GeneralDisorder

Don't use an easy-out - it will break off and you'll be in a worse situation. Get a set of left-hand drill bits and make sure you center punch it VERY accurately. GD

Engines get swapped around - it happens. No telling how they got what they got..... I've done both '97 EJ25's and '97 EJ22's and both have always had the old style for me...... but it could be a late-'97 thing as you say. The belt kit's on ebay start comming with the new style tensioner for '98s. Rockauto's catalog agree's as well - '97 old style (and some '98s as well - apparently the brighton used them) and then '98 moves to the new style. But nothing is for sure - I always check before I order a kit just to be sure. Especially on EJ25D's since so many have been swapped out at some point and on anything that's '97 through '99...... GD

The interior light/door switch problem is a common issue with the 90/91's - it's actually not the switch - you need to readjust the door latch and striker on the jam. I've had to do this with every 90/91 I've owned including my SS - haven't had to replace a switch yet. Looks good - that interior is amazing, and the mileage is fantastic for a '90. The small exterior issues are not bad considering. You'll be real happy with this one - especially with paddles, frankenmotor, and brake/suspension upgrades. Dirty engine bay. I have a steam cleaner for that..... GD

Yeah - these idlers should be replaced with the belts. It's just common sense. '97s also have the older tensioner - I just did a head job on a '97 OBW that I'm selling and it was indeed the old style tensioner. Definitely the original engine. But you can swap that tensioner and it's bracket to any other DOHC engine. If you want to swap it to a SOHC engine you have to have the bracket from a SOHC or cut off the rear belt cover mount. GD

Yes - the conditioner is from the dealer - it's about $1.50 for a bottle. Never a bad idea to replace suspect hoses. Try and trace down that leak if you can. Good pictures will help us to direct you to possible sources..... GD

Bad u-joints in the steering shaft. Your pump and rack are likely fine unless they are leaking or making noises. GD

If you pull the engine it's no big deal to thread the lower hole for the starter - or you can just leave it off. The upper engine mount bolt is enough to hold the starter by itself. I agree though - just rebuild the heads. It's about $400 for a head rebuild on the DOHC heads. GD

Yeah - if you have adjustable camber (EJ's) then it's not as much of an issue. It's a fail on the EA's though. GD

And it's upgradeable to "infinite MPG" with the "Peterbilt in your back seat!" option package. Death trap collectors item. Never seen one on the (public) roads. Totally not even a choice at this point - can't get any parts for them so you can't actually own and drive one. They are museum peices. GD

Probably a toss up between a 2WD Justy and a 2WD, 5 speed, non-turbo XT4. All the honors definitely go to the old-gen. Nothing in the EJ series can compare though I would imagine a 93 to 95 2WD Impreza coupe would be decent in it's own catagory. GD

I don't know about cold climate's and the conditioner - it won't clog anything as long as you keep the system full. It only hardens in the presence of air. I have two bottles of the stuff in my Forester and it's just fine. GD

They claim an external leak by "residue"..... sounds like a job for the Subaru Coolant Conditioner. Doesn't sound like a huge problem to me. Sounds like they are trying to drum up some work. I question their motives in recommending a gasket job for a small leak such as this would seem to be. If its not enough to drip on the ground then toss in the conditioner and monitor it. GD

They claim you are using coolant..... you need to have a cooling system pressure test done not a compression test. It is evident that your compression is fine so testing that will tell you nothing. A leak-down test might show bubbles in the radiator. If it passes both of those tests then there is still the possibility that a leak exists which only opens once hot...... that is much harder to find and it's best to only conclude that once if passes both the leak-down and the cooling system pressure test yet continues to use coolant. GD

Not specifically - it was a recall(ish?) deal from the early 90's.... you could find all the same parts on a 93/94 Loyale I believe. The kits are pretty cheap from the dealer IIRC - just have them lookup the long, sweeping right hand turn recall kit.... people who complained got it installed for a minimal fee or free I'm sure so I think the cost of the kit from the dealer is negligable.... GD

Did you replace the piston seal "ring"? I've had bad luck with non-OEM seal rings - the one's I've tried were much too tight in the bore and I had to revert to the OEM one (wasn't leaking - just wanted to replace it on general principle while I had it apart) and no problems since. GD

