Subaru Head Gasket Replacement Best Practices
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- Опубліковано 29 лип 2024
- General tips and tricks for Subaru head gasket replacement service. Yank the motor? Surface the heads? Answers to these questions and more!
know that Subaru is the official vehicle of Alaska? The Subaru dealership in Anchorage, Alaska sells more Subaru's than anywhere in the world. Popular for its renown handling in winter driving conditions, we are privileged to service many of these vehicles at our shop. With that comes the most common repairs such as cylinder head gaskets and timing belt replacements.
To watch the SMA Subaru head gasket video click here: • Replace Subaru Head Ga...
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I suggest your videos to everyone that work on their own vehicles. Nice detail.
I appreciate the support!
I guess I am kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good place to watch new movies online?
great video! i want to share that i've had great luck with the Six Star brand MLS head gasket on several subarus and have 349,000 miles on my 2.5i engine. I think that repairing the head gaskets properly, the first time is essential and that people shouldn't run away from these engines. Replace the head gaskets properly with good parts, keep the oil topped off when needed and it's admirable how well and long they will run...
Hey, thanks a lot for the feedback. Ill be sure to remember the tips. I agree that doing it right the first time is money in the bank with these vehicles. They really are great cars but just need to have this issue properly addressed in order to extend the useful life. Ill check into the head gaskets you speak of. Probably would need to special order them in this neck of the woods. I hear what youre saying about people shouldn't be running away from these cars and I agree but I will add that for myself and at my shop currently I am booked way into the future and when I agree to doing one of these jobs during a busy season it really costs me a lot of revenue. It ties up a rack for days and really I have two and a half or three days of labor wrapped up in it and it barely pays for two. Also in the rare case there is a problem I am spending another few days fixing it at no charge and it would really hurt...That only happened once and it was over a year outside warranty and I didn't have the heads surfaced but they began leaking again. I took care of one side for free and a month later the other side took a dump...hahha, I learned a lot from that job. Sounds like you have learned a thing or two yourself! haha. Thanks again for the input and for watching. Blessings!
My thanks to you. Folks don't realize what talent is....and you have it. When a tough procedure looks easy, you are watching a master at work.
I like your style of presentation. Unlike many auto channels you don't use that BS act of trying to look cool. You come off as a no BS guy, a regular guy who I would trust my car to. Thank you for your auto service.
I had a Subaru once. I don't anymore and I'm happy about that. Nice tips
Are they popular there?
The Car Doctor absolutely. They're everywhere
Oh wow. I'm sorry.
This man is doing one hell of a good job... Just wow. I kind off wish most mechanic were as thorough is the car doctor. He's part of a dying breed
This video is great could not come in better timing, did not know about the machine shop thing. A quick question: When you remove the head, do you take the rockers (and other things) out before sending to the machinist or is cleaning all that is required? I am planning a gasket replacement and your answer will guide me through. Thank you in advance
hi there in had both my left and right gasket replaced today...I've only been 5km..and its smoking around the engine..would you no why...the mechanic said that he spilt Some oil ...would it be that how long should it take to burn of
Sense I have been watching Eric O. I haven't been watching anyone else, except for you, really enjoy your video's. Thank you
Quite the complement to be mentioned in the same sentence as Eric O. Thank you. Hope to knock out a few vids before I go fishing. Take care.
Good tips Tim especially on resurfacing the cylinder head and doing a valve job including checking guides for wear & replacing A/R. I love my Snap-on TechAngle torque wrenches...they simplify torquing in tight places!!
Thanks. Yes I have a central torque wrench that does angle but I would always bump the buttons when I was in the final stages of the process and had to start over again. Finally broke down and picked up this one and really enjoy it.
Yep, another great video. It seems like a new head bolt torqueing sequence is developed every month for the 2.5. You are right... a couple more head bolts would fix the issue.
I agree with Tom. Also, a sign of excellence is when gives credit where it is do. Thumbs up.
Thank you!
I'm about to tackle my 06 Impreza this weekend 👍🏾👍🏾. Great video
You got this!
I would like to know how high you jacked up the engine and did you move it from side to side as you re-installed the head gaskets?? I removed my motor mount bolts and jacked up my engine, but I still had trouble getting out the heads on both sides of the engine because the head bolts hit the firewalls on both sides of the car. Maybe I did not lift the engine high enough with the floor jack. I was afraid a cv joint would pop out. I notice in your video you had tons of room to re-install the head on the passenger side and you had no issues with getting the head bolts to clear as you were installing the head.
