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Hi all, Does anyone know if there is a difference between the crankshaft sprocket for a 00/01 EJ251 and a '97-98' EJ25D? I'm trying to diagnose some engine-performance issues and will be looking at my timing soon enough... I have a EJ 251 block mated with the heads from a EJ 25D. The crankshaft sprocket came from the 251, and the cams are for the 25D heads. I read on here that there may be differences between A/T and M/T sprockets of the same block, and I do not know which transmission this block was mated to. According to opposedforces.com, and an online subaru dealer parts page, the sprocket is the same between the 25D and SOHC blocks. Just wondering if anyone knows of a difference. Issues at hand include odd imbalance/vibrations between 1800 and 2500 rpm. Feels like there's a cylinder not firing. Smoke test, and leak-down test are in order, hopefully next weekend after finals. Take care, Greg

Hi all, I'm looking at purchasing an '06 OBW that had a JDM 2.5 ej253 installed a couple months ago. The seller sent me a video of it idling.: There's a weird slightly rhythmic clicking/clacking noise that repeats every 1.5 - 2 seconds. It doesn't seem tied to the RPMs of the engine though. Any thoughts? I have to drive 4 hours to see/pick the car up. Hoping to feel more secure before making the 8-hour round trip. Greg

Please help! I just bought a 99 Subaru Legacy Outback with the 2.5l H4 motor and automatic trans. Car has 46k miles. I used Seafoam through a vacuum line to clean the engine because I was told the car had been sitting for a while. I put 1/3 of the can in at idle and then shut the car off to let the product soak in for 30 min. Upon starting the vehicle back up I noticed the AT oil temp flashing steadily. I performed a 10 mile drive to clear the seafoam out as directed... and the AT oil temp was still flashing. I let the car sit overnight and started it cold... Light is still flashing. Trans fluid is very clean, however, when making tight turns it feels like the car is grabbing hard. When the wheel is straight the car moves freely with very minimal gas given. Now my check engine light is on and I’m getting a P400 code for EGR. Any ideas? Thanks!

Hi Everyone! Pictured here is my 1999 Legacy GT, Kitana. She has 215,000 miles on her and is in good shape overall. The problem is, the head gaskets are going out on the 2.5L engine. As I have found out, this is a common problem for this engine. I absolutely love this car, but cannot afford to pay to have the gaskets redone. It seems that my only option is to sell the car off to someone who would be able to fix it for themselves. My question is, how much should I ask for this car. I know it is worth more than junkyard price because of how good of shape the body and leather interior is. The tires are still all good on it as well. I am hoping that some of you fellow Subaru owners can give me some advice. Thank you! Steven http://email.thislife.com/wf/click?upn=Uz1sPKbFWt3SxRE53R7lA4xbRraX0B5IWCTg7hwGmz-2B7S5SWiH9JfnXITqfrokkRCimx-2FO2oIzPyIuVauVkySCTYiTV5GQwMZskOmsC0IPwLDz0k5MsRocU3RATiAYkk23zBhuRou9mvhlKi66KlJw-3D-3D_mSmPH8rKtKnNviZeKAYpz8QkLcVQFq5X787yjESllq4sL6cFWLJYwRNvZUjk39VdKgZzZ6EJDgUuThfgO-2Ftu1YEzxRy8avtn0ZK-2BtErszcE777uzDSuao5TBqiG9k-2BZ-2BPGPPGJUbJtnlRCWXKGbI0fV-2FftMPDbtDAuEBAnjFnRj2e-2F3x9am-2Bmx719uq60Dt6O9yQDqeC-2F0DG55VjRXeOi-2FtxriS6VqK-2BGy8dKD0zZV9-2FHBECKq7KReY3eJoFAtctdt5CDZZQDNnsHII5XOywtQ-3D-3D

I'm in need of help. I have a 1996 Legacy GT with the 2.5l motor. I changed the front camshaft oil seal and the timing belt. During the process things got out of wack. The engine will start and seems to run fine on fast idle (2500-3000 rpm) for 15-20 secs. Idle drops (below 1000 rpm) engine starts running rough and spitting and sputtering. I try giving it gas and it won't rev up and dies at that point if I don't shut it off first. All timing marks are in what I think are the proper positions according to the diagram that's posted all over the internet and in the Haynes manual. Problem is the marks on the belt and the marks on the pulleys and on the cover won't line up perfectly, like it shows in the diagram. I don't know if what's happening is a result of the timing belt being off by a tooth or if I bent the valves at some point. Can someone please help? Other info there is compression at least in the first cylinder. Have changed spark plugs, plug wires and pcv valve.

