GeneralDisorder

That's a double-edged sword though. There are things that aren't listed in the manual, but should be replaced BEFORE they break. The water pump is a good example. Do you really want to hang a new belt on a water pump with 200k miles on it to save $60? But nowhere in the manual does it indicate the water pump should be changed - nor the belt tensioners or idlers. It is the opinion of most of the people here that have done a lot of these jobs that all that stuff should be replaced at the 2nd timing belt change for 60k belts, and EVERY timing belt change for 105k belts. It's cheap insurance and water pump/idler bearing failures are not that uncommon - I've bought a few cars for exactly that reason. GD

That's true to some extent. Though it's hard to differentiate as the guy that puts on the larger filter probably isn't causeing any major harm in doing so, and at the same time he's maintaining his engine with some care and thought (however misguided). Likely he's checking other fluids, changing them, adjusting things, etc. A well maintained EJ will certainly outlast a poorly maintained one. Very often the engine's internal's do outlast other parts of the car though. GD

What you are talking about is a boundery condition. Specifically, the point at which the filter is too dirty for cold oil to flow through it and thus the bypass valve opens. While I conceed that this point can be and surely is being reached by some people's filters, you cannot say when or if this is going to happen before the filter get's changed. That's speculation at best. I would err on the side of saying that Subaru did enough homework to avoid that in normal circumstances (filter being changed on the schedule, and the engine not being a total dirty mess inside). Further - the only reason the larger filter would perform better in your scenario is that it has a larger element - so it's a trade off. As I noted before the element gets better as it ages - you are trading that aged property for a chance to avoid the bypass valve opening when cold - which you can't demostrate even occurs (though under the right circumstance it could). I guess that's a judgment call that would come down to how dirty I thought the engine was inside. I would definitely have to be cutting open every filter to make that call. And at any rate, I'm certain this doesn't happen enough to justify the change in filter size on an otherwise clean engine (and on a dirty one, it should be flushed with ATF and the filter changed more often IMO). And as you pointed out - if you run synthetic's it's likely MUCH less of an issue. GD

One of the reasons I use the 90A Nissan Maxima units is they seem much better quality than the GM stuff besides being easier to fit up. Though it of course depends on the rebuilder but I haven't had a bad Maxima unit yet and I'm using mostly junk yard units. I don't imagine my EA's put much strain on them either. GD

You have to remove the driver's side fender and removing the dash is optional but makes it a lot easier. There are big differences between 90/91 and 92-94. Namely the location of the ECU, routing of the wireing, and the brand of the components (Hitachi vs. JECS). To make it easier get a harness from the same year range as you get the engine. GD

I must dissagree with you. I've had several bad tanks and the plastic the nipples are made from is obviously detrimentally effected by the years of hot coolant. It breaks down to a whitish colored paste which when dry just flakes away like dust. The fix is so simple that there's no reason to not do it. You cut the nipples off, tap the tank to 1/4" NPT, and install brass nipples with tru-seals. It couldn't be simpler and cheaper and not doing it is just asking for one to crack and dump coolant while driving (I've had it happen). The rest of the hoses suffer from being old - plain and simple. The rubber on old hoses is subject to breaking down. Most especially the turbo coolant hose from the water tank and the heater core hoses but the rest are no better. For the cost of replacement I wouldn't risk it. I've had more coolant hose failures on old Subaru's that left me stranded than ANY other type of failure. GD

How do you figure this? The bypass valves are set at a specific pressure. The size of the filter isn't going to change the amount of pressure the pump puts out to any great degree - it shouldn't if designed properly and the engine is operated within it's allowable ambient temp range. GD

Stricktly speaking, no. It's a percentage game. For a given volume of oil passing through the filter, said filter will typically trap X% of small particulates. But that percentage decreases with the size of particulate that is considered (when new), but INCREASES for the same particulate size over the life of the filter. As they age they get better. A smaller filter get's better faster...... Understand? GD

