uniberp

Apparently something got pretty bent on the front left. Seems like you could actually see than much bend. Loss of 6 degrees SAI over 20 inches means about 1" displacement. Don't know if that can be bent back. I have no idea if this is causing your problem.

On an older Volvo, I once had to hammer a (sacrificial) screwdriver into a hole next to one of the stud holes, into the crack between the hub face and the drum, to release the drum from the face of the hub. It's not pretty, but it worked and didn't destroy the hub or drum. A medium light screwdriver that will bend as it is hammered in may be best. Once a little movement is gained, you may be able to rock it loose. The drum will also be caught on the center hub ridge and possibly the wheel studs. A ridge of rust may have formed on the inside edge of the drum, inside the shoe, and the rust may have spread to lock the shoe. Rocking the drum may press the shoes in.

I do not know, but I doubt it. The reduced volume of the 2.2 head apparently increases the CR and HP, requires 91 octane gas. That suggests interference. There are very specific requirements for HG. Many thread on that topic, but apparently the pistons protrude slightly, therefore requiring the 2.5 larger diameter bore headgasket, and a specific thickness, and modification for coolant flow. It also requires a specific Delta cam regrind. There is one writeup I felt confident in following but couldn't find. Most often this is done by swapping in a 2.5 block into a 2.2 car using 2.2 ecu, intake, exhaust, etc, and there is a track record by others for that. Depends on what is cheapest and best bodywise, and how long I'm willing to wait for boneyard parts to surface.

Real experts will have more specific advice, but in general a transmission flush may be worthwhile first. Not just a drain and fill, the oil shops pump tranny fluid though the system to flush out allthe fluid in the torque convertor as well. It's about 14 quarts, so the typical cost of about $70 is pretty worth it. If that doesn't fix it, they mention additives (Trans-X?) that have fixed poor engagement, but after that it is probably internal parts or seals.

I know it's kinda backward, and the risk of bottom end failure is greater due to intermix of antifreeze and oil, but I see these failed HG DOHC candidates frequently and wonder if the 2.2 heads, ecu, intake, header and bits swap would be worthwhile to put a frankenmotor together in it, even leaving the block in place. Thinks? Thanks.

Yes the bushing was preserved and used again. Equal difficulty to push the cut-off bolt out or push a new bushing in, IMO. I don't like the torch idea on welded links or just the idea of fire. I got used bolts from pick-a-part, and nobody but dealer has that 145x14mm(?) size. But like I said, you can get the front lateral arm off the bolt, undo all other bolts and brake lines, and you may be able to slide the knuckle forward off the bolt, leaving the bolt stuck intact in the rear bushing. The rear is the problem because you have no place to lever it. The front arm and knuckle can be levered against the rear bushing collar. See the 3rd pic of my link. Any parts store has the listing for the part. There's a couple expert ebay specialist sellers too.

Yes rears seem to take a bigger beating, I think due to water splash more than anything. For me they are a maintenance item. I've replaced 2 fullsets (plus 1) on the 99 Forester and one on the 97 legato. I don't think there is significant difference in quality in bearings. Someone mentioned Timken seals don't fit so well. I don't get all these guys claiming to replace bearing on the car without the use of a specialized tool like a hub-tamer, and there are lots of stories about busted knuckles (human ones, not so much the car ones). There may be a MY design change a '00. Getting the rear hub off can be a chore primarily due to the 140mm long lateral bolt. It rusts solid in the bushings and cannot be removed. I developed this method: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/album.php?albumid=304 Replacing the seals is mandatory, as I learned, and putting extra grease between the inner 2 seals will also prevent water incursion, which ruined one of mine in 3 months. I'm lucky to have a parts store with a machine shop in the back. I get the bearings for about $60 and the press for about $30. They may press in my sourced parts, but I like the quick turn service I get there, for the most part.

When they replace timing belt both the ac and alt belts need to be removed and put back on. Getting the right tension on an old belt is tricky. Could be glazed, slipping, with no other symptom than poor charge. Also check your ground strap.

Does your horn work? It can be your clockspring. ALso check the vacuum hose connection on the cruise "motor".