Do a great job prepping for gasket installation.Agree with lack of clamping force ! You certainly know a quality torque wrench and how to use it.That Snap On gets 10 stars outta 10 for performance.Great informative video.Johnny Horton is inquiring about the weather ?He wants to go "North to Alaska" expect a visit 🎅.
Thanks. Love my Tech Angle torque wrench. Haha, the weather is a little brisk lately. Below zero all last week but warming up today to a balmy 20F feels like Hawaii outside! Tell Johnny to get up here and ill take him out to see the northern lights!
You do the good video your very genuine..thanks you help Ed me out(Toledo)
Is the 2012-2017 STI afected by this problem?
The engine of this Impreza is the EJ257
Nicely done Tim..THX for the VID!!
My pleasure. Figured I needed to share this. Take care.
I don't have a Subaru but I'll hang around. You never know what my future might bring me. I like being in shops anyway. :)
Well I hope your future does not have any Subaru head gasket jobs. Only gravy train work in your future buddy!
The one part I didn't like doing was the recomended final torque process. I know it wasn't the right way but at the time I reused the head bolts and I torque the bolts to 75 foot pounds in three stages. been 3 years 60k miles no problems.
Trust me, I've been tempted to do something like that on these but I found a process that works so I stick with it. Just time consuming. Take care!
Back in the 80's Chrysler put 2.6 Mitsubishi engines in their mini vans and they had problems with the heads not having enough mating surface. This caused the head gaskets to blow out around 60.000 miles. Eventually the head gasket was re designed, they made it a lot thicker which helped a little. Nice vid.
At least Chrysler corrected the issues. Subaru just keeps making the same thing and people keep buying it. Oh, and we will keep fixing them!
Well, I think the head gasket issue has finally been resolved with Subaru engines...but now they have issues with the oil rings on the pistons. I guess they wanted their engines to consume more oil than they already did. ;)
After the third time the head gasket was replaced on one of my vans it was finally with the good gasket. Mitsu casted some really poor heads and it was a carburetor engine to boot another poor Mitsu design. I got a bad taste for Mitsu back then and stay away from them. I saw another commenter stating all the small engines that Chrysler used to make were blowing headgaskets. I think if he investigated he would find they were Mitsu engines. Chrysler's early 4 cylinders did have water pumps that used gaskets and they updated them to a ring seal around the pump a much better design. A leaking water pump if not taken care of can give any engine overheating and head gasket problems. Mechanics can find the short comings in vehicles but they don't design them they just fix em. I don't fix cars every day like you do but there are cars I turn away because I remember how it feels to get burnt and would rather not have my hand in a bowl of ice water if ya get my drift.
I hope they finally fixed it...I really don't want to do anymore of them to be honest. IM getting too fat and tired for these jobs. Also there are so many fasteners I start forgetting where they all go when IM putting them back together. Hey, have you ever heard of Advanced Machine in Anchorage? They are really great. Super happy with their work
Actually the early 2.2L and 2.5L engines were purely Chrysler designed and produced motors and arguably the worse of all the head gasket blowing offenders ever. They retired those in 1995 so it may be before you young gents time. That said the mitsu engines did have similar problems and IM not the definitive resource on that. We no longer have a Mitsubishi dealership here so working on them has become difficult. I actually have gained a following here for servicing them unfortunately. The old dealership owners are now my customers and drive a fleet of Montero vehicles which are aging. Super fun!
hey i got a question for you did you remove the cylinder head with the rocker assembly on?
yes
I didn't understand the oil consumption problem when you said the valve guides drop.? Is it the guide or seals or a combination of the two.
Great explanation as always. Don't really like the victor reinz gaskets. Their paper gaskets are decent, that's it I have no idea if that compay is even with DANA, that company went through a bunch of changes
Agreed. There are a few applications where they make a decent gasket but certainly not in this case.
