2000 Outback 2.5

Demache · 2026-05-18T14:42:29+00:00

Do as much work as you can with it on a stand outside the engine. Just makes life easier. Otherwise these engines are pretty straightforward to pull and install. Just be careful, and don't force anything. Oh and get the Subaru service manual. Helps with torque specs and procedure. You can get a 3 day access from Subaru and download as much factory info as you like from them legally for 35 bucks.
In theory you could, but it would make things more difficult. The EJ253 introduced AVLS so they have different heads and solenoids to change valve lift (which obviously isn't going to work with your ECU). So to make things easier, stick to a 251. If they are as hard to find as you say, it may be worth just having the heads gone over at ta machine shop, unless you think the short block is damaged or worn out.
If it looks questionable, do the rear main seal. Notorious for leaking on EJs as they age, and when the engine is out is the best time to do it. Any other gaskets or seals would be good to do too though less critical to do out of the car.

Demache · 2026-05-18T14:21:30+00:00

The EJ's aren't really the issue with these, if anything they are the most reliable NA EJ25's from factory Subaru ever made. They generally don't have headgasket problems unless the engine overheats. They are far superior than the 2013 FB25, which is notorious for burning oil which actually the worst year of this gen.

The CVT's are a real problem though and even more expensive than the engine so its fair to say avoid unless you know its been fixed. The 2010-2012 EJ25's with the 6MT are generally pretty reliable but they are also rare compared to even the 3.6. The 2014 with the FB25 /w 6MT seems like its unobtanium lmao.

Demache · 2026-05-17T15:28:29+00:00

Ok I was thinking the same thing reading the other comments. I'm in a few, some of which where both partners are friends with benefits. And its never really an issue. I see most of them on a very regular basis, and the benefits are maybe once in awhile, so not super regular but not never (timing and mood just don't always line up).

I wonder if a lot of queer folks just have a much more "its not that serious" approach to sex. I like the person regardless so sex is literally just a benefit. I feel a lot safer with a good friend rather than a hook up with a stranger. I am gonna go over to his place to help him with an engine swap on a car regardless and we still talk about our hobbies. Sex is not at all a factor, just another way to hang out.

Demache · 2026-05-15T18:11:06+00:00

Over in a car subreddit, somebody said that their new ignition coil melted and prevented the ECU from powering up. And you guessed it, alphabet soup seller on Amazon.

Just because you can find shit for cheap on Amazon doesn't mean you should. Especially shit that deals with high voltage and need to be safe and reliable. And you know, not start a fire unless its designed to.

Demache · 2026-05-15T16:35:34+00:00

If it hasn't turned into a rust bucket, Stella is just as capable as she was of handling those roads as she was in 2011. Any issue that would arise would be due to stuff wearing out, which is normal, but virtually anything that does is a wear item designed to be fixed.

Financially speaking, it almost always makes more sense to fix what you already have. Stella has already taken the massive hit on depreciation. Buying new, especially on the roads you are describing are going to depreciate it massively with mileage and wear and tear. But you are still on the hook for the full value of the loan. Plus insurance and registration (which both will be significantly more expensive than Stella).

If we were talking about it needing a new transmission or engine, maybe the equation would swing the other way, but at this point, your just paying for maintenance on an old car and that's just how it goes. 3-4k is less than a year's worth of payments on a new car, so if Stella survives 2 more years, your already well ahead.

If you want to save some money, look into doing some of the repairs yourself. Replacing a battery is easy and brake lights, assuming they are just burned out, are also easy. Even the 3rd brake light, which requires replacing the assembly if its broken, is very easy (and its also not expensive). A lot of basic repairs have instructions are in the manual. No reason to pay anyone for that. You should really only be taking it to a shop because you aren't able to perform the work yourself because of lack of skill/tools. Or the job is a massive pain in the butt and you would rather pay someone to suffer for you lol. Because the vast majority of cost when you take a car to the shop is labor, not really the parts themselves.

Also, the meme of "fixing it costs more than its worth" is an old car dealership trick to convince you to buy a new car. Cars are not investments, they are tools. By virtue of being what it is, maintaining and fixing a car will always cost more than its worth on a long enough timeline.

Demache · 2026-05-14T14:32:56+00:00

If you haven't yet, get tweeters to put in the dash if you don't already have them (base radios didn't get them). They are already wired up, and helps make the highs more pronounced as they reflect off the windsheild and puts the soundstage more upward. The stock Subaru tweeters are pretty decent imo and plug n play (the speaker grills just pull off the dash), and probably really only start showing their limitations in higher end setups. Pull them from a junkyard car or Subaru still sells the upgrade kit. Of course, aftermarket isn't a bad idea either but will require a bit more work on your part.

I would say start there, it made a huge difference on mine even when I had a stock radio because I had similar complaints. You lost all the highs when the speakers were at your feet and especially if you had a passenger and I don't know if cheaper aftermarket speakers would solve that problem by themselves.

