GeneralDisorder

There's a local machine shop (that I trust) that does EJ25D long-block rebuilds for $1300 out the door - that's bearings, rings, and complete head rebuild, etc. Not sure what shipping would run but it's worth a phone call. He does these a LOT for the Subaru dealerships and shops in my area. Real nice guy too. http://stevesprecisionmachine.com/home.nxg CCR has not had good reviews on this site of late. I am not a customer of their's - at the end of the day their prices are just out of this world. Also - the noise you hear on startup when cold is most likely piston slap. Very good chance your engine can be saved just by putting in the new updated head gaskets. GD

The same build that Jacob runs (EJ25D block+HG's, EJ22E dual-port heads, delta torque cams) was dyno'd by someone on NASIOC (at a fairly high elevation IIRC) at 208 HP. So far we have had no reliability problems with this combo running 92 octane. My butt dyno agree's with that figure. I've driven a lot of different rides with around that much power and it definitely feels like it's right around the 200 mark. The torque is obscene as well - it starts at 1200 RPM. Jacob's Brat is not lifted as it is built for Rally-X.... as such it's quite a dangerous machine even on dry pavement if you aren't a fairly experienced driver. The front helical LSD probably has something to do with that. It will outrun a stock 2.0 WRX and probably give a stock 2.5 WRX a darn good run. GD

Yeah - looking at the valves closer it does look like the valves and seats are pretty hammered. Not much left of the valve faces or seats I wouldn't guess. Probably be prudent to rebuild the short-block but I would have to see it. GD

Subaru issued a TSB telling their tech's to ignore cracks between the valves. It's normal - you will not find a used head that doesn't have them. Resurface the heads and run them. GD

Head gasket - classic symptoms. Sorry about your luck. GD

Ok - you do realize there are two dipsticks for the transmission right? One for the front diff (gear oil) and another for the actual transmission fluid (Dexron III)..... just checking that you are aware of this.... If fluid level isn't the issue - I would say the transmission is shot. Odd since they are quite reliable and doubly odd that it would happen right after major engine work. Very strange indeed. GD

Well if you just kept the TC attached to the transmission that makes it much less likely that something went wrong. When you were installing the bolts from the flex-plate to the TC did it pull the TC up to meet the flex plate or was the TC pushing on the flex-plate? Typically the TC has to be drawn up to the flex-plate about 1/8" or so..... after the engine and transmission are fully bolted together. Did you bolt the engine and tranny together first and then put the flex-plate bolts in or the other way around? There should have been no resistance to mating the engine and tranny other than the friction of the alignment pins..... GD

The difference in compression is 9.0:1 for carb, 9.5:1 for SPFI. Different pistons. You can swap them back and forth all you want - the SPFI blocks are rated at 90 HP and the carb blocks at 84 HP. The difference is too small to really be an issue. You might see half a MPG less with the SPFI if you give it a lower compression short block. 6 HP is really pretty meaningless either way - you aren't going to feel a tremendous difference unless other mods increase the spread between the two. The biggest problem with running high-compression and a carb is that you have no knock control. Not that the SPFI does either but it DOES have the ability to be factory tuned to insure it doesn't ever get into detonation and break something. Someone that knows how to tune carbs can make the high comp. block work but you do need to know what you are doing. GD

Coolant flows through the intake manifold. You need gaskets - get them from the dealer. GD

I use a lot of aftermarket belts that don't have marks. The fitment between brands of belts can be quite a bit different and can throw people off that aren't used to all the variations. Basically my rule of thumb is that if I can move any sprocket one tooth and it will be *more* correct than it is - I will. If the distance between the marks on the sprockets and the marks on the belt cover/oil pump is less than the width of one belt tooth - run it. You simply can't get it any closer - half a tooth is not possible as your smallest adjustment is a full belt tooth. If you are within half a tooth on all the marks it's as correct as it's going to be. Also note that the *plastic* belt covers have a certain amount of play in their mounting bolts and they also tend to sag and melt if the engine is overheated. So it's not unusual for them to be slightly off. Put a straightedge on the pulley such that you are lined up between the mark and the center of the cam pulley bolt - if it's straight up and down - it's good. GD

Are you absolutely sure the torque converter was fully seated into the transmission prior to installing the engine? These are notoriously hard to install properly and improper installation can damage the transmission fluid pump that is driven by the TC..... GD

Connector pinouts are the same. The orphan vacuum lines can be capped. They deal with front vs. rear mounted carbon canistors. Not a big deal. Will not cause a CEL and can be ignored. Coil should be compatible if you get '98 EJ22 plug wires.... if you are wanting to use the EJ25D's "male" coil..... or use the EJ22's existing coil and use '95 EJ22 plug wires for a "female" coil. GD

