joomanburning

HOLY #!@% FairTax, that's a new sight. As far as engine sludge goes, It can all be traced to high heat/bad ventilation/poor maintenance. I can't word it as good as they can--- "Coke is the solid residue created when oil undergoes severe oxidative and thermal breakdown at extreme engine temperatures. The higher the temperature, the harder, blacker and more brittle the coke/deposit residue. Coking performance of oils varies based on formulation and the engine environmental conditions." -Exxon Mobil "The actual cause of the problem is an inability of the engine's crankcase ventilation system (PCV) to move the normal gases from the engine. When these gases stay longer in an hot engine it allows deposits to form on the metal parts of the engine. When enough deposits are present "Sludge" is formed." - http://www.yotarepair.com/Sludge_Zone.html The VW's (mostly 1.8t's) have a lower oil capacity, operate at a relatively higher temperature, which then isn't helped as hot oil gets trapped in a hot turbo when the car is shut down. "Coking". If I recall correctly, VW tried to claim it was from lack of changing oil, or running dino oil in the engines, but still agreed anyway to cover the most of the sludged engines.... and their asses. Fluids and gases get hot, trapped, and bothered, and then somehow show up in your wallet.

I'd be willing to bet that this was the original fork @ 200k. It is good steel, If I bounce it off the tile in the stove room, I could tune the guitars to it.

In retrospect I think I was just bitter because the same year Forester fork is $20, and mine is $40. Pouting.

The fork in my OBS broke across the pivot cup in typical fashion- from east to west, right across the center of the cup. I ordered a new one from subarupartsandaccessories.com, and it was $40. This price figure has me contemplating welding up the old one to keep as a spare. Anyone had any success running a welded one? I very much understand the implications of a shattered clutch fork imposing itself upon an unreceptive rotating clutch assembly, I'm just speculating. I'm a good welder, and I know better ones. It's early here, fog of morning may be impeding rational thought.

It could very likely be a worn input shaft, especially on an 02. Search- "Subaru transmission worn input shaft" Ask your professional mechanic about the condition of the shaft. See if he installed a clutch kit with the input shaft repair sleeve. This is a common problem especially on older Ru's so I would suggest starting there. Here's a link to one of the repair kit manufacturers- it's pretty informative. http://www.pdmusa.com/

I didn't own the EJ25 while it ran, but the previous owner claimed there were no issues aside from the broken timing belt. Seems to rotate free and fair, although there was a slight bit of rust on the cylinder walls, however it doesn't feel like it pitted at all. I wiped it out, coated with oil and hand rotated 50 times or so. On a side note, as if by some kind of mechanical divine intervention, the clutch fork gave way to the pivot ball on the OBS Friday afternoon, so the EJ22 is out. Luckily, the guy before me replaced the clutch, and he either didn't tighten or left off the pesky bottom driver side bell housing nut. Parked it, and had the motor out in just under 2 hours. I think I may rebuild the EJ22 from the bottom up for boost.... The EJ25 will be getting the EJ22 intake, appropriate cam/crank sprockets and flywheel (EJ22, 25 share flywheel) an EJ25 clutch kit, then dropping it into the OBS as soon as the heads and cams are done. Since it was a timing belt failure, I'll go ahead and have the block deck checked and trued up. What do you think- go ahead and replace rod bearings?? Or don't fix what isn't broke?? The EJ25 lived a pretty mild life aside from the belt failure. I guess I could build this block for boost too, but the car is my DD so I need to get something on the road. I know I'm kinda rambling at this point.... The throw out bearing that was on the shaft was sleeved. Should I go ahead and re-sleeve?? The quill didn't look too ate up, but I don't have an O.D. caliper to measure. My dad was a truck mechanic for 40 years, and he wasn't even sure about this little sleeve.

FWIW.... eight of the victims. Seized water pump smoked it. Brush your teeth, take your vitamins and do your scheduled maintenance, folks.

Hopefully true thread write up coming soon. Almost a year later and I still feel bad about uploading a PDF lol.

What I was getting at- If the head cc was the same, wouldn't so follow the C/R?

The Forester is a '99 as well. As far as the frankenmotor goes, I'm all for it.... but maybe you can help clear this up for me- it seems there is a bunch of confusion across the boards.... Don't I need Phase 1 EJ22 heads for this to bump compression? I thought I saw a spec sheet somewhere that said Phase 1 Ej22 heads were 41cc and the Phase 2 EJ22 were 50cc, which is the same as Phase 2 EJ25...? Of course, I can't find the link where I read that when I need it. Either way, I'll probably just put the heads back with their respective blocks, for now.

