GeneralDisorder

Did you replace both filters? GD

There's no difference. The adaptor plate is designed to put the tranny in the same location relative to the EA flywheel. Thus it works just fine. The EJ does push everything closer because they don't use stepped flywheel's on the EJ's. That was part of making them larger yet not longer. GD

Unfortunately the Phase-II gaskets are not MLS. They are single layer gaskets (very thin) with a coating on either side. Both old and new gaskets are the same in this respect so it is not actually possible to tell if they have been done before without actually removing the head and inspecting the gasket coating's shape and location.... GD

The 4EAT transmission is probably one of the most reliable things on your car. Great tranny - don't replace it if it's working. A couple drain/fills and $30 in ATF later can make a big difference. DO NOT have it flushed. That just causes bigger problems usually. I have done my share of tranny swaps - I've replaced over a dozen 5 speeds. I have replaced only one 4EAT. Even when they have been abused and never had the fluid changed, etc - some new ATF usually does wonders. It's astounding how reliable they are frankly. I would get them to agree to the engine replacement - then tell them that "to save them money" you would like to persue the EJ22 replacment. A good used EJ22 is likely to last you longer than an EJ25D and will cost half as much. Both you and the shop win (as much as these guys *can* win at this point). Explain it to them in detail - print out posts from this forum detailing the swap if you have to. GD

You realize that when brand new the car only had 90 HP right? What tires do you have on it? EA's are scary slow - especially when you add some larger tires, etc. Have you verified both the ignition timing and the valve timing? Perhaps one t-belt is off a tooth or something. Ignition timing should be set to 20 degree's BTDC. Use a timing light. GD

Yes - make sure the oil pooling on the top left is not from the power steering pump (which should be ATF but all too often has been changed for some other fluid). Your engine is well-known for external head gasket leaks - both oil and coolant. It's typically at the rear bottom corner. The driver's side is almost always the worst and generally accounts for 80% or more of the failure that are seen. Updated head gaskets are availible from the dealer that fixed this issue years ago (like back in '06). If you are having leaks at that point I would suspect an improper rebuild using sub-standard aftermarket gaskets.... or being it was all dirty as you say..... perhaps it wasn't actually rebuilt at all. GD

Yes - this does not add up nor do the symptoms jive with a transfer clutch problem. Damage to the transfer clutch will cause binding in sharp turns (we call this torque-bind) or no power transfer to the rear wheels (depending on the damage - too much friction or not enough). I have never seen or heard of one causing any type of thumping noise. Sounds like the dealer is trying to get one over on the insurance company. But it could just be a mis-diagnosis or the thumping could be related to something else that has gone wrong. I can see how transfer clutch damage could occur if she was mashed hard on the go pedal with the car pinned against a barrier like that. GD

Personally I would probably buy my bearings and rings for an EJ at the dealer. I'm investigating that right now actually. I have used Sealed Power in the past (Fel-Pro) and had good luck with them on EA's but for the EJ's (specifically I'm doing an EJ25D for a frankenmotor) they are so particular and prone to bottom end failure that I feel it's wise to stick with the OEM. The engine I'm doing was dissasembled by a NASIOC member that bought it just for the heads. I guess he tore down the short block to see the insides of it - only had 120k on it and looks good inside so I'm going to do a power-hone and new rings/bearings - it doesn't need anything undersized or oversized in my case so my thought was to use OEM wear items and have the extra peice of mind..... You shouldn't reuse the OEM water pump gasket - they are a throw-away once they have been crushed and are only a couple $. I have never replaced a head bolt on a Subaru either. That comes from people thinking these are similar to GM stuff. They are not and the head bolts are not an item that needs replacement unless they are damaged. GD

I scored a different (older) tranny so I don't think I'm going to try this. It was an idea I had because the Forester tranny's seem to be cheaper than the OBW tranny's..... demand I guess. GD

No problem. The red-top EJ22E injectors are quite cheap. I wouldn't have them cleaned I would just replace them. I think they are about $45 each. I guess that's quite a bit but what is the cost of cleaning? GD

If you *do* ask for all the money + the 500 + the blue book..... get a lawyer. I doubt they will think you serious if you don't. I would explain to him that you are not confident in their work, nor are you confident in the logevity of the current engine due to the damages they caused. I would ask for a replacement engine - similar condition to what you had prior to the "incident" - with a warantee, and installation by a shop of your choosing. GD

That's a good deal if there's no/little throttle shaft play ^ You should buy it. GD

Heh - It's the wireing part that get's most people - there's about 75 wires that go into the EJ ECU and there's no way to do it if you can't read a schematic. Plus there is a couple areas where a LOT of wires have to be shortened/lenghened and then there's the SMJ that needs to be removed by cutting and solding all the wires on either side of it..... so unless you pay to have the harness done for you, all of this has to be accomplished before you can even start to hook things up. Paying to have the harness done for you is cheating for the purposes of this discussion and also doesn't really give you the inside look at how the harness works - it's very valuable from a troubleshooting standpoint to have built your own harness. I haven't kept track but I know I've seen at least a dozen EJ swaps that got no farther than having *most* of the mechanical part done. That's the easy part. Of the EJ swaps I've seen only a small number are running without Check Engine Lights (if they even have one) and wireing rats nests shoved into the spare tire area or under the dash. The level of professionalism just isn't there for most of them. Thus why I say it takes more than a week unless you've got some kind of assembly line going and have done dozens of them so you have a procedure and a parts list for every possible combination. Each car/donor combo is a little different as wire colors and connector locations changed from year to year and then you have the OBD-1 / OBD-II differences.... there are many compounding factors that make each one unique. GD

