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View Full Version : New from Middle Tennessee with an old Outback


djmtsu
08-21-2010, 10:04 PM
After trying to register for a while, King Reason hooked me up.

I just acquired a 1998 Outback for my new DD. I have always love Subaru's, after my mom bought her first one in 1997. It was the exact same Outback I just bought, except a different color. She has since had an 04 Forester, and now owns a 05 Outback XT (which I hope to get from here soon as well).

I have been an RX-7/rotary guy since I was 17, but after selling my 200,000 mile RX-8 last week, I am rotorless for a while.

Anyway, I had been looking for a good DD for a while, when I came across this 98 Outback locally for $600. It is in outstanding shape, only needing a passenger rear door (might be able to fix it) and new head gaskets. It runs perfect with no CEL, but after 20 mins or so in this 100 degree weather it starts to get hot, and champagne bubbles appear in the coolant overflow. I plan to pull the motor this week and begin my first journey with a boxer engine.

At the same time, I am looking for some STi struts/springs to bring it down to Earth, and I already have some 2006 LGT wheels a friend donated.

Here are a couple pics.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TE3Gf0QYYZI/AAAAAAAACPI/AiuhvuimbPg/s800/imagejpeg952.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TE3GhNG3kNI/AAAAAAAACPU/c-4iebtYeOs/s800/imagejpeg952_3.jpg
Airgne
08-21-2010, 10:24 PM
welcome. nice find.
djmtsu
08-21-2010, 10:35 PM
Thanks! I consider myself lucky. I usually am patient when searching for cars, then I give up, then they fall on my lap.

This was one of those cars. I can't wait to start tearing into it.
Legacy-Version94
08-21-2010, 11:38 PM
Welcome. Enjoy your boxer motor rebuild... slightly different then the wankles you are used to... Happy modding.
djmtsu
08-22-2010, 12:22 PM
Everything is drastically different than the wankel's. I have also rebuilt Miata's, a Millenia, a 626 turbo, and a 4.0 I6. I welcome the challenge, I just hate that I have to pull the cams off to remove the head. That is a design flaw in my book. No big deal though, I have an FSM, and alot of research on my side.
Legacy-Version94
08-22-2010, 03:00 PM
Everything is drastically different than the wankel's. I have also rebuilt Miata's, a Millenia, a 626 turbo, and a 4.0 I6. I welcome the challenge, I just hate that I have to pull the cams off to remove the head. That is a design flaw in my book. No big deal though, I have an FSM, and alot of research on my side.

Indeed.. I am the same way; always enjoy a challenge, but I agree with the cams off to remove the head... its a busy step that gets annoying quickly. Good luck.
djmtsu
08-29-2010, 12:32 PM
Well, the head gaskets are on, and I am trying to get it timed correctly, but the crank will not rotate past about 60 degrees.

Everything is lined up perfect. I am running out of time.

HELP!
1996Battlewagon
08-29-2010, 08:23 PM
If everything is lined up "perfectly" the crank and cams will spin in the proper fashion. When you aligned the driver side cams, did you make sure the alignment marks were in place? They put pressure on the valves, so it's kinda tricky to get them aligned before you put the timing belt on. Have you counted the teeth on the belt to make sure they're properly spaced?

Oh, and welcome to the forums fellow Tennesseer! We've got another one! Shoot, if classes and work didn't just start, I'd run down to Murfreesboro and help you out... :grin:
djmtsu
08-30-2010, 09:20 AM
Well, I realigned everything, and all was good.

Turned it a whole lotta revolutions on the stand and everything stayed in line.

Got the engine back in, and it fired on the first shot, and sounded good!

Then, all of a sudden, BAM. A loud metallic sound followed by alot of clankity clank, and it died. Fired it back up, it revved to 3K with more clatter, and died.

Walk around to the front, and coolant was leaking from the front passenger side timing cover. There was also a strange amount of gap between the head and block. Pulled off the timing covers to see what the hell happened. The new timing tensioner didn't do its job. On the stand I didn't notice, but after I checked again, the plunger did not extend. The belt felt slack in places, and it skipped A LOT.

My guess is the engine is now destroyed. Let's see what a labor claim yields.
mike-tracy
08-30-2010, 02:08 PM
Sorry to hear that. A tip I picked up (too late for you now), is to hand turn the crank counter-clockwise a revolution and back clockwise to home, to ensure the tensioner holds. If you can't find a replacement EJ25D, then a 96-98 EJ22E motor is a direct swap (other years may fit too). Non-interference and arguably Subaru's most reliable motor.
djmtsu
08-31-2010, 09:04 AM
That is the current plan. I found a sub-100K EJ22 out of a 1995 Legacy for pretty cheap. I am picking it up this week, but unfortunately I won't be able to put it in for a few weeks.

I need a vacation!!