1 Lucky Texan

3 year-old post.

could it be a weak timing belt tensioner?

check the license plate.

checked the cabin air filter?

if you skipped and didn't clash valves in a 2.5L - go buy a lottery ticket!

are you sure about the timing belt? did it stall? hard decisions, especially when you feel like you have an 'investment' in it but, all of us will have to decide when to 'cut and run' someday. I think you could put a 2.2 liter in the car - might find one with less miles than your current engine and the 2.2 is fairly bombproof too. maybe check car-part.com .

they offer different combos of stuff - Mine had a mitsuboshi belt. But, the bearings in the rollers were GMB which some say is only mid-quality. I may accelerate my next service to 75K miles instead of 105. shoulda just got OEM but, I understand folks wanting to save a little money. Too bad Gates seems to be falling in quality. last OEM I ordered, I used a code from https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/121-subaruonlineparts-com/501795-new-lower-pricing-subaru-gear-codes-vip-s.html?highlight=savings

call around for prices - parts are gonna be $250-$300 +/- $30-$50 for parts alone. depending on source and if you're doing the waterpump , cam/crank seals ,w'ever but it's QUITE likely you have valve damage. best to get OEM or japanese parts; japanese bearings in the rollers, NTN tensioner, Aisin is good for waterpump, Mitsuboshi belt....check ebay and rockauto. I got my wrx kit from ebay mizumo auto I think. do you plan to DIY?

didn't really know where to put this - but stop/start was mentioned earlier in this thread so;

only the 6cyl got the 5EAT, at least stateside I think.

Yeah, it's an OK trans for most of us. It does have a front diff and a wet clutch pack attached so, xtra stuff to fail. Tony, maybe start a new thread with the issues you're experiencing?

if it's def. a one-time thing, get a floor jack from harbor freight or a used one from a pawnshop, when you're done, sell it on craigslist. Think of it as a rental. but I really like having my floor jack. In addition to intended lifting duties, I've used for 'odd' things like lining-up holes for rear shock installation and breaking rear diff fill/drain plugs loose, etc.

not sure on a '11 but, some newer soobs have a periodic fuel tank pressure test they do. Dunno where that system's control is located.

low refrigerant ?

oil cooler?

make sure it isn't a weak TB tensioner. It can mimic knock.

in the past Hella 500s were a popular upgrade in the fog light position. kartboy and maybe others even made a bracket to ease the swap but, I don't think it was too tricky to rig on your own.

Your wife seems well educated, I'm sure she can find something locally worthwhile if there's no legal work; teaching, private tutoring, politics, etc. Perhaps some type of internet advocacy or legal advice...? keep the new puppy's ears trimmed of hair and use some ear cleaner regularly - they are prone to having too much moisture in the ears.

cool. I once read of using thin rope/heavy twine to stuff in the plug hole, bring the piston up to squish the valves in place. No air comp required! lol!

what car? you may be able to pop the stub out and work on a bench.

vehicle?

rear diff mount bushings may be worn.

the autos have a wet clutch pack and 'bias' is adjustable by the ECU (or tuning I guess) the FWD fuse just turns-off the duty C solenoid so the clutch pack doesn't transfer any power out the back of the trans. Some folks have modified that circuit for manual switching. The system with it's fuse-selection exists primarily to allow use of the 'donut' spare without introducing torque bind. sti's got an adjustable center diff in their MTs. DCCD I think it was called?

I think there's also a 'pancake adapter' that goes under the oil filter. It creates for a secondary oil pressure port.

what about a JDM ej20 SOHC ? to much engine management issues?