Yep - that's exactly what you do. I use a good 12 AWG wire with an aligator clip on one end and female spade on the other. Hook the spade to the starter and then touch the other end to the battery +. If that starts it no problem then you have narrowed your problem down to the crank circuit. Ah - well if that's the case then there's not much to the crank circuit at all. The ignition switch itself (seperate from the lock) and then the wireing harness as well as all the connectors that the circuit runs through as it snakes it's way to the starter. Lots of areas for amperage capacity loss. If it does end up being the old crank circuit amperage loss problem - installing a relay tripped by the damaged circuit that applies fully battery voltage to the starter spade terminal will cure the problem. I've had to do that on a couple EA82's and even one '91 Legacy now. Subaru should have built them with a crank relay to begin with instead of running all that current through the poor key switch. GD

Craigslist or ebay. Be prepared to rebuild and rejet. I typically budget $200 for a used carb, rebuild kit, adaptor plate, jets, etc. It will be more of a headache in the long run if you aren't experienced with rebuilding carbs, etc. I have had excelent dealings with www.carbsunlimited.com - don't buy the kit for the EA81 - call them and order the carb of your choice (choke style, etc), adpator plate, and air filter seperately. The kits have the wrong air filter and you don't get to choose your choke style, etc. GD

No - you would have to buy the EA82 manifold adaptor. That would be an extra $40. Still not that bad and it does flow a little better. GD

You don't understand how I do stuff. I am very particular. But you have to be if you want it to last and be reliable. I'm not putting in an EJ without a steam clean/reseal/t-belt, etc. It's about a day or more (assuming you have everything on hand) to prep the EJ. Stripping, modifying/soldering, labeling, and rewraping the harness is another couple days. Then preparing the car to install the harness is at least a day - finding all the tie-in wires and properly soldering/extending to the location of the EJ ECU, etc...... That's easily a week before I even take the EA off the road and pull the stock engine out. Add performance cams or special engine work and the days just keep climbing. GD

Lean injectors would definitely do it - it just seems to not be very common on Subaru injectors. I wouldn't discount the possibility - especially on a hydro engine. You *sure* they were burnt as badly as in the picture? That one valve reduced the compression to 60 on that cylinder. More valves burnt that badly..... I doubt it would run. I have never seen that level of damage on an EJ22 with only 140k (let alone a hydro engine). Usually they look pristene inside. I just dropped one into a GT with 144k and it's spectacular..... GD

The crank circuit is really simple - there's nothing in it except on automatic's where the shifter interrupts the signal to the solenoid if it's in gear. Later EA82's and possibly the XT6 probably also have clutch interlock switches on the pedal assembly that do the same thing. I seem to recall that being a Loyale thing and since the XT6 was being made through those years I wouldn't doubt it also having that feature. I know the Legacy's all do. It could be a battery cable connection - either at the starter or at the battery. Something may be getting hot and then opening up if the contact is weak..... have you tried using a jumper wire to to solenoid spade terminal directly? That would bypass the crank circuit and tell you if the problem is amperage related in the crank circuit or something in the battery cables or starter.... GD

Yeah that's rough doing it outside - but it's doable with the engine in place. Find some old carpet scraps or a large chunk of cardboard and lay it over some plastic - cut open garbage bags or whatever. As long as you can stay dry it can be done in relative comfort. GD

And how would he know that? He knows less than you do about machines. The peice he's not getting here is COST. Sure the problems can be solved if you have a shop like mine, months to solve them (with other things to drive), and a couple grand to drop. "fixable" is a relative term - anything *can* be fixed but it's entirely possible that you nor he are *capable* of doing the fixing. He clearly hasn't grasped that concept. If you don't have the money to hire someone with the skills and you don't have the skills yourself..... where does that leave you? As far as I can tell it leaves you walking or biking...... GD

No - I wouldn't go up a size if you are going to heli-coil it. People go up a size when they are just going to tap into the aluminium. It's cheaper but I prefer the heli-coil method. GD

EA and EJ studs are both 10mm x 1.25. That is the size heli-coil I always use. GD

Well - I don't have that problem with my battery charger - I have a 1950's 6-Amp unit that I use for charging up batteries that are very dead (it's slower and gentler than my modern 15-Amp unit). It doesn't have any issue with charging batteries that have virtually no voltage output. I have used it on a couple different spiral core units like the Optima's - sometimes it does work. But I've found some that just won't come back. GD

There's an ugly one under the turbo that's a biotch to replace..... but the engine doesn't have to come out. He has to worry about it no matter what. Replace them if they need to be replaced I guess. The engine should come out for that - much easier on your back. And the heads will need to be resurfaced.... how much is he thinking of spending on this POS? Off the top of my head - hoses: $150. Head gaskets, related gaskets/seals, and machine work: $150 - $200. Dual-core radiator: $150 (if he can find one - recently it looks like they don't exist anymore). Labor: Days.... maybe weeks for you two. LOL. Clearly you didn't warn him enough. You don't need friends like that man. If he's not going to listen then leave him to his fate. GD