Hi, I'm trying to fix an issue with our 2003 Outback 2.5L Automatic 143K miles. Started with a regular CEL, then elevated to a Flashing CEL. Car would idle rough when it was damp outside and or cold. This is what I've done so far. When car was running well and it was dry outside I spritzed water, very lightly around the engine to re-create the problem. The very first place I hit caused the problem. I spritzed some water on the Coil Pack module, immediately a spark started jumping from Terminal 4 to the mounting bolt nearest the terminal. It was a very big spark and from my point of view it appeared like there was a crack in the terminal. I purchased a replacement and replaced the original with a brand new piece. The #4 terminal was blackened on the original coil pack. I did notice the connection from the spark plug wire on this terminal was looser than the others. I crimped it slightly with a terminal crimper and re-installed all of the wires. At first I thought I had it fixed, but not very long as the car sat idling the rough idle and the same spark happened from the same terminal to the mounting bolt. My first thought was to coat the mounting bolt and the end of the spark plug wire at Terminal 4 with Silicon RTV. This held up for a few days, but again, as soon as we had some rain, I had the same issue. I also ran the tank down to near empty and put in a bottle of quality, can't remember the name, Fuel System Cleaner, then filled the tank with 87 Octane Sunoco So went to Advanced Auto and per recommendations on the web I replaced the wires with a set of NGK, and a set of NGK replacement plugs. I went for NGK plugs that were for my car. The Autozone system came up with NGK G, which I found are Platinum tip. I've since read that I should have gone with copper. Is this a real issue? I used dielectric grease on all connections. I used Permatex Anti-Seize on the plugs. The number 4 plug looked like it had un-burnt fuel on it. The original plugs felt like they had been torqued too tight, but had no signs of stripping. It was just hard to break loose and I had to wrench them a long time until they were finger loose. Not having a torque wrench I put them in finger tight, then wrenched them 1/2-3/4 turn snug. I took the car on a quick local shakedown drive and it felt great, had more power than it had since we bought it. 2 days later we drove it much further, about 50 miles each way on the PA turnpike at speeds up to 75 MPH. No CEL's car felt great until... On the way home we were stopped by an accident. It was in the 20's outside. We sat idling for almost 30-45 minutes. As we were pulling away from there, the car started running a bit rough when de-celerating. Then about 10 minutes later as we sat in line to enter the turnpike the idle started getting rough and the CEL came on. My wife was afraid to drive it the remaining 35 miles home, but I said it's not flashing, and when we stopped it was OK if we put the car in neutral. When we got home I ran the car at idle in front of our home, about 30 degrees now. It was dark and I was looking for evidence of sparking again, but saw none. I've read through several threads on this issue on another Forum, before I found this one. They suggested after a tune up was performed that it's the Fuel injector if I'm lucky, or burnt valves if I'm not. Or possibly the small chance that the same plug or wire is bad again. I'm hoping that since it ran so strong for over 60 miles at speed and at idle that it's not the valves or head. I really pray that is true, because I don't have the money, or skills to repair that. So if you were me, where would you go from here? If the next step is the injector is a re-manufactured one OK? Which Brand? While i'm in there is it foolish to not replace both injectors on the drivers side of the block? I really would rather not buy 2. Everything seems to point to Cylinder #4. BTW, While I spent the last 20 years as a photographer, I went to school for electronics and feel comfortable around a DVM. Thank you in advance for any replies, I really appreciate any helpful feedback. Spiney-Dave

I have a 1999 Subaru Legacy outback limited and today while turning the vehicle off, as per the norm I shifted to P and turned the car off, the key turned from ON to almost at LOCK and won't turn all the way to LOCK to release the key, I can turn back to ACC, ON and START, but It won't turn to LOCK to release the key. The shifter is able to go through all the gears without having to press the brake pedal, whether the car is on or off. I'm at a loss, can't figure out if it's an electrical or mechanical issue, the tumbler or the shift lock on the shifter. If anyone has come across the same issue any help would be appreciated, i just don't want to start throwing parts at it, thanks.

Hey everyone I just have some questions relating to the exhaust on my 97 Legacy, was wondering if anyone has experience that would be most helpful. I recently put UEL headers on (with questionable success) and after replacing the stud I broke I am dissapointed at the lack of noise. Im looking at a Magnaflow 14832 (No fart cans!) however the inlet size on that is 2.25 inches. Can anyone tell me what the stock exhaust diameter should be on a 97 Legacy? Also, since I am operating on a college budget and do not have access to a welder, what would be the best method of coupling the muffler, pipe, and most likely adapter together? Ive seen butt joints and slip joints with sleve clamps (and copper RTV silicone) on them. How reliable are these? Ive already put up with horrible exhaust leaks and do not want to go back and "unbreak" stuff again. What would be best? Or should I just give up and pay some shop to do it for me before I find out its not possible?

