subnz

The rebuild kits come with new T joint / new cups. Pop circlips, tap out old cups with the right sized socket as a drift, supported in a bench vise. Tap in new cups in til circlip recesses in correct position to refit clips lining up T joint etc

A Forester by way of its design has off road capablitiy so its a no brainer what to do. ie Dual ratio it. There are companies here that import 2nd hand Subaru parts / components ex japan (surely there must be someone in the US doing this as well.) and also we're lucky that NZDM similar to Australia are built in Japan so we still got the Dual ratio . Japanparts.com

they should have I rebuilt both joints on 87 Brumby (brat)

I would suspect CV joints as you say CV boot torn. usually diffs whine continuously when bearings gone there. As suggested previously it could be your gear box too

Imagine turning this boxer 4 into a 2 stroke ie 4 power strokes every turn of the crank

Agree don't think it matters too much what the firing order is - the oppositely opposed configuration of boxer motors means that they are perfectly dynamically balanced (smoother - less vibration etc) Compared to In-Line and V configured engines which need counter weights on cranks etc

Your assumption on the differing firing order is incorrect as this is a 4 stroke (2 rpm) engine and this is how they work Correct - one cylinder fires at a time for every 180 degrees rotation of the crank one cylinder exhausts one is under compression and one is under induction Correct - 2 cylinders firing strokes / 2 exhausting strokes every revolution of the crank ie the cams turn one revolution to the crankshafts 2. ie for all 4 cylinders to fire (and complete 4 srokes) the crank has / has to turn 2 revolutions

why not rebuild the RX AWD D/R one you already have as its superior to to an EJ AWD D/R upgrade as RX has / should have a locking centre diff and rear LSD if fthe whole RX drive - line was fitted to your wagon

ps Also forgot to mention that if the radiator was replaced by another 2nd hand one it may not be any better than the original one. This could be causing issues as well. The only effective way to test a radiators effectiveness is to take it out and get it flow tested by a radiator specialist.

Fancy oils plus additives etc not necessary the use of recommended reasonable quality multigrade oil and coolant additives is all thats necessary. The most important issue with them is to change fluids regularly as I previously suggested. Subaru H4 engines work / perform best by driving them normally (ie not babying it nor thrashing it) ie by keeping the engine spinning between 2500 -3500 rpm for best power torque economy reducing stress on engine under load. The best thermostat is a genuine Subaru one as other aftermarket ones can cause problems

If cooling system has air in it the BEST way to release air from the system is to run the engine with the radiator cap OFF until engine come up to temperature so that the thermostat opens allowing coolant to circulate and push air out of the system at its highest point at the top of the radiator (open cap) Its a well know fact that air rises through water under motion. No matter how well you refill system (top hose) there will be air trapped in there. Squeezing hoses / parking up hill etc futile and unnecessary. I do this for at least 20-30 minutes. replace radiator cap / switch off engine then top up over flow reservoir to correct level. But as you said you had run motor for an hour? with cap off ? topping up ? this should have been resolved. Your engine could also have an internal head gasket leak ie consuming water ie out the exhaust. Have had this issue before . This can be seen / observed when engine up to running temperature. If the head gasket repair hadn't been done well ie modified replacement head gaskets and if the heads hadn't been resurfaced this could be a reason why H/Gs have failed again. Also if a non genuine Subaru thermostat has been fitted this could be causing issues also so need to replace with a genuine Subaru one as previously suggested also

http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/pdf/engine/timingbelt.pdf Replace EVERYTHING particularly after a failure like this (it probably means that everything else is worn out and needs to be replaced as well) like T/belt (even if it looks ok), toothed idler, two plain idlers , tensioner / idler, oil seals on camshafts /crank shaft and replace water pump (as all this needs to be removed to do w/pump anyway) A full kit to do this only costs about $200. It is fool - hardy / false economy not to do this. IF you need to be talked through this there are heaps of subaru cam belt replacement video demonstrations on you-tube as well. so look this up as well.