The radiator fans are probably running because you have the AC on (defrost mode). Turn the climate controls to OFF. You won't feel any heat in the radiator with the fans running at a near freezing ambient temp. Your idle is either the IACV or the coolant temp sensor most likely. If your radiator was plugged or your water pump malfunctioning, then you would be experienceing overheating. Water pump failure's that result in overheating but no external leakage are so rare as to be virtually unheard of - never seen it or heard of a documented case myself. I don't know why people are always so ready to blame the water pump - it's a steel or cast iron impeller driven directly from the timing belt. If they seize the belt breaks or skips. If the bearing goes they leak and make a wonderous noise. They are otherwise basically a bullet-proof item. There is nothing besides the bearings and seals to go bad in them and both will result in serious issues besides just overheating. I have yet to see a documented case of a Subaru water pump impeller comming loose from the shaft - I suppose if the coolant were nasty enough the impeller could rust away but the engine is highly likely to suffer a quicker fate at the hands of coolant that nasty than having the water pump impeller eaten away. GD

A lot of shops do jack up parts prices - for example the OEM water pump is made by Atsugi - you can buy the one from the dealership for $150 (then the third party shop raises that by 30%), or I can go down the street and buy the same pump for $59 - both made by Atsugi so comming off the same assembly line. There is no difference in the part - just the packaging and the price. But - you have to know what the OEM part looks like, who makes them for Subaru, and have the time/energy to explain to the customer that there is no difference - a big shop hasn't got this luxury and just gives in to using OEM parts from the dealer and charging the customer more for them. It's a CYA thing and it's too hard to explain to every customer the why's/how's of what you are doing - it's much easier to just ask them to open their wallet. The trick is knowing what can/cannot be bought through the aftermarket that is the same quality or better than the OEM parts. Head Gaskets are a good example of a part that should ONLY be bought directly from the dealer. Other items are more of a grey area and thought should be given to the expected lifespan of the vehicle as well as what the plan is for the future of those parts - very often I plan on replacing the tensioners and idler's for the timing belt EVERY time the belt is changed - thus aftermarket idlers with quality japanese bearings are not an issue - only need them to last 60k (or 105k with CA belts) which they certainly will...... knowing where the costs can be cut is important to saving the customer's money which is where the value of a knowledgeable Subaru mechanic comes in over a generic shop. It also helps that I have little to no overhead, no employees, and people like the personal 1-on-1 service. Obviously I can't do the business that a big shop does but I seem to keep busy enough for my liking. You may have had more replaced for $2900 than you remember and the prices for the parts were likely very high. I can tell you right now that I can come in less than $1500 for a head gasket/timing belt/water pump/reseal with all the trimmings and still make it worth my time to do the job. GD

No overheating and the heater is working good - what's the problem? I see no problem here. GD

No gaskets - pressurized gallery o-ring (from the dealer - $1.75 or so), and RTV. Use a thin coat spread evenly with your finger. GD

Absolutely - check the belt and do a static adjustment of the distributor (to 20* BTDC) AFTER you verify or adjust the belt. GD

The shaking can cause other damage - most notably it has been thought to cause premature failure of the speedometer drive gear inside the transmission - they are plastic. It's also not good on the engine or tranny mounts but those are easier to fix. I doubt that 200 miles will cause any appreciable damage though. The EMPI axles should be availible from any aftermarket VW parts dealer - or online. No - they aren't as good as geniune Subaru axles, but they are 1/4 the price. I have had good luck with them and I'm pretty hard on them. GD

You missed the part about removing the axle nut - it's a 32mm and it greatly helps to have an impact gun. They have a punch-down ring on them so the ring has to be punched back out of the way before the nut will come off. I don't take the camber bolts loose - I take the ball-joint clamp bolt loose and remove the top of the ball joint from the knuckle - but there's no rust here so I can get away with that. If you have a lot of rust you probably are better off marking the camber bolts. Otherwise you have the basic idea, yeah. They sometimes rust into the splines in the hub and it takes a drift punch and a big hammer to get them out but that's probably only 1 out of 10 that I find that way (again - little rust here so YMMV). GD

