AdventureSubaru

On the Subarus I'm aware of, the speed sensor was cable driven until about 98/99 but on some transmissions the older cable and sensor screwed into the same port and worked just fine. Throttle through 2004 I think.

Hello neighbor! Quite the storm yesterday. Yes. Thrashing and abusing the clutch can kill it very quickly. Abuse such as "riding" the clutch, releasing the clutch at higher RPM and slamming it into the flywheel can kill a perfectly good or brand new clutch disc. I've seen them sheared apart from aggressive driving. Clutch forks can bend, crack or snap. There are several ways to destroy a clutch in a matter of minutes or all in one instant. Quite possible this happened if he was thrashing it. If the clutch pedal and slave cylinder are moving properly and you're getting rpms but no movement and no wheels turning (If you're still in the snow/ice look and make sure none are moving) then it is clutch related. If you're still in the snow, get all 4 wheels on something solid and start over.

I've thought of making a bolt on style teardrop for my boat trailer. The boat is a 14ft aluminum and is easily moved by 2 people. I wasnt a fan of the dinky little 12 inch rims and lightly dry rotted tires on it, so I bought a horse trailer axle and leaf springs, welded rear spindles from a FWD Impreza for the ends and run Subaru steel rims and 235 70 15 tires on it. Has gone to California and back without issue. Might mount some bolt points to it and make a utility bed and a teardrop option so it can serve more functions.

Yep. count teeth. Marks on the belt are very optional. Marks on the engine and cams and crank are what to follow. ALWAYS turn the motor over 2 full revolutions by hand and make sure the marks still line up before starting the motor.

Sounds like the way to go. Fix the one you've got and drive it. Depending on the mileage a little tapping especially at start up is common for these motors. I have done 3 EJ20 SOHC swaps over the years and have mixed feelings about them. The power loss is there. It's not bad until you are going up a steep hill or load the car down with 4 or 5 people/load of firewood etc. It will get you there and I've had good luck with them running just fine. Others have reported some issues. I make sure to get warranty in writing and make sure the engine is stamped accordingly just in case. If you ever do swap one, you keep your intake manifold, wiring etc. and scap the JDM stuff. Also keep the crank sprocket and the drivers cam pulley from your motor since the hash marks for the cam and crank sensors are different between US and japan. Also keep the flex plate from the 2.5 if automatic since it is bigger that the 2.2 or 2.0. It's a good cheap option, but like most used motors is not without risk. I'd put the power loss on par with putting the 2.2 in place of the dohc 2.5 on 90s cars. But as far as I know there's not any more reliability to the 2.0 over the 2.5 on these phase 2 motors like there was putting the 2.2 in place of the 2.5 on older cars.

How much can you spend is the next most relevant question as the few motors in that HP range come with a higher price tag.

Hi Tony, Unfortunately this goes two different directions. Subarus most reliable motors are also the lowest HP while the higher HP tend to be the more high maintenance. You can get some of the WRX motors at that HP but you are looking at quite the hefty expense before you even start swapping. What sort of platform are you putting this motor into? Space is often limited but if you have space, the best would be to snag one of Subarus H6 platforms. The EG33 made about 220hp and can be found fairly cheap. Especially as the SVXs they often came in were prone to transmission failure. The EZ30 is getting easier to find and makes similar power. The only non turbo that Subaru has over 250HP is the EZ36 if you can find a wrecked newer outback with one. Each of these H6s are pretty tough motors. The most reliable motors are going to cut HP down considerably. The 1990-1998 EJ22 - arguably the most dependable motor Subaru ever put out brings about 135hp. The next most dependable would be the 2010-2012 EJ25 (170HP) and 3rd the 2000-2004 EJ25. (165) Would help knowing exactly what you want to drop this into to have a better idea on options.

Good to know. Yes the mitsubishi was a 3000GT so it struck the curb where a Subaru would run it over. The impact though was not severe. It bent the front control arm and ripped part of the bumper cover off. Was an easy fix apart from the air bags. I just envision some of the mountain roads here which can be 6 inches of mud or 12inches+ of snow on any given day. I wont be going very fast to the point that airbags would save anyone but should I skid into a ditch or tree I would prefer they not rock my world. I'll be in there anyway for the trans swap and use some extra wire to run some kill switches so I don't have to pop the hood every time we go off road. So it's a safe bet that if the SRS light is on, the air bags cannot deploy?

SJRlift.com - Scott is an active member on this fourm. Anderson design and fabrication is another.

If yours is DOHC (Which it should be) Get very familiar with the timing marks. Getting them all lined up can be tricky. I gently C clamp the belt on the cams as I go so they stay put. Turn the motor over 2 full revolutions and make sure the timing marks still line up. (Belt marks can help but the timing marks on the motor are what you need to go by.)

First two the difference is whether or not the water pump is included. it's timing driven so often good to replace at the same time. 3rd is not gates brand from what I can tell. What motor is in there? 99 was a crossover year. Yours is probably the EJ25 DOHC not the newer EJ25 SOHC. If so, double check that the part number is the same for a 98 outback as sometimes they get these confused and send the wrong kit. And yes. Gates is a respected brand that produces the same reliability as Subaru timing components but at about 30% of the cost.