Yeah - can't hurt anything. I just wouldn't expect a lot from it. Even the clutch-type LSD's are really too small for a wheeler - the difference between a welded diff and a clutch type is like night and day. And the clutch type is the better of the two Subaru LSD's. The Viscous is neat on my '91 SS while cornering on pavement - though I didn't notice that it did much on snow last time I tried that..... Still - can't hurt anything as you say. GD

Stock guages are not even remotely accurate. The fan running all the time is bad. That indicates a problem in itself. You are prepared to install a second fan when you don't really know anything - you don't know the actual manifold temp, you don't know the delta-T across the radiator, you don't know or haven't said the status/brand/temp of the thermostat, you don't why the existing fan is running all the time...... in other words you know nothing at all. You have not taken the appropriate steps for myself or anyone else on this board to be in any way helpful nor have you any (good) reason other than some seat-of-the-pants feelings and speculation as to if another fan is even needed. I'll tell you right now that it's not if everything is working correctly. GD

Belts are going over 100k before needing any type of service. Do you really want to risk running *any* system past that? (let alone hydraulic cam-adjusters, and all that extra garbage in there). That seems to be a magic number and with any type of OHC system I don't think I would want to leave that stuff uninspected for more than 100k. My guess is the only real win is the VVT. It will still likely have a major maintenance interval at 105k and I can't see it costing *less* than the EJ's in terms of that specific service bill. Labor will be the same, possibly more, and there will be consumables, water pump, gaskets, seals, etc. It will probably be more expensive to work on as has been the case with each passing year and each new model.... GD

Profit might be marginal but if you offer an entire product line then you can keep the customer through their changing needs - Toyota is so huge because there is a large following of people that will drive nothing else - doesn't matter if they need a compact, family sedan, small SUV, large SUV, small truck, or large truck.... Toyota has them covered. Subaru builds small stuff in other countries - it's not like they have to engineer something brand new. They just have to tool up a portion of the US factory to make some. Like I said - they keep missing the boat with stuff - like the SVX, Baja, and Tribeca... all relatively unpopular additions to their line because they didn't implement them correctly for the age bracket they were trying to hit. SVX had no 5/6 speed option (which it just begs for with it's powerful engine and sporty appearance), Baja was not even close to the Brat it tried to draw upon for inspiration, and the Tribeca is an overpriced, ugly monster that kept buyers away with it's looks, price, and propensity for requireing premium gas in it's early years.... Basically the stuff they have tried seems very "unrefined" and without any real thought put into what the consumers might actually want in such a car..... they seem to dumb the cars down way too much and end up hitting a 50-something crowd instead of the 30-something crowd that would be their biggest market. GD

Yeah - totally lame. GD

I agree - Subaru is missing the boat on an EJ powered econobox for the US market. Lots of sales being missed due to Honda (Fit), Toyota (Yaris), and Nissan (Versa). Subaru needs a FWD (AWD optioned) sub-compact again like the old Justy. For some reason Subaru keeps trying to be a Japanese equivelent to BMW, Audi, and the other high-end brands. They are ignoring their following and their heritage - just as they have been doing for years. The Baja would have actually sold if it was like the concept and not just an Outback with no roof . IMO, their marketing people are idiots with the exception of the WRX/STi line of sport compacts. GD

Very unlikely. Intake and exhaust are not very resrictive on an EJ22. If you don't beleive me - just look at the intake and exhaust on the EJ25's - they are very little different. Yes the heads have larger ports that flow better, etc - but the intake plumbing, throttle body, etc are not the restrictions that people think they are. CIA is worth nothing, and dangerous besides.... My head guys say there's just no point in port/polish work on the EJ22 heads - they don't benefit from it enough to bother. The torque cams you used will probably DECREASE peak HP but will give a significant increase in off-idle torque. That will make it accelerate harder at lower RPM's - which definitely increases the fun factor of the engine. You aren't making *more* power - you are just moving it around in the RPM range. Low-end grunt is nice for anything up to about 65 MPH. After that it won't make much difference - but frankly I would rather daily drive a car that can get to 65 MPH quick than one that can do 100 MPH and still be pulling like a frieght train - I can't legally go that fast on public roads so it's irrelevant to me GD

Are you *sure* the leak is around these hoses and not the throttle body boot, etc? I have not seen a problem with those before - but you should probably get the kit to prevent oil burning on long, sweeping right hand turns - it replaces most of those hoses and fittings in that area anyway.... GD

No - not even close. Totally different platforms. GD

The viscous LSD won't do much to help out off-road. It's a "street" diff and doesn't lock quickly enough at low speeds to be of any real use off the street. GD