When is the car making these noises? Immediately upon driving, or after you've driven for a while? In any certain gear or RPM? What kind of noise is it making and can you tell where it's coming from? Try to be as specific as possible, because these AWD systems can make alot of different noise from alot of different places. We can go from there. As 1 Lucky Texan stated above, the most common signs of a bad "center differential" is the jerking/bucking/strong shudder in tight cornering. This is known as "Torque Bind". Google it, see if the symptoms match. I think there are even some YouTube videos showcasing the sound a bound-up diff will make. Install the FWD fuse, see if the noise goes away. This topic is widely covered on just about all of the forums as well, but without more information we can hardly begin to diagnose, especially over the web.

Bump from the dead, learned alot since I posted this. Pulled the engine, and the heads off the EJ253 from Forester, they are headed into KC tomorrow to be rebuilt. 16 OF 16 VALVES WERE BENT!!! I couldn't believe it. Cams will probably be sent to Delta, seems like about the best bang for the buck. I'd sure like to put the 253 into the OBS, seeing that it has 31hp, stock, over the EJ222 thats in it now. If this doesn't end up working out as expected, then the 253 will just have to go back in the Forester. I understand the swap is pretty straightforward, if you're using the intake/sensors/cam and crank pulleys from the EJ222. Still searching the forums currently, hoping to find someone that may have done this specific swap, but I'm about to just tear into it. I think with exhaust and a mild grind I should be able to see close to 200hp at the crank. Not bad for under $1000 (that figure includes the acquisition of the complete Forester) and in the little wagon it'd be a blast. I've spent the last year rebuilding everything else on the car, so as winter comes on, and my work slows, I need something to keep me busy. This is it. Any advice or criticism welcome, if I'm missing something or not seeing something, chime in. Will keep updated.

Get with Subaru for your tooth count. I found one somewhere on one of the forums (NASIOC I believe) that wasn't correct.

The way I see it, it's still functioning properly, it's just getting a low knock sensor signal CEL when water gets in and effectively shorts the signal. I had the codes read after I reset it the first time to be sure, it was clean. I've never noticed any pinging at all, believe me I'd have shut it down immediately. I learned my lesson setting the timing too hot on a SBC.

This sensor has been cracked since I bought the car 6 months and 15k ago, and I've been doing this for probably 4 months. I also have a cracked one on the '99 Forester I have used the same method on, until the water pump gave up and she bent SIXTEEN valves. As long as I don't smash through any lagoons they remain functional.

Problem- 99 Impreza OBS with a cracked knock sensor that has been throwing codes every time it sees a little moisture. Temp solution- pull out cracked knock sensor, spray with a conductivity promoting aerosol (PB has even worked), replace knock sensor and watch CEL and hesitation disappear.

I dropped a strutless front knuckle last weekend on my 99 OBS, and yanked apart the inner joint on the passenger CV shaft. D'oh. Where can I find this rebuild kit? Or can I just order the boot kit with the circlip, jam some grease it it and boot it? Am I missing something? Thanks

Anybody? I've found a few threads regarding this but they get carried off by bad wheel bearings. I've now run into a 4EAT with the same exact play. Is any measurable play acceptable at the stub, relative to the transmission itself? I understand the pre-load for the bearings inside the case isn't super tight to allow for heat/expansion. With this in mind, I'm bound to think that at 183k and 202k (4EAT) there would naturally be a small amount of play. I'm no specialist. Basically, how much play at the front stub shafts does your scoob have???

1999 OBS, 5MT, 183k. How much play is acceptable, if at all, at the stub shaft itself? I have maybe 1/16-1/8 both sides, in every direction.

Your valves are just fine!! Another way to tell for sure is to check valve lash. If any are bent the lash will be well beyond the specs. It's a 99 so it should have solid adjusters. Your compression suggests you're ok though. Anyway, once your done you might check lash anyway. Specs and what not in article below. http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/pdf/engine/overhaul.pdf

That's the good stuff

Usually if the struts are still any good it can blow the strut piston into the hood or they blow through the covers in the cargo area.

Nevermind... http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/pdf/engine/overhaul.pdf

If its a manual, make sure the belt guard over the crank gear is set at proper clearance. If too close, it will shred the belt from the backside at a likely inconvenient time. Several timing belt kits, including the one from Gates, come with a spacing gauge. If automatic, disregard!