You probably want to use the belt marks.... they are usually correct. Most likely you aren't taking into acount how much slack will be drawn out of the driver's side cam pulley when the tensioner is pushed to the right, locked down, and the pin removed. Generally the passenger side cam and the crank are put directly on the marks, then the drivers side cam is left slightly turned so that when the tensioner is released it is pulled into alignment. Also make sure the arrows on the belt are indicating clockwise rotation of the belt. GD

2.5 intake doesn't bolt to the 2.2 - can't do that. Cam/crank pulley's aren't going to matter - they will be compatible. GD

You don't need a press. The FWD service kit from HF works quite well. It's about $100 and the wheel bearing itself is about $25 - about another $20 for the seals if you need them. In addition to the HF set you may also need a small two or three jaw puller to remove the outboard inner race from the hub. The job can be done on the car without removing the knuckle. Working carefully it usually takes me about two hours to change one out. Save yourself some green and don't wimp out over a little wheel bearing job. GD

What gears does it pop out of and/or is it popping into neutral on the D/R shifter? Need more info really. There is not a seperate transfer case on a Subaru. The low range is accomplished by splitting the input shaft at the front of the transmission. GD

You may have to notch the frame rails for the EJ251..... but that's not a huge deal really if you can weld a bit. Bit of die-grinding.... little welding.... some rattle can. Propane Frankenmotor! I like where your heads at. Though I will caution that the stock ECU on the '94 will not particularly like the frankenmotor with cams.... I have never looked into it closely but it seems to me that an ECU from a 96 to 99 could be installed if you added the wireing for the OBD-II port (like three or four wires - two of which are power and ground) and the rear O2 sensor..... doesn't seem like it would be that difficult as they really are very simlar. GD

I will also toss in with the no-cover crowd UNLESS you see a lot of deep snow in the winter, or do a lot of off-roading..... and be careful not to drop a rag into the belts - they WILL break . It also concerns me that your covers are melted.... that would indicate overheating which on your engine usually means the head gaskets are suspect. Just an FYI. GD

What did you set the valve adjustment to when the heads were rebuilt? GD

That deal IS around still - as far as I know they are going to continue selling the reman alts at that price due to the recall.... anyone affected by the recall but outside their warranty period still gets the cheap price on the reman alts. I see them constantly. I just bought one about a month ago and my dealer says they still stock two of them at all times. It really is sad that uninformed consumers and shops do folks the diservice of installing aftermarket alts when these are so cheap and availible. The one I bought last month went into a neighbor's car who had a shop install a NAPA reman 6 months prior. She paid well over double for that one plus and an hour labor for installation. GD

You would be much better off getting a system from a '93 or '94 because they are already setup for R134A. The 90 through 92 cars used R12 and their hoses, etc are not rated for R134A. If you are saying your Legacy never had AC..... you are going to have to pull the dash to install the evaporator, it's plastic container, and the condensate drain. GD

Everything but the cam/crank seals can be transfered to the next engine.... nothing will be unusable except $20 worth of seals. Much easier to do it before dropping it in. GD

DO NOT USE head gasket sealer in a bottle. Repair in a bottle will not work on Subaru engines correctly and in any case it's more likely to clog the radiator or heater core. First off - the fact that the lower radiator hose is staying cold and the temp gauge shows lower than half....indicates to me that there's probably no thermostat or a gutted thermostat in place in the water pump. This is often used as a band-aid for bad head gaskets. The timing belt/water pump replacement is very, very simple. Drain/pull the radiator, pull the covers, and replace the belt/idlers/cam+crank seals, and water pump. When you do so - check out the thermostat. If it's gutted or missing - just pull the engine and replace the head gaskets. The check engine light could be on for hundreds of reasons - we aren't mind readers. Buy a code reader and find out why it's on. GD

BOV will not reduce wear on the turbo and is a stupid, stupid, stupid way to make noise and reduce the performance of your engine. Modern Subaru's use a recirc system for a reason - upgrade to a TMIC and recirc valve combo - best things you can do for that engine's longevity along with replacing all the coolant lines. GD

Weld a nut to what remains of the stud(s) then use that to attempt removal. You may have to rinse/repeat a dozen times or so but eventually the hot/cold cycles will free it. Otherwise.....Center punch the stud and use a left-hand drill bit. The LH bit has a better chance of grabbing and unthreading the broken stud. Once you have a hole - apply a heli-coil in your favorite size (10mm x 1.25 is nominal) and move on. New studs are about $1 each at the dealer. DO NOT buy the nuts there. Rediculous priceing. A block of wood and some sandpaper will cleanup the exhaust gasket surface on the heads. GD