heartless

I did Monroe's on one car - KYBs on the next one... I like the KYBs better. personal preference, I know, but the KYBs just rode better to me

Definitely KYB struts.. https://www.kyb.com/catalog/ springs are a bit harder to find, depending on your year/model (which you don't state) but I was able to find stock springs for a 98 Forester (strut swap into a 95 Legacy) at an online dealer for a reasonable price.

pretty much any wiring diagram you desire can be found here... http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/

yeah, I had the same aversion, to be perfectly honest... but I am slowly getting over it. my 95 Legacy was the last non-interference EJ22 I owned... I finally let it go last winter - after having the Foz for several months. a well cared for, properly maintained EJ25 is not a problem. Just do NOT let the maintenance slide. When you do a timing job, you do the WHOLE job, not just belts, or belts & water pump... you do everything - idler pulleys, tensioner, seals, waterpump, t-stat - everything! With quality parts. Do it all, do it once, and be done for the next 90-100K. If you get one that you don't have any kind of maintenance history on (like i did) - Do the timing for peace of mind - like i did (i found out about the head gaskets being replaced after i got the car and did a VIN search). I bought this car with 219K on it... I know the timing should be fine until around 300-315K because ALL of the timing belt components were replaced - by me - right after getting it. I refused to drive it until that job was done because I was terrified of something letting go. PO could not recall when it was done last, which told me it was probably long over-due.

I actually like that the lights turn off with the key.. call me weird.. LOL

forget about swapping in a 2.2 - you would probably end up disappointed with it, not to mention the above logistics of what will work & what won't. I have a 2002 Forester with the EJ251 & 4EAT - head gaskets had been done long before I got it, so that was a plus. I did have to do a full timing job however - it was slightly overdue.. but that is pretty easy in comparison. It currently has 231,450K on it and going strong. Love the car, altho it is lacking a couple of things I would like to have - heated outside mirrors would be awesome, sunroof (of any size) would be nice, too. But neither of these are deal breakers for me. Keep looking would be my advice. Decide what you absolutely have to have, what would be nice, and what you don't care about... Also decide how much work you are willing to put into one to get it to where it should be. I got lucky with mine - basically ready to go for $1400. It had 219K when I got it - I have put 12k on it basically trouble free. Interior is very clean, exterior has a few minor blemishes, but for where I live, and the age of the car, it looks quite good.

Then you are pretty much done. there really is no "aftermarket" add-ons for them to increase performance - without spending a truckload of money, of course. these cars are built for reliability & to some degree, economy, not "performance" You could look at possibly adding a turbo, but that brings with it a whole host of other issues (and related costs). Accept it for what it is. If you want "performance" go buy a performance car.

most of the interior trim bits are simple snap-in fasteners..metal clip over a molded in plastic tab. only places there would be bolts would be at the grab handles, & seatbelt mounting you run a greater risk of breaking the old, brittle plastic tabs off than anything else. just go slowly, prying gently and you should be able to pop the pieces out that you need to in order to access the area you are after.

the best "upgrade" you could give your car would be a full "tune up" with quality parts NGK plugs and wires air filter fuel filter PCV valve New vacuum lines Complete timing kit (if needed/not done recently) fresh antifreeze and an oil change there are not really any aftermarket "performance upgrades" for these cars. If you are after "performance" - get a WRX.

the intermittent issue is very indicative of diodes either failing, or not having good connections. That coupled with the overly high output - yeah... time for a different alternator. If you still have your old OEM one, I would highly recommend getting it rebuilt locally by a shop that specializes in doing them. Yes, it costs a bit more than buying a parts store replacement, but is WELL worth the cost. Otherwise, I would try to get your hands on an OEM unit from a junk yard - have it tested, and if need be, get it rebuilt.

i have to agree with matt167 - this is too high!

could not agree more on the "don't dig yourself a deeper debt hole" discussion. From the limited description of your issues, I think both AdventureSubaru and Fairtax4me have hit the nail on the head... clean things up, proper oil level, and the smoking should clear up in a couple of days (depending on how much you drive - how far, how long at a time, etc). the longer you can drive at one time, the faster it will clear out. As for the medical bills - trust me, you are NOT alone. Go to the hospital financial office and talk to someone - be honest, and try to set up a payment plan that you can afford to get these debts taken care of. If they are not willing to work with you directly, they may be able to point you to who can help, and there are other advocacy groups that may be able to help you get things sorted out and get you on the road to better credit. Paying off outstanding debts will go much further in bringing up your credit score than adding to your debt load will - even if it takes a few years to do so. This is not something that can be corrected over night. Yes, at times it can seem hopeless (been there, done that, still working on it myself), but in the long run, it does get better if you make smart decisions now. When I got divorced i had a car repossessed - talk about killing your credit rating... add to that back child support (when I wasn't working and couldn't pay it), medical bills, etc, etc... yeah, I feel your pain. It has been a long road, but my score is now over 700 for the first time in MANY years, so yes, it can be done. Just don't expect it to happen next week, or even next year. I have spent years driving cars that cost $500 or less (my first Subaru was a $150 beater that i nursed along for over 8 years) and doing as much work on them as possible myself to save a few dollars. Last year I finally got a car that was over that $500 thresh-hold - it was $1400, 2002 Subaru Forester - but it was still a cash purchase - no financing.

