cal_look_zero

It's your call. If you're that hard up to save money, and it's your only option, then go for it. If you take your time, deck everything to within a gnats rump roast of perfect, and don't skip steps; you'll probably have no issues. But you're not saving much money over using OEM.

Unless you've done HGs before, you don't NEED to replace the headbolts. They're fine to re use once. Probably more than once, but I'd feel better replacing them every other time due to the amount of torque applied to them. The dispute if Subaru head bolts are or are not torque to yield is as old as the sands of time. I've only replaced one set ever and that was actually due to significant corrosion on them; not over stretch. Someone should figure that out some time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-99-Subaru-Forester-Impreza-Legacy-2-5-Liter-EJ25-DOHC-Full-Gasket-Set-/260854361288?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1999%7CMake%3ASubaru%7CSubmodel%3AOutback&vxp=mtr&hash=item3cbc21acc8#ht_2842wt_1037 Message them and ask if they have the MLS (Multi Layer Steel) head gaskets, or if they'll discount the kit without the HGs. Mizumo is a great seller and I have had 0 issues with their products in 5 years of using them.

I just got a cheapo interior push plug like the kind they fasten carpet kits in with, and a dab of model airplane glue to keep it in place. Like $1.19 at autozone.

It's all good. I went full retard and disassembled my cruise pump, ran all new vac lines, replaced fuses, tried a new switch, and finally found the little plug in the pedal was gone. Glad you didn't go through the hours of diag like I did.

Pffft, I suggested it first, but noooooooo; Nipper gets the credit. J/k. Glad you figured it out. That was what was wrong with my OBS. Strange little design.

You can buy a whole set of new struts through partstrain for about $270 shipped. http://www.partstrain.com/store/?N=0&Nr=AND%28universal%3A0%29&PN=0+4294942656&VN=4294967147+4294959296+4294959251+4294967128+4294967090&domain=partstrain.com&Nr=AND(universal:0)

Easiest way to tell if you need to split will be to drop the oil pan and splash plate, see if there's any silver milkshake in there from bearings spinning. If not, probably don't need to split them. EJ25D engines are the only ones "notorious" for eating bearings.

Just need to use the tophats from your stock struts.

Crawl under the dash and look at the brake switch and clutch switch if you have an MT. The pedal "arms" have little plastic plugs that are what the switch actuates on. If either of them have worn through, cruise won't work.

I think dan was intended to reply on the influx of weird spammy threads we've had and it somehow ended up here. Happens on a lot of forums.

Bumping. I gotta work on this turd tomorrow, would prefer to keep it simple if possible...

I don't get why people think that the HGs are some mythical entity of which there is no understanding. I have done probably 2 dozen now, and the first one I ever did is still on the road to this day. Maybe the shop wants to perform an HC test to make sure it's that and not something else; nothing wrong with that.

What parts are you looking for? Aftermarket/performance or stock?

I never noticed anything, but the car has some electrical quirks from a spaz PO and rodents. Would pulling the ABS fuse harm the braking system at all?

I managed to sell the Legacy I bought to flip, and the guy called me up because the car is shuddering under hard braking and the ABS light is on. Is there a chance that the ABS is freaking out and causing the vibration/shudder, or is it more likely warped rotors and/or blown struts? I'm going to help him get the car squared away, I just want to know where to start because we'll be putting PnP parts under it. Personally, I'm leaning towards struts, but if it's as simple as disabling the ABS circuit, then I'm all for that approach.

I SWEAR by Mitsuboshi. I had a derp moment on my Montero Sport (See; junk the car if you snap a T belt) and went about 22k miles past the interval. Damn belt still looked new with almost no cracking and was pliable as could be. Needless to say I stuck another one in. I would say it's a 90-100k mile belt, easy.

Well the least painful answers are that you have the wrong t stat, or that the system isn't bled right. Subarus are finicky about parts store t stats....

You lost rod bearings most likely. The 25D eats rod bearings. If you're lucky, you can get the crank and rods polished and miked, and slap a new set of bearings in. If not, you'll be replacing the crank and rods. I built my hybrid off of a 25D and the only thing usable was the case.

I run this jack religiously as well as the HF engine crane. Generally their hydraulics are the same "off the shelf" as most other big names, but for a fraction of the price. In both instances, I had to bleed off some excess air shortly after I began using (Perhaps the price point comes in on the hydraulics being seconds that need to be bled for proper function?) but have never had a sag issue since.

Upcoming plans: WRX Steering wheel WRX brakes front and rear Building some form of ram air intake that won't flood the engine during rain. Paint... of some kind.

Along with doing the ***************in new engine, I had to get a little more comfy in the cabin. So I opted for a set of 03 WRX seats front and rear. And if I may add, they fit perfectly, and are so comfy! (Finally got head rests for the rears, haven't gotten any new pics though...) I began to throw a misfire code for my cylinder #4. After a couple of months of chasing things down, I finally nailed down that running a lightened flywheel is know to cause that. Oh well, at least I have new: injectors, coil pack, wires, plugs, fuel filter, FPR, fuel pump sock, soft fuel lines, and cam sensor... Interestingly enough, at my 5k mile break in, I switched from Rotella 15w40 to Rotella T5 (semi syn) 10w30 and am getting better performance, fuel mileage, and no CEL. Odd. So since I ran out of money in the conventional sense, I began to enjoy the car: And that's about where we are now. Bearing in mind, I brought the car home on January first; suffice to say I've been a wee bit busy!

Okay, okay, probably not as evil as some, but definitely a lot of fun and enough to get myself into trouble with. My initial expectations of this car were to be a reliable, family friendly, grocery grabber with the ability to get up in the mountains and save myself from putting 10k miles a year on my CBR. I purchased it from a very 420 friendly girl for $1500 with a cracked windshield, dead tires, interior that was atrociously dirty, and eau de pot. On the plus side; clean title, new transmission, and cheap cheap. Washed it, buffed the paint out, straightened the hood a bit, and threw a set of 2005 WRX wheels on with some new rubber. Got the windshield fixed and went through a bottle of Febreze. Shaping up to be a nice little car. But then, things got out of hand. I had a thunk under hard acceleration, the clutch slipped, and the rear end rode like a lincoln continental. So I tore everything apart, replaced pretty much everything in the front end, new rear struts, a new clutch, and some 04 STi springs for a little flair. Built myself a UEL/exhaust system while I was at it. But of course, that wasn't enough. I had a cold start piston slap in cylinder #4 and was burning a fair amount of oil. Guess I'll just throw a good used 2.2 in there and call it good, right? NOPE! (chuck testa) Frankenmotor! EJ25D Block and internals (balanced) EJ22E single port heads with mild PNP and delta cams Grimmspeed phenolic spacers Cometic hybrid HGs New OEM bearings and rings. Group N engine mounts 300cc injectors 9mm oil pump etc. Continued....

Interesting. I always figured it was closer to 80. Now I feel like a badass.

Go through partstrain.com for struts; KYB excel G. Best prices and overnight shipping for less than $10. You can run the 06 WRX springs, but need to use different rear tophats. Either the WRX ones and notch the mounting holes in the body, or 90-91 legacy rear top hats which are a direct fit for the mounting holes and spring diameter. This is my 97 with STi springs on all 4 corners and saggy butt spacers in the rear (3/8")