I've recently been having problems with my 1997 Legacy Outback 2.5l I am the second owner, and have never had any real issues with this car. Swapped out alternator and starter, and cleaned and fixed a vacuum leak within the EGR system, all this over the course of 6 years of ownership (so, nothing huge or costly). I have 25,000 miles until my next timing belt change. In April I took it in to a mechanic because it was coding for the EGR system again. . . They couldn't find anything wrong with the EGR and said it was the knock sensor and replaced that. However, the check engine light kept coming back on and they couldn't figure it out despite my subsequent 3 visits to have it looked at and the code pulled (their assurance was that it was the knock sensor, and that it just needed to go through a drive cycle). I took it to a different mechanic (whom a friend with an 03 outback trusts), and he found 3 issues with the EGR and fixed it for fairly cheap. The check engine light has not come back on since. HOWEVER, since getting the knock sensor replaced in April my outback will randomly idle roughly, and has since gotten worse. More recently it will start up oddly (it kicks over, but it's almost like it's not getting gas but hitting the throttle doesn't change), it idles rough at stops, and when I hit the gas after it idles rough the RPMs drop suddenly before the car goes. . . It feels like it's going to stall out and die but never has. It has, however, died/stalled twice when it's idling rough and I put it into park, but always starts back up. The only thing that seems to make a difference--If it has sat overnight it will work perfectly the first time I drive it anywhere. If it is idling rough, if I "gun it" and speed up fast it will usually clear the symptoms and it will drive fine for the rest of the drive. And it seems to be worst whenever I am stopping frequently, i.e. stop to get coffee, stop at the grocery store, stop to get gas. . . With frequent stops the problem seems to get worse. Hoping for an easy fix (and without the blessing/guarantee from my mechanic it would work), I put a new throttle position sensor in it, but the problem persists. Has anyone had anything similar to this?

Thanks as always for the help. Love these forums. On my 1999 Legacy Outback (2.5L DOHC), I recently replaced my timing belt & components after a slipped tooth resulted in poor compression and misfires on cylinders 1 and 3. Before the timing belt replacement I got 90 and 80 psi compression on cylinders 1 and 3, respectively. Now I get 210 and 60 psi respectively. (On cylinders 2 and 4 I got 190 and 180). I detailed this info in this thread. A friend advised a leakdown test next. I put Cylinder 3 in TDC, held it in place with a socket and breaker bar, dialed input pressure up to 75 psi and got 72-73 on the other gauge, i.e. approximately 3-4% leakage. I could hear a quiet hissing through the oil fill cap. 1) Do these numbers seem right---i.e. are the results of my leakdown test consistent with the compression test? Want to make sure I'm doing it right. 2) Assuming it is right, this means I have worn piston rings or cylinder walls, right?

Legacy EJ25D 2.5L DOHC. Engine began running rough and idling rough a few weeks back, CEL diagnostic codes said cylinder 1 & 3 misfire. Diagnosed with a compression test. Cylinders 1 and 3 were getting 90 and 80 psi respectively. Cylinders 2 and 4 were 190 and 180 respectively. I just put the timing belt back on and re-checked compression on the right side. Cylinder 1 is now getting 210 psi, but Cylinder 3 is only getting 60. (Note---I did this before the engine was all back together, so I didn't idle it beforehand and the compression test was run on a cold engine.) I'm pretty sure I got back the power I was lacking when the timing belt slipped. Just took it for a spin and it feels about the same as I recall it in terms of acceleration. So, it's possible that cylinder has been underperforming for some time... Now that I have the results of a compression test and verified timing is like new again, is there anything further I can do without getting into expensive territory (valve work... piston rings etc.)? This is an old car (228k miles).

I need to clean up the threads inside my crankshaft. Made a mistake using a puller; got a small piece of metal jammed in the crankshaft end but fished it out with some epoxy. I want to clean the threads up before putting it back together. I am measuring thread spec using my crankshaft bolt and calipers. By my measurements major thread diameter = 12.8 mm, thread pitch = 1.5 mm (averaged along 15 threads). Should I assume that the proper tap size = M13x1.5? (The reason I come here to verify is because M13 isn't a common size, so I want to make sure I'm right before I order the tap). Thanks.

