AdventureSubaru

This sounds very much like the motor is ready for new spark plugs and wires. NGK brand hold up best. It's good maintenance in general since these motors are hard on them. I'd start there before worrying about fuel etc.

The way you describe it dying sounds like the alternator giving out. I'd pull it and get it tested for free at a parts chain. Have you had the battery tested? Or just checked that it's got juice? There's only so much that could kill both the motor and electronics and its got something to do with battery, alternator or wiring. check both ends of battery cables. You can even use jumper cables (Carefully) to run a second positive or ground cable to test in case one of the cables is actually bad. Had this happen on a ford explorer once. Had to run a jumper cable to the starter every time I started it up for a week til I could get a replacement. I'm betting on a bad alternator so far. If not, it's easy to pull, test and scratch off the list.

Fusible links continued into the 90s. had them on my 97 impreza. Not sure if the forester has them, but if so you're probably looking to replace the black wire in the fuse box under the hood. Double and triple check your battery terminals for good contact. Double check the charge on your battery. When it died, did it sputter out? Give you flashing instrument cluster lights/buggy speedo/tach? Cut out instantly?

Just to give the motor a clean bill of health/test for bent valves yes. usually the idler pulley goes bad and takes the timing belt out with it. A cheap/used belt and idler pulley/sprocket will let you reset the timing and hopefully start the motor. if you do that, and the motor is ok. It's advised to replace all the timing pulleys and tensioner (water pump is a good idea while your there and comes with many kits but is not as essential) as the bearings on the idlers wheels and tensioner will not usually outlive the sprocket by a very long time. As mentioned, if there is valve damage, you're looking at a valve job for the heads, a used set of heads or a good used motor as options to fix it.

Well, going to wrap this thread up in case anyone ever comes across it in a search and needs similar info. The 12mm was too small. I got the 14mm to fit. Turned out the aluminum had corroded in the couple years the car sat. Got some penetrating oil in there and a thread chaser made out of an old plug cut with an angle grinder and it all seated just fine. When I turned the ignition, the engine started but backfired and immediately died. made some rough sounds like timing was off or something. Pulled the timing cover and could immediately see that the crank sprocket was way different. Japanese vs US. Swapped over the cam and crank pulleys from the 2000 US motor and it started first try. Drove it home and apart from a shimmy up front on the drivers side at highway speed drives nicely. EJ20 is a bit weak for this size car. You only notice going up steep hills. But it's about 10hp down from the EJ25. But with less than 60 on the motor, I expect years of good service out of it.

Looks like a good candidate for a $50 Rustoleum paint job. Done a few myself over the years and they turn out great. Foam rollers, rustoleum and mineral spirits. Some good sanding and it comes out great! Ford probe and Mazda MX-6 I did a number of years back in Rustoeum "sunrise red" I was a first timer and got pretty good results. Not professional quality but for $50. invested in cars I paid about $350 a piece for, can't go wrong.

It's worth the 15 minutes to check just in case. But otherwise, good block but heads need a valve job or you could put a set of used heads on there for a runner.

JDM is also a hassle. I just finished a basketcase that was started, given up on and sold to me. There's differences in trans cooler hoses, intake manifolds, timing gears etc. And if it's phase 2 it just wont work on your car apart from the block.

Stick with your current transmission and add a bottle of Tran-x to the fluid. Fixes the delayed forward engagement. There's a thread here somewhere where it is discussed at length. 99-00 transmissions all had this issue eventually but it is no sign of their failure. Best match for your car would be an EJ22 from a 1995 Impreza or legacy automatic. It would be a match in every way - dual port exhaust and OBDII wiring with EGR to match your car. That motor is also non interference. Non EGR motors will work but you'll get a check engine light unless you do some hefty work around stuff. Or get an intake manifold off of an EGRed EJ22. 1990-94 will also be non interference and dual port, but you will need an intake manifold/wiring from a 95-98. 96-98 will be matching intake manifold and wiring but has single port exhaust so you would need the Y pipe to match those EJ22s. And 97-98 are interference motors. Still just as reliable if you keep up on the timing belt intervals. My advice - stop looking at phase II motors all together. Harder to come by, you can only use the block so you aren't getting much upgrade in reliability. The faster, cheaper, easier and far more reliable solution is a 1990-1998 EJ22.