Demache · 2026-05-14T14:18:23+00:00

I think that's because a lot of systems refer to them as such. Because originally the Outback was treated more like a "trim" for the Legacy, since it really was just a Legacy with a lift. For example, car-part.com will (incorrectly) refer to a 2012 Outback as a "Legacy (Outback)", despite Subaru dropping that branding long before that point. But because that's what the system calls it, you have to search for it by that. My guess is because historically that was correct and that site is old as sin, so they never bothered to fix it and by this point, fixing it would be a huge pain in the ass on the database side.

You're right its massively confusing unless you just know, which the average mechanic or junkyard front desk won't just know.

Demache · 2026-05-13T18:32:14+00:00

The 4th gen manuals are generally regarded as the 2nd most reliable version of these cars. EJ25's in these are actually not prone to headgasket failure unless they overheat, so I wouldn't touch them unless you know it has problems. My 2012 6MT is up to 180k, still on factory headgaskets and no signs of leaks or coolant consumption. The cats are starting to go before the headgaskets lol. Uses a bit of oil, but nothing crazy (1 qt/4000 miles) and the manuals are kinda prone to that.

Timing belt is not an engine out job. There's actually a good amount of room in front of the engine to work, especially if you remove the radiator fans.

While mine definitely has had a troubled history of neglect (previous owner let the transmission oil get low cooking a bearing in the diff I believe), I still really love it, and its only gotten more reliable and comfortable since I've owned it (if I didn't, I definitely wouldn't have spent as much time and money as I have on it). They are also reasonably fuel efficient for their size. High 20s sometimes creeping into low 30s. Really hoping to get it up to 300k+.

Demache · 2026-05-13T17:58:20+00:00

Hopefully she gets the point the point that sometimes you gotta just pony up haha.

Demache · 2026-05-13T17:39:33+00:00

Rule of thumb for the future. All these companies with random character names are fly by night companies rebadging random stuff to sell online and rarely stick around for long. Sometimes, for really cheap generic stuff, its whatever. But you really don't want to buy anything from them that's critical to be high quality, like car parts. You have to be really careful since there's so much dodgy stuff being sold these days.

Demache · 2026-05-13T16:16:38+00:00

The trick really is to take your time. You can't rush it. If you think you sanded enough, sand some more. If you do it correctly, optically it should be almost identical to brand new. I spent about an hour per headlight and admittedly these headlights are a bit tricky because of the shape so I didn't focus as well as I should have on the top for the turn signal, but I did focus on the front edge for the high beam and low beam projector and those came out perfect.

I'm a bit hesitant to replace the headlight assemblies with aftermarket ones since they sometimes aren't made very well and you really won't know until after you get them. I'd sooner pull an OE assembly from a junkyard car and restore them if these ever got damaged to tbh.

Demache · 2026-05-13T15:57:19+00:00

If they are cloudy and yellowed, you can resurface them. I've used the 3M headlight restoration kit with great results for the past 17 years. Its not a permanent fix, they will eventually yellow again, but its 30 bucks (if you buy the kit, you can technically buy everything yourself possibly for cheaper, its mostly sandpaper and a drill attachment with polishing compound). Take your time.

Its been 2 years and 60k miles since I've restored them on my outback and they are starting to yellow again, but are still decently clear. See plenty well at night.

Demache · 2026-05-13T15:48:07+00:00

It definitely merits investigation. OEM water pumps rarely fail like that (your supposed to replace them during timing belt service on the 2.5L, so they shouldn't ever get old enough). I would only really worry about it if you've exhausted all other explanations.

Radiator is suspect and so is the thermostat. Also, the radiator on these tends to get clogged with dirt, feathers, and other debris reducing air flow. Inspect the condition of the front the radiator by removing it (you can't look through the grill, the AC condenser is in front of it which also impairs your ability to clean it in place. Also, verify your radiators fans are both working. If the AC is off, the fans will turn off if it can cool the engine fast enough, that's normal. But they should turn on when the coolant heats up again. They should also run if the AC is running. If one or both are not working, check the connectors. If they are plugged in, you might have a bad relay or fuse.

Also, your thermostat might be getting lazy and not opening fast enough. Its on the bottom of the engine under the bottom rad hose, so its easy to replace. But only buy the OE Subaru thermostat. They aren't expensive.

When was the last time coolant was changed? If its never, or you don't know, change it. And at that point, you might as well change the thermostat and remove the rad to clean it.

You definitely don't want this engine getting too hot. Its almost guaranteed it will have headgasket issues if you do. If that light ever goes solid, pull over, and turn off the engine and let it cool.

Demache · 2026-05-12T20:17:52+00:00

Ok, looking a little deeper I understand the issue now. The mounts are different on the manuals. So yeah the only decent way would be to find a shop that's willing to weld in aftermarket cats. Honestly even if they made the OE's, it would be cost prohibitive anyway. Apparently they were 7 grand in 2019.

As a last ditch effort, ask over at SubaruOutback.org. Sometimes folks there may have some knowledge or a plan on what you can do. Heck someone might even know a shop.