Take the knuckle to a shop and have them press out the old and press in the new bearing. You could hammer on it for a week and not get anywhere. BTW I have a trick for removing stuck lateral bolts: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/album.php?albumid=304

FWIW, these are not sealed bearings. There is no seal built into the bearing. I just looked at the new NTN bearings I have on the shelf, and they are not sealed either. The hub has have external press-in seals. 2 inner and 1 outer.

Thanks. I'll check the fill when the weather clears. Mostly short local driving in cold weather now. I blame myself. A square look at it would have told me it's not a sealed bearing and I should have requested seals. BTW I found 2 new NTN bearings in my parts box, so I could have saved myself even more $$. Still cheaper overall than having one done by an auto shop.

I had a shop press in a new rear bearing in October, and didn't think to do the seal, and it failed already. Had to do it again for another $100. I guess I thought the bearing was sealed or something. Not. Be sure to replace the seals. The innermost seal is a flush seating against the face of the axle. There seems to be a second inner seal, but I don't know the function of that one. At any rate, I had him replace all three and packed the whole thing solid with grease just to be sure, before I put it back on.

If you remove the rotor you should see the end of the bolt. Drill first with 1/8" dead center, then 1/4". The rotation of the drill will tend to twist the bolt in an unscrew-wise direction. It will prolly undo itself. If you get slighly offcenter, and nick the threads, it will come out even easier. Ezyouts hardly ever (never) work, especially when threads are distorted and prolly slightly corroded, as they are when the bolt is twisted off.

Cars out east are more numerous, for one, and they get driven down to stumps there for two. :cool:

The excessive rusting of rear discs is so common that I now understand why they use drums on some. The problem seems to be that the pads rust to the bracket, rather than sliding pin problems. I make it a practice to occasionally brake hard in the Legato to actually crack them loose and use the rear brakes occasionally.

If it can get up to 90mph without any alarming behavior (vibration, smoke, veering), then it will probably drive at 65 ok. Those small amounts of external body rust are irrelevant to safety and reliability.

I can't help it. Sorry.

There are frequently used headers on eby. People seem to find they make no difference. Cams likely will not make any difference; any minor increase in hp will likely shorten engine life due to higher stress, IMO. Unless you are into writing machine code and coding your own eproms, I doubt the change necessary in the ecu will be worth any amount of time. It's not really a builder car, it has much more potential as a longevity and cost efficiency project. IMO. The real trick, IMO, is to bring a typically neglected car back from teh brink of failure. Eliminate all lag by changing plugs, wires, getting a code reader. The single best you can do, IMO, to a high mileage subaru is to put on KYB struts, and replace the front balljoints while you're at it. That will run you 750 in a shop, or 300 parts. Tires are a huge deal, and mantaining identical circumference is critical, so a 5 tire rotation is something to consider. Choosing the best tires is a real trick. I'm happy with Dunlops on the Legate and OEM Yokohamas on theh 2008.. A set of Pirellis p3000 on the 99 did pretty well, but are showing some sidewall bumps. Some of them come with upgraded factory sound, with a subwoofer under the passenger front seat and pillar tweeters. That is a nice system for cars that have substantial running noise. I have heard Borla headers are entirely unsatisfactory, and they sound just bad, IMO. There is plenty to keep you busy on this car, and keeping it stock makes it much more attractive if you think you might ever sell it. Nothing chases me away from Sube ads quicker than "Lotsa perf upgrades". On the other hand, occasionally I think I would like to find a freshly smashed WRX to swap all stuff into my slightly rusty Legato wagon, just to raise eyebrows.

Do you have a CEL or any errorcodes in the system?

1. How do you separate the carrier bearing, if you've ever done that? 2. On the u-joints, I assume you're using a spider that allows taller caps that have an external snap ring that is inboard the yoke. Is that surface michined flat to properly support the snap ring? 3. Do you then balance the shaft?

All the water talk makes me wonder if it has an electrical issue.

You know, I've never tried the different keys in the 3 Subes we have...

1 horsepower = 745.699872 watts. Light it up. Just kidding.

If the axles are new, there should be a new nut with one (1) crimp sitting in the notch. Nut is supplied with axle. Never seen it otherwise. That nut torque spec to 123-151 ft. lb. Which is REALLY tight. Maybe they tried to tighten it while in the air, which cannot really be done. The car has to sit on it's wheels in park or braked to tighten the nut. All are right hand threads, so one side MIGHT have a tendency to come undone because of ac-decleration if only finger tight. But there is that torque spec...