Yeah. the 2000+ EJ25 was SOHC and as mentioned, only the short block can interchange. DOHC EJ25 ended in 99 at least in the states. Compatible motors for the 99 DOHC EJ25 is 96-99DOHC EJ25 and 1995-1998 (Some 99s too) EJ22. 1990-94 work as well with an EJ22 intake manifold from a 95-98. There's a few threads that cover the little ins and outs of it. Conventional subaru wisdom is to replace a bad EJ25 DOHC with a good EJ22 SOHC. You lose a bit of horsepower but gain far more reliability with the EJ22. Do a couple searches on here to determine if the transmission you have is Phase 1 or Phase 2 - spin on filter, 8 bolts vs 4 etc. they cannot cross phases for automatics. Manuals may have a workaround.

I wouldn't risk it. Good used tire sets can be found on cragslist and used tire shops for as little as $15-$20 a tire. Used shops will often mount and balance them for little to nothing. Tires and brakes control the majority of the safety of the vehicle. I've seen guys who give their car nothing but Mobil 1 oil but are riding on near bald tires. It's just not worth it to risk an accident to save a little money. I get frustrated when I see people cutting corners and asking for trouble. (Not that this is aimed at you, but the principle applies) Anytime you're compromising your own safety behind the wheel, you're also compromising the safety of those around you. A blow out at the wrong time is lethal. About 10 years ago I had this happen without warning on a GMC suburban. If I didn't have both hands on the wheel at the time, the jerk would have put me and my buddy directly in the path of a semi on the highway. At it was, we doused the interior of the truck with the chocolate milk my buddy was drinking at the time and had to do a highway rim swap. But it's as much luck as anything that we weren't killed and no one was hurt.

Yummy. Something very rewarding about going through the hard work and dirt of tearing an engine apart and breathing new life into it.

No dice. Spent half an hour in the O'reillys looking over engines/cars in their database. Everything was 14mm until 2014 with a 12mm. I may get some 12mm 5/8 plugs for dirt bikes and see if those will fit and at least maybe get it running temporarily. Out of ideas. Info just doesn't seem to exist on this topic and even the guys at NASIOC have no opinions, leads to go for.

May be one step closer. Rock auto did not carry plugs for the European market motors which tells me they're probably different. opposedforces listed a champion plug as compatible for European Ej20s. If that plug is what also came in Japanese motors, I should be all set. Fingers crossed.

Spent about 2 hours on the car. Put a good used battery in. Found a loose starter connection and cranks over fine. Tested for spark - nada. Swapped the coil from the spare 2.5 and got spark. Went to install plugs and the diameter must be too big. Anyone know what sort of plugs to run? Tried the stuff from USDM EJ25 and bought a set the fit canadian EJ20 SOHCs but both ended up same diameter and just spin but don't catch thread. It's like 14mm thread is too big. Could it be 12mm plugs or 10?

That's a beauty. But I never trust them with the DOHC motor. Swap a 2.2 in for $300 and sell the 2.5 for $500.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015/04/subaru-brz-sti-coming-to-us.html

Thinking it over more and anticipating any mistakes the guy may have made. (Mechanic was most of the way through the swap on wifes car when the pair separated and the car was never finished) Would the JDM wiring plug right in? How can I safely assume that the USDM intake manifold is what's on top right now? Would non matching cam and crank pulleys = no spark? And I am under the assumption that the 2000 USDM motors should all be the same cam and crank right? It was in 02 that things started changing? Just planning ahead. For all I know, I'll put fresh gas and battery in it, connect fuel lines and hoses and drive it home.

Just made a deal on a 2000 Outback. It has a Phase 2 EJ20 SOHC bolted into it right now that is 90% installed. I am assuming this is a JDM motor. Wiring is connected. Flex plate to flywheel is connected. Vac hoses and fuel lines are not. No spark plugs in the motor. there's a set of plugs and extra plug wires sitting in the engine bay so I'm wondering if they were diagnosing a no-spark issue? I'm going to start trying to tackle this tonight and get it going. I have a good Phase 2 american EJ25 in the garage. If the EJ20 was from an 02+ I may need the cam and crank sprocket right? Would this cause a no-spark? There are a few vac tubes missing that I can bring. And I'll put fresh plugs in it. What's the word on putting JDM motors in this body style? Any tips appreciated as it's a half hour drive to go work on this car.