I noticed on the ones ive done they all overheat real easy. These engines run hot. I dont know if i got them after they were blown real bad but the ones i got all overheated. No coolant flow combustion in the radiator. Block test. I always pulled the engines but this was on the older models. These engines come out quick. What do you think of steel shims if the heads or block are real bad? Ive never used them
We used to pull the engines in under an hour to do clutch replacements on these and earlier models. Never messed with shims. Never really messed with engine blocks either. I try to stay away from engine replacements here since it ties up my bay for too long and im a one man show. IM probably one of the more expensive guys in town for this job but I spare no expense when it comes to doing it right. You should check out my video of common Subaru problems if you want a good laugh. Thanks for dropping by!
liked how you started you video with you pulling your gloves up heheh
@ Car Doctor: How do you advise we approach a repair shop when less than 24 hours after having a head gasket/valve job/engine mount replacement on an '04 Outback, the car loses power on a freeway and has to be towed back - but they say the issue is related to a prior repair? Shop claims someone installed an improper "tap" in or around the timing belt - inferring the problem occurred when the belts and water pump was done some ~3 years beforehand - causing it to strip and drop the belt assembly. Now the heads have to be machined again! For this, the shop wants $500 additional to repair the damage.
Question: Am I correct that this is a pass-the-buck type explanation? To gain access to the engine for the gasket job, THEY were the ones who had to remove/replace the belt, correct? If so, wouldn't it follow that the shop didn't reassemble the belts and bolts correctly, causing the belt assembly to dislodge (stranding the spouse and myself on a freeway, no less!)? Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it a little too convenient that they are blaming a 3-year-old belt/water pump job for a failure that took place less than 24 hours after getting the car out of the shop? How can we convince them to own up to their reassembly mistake?
Does not sound right at all. If it was at my shop it sounds like something I would take care of regardless of who caused it. But I got above and beyond compared to most shops. I have warrantied blown head gaskets well beyond the actual warranty period because I care about my customers. I would have another shop review the issue and document if it was something that needs to be a covered repair. Good luck
Is it a worry with the oiled threads on the head bolts leaking oil onto the gasket or head/block surface while trying to put the heads back on?
Hey thank your for this video man. Does this work for a 2005 outback the 2.5? thank you!
Yes
My friend is a 25 yr Subie Master Tech. I'm not sure how he does them, but he can do HG's in about two hours in his garage on the floor without pulling anything really. That's gaskets and the timing belt service. He said the reason why so many leaked was the lamination on the ones from the factory. Use the turbo gaskets and you'll never have an issue. He never mills the heads either and has never had an issue. Use new OEM bolts as well. BIG mistake guys re use stretched bolts and then have leaks...
Good way to work, I love it
The last Subaru i did head gaskets on had studs. I was stubborn and did it in the car. By the time i completed that job nobody would talk to or come close to me for days after.
The best engine i ever had was a 3.0 lt Mitsubishi in a 95 Caravan. I know that doesn't sound possible but it lasted 364000Kl before it blew a head gasket. It leaked a bit of oil for years but it was great on gas and lots of power. I beat on that thing every day for 12 years but i took care of it.
I agree. Those 3.0 engines were awesome. I had a Galant with one and rode it hard and put away wet. Was an oil leaker too but never died. Blessings!
Any idea where I can find a torque wrench that is equivalent? I just looked and Snap-On has that wrench priced at $595...
Gear wrench now offer a range with angle feature for about $200
If I just didn't own a Baja Turbo that is great for recycling cans/bottles/plastic, donations at the local donation center, the Home Depot runs, I think I would ditch all the issues with Subaru, but the car is just so damned useful. And with my STI conversion (turbo/IC/fuel pump/injectors/custom uppipe), sigh... It truly is almost as fast as a stock STI, for what it's worth.
Good video as always Tim ! No Suburbs for me .
Well you never know. Maybe someone will give you one with blown head gaskets. 😀
I use Mahale MLS Head Gaskets and Apex Intake plenum Seals, Subaru Exhaust gaskets all the way through.
hi doc i haave 2011 nisssan rogee keep going to safe mode i dont know what wrong any idea you my h
What codes does it have?
What kind of light are you using? I've seen you use them in a lot of your videos.
Its a bluepoint LED light. Its available on the snap-on truck for about $100. They are cool but they are also fragile and youll loose them if you forget and leave them stuck under a car...hahaha
Thanks bud
you could explain why you loosen them after you tightened them with the torgh
thats the factory procedure,
Would I have any issues with messing up the transmission by jacking up the engine?
Just watch that the inner CV joints don't pull apart. It can be a pain to get them lined up and back together again.
Love the vids man keep them coming. Do you do a lot of Subarus?
