[Dojo]

Greetings folks

I have recently come into ownership of a 2000 Subaru forester. The story is that a lady blew her idler pully going over a bridge leading to a catastrophic destruction of the timing belt and the timing belt case, rather than deal with this issue she sold it to my stepfather for 100$ (she was in a rush and in a convoy heading across to alberta). Given that it was a construction zone she wasn't going very fast when it blew and also went less than 100 meters from broken to the property i think that might reduce the risk of bad valve damage.

Here she is ladies and gentleman.
Subaru forester 2000 - Imgur

So here are a few questions i have

1. What are the chances the engine already inside will still be alright given the following story if i replace the timing case and idler pulley.

2. In the event that the engine is no good, what engines will be viable replacements, especially the ones with turbo's, keeping in mind that my stepfather is a licensed mechanic and can help doing the work (doesn't have to be a strait bolt on swap). Also what engines would be a strait swap. And or what engine would you recommend. Also approximate horsepower of the options would be nice.

3. Are there anything you see wrong with the car per the pictures i linked you. Also what trim level is this car? It just says Forester on the side.

4. any recommended aftermarket parts to spruce up the appearance or the power.

I would like to get this car on the road as my current car (Mazda protege 2001) is falling apart.

Thanks for your time.
Dan

 

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum. Chances are, if the timing belt blew, your engine is destroyed. Take off the heads and look at the pistons, you'll probably want to pull the motor to replace the timing belt and components anyway. Plus you'll get a chance to change/upgrade the head gaskets as well.

Also, I love that shift knob!

 

[flstffxe]

Valves will be bent.

Take the heads off and have them rebuilt.

 

[m45decm]

Hi Dan
Welcome to the forum. Looks like you probably go a great deal. It looks like the base model.
Your engine might not be destroyed. The valves will definitely be bent. You'll need to have the heads rebuilt for sure. You didn't mention the milage on it but it's a MY 2000 so let's assume that it's high. You probably should take the opportunity to pull the engine and have the bottom half inspected. It might just need the cylinders micro-polished, new bearings and piston rings. Better to get that done now. You don't want to just rebuild the top half only to find out later that your rings are shot or going bad.
Best of luck and post your progress.

 

[Dojo]

So it seems the engine is a write off. its ok it had near 300k km on it (160k miles). Lets move onto the new engines. what will fit easy. what will fit hard but is worth effort. easy engine mods?
Also what engines will bolt right onto my current 5spd manual tranny and which will not.

 

[Guest]

Any Phase II EJ will bolt up to the 5MT. Find a SOHC N/A EJ25 for a direct bolt-in without any electrical/ECU mods.

 

[wtdash]

Any Phase II EJ will bolt up to the 5MT. Find a SOHC N/A EJ25 for a direct bolt-in without any electrical/ECU mods.

They mean SOHC EJ25, not DOHC....I believe.

The phase 2 ('99+) EJ25 engines should work, but you'll likely want to swap over the intake manifold from the original engine on anything newer than '04 or so, IIRC.

And note that the Impreza, Legacy, BAJA and Outback used the same engines.

There should be more info on here about suitable engine swaps, too.

BTW, you don't want a turbo block as they aren't going to work well as an NA. They have low compression so they can run boost w/out causing engine damage. Low compression means they're usually slow until the turbo/boost is kicking in. And if you're considering ADDING a turbo, they require SUBSTANTIAL wiring /harness/ECU upgrades to work properly. Not an easy or cheap option.

GL,
Td

 

[Dojo]

Short or long block i cant tell

Would this model be a short block or long block? would both work? would longblock be a pain in the *** to install if its a short block model?

 

[Sabrewings]

Short or long block is referring to what is included.

A short block is referring the block halves and everything inside (pistons, crank, rods) and that's about it. A long block is that plus fully assembled heads. Sometimes the oil pan and pickup are also included.

 

[derek harris]

and if you buy a short block, you have to turn it into a long block before you install it...