legacy93wagon Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Hello, At work right now so my full research will start when I get home, but figured it would be nice to have some pointers of where to look in the forum ( keywords, etc) and maybe where to look on my car to better assist my research phase. **my 1998 subaru Outback 2.5l auto with about 130k miles popped check engine light. -Drove it about 12 miles, checked fluids ( oil, Brake fluid, trans , coolant ) all looked good. - pulled battery Cable to try and reset light in case it was a one time thing. -Reconnected battery, Started car , idled until temp guage started reading, still check engine light. -Turned off car fluid check again . . . oil was way low, looked under car, 0.5 + quarts dumped right under the car. seemed to be coming from Driver side left of engine above the lower Radiator hose connection behind the plastic cover that is behind the belts. Wondering if it ends up being a big issue if swapping from the 2.5 to the 2.2 is a common thing ? The research and Adventure now begins! Any thoughts, questions or pointers would be awesome. ( will be doing a photo bucket account or the like to get plenty of photos flowing :0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt167 Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 yup.. Your golden swap would be a 1995 Legacy Ej22e from an auto. 1995 is last year of dual port 2.2 and first year of the version of electronics you need. Any 96-98 ej22e will work tho. Just need the y pipe if single port 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocei77 Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 I'd take off the covers. May be just front cam seals. O. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy93wagon Posted November 3, 2015 Author Share Posted November 3, 2015 (edited) I'd take off the covers. May be just front cam seals. O. Sorry for being a newb, Q: if it was a seal, would I get the low oil pressure light as well as check engine, or prior? That is what made me assume major badness. that I never got oil pressure light first. But I got only the check engine light. and NOT the low oil :0/ Edited November 4, 2015 by legacy93wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp98 Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 You can also go down to Autozone or some other parts store and they should be able to read your cel and give you the code for it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy93wagon Posted November 3, 2015 Author Share Posted November 3, 2015 You can also go down to Autozone or some other parts store and they should be able to read your cel and give you the code for it. In California it is against the law for anything but a licensed mechanic to run the codes for a client. Some special interest lobbying on that one I'm sure. :0( I can / will be buying my own reader ( on my 93 it was easy to jumper and read the flashes) thanks for pointing me at that though :0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Just a thought but if the oil pump is coming apart, that would produce the leak and the low pressure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Sorry for being a newb, Q: if it was a seal, would I get the low oil pressure light as well as check engine, or prior? That is what made me assume major badness. that I never got oil pressure light first. But I got only the check engine light. and NOT the low oil :0/ Excellent description, this is easy: 1. replace the leaking $7 cam seal 2. read the codes for the check engine light. The oil light is nearly pointless on these engines - it doesn't really come on until you've got like 1 quart or less in the engine and things are already toast. The check engine light probably isn't even related - read the code first. Ideally you replace the entire timing belt kit, 4 cam seals, reseal the oil pump while it's all apart. Gates kits on amazon are reasonably priced for all timing bits. Or sure, have at it and install an EJ22, great engines. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy93wagon Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) Excellent description, this is easy: 1. replace the leaking $7 cam seal 2. read the codes for the check engine light. The oil light is nearly pointless on these engines - it doesn't really come on until you've got like 1 quart or less in the engine and things are already toast. The check engine light probably isn't even related - read the code first. Ideally you replace the entire timing belt kit, 4 cam seals, reseal the oil pump while it's all apart. Gates kits on amazon are reasonably priced for all timing bits. Or sure, have at it and install an EJ22, great engines. Thanks so much :0) at $500 for a JDM ej22 and my love for the 2.2 over the 2.5 I just might. But do like the seals job a bit better. ( youtube) :0D Most of the kits come with the water pump. If this a need ? Thinking might as well replace radiator hoses while I'm in there . . . The gates kit I see: http://smile.amazon.com/Gates-TCK277A-Timing-Belt-Kit/dp/B0033DGU1Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1446610295&vehicle=1998-13-64-39--1-6-6-198-121-1-1-421--3-0&sr=1-3&ymm=1998%3Asubaru%3Alegacy&keywords=timing+belt+kit and another kit I looked at : http://smile.amazon.com/Evergreen-TBK277AWPT-Subaru-Legacy-Outback/dp/B007P72AZE/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1446610295&vehicle=1998-13-64-39--1-6-6-198-121-1-1-421--3-0&sr=1-2&ymm=1998%3Asubaru%3Alegacy&keywords=timing+belt+kit Evergreen kit has the seals too. Reviews decent on both. . . Thoughts ? Edited November 4, 2015 by legacy93wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 EJ water pumps rarely have issues and easily last 200,000 miles. if they do have issues - small leaks are about it, so they're benign even when they fail usually. someone just had a failure...i think on this forum in the past week or two...of an aftemarket water pump. i forget the mode... it's never a bad idea to replace bits while it's apart. i prefer subaru seals. it was older platforms but i've seen aftermarkets be mis-sized and leak. they're so cheap i just haven't compared or researched much. i'd lean towards the brown colored seals - in Subaru world anyway those are higher grade materials and more robust than the old "black" seals. not that there is probably anything that definitive about color, but for Subaru OEM it does mean a distinction that likely has some at least partial correlation in aftermarket. