1 Lucky Texan

more details on car would help. just guessing, either slipped timing w/bent valves (likely- can you pull the covers to inspect?) (hold a slip of paper at the tailpipe while someone cranks the engine - if the paper tries to 'suck in' - you know an exhaust valve is open when it shouldn't be.) severe HG leak preventing starting? if you can get the codes, write them down to post them. But clear them, try to start the car, re-read the codes. can you spray some carb cleaner or ether start in the intake while trying to start it to see if it tries to fire?

hard for me to guess how the ECU would respond. It may be dumping fuel into the cylinders in reaction to exhaust diluted with fresh air from incompletely closed valves....? If you could the fuel trims from FreexeFrame data (or better, live data) we might know more but, it's an easy, important thing to double check the valve timing. It also gives you a chance to see if there's any cam or crank seal leakage, if the belt looks old or chewed-up, etc.

the ECU does not alter any engine operation parameters at all from that sensor's data. anti-fouler extension might work. I think there is a resister mod that might work too.

if you haven't (I haven't followed this thread) I think you should confirm the timing belt hasn't slipped.

consider an oil change too - that was what was trying to cool your engine after the coolant left. It might be cooked.

drive it. if you must leave 'home base' for a roadtrip, rent a car.

there's about half a dozen on ebay

I don't recall what brands were at RA for that LCA. maybe others have experience with it. not sure either on you fitment question. If Febest lists a part for the legacy, it should fit. There is about 1 inch difference becaiuse of the Outback's lift. wish i was more help.

I'm not sure there's a lot wrong with what i can see in the pics. I may be wrong but, don't a lot of people live with rust like that? that said, look for Febest bushings at Amazon. Polyurethane will be VERY noisy and harsh. I think also there are lower control arms that also have a new balljoint already in them. Considering the difficulty in swapping that inner bushing - and all the rust, entire new arm (AKA transverse link) seems attractive. that 0141 code seems to point to a wiring problem or burned out heater circuit in the rear sensor. a car as old as yours may have an exhaust leak - that can cause the P0420, but many other things will too. A cheap diagnostic test is a vacuum gauge. probably free loaner from parts store - you can find a list of problems it can show on-line.

oh, I would never fault someone for rebuilding an engine. Wish I had the space, time and extra transportation required, etc. as said, depends on a few factors.

in all fairness, I do mention used engines occasionally. I think I do so more often if it seems like severe or repeated overheat conditions have been experienced. I just feel it would be a waste to do all that rebuild work on an engine and have a rod bearing go out 6 months later. Somewhat better to do that work on an engine with half the miles that may have never overheated I think.

might be worth getting a Japanese bearing off Amazon, RockAuto or an OEM from a dealer. but honestly, I have no faith that Subaru bearings are much better than GOOD aftermarket brands. Too many early bearing failures to praise those Subaru parts . But. I might avoid Chinese or developing-nation-made parts. and they must be installed perfectly straight. maybe pay a shop to use their press?

no idea on seals - might be a diagram at opposedforces.com make sure you do your final torque on the axle in the air - some people drop the car onto the ground to final torque - that's specifically to be avoded according the the FSM section I read. I put a big screwdriver in a rotor vane and 'buck up' next the caliper to toque the axle nut.

is there a way you can rent a vehicle and maybe pick up your Outback in a western State? might be less rust and more to choose from. When I take my low miles, well-maintained 03 H6 on road trips, the only thing I worry about nowadays is radiator hoses. they are original. The other thing I worried about in the past, was the cap/o-ring problem on the fuel pump. Otherwise, it is an awesome medium sized highway cruiser. what those other guys all said is spot on.

It's unusual but not impossible to have a problem at the expansion coil - but, certainly, anytime someone says you need that extensive and pricey amount of work you should consider spending for another diagnosis and 'second opinion' I feel. ask for a shop recommendation in a new thread - maybe someone here knows a good Subaru mech. near Vegas.

you might try blasting the dead bees out of the condenser coil. also, if your car has a cabin airfilter, it might be clogged.

I've read of people having bad a/c relays - corroded contacts drop too much energy or w'ever.

this confused me too when I first got gauges. If the valves at the ends of the hoses are open, the gauges ALWAYS read that side's pressure. The manifold valves connect the center hose to the side they control. As said above, if both mani valves were open, both sides can communicate with each other. Should be OK to open both when vacuuming. But no other time. (I think). and yes, the small hose-end valves operate sorta backwards - CW open the schrader, CCW closes the schrader. OOPS - got beat!

ours hold 22-25oz. (should be a label somewhere in the engine compartment with your car's capacity) you probably didn't put enough in after your vacuum.

are there MLS gaskets for the H6 ?

gah! sorry. if ALL the cams are 'unloaded' all valves should be closed and moving the crank safe - see post below.

I have read that cam angle fault will cause the ECU to cut fuel.

OK, I think you need someone else to diagnose this issue. The symptoms you have MAY point to a coolant leak into a cylinder or into the oil - but 'classic' H4 gasket failures from the late 90s cars pushes coolant into (and sometimes out of) the overflow. I can't recall reading of someone with a dry o'flow tank. I'm not saying you don't have a severe problem that might only be fixed with new HGs, but, you might also try some of the Subaru coolant conditioner as the symptoms you report just might be helped by it. And another shop's opinion for $100 or $200 to possibly avoid thousands might be money well spent. Even something like a coolant system pressure test could confirm that coolant is going into a cylinder. Out out of another bad hose somewhere. have you pulled the plug from the misfiring cyl and compared to another? there are picture guides on line that can help identify problems based on the appearance of a plug. You can also send an oil sample to Blackstone labs to look for coolant. You might also consider a junkyard engine swap - might even find one with a lot fewer miles.

you cannot rely on just looking at the overflow tank's level. You must also confirm coolant is up to the bottom of the rad cap in the radiator.

IACV hose loose?