Totally agree these (EJ25D) were notorious for internal headgasket leaks, overheating then possible internal component damage. Even if H/Gs have been replaced ie before purchasing car there is a element of risk that this has happened as well. You would be far better looking at the later 2000-2004 (EJ251) these still had H/G issues but were predominantly external leaks (not as bad) The best way to minimise / delay headgasket issues is to change fluids regularly. ie flush / replace coolant in cooling system every two years and changing engine oil /filter every 3000 miles and the addition of Subaru coolant conditioner as previously mentioned The problem with ALL Subarus is because of the flat configuration of the boxer engine - makes it more vulnerable to contaminated oil / coolant staying in contact with seals / gaskets - which can eat these away over time; compared to a vertically configured engine where these contaminated fluids can partially drain away from / gaskets seals etc. Am posting 2 links which which discuss these issues fully: https://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/ https://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gaskets-problems-explained-part-ii/

yep the original hitach that would have been fitted had this

hot spots ie carbon build up (oil consumption) glowing causing pre-ignition dieseling (run on) as well as a faulty carb / too much fuel (too high idling speed) helping to cause this and possibly incorrect ignition timing. also the use of low octane fuel in a high compression engine can cause this too.

Once crank timing marks lined up (piston are at mid-stroke) so its safe to rotate cams (SOHC only) after taking off belt. DOHC - valve to valve interference on each side if rotate cams after belt off. Its really important to replace all 3 idler pulleys and tensioner (most important). Do no reuse old ones as these are the 1st things to fail destroying belt and engine. The old T belt can look ok but its not worth the risk to reuse - particularly in an interference engine. A full belt kit ($200?) is nothing compared to $1000 / $2000 dollars to repair/ replace blown engine

what a shame you did all of this, in my opinion you should have thrown this motor in the recycle bin instead of the manual and found a suitable replacement EJ22 this is what i would have done these EJ25Ds have a bad history ie internal headgasket leaks, overheating / engine component damage.etc anyway well done and good luck

Agree hoping its a good one for that money hopefully no rust if its from down your way. Had one of these one of the best cars ever owned until rust around the windscreen (structural integrity) in 6 monthly road worthiness inspection here ) put it off the road in 2009 (had done 225 K miles (bought it 14 years before putting on 135 K miles) Still had plenty of life in it ie in good mechanical condition paint faded badly on though. Gave it to neighbour as it needed 2 new tyres and a battery so that was all that it was worth here then. $300 The only issues were clutch replacement at 125K replaced hitachi carb with another 2nd hand one,, apart from the usual cam belts spark plugs filters oil batteries tyres etc This is at the neighbours place when l gave it to him in 2009

Totally agree recent Subarus have got more flabby (1350-1500kg) less robust more complex more urban compared to the simplicity and nimbleness of pre 1990 Leone / GL manual EA82 D/R wagons (1100kg) and Brats (950kg) 4MT D/R + EA 81, bomb proof reliability and are more suitable for going off road. Have owned / own examples of both

Not sure about pressure plate distortion and the effect circular tighening could/would have Could be engine / gearboxs mounts. Was the flywheel face scored? Did you take flywheel off and get it refaced / surface machined?

Nice 1 had an 86GL similar ie ( basic no frills) and was probably one of the best cars Ive had / kept it original, simple - NO issues. . IMHO wouldn't modify it ie keep it simple ie lift and bigger wheels, these mods create other issues.. These cars are quite capable off road in standard form. Y Yep these carbs play up when worn / need attention - buggered up my original carb after rekitting it somehow, so got another one from wreckers and fine the original hitachis are fine so long as theyre not messed with. a lot of care etc has to be taken once opened up / rekitted etc

No issues if you don't mess with / modify these. stuck with the 4 stud originals + 13s

Mine clattered away now and then from 150K km (90K miles) shortly after buying it, was alarmed also was told not to worry about them so I didn't. Had car for 14 years with no issues apart from replacing clutch and rekitting carb. . What weight / viscosity of oil do you use. Lifters can be sensitive to oil viscosity. Try 15W/40 (recommended) or a lighter 10W/30 recommended for EJ motors

Shifting while stopped it may not go in. You don't need to stop - push clutch in and shift on the move with Subarus. Make sure driving straight as well. You could have hit a false neutral there is usually a warning sticker close to lever warning of not to place lever in between these positions Linkages could be out of adjustment / forced / bent.

Good ones are getting rarer now have to pay more for them (body and mechanicals) Most have rust / full of bog (filler) and tired mechanically (neglected) Unfortunately these were bad for rusting generally any way so agree if you can find one from a dry air climate and non salted roads also all the better Heres a really good one here in NZ http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/subaru/auction-1030455359.htm