GeneralDisorder

What years?

+1. Ran it out of oil. Time for used engine. This time around put in new rings and run synthetic. These engines have problems with oil coking in the oil control rings, and skirt drain back holes. Once that clogs up they burn oil like mad. GD

You should probably do an oil analysis. You would be very surprised how long a rod bearing will last. Also they tend to get loose, then tight, then loose again. The bearing insert will collapse inward on itslef and "grab" the crakshaft causing it to be tight and lessening the noise. I know this sounds strange and you probably won't believe me but I've seen it many, many times. GD

Lubriplate 130. GD

Yes. Put a clamp on the fuel supply and return lines as the pump will power up when you turn the key on. GD

Fuse and relay aren't usually the issue but ghey do exist. Fuse is in one of the two fuse panels. Download the 98 FSM and check the diagram. The relay is a canister relay with a green electrical plug way up under the dash above the left knee. It's often a wiring corrosion problem between the relay and the fuel pump connector. GD

First gen is not the same as second gen. Quite a bit of grinding is required for a 78. And I can confirm that the prop valve is important for proper (straight) braking. My 86 Brat would swap ends easily till I added the prop valve. GD

You need the complete rear disc setup from an EA82 4WD turbo model. These ONLY came on turbo models and are getting quite difficult to find. 1990 was the last year for them. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/51028-rear-disc-conversion-for-gen-1s/ GD

Could be a lot of things. Check ball joints, check engine and trans mounts, pitch stopper, etc. Driveshaft too. Hard to say the exact source. GD

They don't publish that AFAIK. You will have to test. GD

Yes fuel should spray from the hose. Fuel pump is bad or has no power. GD

Nearly all EJ's are about 1.5 gallons system capacity. 6 cylinder models tend to be closer to 2 gallons. Capacity isn't all there is to cooling efficiency. It's all about surface area. More modern radiators have smaller tubes and higher fin density. GD

Verify fuel pressure. GD

Piston slap DOES goes away as the piston warms and expands to better fit the bore. Piston slap is a way of life for the Subaru forged piston community (modified turbocharged models) and affects virtually every engine we build to one degree or another as well as the factory forged pistons on the EJ207 use in the JDM STI models. I really isn't a concern. Regardless I've never seen it on a 2.2. They have a shorter stroke and so less side force on the piston skirts as well as a more conventional skirt design that prevents this. The early second deaign hydraulic tensioners starting in 97 are prone to knocking also. Sounds very much like a rod knock or piston slap. All three are similar sounding. GD

Amsoil sells pre-paid analysis kits. As well as the pump to suck oil from the dipstick tube, etc. We have done a fair number over the years - enough to know what the results will be. I can tell you everything about a Subaru engine by listeniing to it, feeling it, and cutting open the oil filter for a visual. GD

Upper smooth idler and tensioner (compressed) bolted on, belt, clogged idler, then lower smooth idler. GD

We run 6k intervals with WIX filters, 10k-15K with Amsoil filters. Customer preference on that. Most people go with 6k because economically it puts the synthetic ahead in terms of operational cost. Its about $85 to $105 for an oil change but if you consider it lasting twice as long the cost will be half that compared to non synthetic and if you consider your time investment it's considerably cheaper and more convenient to run synthetic. My shop is VERY busy so the fewer oil changes I need to do for my customers, the better. It's a complete win for everyone involved including the car. Like I said anyone running non synthetic is being extremely foolish as there are zero benefits at this time. The only possible exception is an engine that leaks or burns such large quantities that you get a net savings due to buying quarts of oil for top off. But that's really a seperate problem entirely. GD

There is no difference. Part numbers being different at Subaru between Impreza and Legacy means absolutely nothing. Sprockets may have different trigger teeth and this would account for part numbers. Or maybe not. Cant tell you how many times I've seen the same part in boxes with different numbers. Usually the Legacy part is higher priced than the Impreza part. They do have two different part numbers for timing belts on some models - one being a Mitsuboshi belt and the other being another Japanese manufacturer.... They are interchangeable but slightly different in price. You simply can't use the Subaru part number system to delinileate actual part differences. You will get nowhere with that method. Chances are you just don't know how to install the belt correctly. I have installed literally thousands of single cam 2.5 and 2.2 (phase 2) belts on every model Subaru ever put them in..... They are all identical. GD

06 Forester has very thin oil control rings. Quality full synthetic is an absolute must in my opinion it you want to make more than 200k on it. Carbon build up will claim it. We see this every day. You would not consider running non-synthetic or synthetic blend if you saw what we see on a daily basis. I won't even run non synthetic in my power equipment. I have a Subaru engine powered pressure washer and the bottle of "oil" that came with it went right in the trash. Synthetic oils are so far ahead in terms of oil technology that running any kind of non synthetic in ANY vehicle of ANY vintage that doesn't consume massive amounts of oil is absolutely foolish if you have any intention of trying to keep it long term reliable. GD

You have to run 25D pistons AND thick head gaskets with those phase one heads. Compression will still be 10.6:1 GD

Automatic transmissions rely on fluid pressure. Once they run out of fluid, they drop out of gear due to not having sufficient line pressure to operate their clutch pack and band pistons. This means that often they are not really damaged when they run out of fluid. Not that it's not possible to damage one, and for sure it's not good, but there's a good chance it will work fine if you just fill it up. Also - find a mechanic that doesn't hate Subaru's. In my experience, any mechanic that can't appreciate how easy they are to work on is not someone you want working on ANY car. Sure I have cars I dislike - but it's virtually always for very good reasons related to severe difficulty of repairs and general lack of quality construction or engineering thoughtfulness of the guy that will eventually have to repair it. Ford being the biggest offender here by a long way. Chrysler not far behind. I'm a Subaru and GM guy if you haven't noticed. GD

Again we have to ask - phase one or two? GD

They do have HG issues when older and its expensive to replaced them. Hydrolocked may have a bent rod. If so the whole bottom end is a paper weight. Usually you can't disassemble them without a bandsaw. Once the shortened rod comes back to BDC it parks the piston skirt into the block and they fuse into one big heap of fail. GD

Pan off, yes. The rods won't hurt the cylinder if you are careful. Don't worry about it. Ring end gap is typically not an issue on stock sized rings. Could depend on brand though so best to check. I find I only have to adjust on oversized or ultra high performance applications (over 400 HP). GD

Yeah the dropped guide is a common issue. Does require changing the head. There are no special tools required. You can knock out the wrist pins from the opposite side using a long 1/4" extension. Needle nose pliers for the wrist pin clips. 14mm allen for the access plugs. GD