The saga continues.... my timing belt project is turning out to be a real disaster. I bought a timing belt & water pump kit that included crankshaft & camshaft seals, and figured it was a good idea to replace them while I was at it. I tried a couple of methods to get my camshaft bolts loosened, since I didn't have the special tool. After tongue & groove pliers, a strap wrench, and a cheap plumbing wrench failed me, I managed to lock up the left-side camshafts by folding my old timing belt over a couple of times and wedging it in between the sprockets, such that the teeth on both camshaft sprockets engaged the belt. Piece of cake. Right side didn't work so well. I tucked a small wedge in between the folds of the old timing belt that time, thinking it would make the job quicker, but it had the effect of shattering the exhaust sprocket before the bolt loosened. Stupid idea, in hindsight. I didn't realize how vulnerable the sprockets would be to this kind of stress. I'm pricing out a new sprocket, but obviously I need a better way of tightening/loosening the bolts. I'm loathe to spend $60 or more on the specialty tool, since I don't know if I'll use it again on this car. I'd rather spend the same $$$ for a general-purpose tool that will serve me down the road. (That said, I'll gladly buy the specialty tool for the sake of doing it right, if no other tool will do). I thought about a chain wrench, but nobody around me carries them. I need to make sure that (1) it is good quality, don't want to spend money on junk, and (2) it will fit between the intake and exhaust sprockets, with a leather belt or something in between for protection if necessary. Brand recommendations welcome. Or, is there another alternative tool or trick instead of a chain wrench? Also---maybe a silly question, but why was this bolt so tight? Is it common practice to use a strong threadlock compound for them? If not, I have to assume someone before me tightened the everliving crap out of it. The torque I applied trying to loosen it greatly exceeded 60 ft-lbs. Thanks as always for your kind advice. I know some of my issues are probably pretty cringeworthy newbie material. :-)

I pulled the crankshaft sprocket off of my 1999 Legacy (2.5L). It was a bear of a job and required a lot of prying. At one point I got careless and had my prybar applying pressure directly to the back of one of the tabs on the rear side of the sprocket---it snapped off. Here's a photo: I assume these tabs are used by the proximity sensor to tell the computer the crankshaft's position. Therefore I assume I must replace the part. But before I order it, I wanted to verify with the experts here. Can I get away with not replacing it? Thanks!

Hi folks, New member here. Joined the other day in order to get started on research for a clutch replacement in my '99 Subaru Legacy Outback 2.5L (228,000 miles---purchased at 198,000). I've got a gearhead friend helping me with the repair in 3 weeks, and doing all the reading and Youtubing I can in the meantime. Seems like we'll be able to pull this off. I'm close to pulling the trigger on a clutch kit, but had a question about non-OEM kit quality. I was planning to just pick up the Exedy OEM kit (KSB04): http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2392652&cc=1389405 However, a friend said it's very worthwhile to go ahead and grab a kit that contains a worn snout sleeve---also called PDM sleeves. I checked out the video here which is very good for describing the issue and its solution: http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-repair-seattle-transmission-housing-repair-kit/ Now, the sleeves on their own are pretty pricey at some suppliers, ballpark $150. That's on top of a clutch kit, which would be $140 or $150 for OEM at Ebay or Rock Auto (link above). On the other hand, there are some kits that include the sleeve, and my friend indicated that these are significantly cheaper in part because it's a different method of fabrication. Specifically, I'm looking at AMS Automotive part 15004R. Here's the link: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1524032&cc=1389405 Questions: 1. Should I be overly concerned about the drastic difference between the price of fancy Six Star sleeves sold by specialty suppliers, and the ones included in kits like the AMS kit I linked above? 2. How is the quality of AMS clutch kits? They advertise "rigorous OEM spec" - but does that mean I'm guaranteed the same quality as an OEM Exedy kit? If there's any doubt, I would prefer to go with Exedy. I don't know where AMS kits are manufactured. Should I worry about this? I don't want this to give out after another 20,000 miles! Thank you. I'm happy to answer any follow-up questions if any of this is unclear. This will be my first clutch replacement so I'm learning a lot as I go.