That description is correct of head gasket failure of phase 1 motors (1990-98/99. Phase 2 motors (99+) generally fail externally and will not exhibit the symptoms described - they'll run themselves out of coolant long before a bubble makes it into the tank.

It wouldn't affect the crank pulley, but this should be addressed ASAP - the idler sprocket below the crank sprocket, just to the left of the water pump is often the first piece in the timing system to fail. When it grenades, it takes the timing belt with it and trashes the valves leaving you stranded and in need of either a new motor, new/used heads or a valve job. I'd get a hold of a Gates timing belt kit and put that on before driving anywhere. You may have dodged a bullet there. Replace it as a kit because if one is showing symptoms, the others wont be far behind. Do the timing now and thank that bad crank pulley - it probably saved your motor.

If just the crank pulley is off, then the timing is all still the same. You would have to remove the timing belt if you pull the crank sprocket underneath.

Not sure your history.. the 99+ 2.5 is a completely different animal from the earlier problematic ones if that's the case. If you have subaru folks in your area you can probably get closer to that asking price. My last several subarus were intentionally bought that way. Good body with a bad motor or transmission. I save $$$ by fixing it myself.

Without service records, the best way is a visual inspection of the gaskets at the top so see if they are shiny and new (or newer) than the surrounding block and head surfaces. Good news with this motor is that when they fail they generally leak externally and lose coolant. If you continually check your fluids you will catch it before it gets bad. When it starts consuming coolant you can keep it going sometimes months to years by just adding coolant until you can do a proper head gasket job (As mentioned above - proper gaskets and head resurfacing being essential on these motors to prevent repeat failure) Yes - coolant leaking above the thermostat would be either the water pump or the rubber hose connection to it. We call tappets valves here in the states. Searching for valve adjustment on your particular motor should get some more info. Does it quiet down as the engine warms up? or is it constant? A video recording the sound often helps. I find all subaru motors to become tappy at startup as they get older. If its very loud or constant then an adjustment or replacement may be necessary. Products such as marvel mystery oil and others have been helpful in quieting some of the older motors for me in the past.

Regardless of approach some WD-40 or better yet, PB blaster will help as it begins to move. Has made a big difference removing both the crank pulley and the sprocket for me in the past. The fix is simple once everything is apart. I even have a couple used crank pulleys if you need one.

Federal emissions, non turbo, EJ25 SOHC with automatic trans - sucker has about 270k on it but running well. No sign of head gaskets leaking. Will give it fresh timing kit and probably seals. Looking forward to having over 300k on the odometer again like our 2000 outback a couple years ago. I've played around putting 95-98 stuff together and 99-02ish after that I'm lost on compatibility.

Welcome! post up pics if you haven't already. love the lifted cars

Sounds pretty normal for that year. Unless the CVs are clicking, just re grease and re boot them. Valve cover gaskets are common. get the kit with grommets for the spark plgs. Easy fix. Oil leaking above the thermostat may be coming from the back of the timing cover - usually a cam seal or by the crank. If the timing belt is unknown it's best to do these all at once. Good preventative maintenance. How loud is the tapping? Often they are a little noisy on start up when cold or after sitting a while. All sounds about right/very normal for a 16 year old Subaru.

Depending on the body/paint condition ive seen them sell for $1000 but $500ish is just about right. Book value is probably around 2000 running well. Someone like me would pick one up, spend 500 to 800 on a used motor and drop it in. Doing it ones self makes it a good deal and saves some $$$ by usong ones own time. Paying a shop to drop a motor in brings the price up to 1500 to 1800 and at that point after you factor in little things like exhaust gaskets, oil change often timing belt and its the same cost and simpler to just buy a good running car. If you know the cars history and that it has been well maintained, sourcing a used motor and either putting it in yourself or even paying a shop or local subaru guy to put it in still keeps you ahead financially vs starting over with another car that may come with its own unknowns and issues.

Looking forward to pics. Best fix for a seatbelt like that is replace with a good used one - car-part.com or find a local pick n pull sort of yard. All 1995-1999 legacy and legacy outback will have the same part.

Maybe try a different computer. I'm not a member but can see the pics just fine. Not aware of any board members that carry any exedy parts. I usually cross reference Amazon, Ebay, partsgeek and RockAuto and go for the cheapest option. (Ebay more often than not)

Yep. About as illustrated and comprehensive as it comes. It will be handy either way. new clutch only adds 2 steps to changing the throwout bearing. there's no changing the throwout bearing without seperating the engine and trans, so you may as well spend a little extra and not have to go in there for another 100k+

For inspection purposes - take it somewhere else, get inspected and drive. As for the long term life of the axle - if it's already clicking, it is not worth fixing. Aftermarket rarely lasts long and OEM new are about $400. The "conventional wisdom" is to buy a used OEM one from a wrecking yard (car-part.com to find them.) Inner CV cup should be green to ID as OEM. Re-grease and re-boot it and put it on for many more miles. Most will have a 90 day warranty just in case.