gallons of premium gas. Drive around until the engine is good and warm to make sure the catalyst is at max efficiency and take it in and smog it. The acetone burns super clean and will bring your numbers down. You'll get fewer MPG out of it and you wont be at peak performance, but it works like a charm to make the motor run clean.

Go with Gates kits. They are a proven brand and not that expensive,

if it's as described, 5k is a good deal. anything less would be a no brainer. Not many with under 100k and those that are are usually very pricey. Here in California that car would cost double. If you can talk him down, great but if it checks out and feels right, I'd jump on it. Buy the parts and work on it for a weekend and drive it for many many more miles. Read up on head gasket symptoms and what to look for. This year is still in the spectrum where they may need replacement somewhere between now and 200k. If you catch it early, it's not that bad. If you can do a timing belt, you can do head gaskets. Just takes longer and will require some $$$ for machining. Likely that it years down the road. If there's any regularity to it, they seem to need done around 150-175k. Done right they will last the life of the motor.

Hoping I;m nearly finished with my latest fixer upper. Friend sold me their 96 Outback 2.2 and 5 speed with 230k. Local Subaru shop had diagnosed a failed water pump leading to a small head gasket leak. When I drove it home it was very low on oil (Later found a trickler of a cam seal leak) Filled it up right away. Drove 10 miles home and temp went up to half way and stayed there. Got home and the motor was running hotter than I thought. Low coolant so i dont think the temp sensor was able to read correctly. Moving forward I did a head gasket job and put a low miles water pump in. Replaced the temp sensor with a used one. New oil. New coolant. Turns out the motor had been run for a while with straight water so water pump seemed okay but was pretty corroded. Flushed stuff with the garden hose. Now driving it here's where I'm at. Still warms right to halfway (A little higher than norm as usually these cars stay pegged just below half way on the gauge.) I know the coolant is full. Got good heat from the blower. Stays at half but not sure to trust it. After a spirited 10 minute drive the top rad hose is hot (Can squeeze the radiator hose without it burning but it's good and hot) Lower is not as hot but quite warm as well. Rad fan has not clicked on yet. Checked connections and fuse and all is well. Thinking of running the fan off a switch for now to see if that's the issue. But unsure of rad fan #1. and not sure to trust the thermostat or temp sensor. Anything else to consider?

It does. it's tight and uncomfortable but saves time.

Struts, springs and trailing arm brackets and drive. It's not really more complicated than that. Rear swaybar will still fit. Front can remain detached if you are not an aggressive driver. Front has stock camber bolts - can buy rears if desired. nothing else is necessary - it's all straight bolt on other than drilling one hole for the rear struts. Wheel spacers are only useful to go even bigger in tire size (over 28 inches)

Gates. For sure. Had great success and they aren't much more expensive than the cheapies. Synthetic is no good on older cars. These subies are happy on cheap oil and regular changes. I buy the off brand stuff and change every 3000 miles religiously and have never lost a motor and run several cars over 300k.

try plug, wire, coil and fuel injector. (switch injectors and see if the miss follows it) As mentioned, 98 is the golden year for a forester since you can put a 90-98 2.2 bullet proof motor in there.