Blue devil is not a bad idea to keep the current motor going for a while. It's a band aid. Never fixes it for terribly long, but does buy you time to scout for another motor. Since the EZ does not have head gasket issues commonly, it would be a good candidate to put a good used one in. You could take your time and do the head gaskets on the existing motor as a backup, sell it or just sell it as a builder/parts to someone else to recoup some of the $$$ spent on the used one. Screeching/squeaking sounds like brake pads. Easy and cheap. I got them off rock auto for About $6-$8 a set on closeout. Bouncing is probably worn out struts. Worth looking at bushings as well. Rock Auto and Ebay are best for cheap prices on struts. Or good used stuff. Any 2000-04 Outback will swap in. Baja too.

Phase 1 EJ25 (DOHC) 96-99 - repeated head gasket failures. Can be a nightmare of a motor. If you go for a 96-99 outback find one with an already bad motor and swap in an EJ22 for bullet proof reliability. It's plug and play. Takes a day and a half your first time. I did my last motor swap in about 5 hours. Phase 2 EJ25 (SOHC) 1999 1/2-2004+ - Very good motor that will need head gaskets once in its life provided it was not overheated the first time and the repair was done right with Subaru gaskets. my current outback is 5 speed and my wifes was auto. Both are good transmissions and the car accelerates fine but is not a powerhouse. The LL bean models with the EZ30 motor will throw you into the back of your seat but are harder to work on if the motor ever needs work. And yes. Torque bind is unique to subaru/AWd but check the trans fluid. Feel for jerky shifting, slow shifting, slippage of gears, clutch, popping out of gear in manuals, growls etc. And yes, weeping will usually look like dried oil. Seeping is a little dampness present. Leakage would be anything more. Head gaskets aren't the end of the world when they happen but it's a big repair bill to pay for, or a pain to pull the motor and do yourself.

No worries. As mentioned usually the first head gasket set will need done within 150k but done right with Subaru gaskets and head resurfaced, the repair will last the lift of the motor. I drive a 2000 Outback with 230k. Up until last summer my wife drove a 2000 Outback which had 362k and last i heard from the new owner, is still out there and driving. I see many with over 300k on craigslist etc. Very solid cars. #1. I've heard rumors to that effect, but with your budget, you may be better off finding one that has already had headgaskets done, which would make the years pretty irrelevant. The first year rule is good in general but not something I would apply to outbacks. It's a new body style but mechanically, it's an EJ motor and 4eat transmission with Subaru AWD. They've been doing it since 1990 and doing it quite well. The only unique issue to the 2000s was eventual delayed forward engagement of the transmission which is fixed by a $6. can of Trans-X. Hardly a deal breaker. #2. No such thing in my mind. Seen subarus thrashed to death in less than 100k and seen cars I would drive across country with no hesitation with over 500k. Look for how it's been cared for. Timing belt and head gasket issues for the motor being most prevalent and failure, issues with the transmission being the other reason I've ever seen these cars ever go to the junk yard. #3. No. Never. Not even with a full load, running AC up the 9 mile steep uphill grade of highway 17. Use only Subaru brand thermostats and fresh coolant. (Subaru also provides coolant conditioner for $3. a bottle that helps extend head gasket life. However, I do agree that if the needle goes above halfway, it's indicating something is not right. Not dangerous yet, but to be investigated and watched. These cars don't run hot for no reason. #4.Ask about when/if timing belt and head gaskets were done previously. Service records or receipts are a big plus if they can be provided. Clutch is also a bonus in 5 speeds. Look at the seams of the head gasket near the rear of the motor for seepage/leaks. Weeping/seeping is ok. Leakage shows impending issues. Drive the car in slow tight circles to check for torque bind. Make sure tires are matching. Coolant levels and most of the usual stuff. Good luck with the hunt. These are great cars!

Thanks for the info! So far wondering if there's much need/advantage for synthetic fluid/ My subarus have always been very happy on cheap oil with frequent changes (3000 miles) I know the really new ones are basically required. Is a 2011 going to benefit from synthetic over regular? Any maintenance/fluid changes for the CVT? or just let it be? I am already wanting a temperature gauge. Already a complaint as we're used to glancing over coolant temp on any other subaru.

I'd find a different shop and get a second opinion. Don't share what the previous place said. If they tell you the same thing, it's doubtful they both made up the same lie. Otherwise just get it aligned and ready for the new owner. I feel like if there were issue with the knuckle, you'd be feeling shuttering/bearing like issues that would be fairly obvious.

If you can find an 80s car in a salvage yard/u-pull-it you could get them for next to nothing. Not sure if you've explored that option but that's often the first place I look. Quick and cheap.