1 Lucky Texan

primary difference in sound is; 4 cyl NA, 4 cyl turbo (unequal length headers) and I guess the H6es. I LOVE how my WRX sounds with my Stromung muffler. early DOHC 4cyl (90s - early oughts) have a poor reputation for internal HG leaks, later ones might seep externally. Most of thos cars have either been fixed now (using turbo gaskets) or scrapped. Problem with rebuilding one of those is, how hot/how often did it cook from overheating. A better choice for a project would be a later car that someone let the timing belt system fail. Likely get away with just head rebuilding. Of course, if you find a VERY straight body with any bad engine, dropping a used engine in(properly prepared) is another approach. Basically, just careful shopping.... You can check the 'sticky' posts at the top of each generation's Forum for the common issues.

not sure when the framed windows came in but, probably around 2011 ? You need to shop very carefully indeed if you're looking for a 10+ year-old car. In a new thread, ask for a subaru friendly shop near Pittstowm. 2 reasons, you may need a mechanic to do a prepurchase inspection. You could also ask if they have a customer selling a car.

if your car has those connectors, thr green ones may be useful to cycle fans/relays under some uncommon conditions. But, for just scanning codes and clearing codes, etc., if you own a smartphone, an app like Piston or Torque, with a cheap-ish ELM327BT adapter, is a good way to read scan the ECU.

there could also be a trailer wiring harness? not sure on the older models. but likely still require a splice.

get an adapter? http://tireshopsupplies.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_302&products_id=4797 https://www.uswheeladapters.com/wheel-adapters/

ANY issue related to cooling system should immediately trigger a look in the radiator itself. do not rely on the overflow res. level (though important not to be empty) as a reliable guide to coolant volume. with gauge normal and no heat -- maybe low coolant? heratless, I bet you do but, make sure the thermostat is OEM style. is heat directed out the defroster?

already replaced the rad on my 06 WRX - under 80K miles. slow leak at top tank crimp.

yeah, I can't help wondering what issue has been going on to lead to that? Bad PCV valve? or bad temp sensor or knock sensor or ??? throwing off the fueling/ignition for a long time??? wonder what the valves look like? maybe that SeaFoam spray with the u-turn nozzle could help here?

take care, ask questions here - lots of more experienced soob-heads than me here and friendly folks too.

WAIT! - there MIGHT be a way to knock some more teeth off, then use it on a 90s car! LOL!

took until the end of the year for one of my posts to actually help someone! glad it's running.

I'm no expert but, if they appear to have the same numbers printed on them, they may be functionally the same. I guess try them both ways?

yeah, the ECU in the car needs w'ever crank/cam signals it is expecting so, possible cam gear differences too.

Is this car an Outback Sport? Imprezas had dbw in '07, not sure when legacy outback got it. dbw does not have IACV, the ecu holds the throttle open for idle air or something I think. any CEL codes stored? early DBW had some bad throttle pedal asemblies - pr maybe the car has lost its zero calibration? exhaust smell rich? gas smell?

get a voltmeter on there.

maybe there's a water spray for the intercooler you could mod into it?

Others here will respond I'm sure, I'm just wondering if this could be an issue with using the correct crank sprocket. It may matter to the ECU how many 'tabs' are on the sprocket for the CPS to detect.

year old thread Maybe it was a brake line that got replaced?

on some cars, I believe there are grounds between the intake mani and the fender or strut tower or maybe the dogbone mount on the firewall?. you could always just add a coupla nice grounds to see if that helps. I read once of a car with a harness that was rubbed-thru by being too close to the steering u-joint.

yes, in cold climates, you need CCA, in hot climates, you want reserve capacity. Plus, everytime a battery goes completely dead, sulphation occurs on the plates and that further reduces lifespan. just Google automobile battery life expectancy or lifespan, etc. I live in DFW area, if I get 3.5 or 4 years from a battery, I will dance a jig like I invaded Paris! (what? too soon?)

seems like a real stretch but, maybe the engine is flooded now? Very cold cars that run/drive for a very short time, are turned off, then cranked again, may need to have the pedal HELD down to start. That signals the ECU to 'clear flood' and it hold injectors closed. Or, the engine temp sensor is falsely reporting a very cold engine. I even read of a guy with a Ford truck that would move the truck 12 feet, turn it off to go close a garage door, then, it wouldn't restart unless he held the pedal down. Thing is, I'd expect you would smell fuel strongly at the rear of the car. Or, a pulled plug would be wet with fuel. Oil could even be thinned with fuel.

odd, not sure about the rpm dip - strange. I'd inspect the crank pulley - it's 2-piece and there are occasional reports of it separating and squeaking. I'd look for abraded cables/loose electrical connections too. Maybe scan the ECU for pending codes......just some wild ideas.

batteries in my area are old after 3 years. i HAVE experienced a 5 year service a coupla times, and 2.5 years on 3-4 occasions. But after 3 years, any more is gravy. If a battery has ever been completely discharged, you can subtract from its lifespan, for each time it's happened.

MANY, MANY people have had older soobs that needed new contacts/plunger kit in the starter's solenoid. Very common. But, I will say, sometimes corroded battery cables, loose connections and other issues can somewhat mimic the bad solenoid symtpoms. Kits to rebuild the solenoid, step by step with pics, and even some youtube videos are easy to find. not sure on the second issue but, probably worth inspecting the fuel pump's cap and o-ring. Not an uncommon failure. Oil in the plug 'tubes' from leaking gasket, bad plugwires, etc. might be suspects as well.

was there fuel smell or leaking under the hood?