they're... (there is a difference)

also agree on the alternator - start with that and how old is the battery? old batteries don't hold a charge well, and make the alternator work overtime trying to keep up. one will kill the other (bad battery will kill a good alternator, and a bad alternator will kill a good battery) - best bet is to make sure both are in good working order. i had a parts store alternator give me trouble after only a couple of months... when I got it swapped at the store, one of the diodes actually fell out onto the counter. Slapped in the replacement, then took my old stock alternator to a shop that specializes in rebuilding alternators & starters and had it completely rebuilt (more expensive, but well worth it, imho). 2 weeks later got the rebuilt alt back, put it in and never had another problem. (the parts store replacement is still sitting on a shelf in the garage - this was about 4 years ago.

i routinely do my own timing jobs, but then again, I don't trust the shops in my area to do it right. I learned how to do it right, thanks to this board, and prefer to do my own work whenever possible. (on my 4th Suby, and the other half is on his 3rd - so, yeah, have done a few) the shop i do go to when I don't have the time, or the proper tools to do a specific job (like a tranny swap), actually calls me now for details on certain things... (like oil leaks at the rear of the engine - this actually happened just a couple of weeks ago, lol). They don't work on enough Subarus to really know - this is an independent, general repair shop.

on a '94, the cables are most likely seized up and do no good, regardless of adjustment. replacement cables can be found here: http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/subaru,1994,legacy,2.2l+h4,1430385,brake+&+wheel+hub,parking+brake+cable,1696 You may also want to check into the parking brake shoes - if your car has rear disc brakes, they are located in the back side of the rear disc - kind of like a drum shoe... not cheap, either. (those can also be found @ rockauto)

highly recommend the KYB mounts. very nice units - bought complete set of 4 for my 95 Legacy

This may sound strange - but Don't Solder the repair! Soldering the joint introduces rigidity - something you do not want. A good 'Western Union Splice' and heat shrink are all you need. I have made many wiring repairs with this method (on both passenger vehicles and large trucks) and have yet to have one fail again in the repair area. As noted, you do want to try to make the repair away from areas that get flexed a lot if at all possible.

it is possible the wiring itself is at issue, but not fun to try to fix... you would need the appropriate wiring diagram, and a good multimeter to trace things, drop the headliner down in the back (at minimum) and remove the interior panel on the hatch. Even then, trying to determine EXACTLY which wire from the main body into the hatch can be a chore. sort of related - my first Subaru was an 89 GL wagon that the PO had replaced the rear hatch on due to broken glass - they had cut the wires in the process instead of unplugging things & fishing the wiring through. Lots of stuff didn't work like it was supposed to... Took me the better part of a day to figure it all out & get things working properly... there were several wires with the same color coding running through the bundle into the hatch - figuring out which went where was a real treat.

this is the mark you are looking for on the BACK side of the crank pulley - you can make a corresponding mark on the front with a paint pen for easier visibility if you like...

remove the interior panel for the best results

^^ this. Have had the same problem with other yrs/models.. lubing the release handle and getting it operating smoothly* again solved the problem *operating smoothly means when you lift/squeeze it, it should return to fully closed again on it's own via the spring - if you have to push it down/closed - even a little - it is not working correctly

yeah, get one that has a plug already on it and there should be no problems... I have used Bosch O2 sensors on a couple of my Subarus, but ALWAYS the one with a plug already installed - NEVER the splice versions.

had it happen on my 1990 legacy - noninterference EJ22 - no covers and it got stuffed full of hard-pack snow trying to get home (our road is one of the last to get plowed) 'Lucky' for me I was only a few feet from the driveway, and the "plow" (road grader actually) arrived minutes later... he cleared the road in front of me & the end of our drive, then helped pull the car to the driveway so the other half could tow it in the rest of the way fixing jumped timing SUCKS in the dead of winter outdoors.

Yeah, I guess it does need to come off... just found this out ... http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Forester/2006/Forester%202006/ (click on "index", the letter "H", then "headlight assembly - removal")