Unfortunately. We have a ton of them here.
The Car Doctor oof, how often do you swap the headgaskets?
I always turn my crank back 45 degrees on everything when installing heads so i can freewheel the cams then lock em.
Ok.muy bien.gracias.tomare tus puntos.de gran importaci.
shot in the dark here asking a question and hoping for a response, but i'm at witts end. I just did a headgasket replacement on an 05 Outback XT (EJ255). after getting everything back together and the engine back in the car, it wont start. it would crank and crank but never actually start or even want to try to start either. At first, I thought it may be timing so I pulled the covers and double checked. all my marks are perfectly lined up. So I ran a compression check. cyl1-75psi; cyl2-50psi, cyl3-55psi, cyl4-40psi (i'm at 6800' elevation so I should see around the 120psi range). after that test, I thought for sure it was a timing issue again. so I removed the timing belt and rotated the crank 360 degrees (all valves closed obviously) and put the belt back on. marks are perfect. still nothing. ran a leakdown test to make sure my rings, valves, and seals weren't the problem. cyl1-99/100,1%; cyl2-92/95-3.2%; cyl3-99/100,1%; cyl4-80/85,5.6%. all those values seem pretty reasonable. I couldn't get a full 100psi on the left side of the engine because I had to fight the pistons from being forced back down. So, i'm at a loss as to what could be causing the low compression. The engine was most certainly put back together properly. I used OEM headgaskets and brand new OEM head bolts torqued properly using my Snap-On digital torque wrench. cams are in their proper position L-Intake, L-Exhaust, etc. all torqued to spec. I even removed the cam sprockets again just to make sure the dowel on the cam wasn't somehow misalligned on the sprocket causing the marks to be right, but the cams to actually be off. cams and gears looked perfect. all vacuum hoses and electrical connectors are on correctly as well -- I used my 05 Legacy GT as a reference as well. I tested for, and have, fuel and spark, but the low compression is what is preventing the car from starting. no codes at all -- nothing stored or pending per my scan tool. Please help!!!
Follow this procedure. My guess is at least one cam is out 180*Triple-checking the exact timing marks. Crank mark at the back of the gear up at 12 o'clock and key down at 6 o'clock. Intake cam gears = single marks up at 12 o’clock, double marks down at 6 o’clock. Exhaust cam gears = double up at 12 o’clock, single out and 6 and 3 o’clock.
confirmed. they are all correct. if I may, here's a thread on a forum concerning this car. I sincerely appreciate your super fast response. Like you, I'm supremely confident it's timing as well, I just don't see how?!? there are pictures of the timing marks in the thread. legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/well-crap-please-help-266394.html
Just a wild guess, do you think the valve adjustment might be too tight, thereby not allowing the valves to close completely? Is it possible that the cam shafts were switched from left to right? The best of luck to you. -Henry
1XY52 not possible to switch the cams as I had only disassembled and reassembled one side at a time. I was able to get the car started but I'm having a ton of misfire events on cyl2&4. Warm compression test shows stupid low numbers on those cylinders as well. The leakdown test passed so that leads me to believe the valves should be ok. But I will definitely check valve clearance just to rule that out
please go back and double check the marks following the directions I listed. Its can be a very confusing setup and this is such a common problem. I really don't have any more good advise im sorry.
Anyone know when Subaru fixed this (if they did)? I've read 2010 was when the defect was claimed to have been resolved by Subaru. I've also read that this is an inherent problem with the boxer design, aluminum, and space between cylinders. Thoughts?
Michael B. I heard 2010. The gasket is thicker. Also keep up on maintenance and use synthetic oil if you aren't already.
I have 2010 Forester 2.5. Leaky head gasket at 85k.
Ok there wasn't a definite cut off year for less problems but here it is. In 2010 the new body Outback and Legacy got a bastard ej 2.5l SOHC engine that ran a 2 shim steel headgasket, that I never in 4 years working on Subaru saw leak. I use these gaskets any time I change headgaskets. They fit all 2.5l ej SOHC engines. The Forester got the new timing chain DOHC 2.5 l FB engine in 2011and were prone to headgasket failure up until then. The Impreza got the FB 2.0l in in 2012. That change took care of the oil seepage from the return gallies. Overheating and warping are still possible the same as any aluminum engine.
i understand the process of torking the bolts in steps, but what is the reason for backing them off 180 and starting over ?