Weak wristed previous owner?!? I've never heard of that either. That's very strange. Head bolts and exhaust studs getting stripped out is not that uncommon - just something that you deal with on aluminium engines. The other stuff is strange though - usually manifold bolts are rusted in place and occasionally break. I would guess someone has had it apart and just weakly tightened them or forgot to tighten them fully. GD

Non turbo heads rarely fail. Pull the heads, inspect the cylinders - if everything is good there have the heads milled flat (~$35 per head - tell them to IGNORE the small cracks between the valves), and reinstall them. Should be good for another 100k till the bottom end has had enough. You don't need new heads - 98% garauntee on that one. You might need a new block - depends on what the "rust" looks like when you get in there. $100 should get you a good used engine - just post in the wanted section of the forum. These are a dime a dozen and so are the heads - whoever told you that is badly mistaken. GD

You overpaid. The labor is nearly the same for everything you had done beyond just the head gaskets since all that stuff has to come off to get at them anyway. It should have been about $1000 in labor (typically less) and retail cost of all those parts at the dealer wouldn't run more than $1000. The important part to note is that it doesn't take any extra time for a tech to hang a new part on the engine than it does to hang the old used one (often it actually means less work since you don't have to clean it up) for a job that requires removal of said part anyway. An honest shop would tell you this - a less than honest one would charge extra labor because to the uninitiated, it certainly seems like labor would be involved in putting on each part - that just isn't the case though. You overpaid by around $1000 I would say. GD

The most likely cause is bad inner axle joints (known as "Double-Offset Joints") on the front axles. They can shake violently when badly worn or when lacking lubrication. If any of your axle boots are torn (especially the inner's) then it would be a good idea to just replace both axles. Shaking like that usually means they aren't worth regreasing/rebooting. They aren't real expensive - I get the EMPI axles for $65 each. Takes about 30 minutes per side if you don't run into a lot of rusted parts. GD

Yes - a vacuum leak near that cylinder could cause such a problem. Spray around with carb cleaner to find the leak. GD

Typically the top two holes are riveted to the carb's choke housing. So you have to drill out the rivets annd replace them with self-tappers. GD

I wouldn't be concerned with the low cylinder other than to sugest that even with low mileage the car has likely been totally neglected with the low cylinder and the other issues you are seeing. 120k can be a lot of miles if the oil was only changed a couple times . Similarly, 200k can be relatively low if the engine was very well maintained and oil was always changed religiously. I just bought a '91 Legacy for $200 and was given every single receipt for work done on the car since it was new - all work done at the dealership. Engine runs like a top and has a ton of power. It's got 215k on it. Mileage is not always a good indicator - looking the previous owner up and down and seeing his home and personal car(s) is a much better indicator of condition frankly. It sounds like it's in bad need of a tune-up, possibly a belt is off a tooth, and all the other stuff you are seeing. That low cylinder is probably *not* a head gasket. It's probably a valve sealing issue or scored cylinder. Especially if the car doesn't overheat or lose coolant. That's also not low enough to even notice if the fuel and ignition systems are working properly. I have an EA81 with one cylinder at 130 and the rest at 165 - you wouldn't be able to tell unless you ran the test. It's got plenty of power (Weber), and idles smooth. I really don't think that's your issue. Typically with a bad head gasket you will see a cylinder that has 25 psi and the rest are normal...... that's a general rule but pretty typical of EA's that I've worked on. GD

No - you won't hurt anything. Actually it helps to dry the air - the AC comes on anyway when you are in Defrost mode for this very reason. GD

No problem - hope your issue doesn't come back. If not that was an easy fix. GD

As long as it's a D/R and not a Turbo transmission it should be the one you want. GL-10 is a trim level - it doesn't indicate which transmission the car would have had. Some GL-10's were automatics, some turbo, some not, etc. doesn't really tell us much. GD