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy93wagon Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Update time: -Radiator out , will be replacing upper and lower hoses + adding aftermarket trans cooler when it goes back in. -Drive belts and crank pulley out, will be replacing all drive belts on re assemble -Driver side timing cover and gears removed, bottom cam seal visibly out of place. new timing belt on hand as well as tension-er and *** my unskilled hand / pulley puller chipped both Passenger side timing gears they will need replaced. Anyone have those part numbers? and link to correct tool to remove them? I tried to use this: http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-pulley-puller-66868.html Should I have used these: http://www.harborfreight.com/three-jaw-puller-set-4-pc-69104.html -Got a block heater for this car and would love any pointers on where the dang thing goes, guessing not to many of these live in the interior of Alaska like this one will next year so hard for me to find that info. -Also leaking oil at power steering pump. That will be a later job I think. Last little bit would be . . . any suggestions for a mechanic to do an R & R if I foul this thing up and end up doing a full JDM swap. Thanks for reading and thanks for helping so much ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocei77 Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 The chips on the pulleys are benign, If they are not cracked I wouldn't replace. If you want to, a junk yard would be your best option. I've never had to use a puller to get them off. You are replacing the idlers, right? Remove oil pump and tighten screws on back if loose. Don't tighten the valve covers until after you have tightened your sprockets. A 1" open end will fit the flats on the cams to hold them. Careful of torque on cam bolts, the specs are very light. I know where the plug goes, but not enough knowledge to tell you where it goes w/o looking at an engine. Am sure someone will chime in here. Continue to take your time and all will be well. O. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy93wagon Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 The chips on the pulleys are benign, If they are not cracked I wouldn't replace. If you want to, a junk yard would be your best option. I've never had to use a puller to get them off. You are replacing the idlers, right? Remove oil pump and tighten screws on back if loose. Don't tighten the valve covers until after you have tightened your sprockets. A 1" open end will fit the flats on the cams to hold them. Careful of torque on cam bolts, the specs are very light. I know where the plug goes, but not enough knowledge to tell you where it goes w/o looking at an engine. Am sure someone will chime in here. Continue to take your time and all will be well. O. Thanks so much:0) How did you get the sprockets off yourself ? I was able to just pull the driver side off, but the passenger is proving difficult. Yes I will be replacing the idlers as well. I got the timing belt kit :0) Again thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 If the radiator hoses are due for replacement, then so are the other handful of coolant bypass hoses and heater hoses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy93wagon Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 If the radiator hoses are due for replacement, then so are the other handful of coolant bypass hoses and heater hoses. ThANKS! AND THAT LUMBER RACK HAS ME EXCITED ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocei77 Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 (edited) Large screwdriver from behind. Can even tap with a piece of wood against the sprocket, rotating to even the movement. O. Edited December 11, 2015 by ocei77 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy93wagon Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) Before I start this one THANK YOU to all helping me through this. Just wanting to make very sure I have the cams in the correct position. passenger side cams: on the car. Driver side cams: shown off the car in intended / current position Does this look right ? the driver side ones seem wrong to me :0/ Thanks again for any help / feed back! Edit: just found this : is it correct ? Edited December 16, 2015 by legacy93wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy93wagon Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 So To bring the thread closure. The car had a bad cam seal. Replaced cam seals, Timing belt, drive belts and Radiator and heater core hoses ( my dumb ** forgot to put in the block heater while I had the coolant drained) put about 600 miles on it since. my old happy car is back. Thanks again for all the help, and if someone stumbles onto this thread in the future and needs help. Let me know I will see what I can remember and offer :0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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