Hello, I'm a new comer in USMB. Always like subaru, bought a used 04 Outback (Blue color ) with 121K and love this car! It had a slight oil and coolant leaking when I got it. After I did the coolant flush with "all maker/all models" orange coolant without any "conditioner" ( have no idea of the head gasket thing back then, did the flush because a stupid coupon...), coolant is leaking faster. Now I can hear the dripping when car stops. It lost about 1 gal coolant in 3 months, but the oil level was only down down a little bit between oil changes. Now it has 128K and I'm going on a road trip so I need to replace timing belt to make it safer. I did have the T-belt checked before it was in a good shape although it's original. First I planed to replace both T-belt and head gasket (HG) at the same time to save the labor cost, but I decide to only do the T-belt and use the famous subaru cooling system conditioner to mitigate the leakage, after 3 day's research online. Really thanks everyone who post on HG leaking, especially grossgary and GeneralDisorder Here's my reasons: 1. many examples (15+) has been found that prove the little conditioner works pretty well and car should be good for 50K+ miles. And almost everyone who tried conditioner found it worked although the total number is only a few. a. GeneralDisorder tried this on his severe leaking 99 forester ( I guess EJ253?), the dripping stoped almost immediately and last for 20K+ miles (by now?). Also he said "My parts guy says many times the stop leak cures the problem forever and they (customers who had HG leakage) never come back." I think most customers found HG problem was fixed, though some might sell the car. b. grossgary talked about his friend's 03 (outback?) went from "solid oil leak" to "leaking really good oil" in 70K~80K miles, which was quite a lot mileages. But I don't know if HG is finally blown or not when he stopped using car. c. lots other cases can be found by searching on this board or through the internet, I just can't named them all. d. Very interesting and useful reviews about the conditioner on amazon: <http://www.amazon.com/Subaru-Cooling-System-Conditioner-SOA635071/product-reviews/B008HQHS7M/ref=cm_cr_pr_top_link_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=byRankDescending> 7 worked, 4 didn't specify the effect. also all worked cases are from newer reviews, so I guess they got this information online maybe this board. Great Jobs:) 2. coolant won't go to combustion chamber or mix with oil for these engines (EJ25 Phase II). Because of newer design of phase II, leakage was found to be external and most likely to stay with external leakage. Although allwheeldriveauto claimed this external leakage can become internal if not replacing HG after major leakage, I have only found one suspected case that overheated after 15K miles of coolant leaking, but no reason for overheat was stated. No one actually posted internal leakage after external leakage (I might see somebody said a direct internal leakage developed, but not sure), after going though some posts here, all posts in HG failure log on <http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/88-head-gasket-issues/18583-hg-failure-log-no-discussion-log-only-20.html>, and most post on <http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/>. 3. Even if coolant goes to combustion chamber, sign can be seen from bubbles in coolant overflow bottle; or even if coolant mixed with oil, sign can be seen from milky color thing on oil dipstick ( maybe and oil in coolant overflow bottle?). Even if all signs are missed, replace HG after first overheating seems won't cause more issue. If overheat is missed, then no next.... 4. This seems to be better in the long run. I expect my subie could run more than 350K miles, even not with me at last. I wish it could last for 8k+ miles with the conditioner, then replace both HG and TB, definitely using a MLS HG, which should be good for at least 150K according to allwheeldriveauto. But does anyone see a failure on the MLS HG? just curious...(I know the OEM ones are prone to fail a second time as the first one) 5. For the short run, spend much less money now. Local independent Subaru Shop quoted ~1500 for HG and TB replacement at the same time. If do them separately, TB (and gears) ~530, HG ~1270, so total is ~ 1800. As a college student, I feel nearly $1K saving is a lot. Even if it turns out HG need to be done very soon as well (which is very unlike to happen), I only need to pay 300 more. The disadvantages and concerns: 1. Replacing HG seems to be better for the mid-term run. If I only drive it for less than 8K miles, it is better for me to do HG now, but not the best way for the car. 2. The risk is higher for long road trip. Replacing HG gives more peace in mind than checking oil and coolant at each stop in a long road trip. I love road trips so this is a big concern for me. But checking fluid levels frequently also provides quite a peace in mind. 3. If the condition doesn't work and problem become severely bad within 10K miles. then I need to have the HG replaced, spend 300 more. But I believe possibility for this to happen is <2%. 4. This is just for me, my mechanic is a honest, knowable, and fair Subaru specialist. It may be a little struggle to find a good Subaru mechanic if I move away after graduation (probably will). But I need to find a good mechanic in the new area anyway. Well, to sum up, from the information and analysis I got, if just using conditioner, topping off fluids, and keeping an eye on temperature after leakage being found, I think there's 97% probability for engine to last 20K miles, 80% to last 50K miles, 60% to last 80K miles, 40% to last 100K miles (frankly, just guessing) before problem goes really worse, like annoyance by topping off every 300 miles, or internal leakage, etc. I have already dropped my car for replacing TB (&gears), coolant flush, and adding conditioner. I would like to test this method and post updates later, to see the result. Thanks for your reading, looking forwards to replies, answers, corrections, comments, etc. apologize if any misleading due to my poor english as a non-native speaker. And most important, Happy Holidays! Fisky