I think its just an extra step to insure everything is seated before the final sequence. You know they are problematic when the torque process is 8 steps long. Hope this one gets another 80K miles down the road before I see it again
A little copper anti seize on dowel pins?
Is it ok to reuse a brand new MLS gasket that has been torqued down but not heat cycled? I want to pull the head back off to fix an exhaust stud...
That’s a tough one. I’m worried about doing that. They have enough problems dealing already I’m not sure I would chance a risky move like that. That said, I think the head flexes and moves with temp fluctuations anyway so it might be ok.
@@ThecardoctorTV i see. thanks for your input.
Did you oil the head bolts threads and the bolt heads and washers?
Always.
Is a 2010 Subaru outback worth buying at 169,959 thousand miles
Great job Tim as always ... you are a God bro...one question what is the name of that scan tool that you use and how much does it cost I really need to get that exact one in my works I deal with a lot of different cars and this tool would help me out a great deal so I'm not just guessing... thanks man
I just picked up the snap-on solus edge for scan tool. It doesn't have a lab scope but performs all the scanner functions just like my older verus and cost was $2700
+The Car Doctor.... Whoa $2700 thats alot off duckies.. what other scan tool do u recommend thats not so costly that also preform live data that can be used on any vehicle
I am evaluating one that I will be doing a review of in the future that's very cost effective and has those capabilities. I'll keep you posted.
+The Car Doctor Thank you Tim God bless you man
Great video Tim. My girlfriend use to fight to buy the small Dodge and Chrysler car's . Cause her dad worked for Chrysler Corp. Everyone of needed a head gasket replacement at 25 to 35,000 miles. I finally convinced her to buy a Kia Rio and never had that problem. But It still has the rubber timing belt. I hope I never end up with a rubber timing belt, lol. Sorry I got off track. A mechanic once told me if Chrysler would use heavier gaskets on the heads. They could end that problem. Is this true? Great video thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I used to do several Chrysler 2.2 or 2.5L head gaskets a week back in the 90's. I think they pretty much fixed that mess a while back. Not sure if a better gasket would have been a permanent fix on those jokers. I don't like these bigger jobs. Hard to make much money when you take your time. Hope I get some gravy procedures in the OR this week!
The Car Doctor Good luck to you Tim. I hope you get the job's in that you want or need. I understand what you are saying. It's hard to come out when you put so many hours in. Good luck buddy.
I had a 2010 Subaru Forester with the single overhead cam and guess what? The head gaskets STILL FAILED. Guess they lied about fixing the issue with the head gasket problem. I was told they actually never fixed it till 2012. That being said, We traded it in at the Stealership and got a 2015. I can only hope that those head gaskets hold up. I realize those boxer engines come with Inherit issues,as you stated, had they added two more head bolts, those engines would run forever. I had a 1983 Subaru Wagon with 290 k on it before it dropped a cylinder. The body wasnt in too bad of shape eather.
im doing this last 8 years, i probably done 300-350 head job , its way easy if you take out engine, i do so precision work, rest of engine life, it will never have any issue, you can give any amount of pressure on engine. ima chump on subaru. ima chump ima chump
Quick question. You stress the importance of machining the head to give a polished surface to allow a good seal but you don't machine the mating surface of the block.....
In order to surface the block deck youll need to remove and disassemble the engine completely. In a perfect world I would do that too but im sure this customer didn't want to spend that kind of money. Anyway the cylinder heads warp and need to be surfaced flat. In so doing, its critical the machine shop use the correct method or a leak may occur. Hope that helps. Blessings!
The Car Doctor Ahh okay i understand what your saying. That helps a lot.How do you clean the block? Ive been this far into a job and using a flat chisel or razor blade always feels like im going to gouge the surface.
Should i invest in a non abrasive 3M pad for a dremel? I dont like the idea of using a power tool to do that job but gouging with a flat chisel isnt any better.
Thank you!!
Does the snap on torque wrench show degrees???
this one does
is that a 1/2 or 3/8 torque wrench? what is the lbs?
NOT Torque to yield bolts, but great video!
Came here to post this as well. There's a lot of debate about whether you need to replace the bolts, no where in the manual does it say you need to, and if you ask mechanics at the dealerships they never replace the bolts... Have read numerous posts about people reusing the bolts with no issues.
