AdventureSubaru

Probably a hose or crush washer. If it's bolted in and moving around though, you're nearly out of the woods.

Keep the coffee going! If you get stuck/frustrated be willing to walk away though. Often saves time/frustration/mistakes/even injury. I fill the fluid - technically I think the best measurement will be at idle. So it will probably require more as everything circulates. Gear oil on the passenger side tube should not need more added after the initial fill. After you've had it running/idling for a while and the levels seem right, I take it for a few minutes gentle drive and check again. Don't think it has needed more after that but I check a few times just in case. My first auto trans swap I had a leak at one of the lines due to the previously mentioned crush washer. Got cold chills down my spine when it wouldn't go into reverse and was shifting poorly. Checked fluids and was low. Topped it off, got home and figured out the issue quick. Was terrified I'd installed another failing trans. After the crush washer that trans went on for 83,000+ miles til we sold the car (A 2000 Outback that was at 382,000 miles and has probably turned 400 with the new owner. That first trans had gone just shy of 300k)

LOL. Thats how they go sometimes. The list of repairs/"to-dos" might be a page and a half long, but you can still jump into it and drive 500 miles on any given day. Ej is the way to go for better performance/long term if the car will be with you for a number of years. Find a cheap parts car that's wrecked or has a bad trans (if you were closer, there's a 94 legacy that runs well but the body is rotting for 300 near me) - order an adapter plate and such. if it weren't for all the blasted wiring it would be an 8 hour job.

Been driving EJs for so long now. Been a long time since my ears have heard the melodious T.O.D. Good memories.

Nobody said it was. It's a fair question to ask what a new one goes for if you've got one that's nearly new and you'll be selling in the near future. Play nice.

Not a hard job. If you are considering doing it yourself, you're probably qualified. These 80s cars are a breeze to work on. Rust being the X factor. otherwise just do your research ahead of time and talk to a few who have done it before and forge ahead.

Is the check engine light on? Even one of the cheap $10 OBDII scanners from ebay will at least give you the codes so we have somewhere to begin 99 was the year that some changed from MAF to MAP sensor. A pic of the engine bay can allow us to identify positively if you're not sure. A no start is either spark, fuel or timing related. Sometimes failing fuel pumps die as described. You can try the poor mans test for fuel and spark. Take some ether/starting fluid or a bit of gas down the throttle body or vac hose (the one to the brake booster works well) fire a shot or two and see if it runs longer/stronger before dying. With two people you can create the "human fuel pump" and sometimes keep it runnig a little. If it runs off of this, you have a fuel issue. Check filter, and wiring and such. Often it's a failed fuel pump. if nothing, check for spark. Pull a plug and hold it against a ground and look for spark while a friend cranks. This should get you started. Post back with results.

1998 Legacy L - 243k 1996 EJ22 Outback lift 3/8 HDPE Spacers 15 inch rims from a 2001 Legacy 225-70-15 tires Basket rack that keeps following my lifted cars around. will probably be selling in the near future so I can build a bigger one out of the project 05 outback I snagged.

I put my scissor jacks on top of a cinder block and keep cranking until the jack stands fully extend - sometimes on top of a few chunks of 2x12 or 2x10. Makes it a 2 step process both up and down but gets you there. The caution I have is that cinder blocks crack and crumble where wood does not. I wont trust my life to jacks or stands on the cinder blocks. Make sure the e-brake is holding well and chock the rear wheels for good measure. I always grab the car and shake it pretty hard to make sure it wont topple while I'm under it. For an automatic transmission I rent a transmission jack for a day. Well worth the time and $$$ in my book. Manuals are easy enough to manhandle into place. Automatics are heavy.

Oem. Exedy is the preferred brand.

Forester is an impreza unibody with a taller roof, different styling, a slightly large motor most of the time and more ground clearance. Legacy and outbacks tend to be a smoother ride and have more interior space than impreza or forester. All are nearly identical in the mechanics and tend to be extremely reliable.

That's the plan for now. My wife has a 2011 outback and there's plenty of space. I'm toying with selling my lifted 98 legacy and making the 05 Outback project I bought my DD. More safety and I think I can make it pretty beastly with some 30 inch tires and a lift. We'll be fine with 2 but if there's a #3, I'll be shopping. Wonder what it would take to put an outback engine and drivetrain into a chrysler/plymouth/dodge shell....

I seem to remember swapping those lines requires new copper crush washers to seal up and last. Otherwise it should just be a matter of unbolting and bolting. Not sure if there's a torque spec for it. I just went a little past tight.

