99 forester question

[95legwagon]

my buddy wants to buy a 99 forester with 170k on it. for $300. guy thinks it threw a rod BUT it still turns over and theres no hole in the block.....does it sound like a timing belt thing? his daughter was driving it n it broke down and thats what his "mechanic" told him. from what he tells me i would put money that its a timing issue. also did this year come with sohc also? i know its a 2.5 but usually the ones i see are dohc and im hoping its not so i dont hafta replace valves (if thats whats wrong with it)....n yea i gotta do all the work on it. My pleasure of course but im gettin paid so i dont mind

 

thanks

-jarrid

[The Dude]

1. 99 Foresters have SOHC engines. If it isn't a SOHC engine, then it isn't a 99.

 

2. Both SOHC and DOHC engines are interference type. That means you'll almost certainly be replacing valves on this engine if you've had a timing belt related failure.

 

3. Even the most experienced mechanics on this board seem to reject doing "bottom end" work on these engines. Most would go with an engine swap of some kind.

 

So, first be certain whether you're dealing with a thrown rod or just bent valves. Bent valves, you can probaly handle. Thrown rod, you're looking at a replacement engine.

 

BTW, I owned a 99 Forester. I loved the body styling on that car.

[davebugs]

It's theoretically a one year engine.

 

Only bad Subaru engine experience I've really had has been with this engine.

 

Took 2 engines, 3 engine pulls, and ended up making a 2002 Legacy engine work. It was a nightmare.

[bstone]

1. 99 Foresters have SOHC engines. If it isn't a SOHC engine, then it isn't a 99.

 

2. Both SOHC and DOHC engines are interference type. That means you'll almost certainly be replacing valves on this engine if you've had a timing belt related failure.

 

Neyt. The SOHC is non-interference, aka the ej22 is SOHC and non-interference. I'm unfamiliar with a SOHC ej25.

[davebugs]

Neyt. The SOHC is non-interference, aka the ej22 is SOHC and non-interference. I'm unfamiliar with a SOHC ej25.

 

I believe concensus here is that everything after 97 is interference and all 2.5's (SOHC or DOHC) are interference.

 

And my experiences so far back this up.

[john40iowa]

BTW, I owned a 99 Forester. I loved the body styling on that car.

 

Having this year myself I totally agree! I really am not enamored at all with the new ones, even though they always improve.

[edrach]

We have a '99 Forestor (another SOHC) which we bought with 100k on it. Now at 154K after three years and we're still happy with it; it's my wife's daily driver. Quite sure that everything Subaru '97 and later is interference type engine.

[95legwagon]

ouch..... maybe me n him will go take a look at it soon and see if its worth it or not..... but from what your sayin-unless its a timing belt failure with bent valves then its not worth it . valves i can do, timing belt i can do....but i dont wanna mess with the whole block.....yes itd be fun and i can do it....i just dont want to lol

 

thanks guys

 

jarrid

[The Dude]

Neyt. The SOHC is non-interference, aka the ej22 is SOHC and non-interference. I'm unfamiliar with a SOHC ej25.

 

 

My post was very clear when read in context. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with Subaru engines in general. The SUBJECT was FORESTER ENGINES. The 1998 Forester had the 2.5L DOHC engine. The 1999 Forester had the 2.5L SOHC engine. My point was that both engines are interference engines and that a timing component failure in either engine would almost certainly involve valve damage.

 

The ej22 engine was NEVER a factory installed engine in a Forester. Please fully read a post before making an extraneous response that only detracts from the thread. BTW, it's "Het" or "nyeht" if you were attempting to write "no'' in Russian. Just so you know.

Edited November 26, 2011 by The Dude