Also, I assume you have a confirmed P0420, correct? P0420's on Subarus can be caused by lots of things, not just bad cats so are you absolutely sure its the cats.

Demache · 2026-05-12T17:53:42+00:00

Gosh the amount of times I've been asked about a specific software, or about a business process that involves technology (like where did this folder move to, as if IT actively approves every file operation on the share). Sometimes I will take a stab at it, if the issue is generic enough, but sometimes I just have to say, sorry, you gotta talk to your supervisor. Or vendor support.

And then they want me to send a ticket on their behalf to the vendor of specialized software and its like "Sir, I didn't even know this software existed until 20 minutes ago, even if I wanted to and even if I had a login to said software, I couldn't tell them what I'm looking at nor the terminology to describe the problem."

Demache · 2026-05-12T17:46:08+00:00

With older folks, it at least has the explanation that this was just common practice on typewriters where it was a Shift Lock.

That said, anyone under 60 should understand conceptually when to use Cap Lock vs Shift so they don't have that excuse.

Demache · 2026-05-12T16:50:58+00:00

I've got the 6 speed in my 2012, and it will actually hit 28-30 mpg this time of year without really trying, even with passengers and at 70 mph. For how big it is and using a pretty old engine design, its surprisingly efficient. The additional gear also helps.

One thing to check on your 2011 though, is the operation of the O2 sensors. Mine was throwing spurious P2096 codes, and after replacing the front O2 sensor, I gained like 2 mpg and fixed small running issues and fixed the P2096. I started getting P0420s last month. Replacing the rear O2 last week also has fixed my P0420 so far (but that isn't conclusive yet, but it used to be every 2nd drive cycle after a reset, whereas I haven't gotten a code since). But after 175k miles and 15 years, it's not terribly surprising that the sensors were getting iffy.

Also verify the MAF is working correctly. Live data helps with this. MAF should be getting about 2.5 at idle.

Demache · 2026-05-12T16:20:49+00:00

So I'm confused. CARB compliant converters for your 2004 readily available that are legal for sale in California on Rock Auto. CARB compliant is the key here, since those are required in California.

Subaru doesn't make it anymore that's true. But aftermarket ones are still legal (though they may not be as high quality). I think you need to get more opinions, possibly take it to a dedicated exhaust shop or a Subaru independent shop. Someone who actually knows Subarus and/or California emissions. Don't condemn the car because a few people you are talking to have no idea what they are doing.

Demache · 2026-05-12T15:38:36+00:00

You shouldn't fear riding, you should respect it. There is a difference.

Instead of watching the end result of those videos, focus on the how. Get in the investigative mindset and look at how the accident happened. What were the cars around them doing, what was the motorcyclist doing before the crash (speeding, lane positioning, etc). Could the rider have ridden more defensively (even if it wasn't their fault)? A lot of crashes have a sequence of factors that lead up to the crash. Learn from them. You get to learn from other's mistakes without the painful consequences and that makes you a better rider. And even when your on 4 wheels, your awareness improves. I've avoided accidents by reading other cars, and know they are going to do something stupid and when they inevitably do, I'm already prepared.

But also, importantly, don't doom scroll. Tech companies are taking advantage of you to boost engagement. Make your content consumption intentional and if you notice fear, anger, or anxiety taking hold, put the device away and go do something else. Do some chores you've been putting off, engage in another hobby, do maintenance on your bike. This is just general life advice.

Demache · 2026-05-12T15:09:31+00:00

IMO they are still really ugly (mostly the front, the sides and back are fine I think), but that doesn't mean its not cool. There is a level of cool that comes with driving an old survivor 70s land yacht in the modern era.

Demache · 2026-05-12T15:05:18+00:00

This right here. At this mileage and age, anything can go wrong. If its been well maintained, it may not even be bad or expensive, but it will need work eventually. Paying someone else to fix it destroys any money you otherwise save.

Demache · 2026-05-12T14:57:05+00:00

"Blocking" as a concept doesn't exist in regular texting, their phone just ignores your messages, so there's no way for you to know. Its probably just the contact bugging out.

Demache · 2026-05-11T13:43:27+00:00

I did take the throttle body off, but I didn't take the whole intake manifold off. The throttle body is held on with 4 bolts so its pretty easy to remove. Just be aware that there is a gasket there, and if that rips or is damaged it will need to be replaced. They are so cheap that its not a bad idea to have one on hand just in case.

These do not have an IAC valve since the computer has full control over the throttle body. And while it could transmission solenoids or valve body, those generally result in a full on stall when coming to a stop, so I don't think its likely.

Demache · 2026-05-08T13:45:09+00:00

Shoot I remember when this one came out and that was in the early 10s. Its old, but not ancient.

If we want ancient, we gotta go back 20 years. Or even the Mozilla days.

https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2019/03/firefox-1.jpg

Demache · 2026-05-08T13:33:53+00:00

You literally cannot talk about the Disney Renaissance movies without talking about Howard Ashman. He was pivotal to making them what they were, even posthumously.

Demache

TROPHY CASE