The arrogance astounds me. Unless he's just a really bored/creative troll. He tells us how unreachably expensive it is to do an EJ swap, when so many of us have done them on the cheap. He tells us how ridiculously difficult it is to do, when he's never done ANY motor swap. And we've done this exact swap repeatedly and with great results. He proposes "better" alternatives that are #1. ghastly MORE expensive than an EJ swap. #2. Will take far more work, problem solving, and R&D time. #3. Yield far LESS return for the work and #4. Destroy the reliability he claims to love in these motors. Despite this being verifiable history and patently obvious by way of basic math, even when experts in the EXACT field answer the questions with hard facts and learned history, he has to be right - referencing experience that includes somehow "street racing" his 68hp brat and some mechanical knowledge that we're supposed to be impressed with, but does not even encompass fixing the blown headgaskets or swapping a new motor into his dead brat (Which apparently is abandoned illegally somewhere and hidden so the police don't tow it) Side note - I love this forum and that everyone has been as gracious and polite in trying to help him. Most forums this would have devolved into a swearfest/poo slinging long ago. I appreciate you guys/gals and the class that this forum demonstrates consistently. Now that it's clear that we're wasting our time trying to teach him anything and that this kid, who can't change a motor himself, is the "expert" and will show us all. I'm staying for the entertainment value. :popcorn:

Haven't seen that one before. You'll get more/better response if you post it in the 80s forum.

Depends how badly. I had one with bent valves that I got running after a failed timing belt. (Bought it that way) ran rough and generated just enough power to move it around. you wont know for sure until you get it timed and running right. I have a couple good used tensioners around if it's failed, you can put the good used tensioner in and retime it to make sure the engine is okay before moving forward.

I like the idea of AWD all the time for the snowy winters (Assuming it ever sees winter driving) since it makes it so much more capable. We get lake effect snow up here all the time (It snows almost every day) and the mix makes AWD all the more necessary. Better than my 4runner since running 4wd on pavement is no good. AWD is great for consistent driving in those conditions so you're not jumping back and forth between fwd and 4wd. The standard ones are not much more capable than a honda in the snow until you pull the lever.

Cool! never got my hands on any RX stuff. I had thought they were like an EJ car, single range full time AWD. That makes it more fun!

Is the final drive ratio the same on RX trans and the brat? I'm partial to the low range for trail use / mud/snow. But thats just me. On road, the RX trans would add some fun factor I'm sure.

Yeah. Pull the timing covers. If the tensioner is failing it will flop around making some ghastly noises. You're okay until the point that the belt skips/breaks. Easy fix if so. Just a timing job. Check crank pulley for play. If not and coming from the front center of the motor you're probably looking at a rod issue. As mentioned a 2.5 is the better motor to put in there. for your car you're most likely looking at a 2000-04ish motor. You intake manifold will bolt right to it. get the dual port exhaust Y pipe with the motor so it all matches up. If it's an automatic, swap the flex plate from the 2.2 to the 2.5 so they match.

Drag racing division of the sub 70 hp. Lol. You guys ever read the old "Mall Ninja" exchanges? Where this mall cop got on a forum of mostly active/retired law enforcement and military and tried to convince them he was a hotshot "Rapid Task Force" sergeant that regularly took fire from terrorists and mafia and such at said shopping mall. They sifted through the BS and went round and round and his attempts at convincing them he was tough stuff just got more and more hilarious and over the top. Its a good laugh to read. http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/ Anyway. Seems we have our own "ninja" in our little corner of the internet. Shall we dub him "Brat ninja"?

Do you know the mileage of the timing stuff? usually the belt outlives the idlers. When one goes, it takes the belt and your valves with it. If it's known mileage you can put it off to its next increment. If not, it's cheap peace of mind since the labor needs done anyway.

Generally this is how they fail. Headgaskets are a common and often recurring problem on these motors. The headgasket leads to failing rod bearings and eventually a thrown rod.

lol. Keep talking. This is funny now. Tell us more about how blazing fast your brat is in these "street races" (law breaking).... I like those parts. They make me giggle. Tell me more about how the ea81 will be as powerful as an EJ. About how that EJ will harm the drivetrain, but the super, crazy, powerful, pixie dust Ea81 will not. Tell us about how many unicorns you saw today. About how Elvis Presley himself taught you how to street race. Especially tell me how you are going to accomplish this while paying a mechanic to do the labor. That's my favorite part - that you're both inept AND ignorant. At first I was confused as to why mechanics wouldn't work on your car. After hearing you rant on here for a few days and your detachment from how these cars work, and the mechanical limitations they posses, I'm no longer surprised. You're a quagmire they'd be happy to avoid.

Lol. Whoa now. We have a street racer that beats people with his stock EA81 brat that doesn't even know how to do a motor swap! This thread is now just a rolling comedy. RAD - Stop arguing with GD. you've made a fool of yourself time and again. he's arguably the most knowledgeable member of this forum. He's tried to steer you right, and you're not even keeping up with the science of the conversation. You've never even pulled a motor and claim to be an expert who knows better than the man who does this work for a living - for a long time and with a great reputation.