@@dirttales correct. Only replace the bolts if they're damaged.
Do the 6 cylinder have these issues
Not the head gasket issues like this but the drivetrain stuff is the same
Now I'm concerned, the wife has a Tribeca with the H3 engine, have you seen any issues with them? Good video and info as always Tim.
I have only seen a handful of Tribecas and never for head gasket issues. Thanks for visiting
you should get yourself one of those extendabl3 hood props so that the car hood prop isnt in your way
I had one but started using it for my GoPro camera. Priorities.
I found that engine a bit odd, horizontal bores and heads, perhaps im too used to older cars with a vertical stack of pots :-).
So that final bolt tighten was a metered stretch i guess?.
By the time your finished, that engine will be running so much nicer, lots of faults just removed, back to its propper state :-D.
There isnt much meat between the gallerys and the outside world, surely a bit wider would have given a wider gasket a better chance.
Hope your back was ok after the fight of the metal lumpy bits lol :-D
My back is hurting a little but it's good for me. The Car is running great again. It's a strange engine for sure. I wish they refined it and made it more robust. Oh well, I guess we make our living off fixing broken things so good for me. Blessings friend!
Hey Tim, I did my first Subaru head gasket job on a 06 Forester 2.5 SOHC. Found out that Victor & Mahle brand gaskets are Subaru's OEM replacement parts. The best head gaskets are multi-layer for Turbo's for more $$$, FelPro, & Beck/Arnley. Why are there two different water pumps one for the automatic & one for the standard transmission? Both look the same, both bolt up the same, & none of them touch the trans.
Great job on your videos, Thanks, learning more & more
I think the water pumps have a slight difference on the bypass outlet tube but not sure. I have run into that before. I hear not to use the victor gaskets for this application and I cant attest to them being the OE gasket. I just stick with the felpro gaskets that have always worked for me. They are a layered steel gasket. IM super glad you watch and enjoy my vids! Take care
94 legacy with 277k idk if it would be even worth it. Runs strong still though
It seems to me that a engine design such as this would be prone to leaks because of the sideways cylinder head.That head gasket must be under a ton of pressure on the bottom side and causes a leak in time.
I think the main problem is just inadequate clamping of the head to the block deck and subsequent gasket failure due to excessive movement. But that's just my opinion and I'm certainly not an engineer.
I recently read somewhere that the main cause of the hg failures is due to the fact that the block is iron, and the heads are aluminum. The different materials expand and contract differently which causes the gasket to fail. Could be incorrect, but it makes sense to me!
Nick Bloodoff
the block is aluminum as well as the heads, the main cause for hg failures are the fact that in 2011 and prior models subaru used a single layered headgasket I believe it was made out of lead I might be wrong or it may just be single layered steel. however the original design was a single layered gasket which is not strong enough to withstand the load of the horizontally opposed engine. The solution to the problem is to use an MLS headgasket (multi layered steel) which the newer models are now equipped with. fel pro, six star, and as of 2012 subaru oem are just some MLS head gasket brands that come to mind. I've done quite a few hg on subarus it's actually kind of a hobby at this point, never used fel pro, but I've heard good things. I've always spent the extra money and used six star or subaru oem.
Subaru updated OEM gaskets or six star are the best ones to use.
Agreed
Horizontally Opposed Engine?
Indeed! You know your stuff!
everyone alwsys does the easy sohc 2.5 never the dohc 2.0, 2.5... probably need to yank the motor out for them?
The motor does NOT have to be bbn pulled for the DOHC motors BUT! Be aware when removing the cams that the shim buckets that sit on top of the valves can slide off and if they do any you lose their position then you're doing valve adjustments as well. I recommend marking the buckets prior to cam removal to ensure they go back in the correct spot.
Remove the engine. On all of them. It's far easier. Far more accurate.
@@MrSubaru1387 how would doing it in car be less accurate? A digital torque wrench with angle gauge works horizontal and vertically with accuracy. To much time wasted to pull the motor if you're working flat rate. I can do headgaskets in car in 6 hours. Subaru's are easy to pull but it's still 2 hours out and 2 back in
@@veteranheavyequipmechanic4990 I'm well aware. I have the whole line of Snap-on Techangle torque wrenches. I'm also well aware of what's involved in this repair. You should know then that all that's left to remove the engine and do the job properly is (2) 14mm nuts on the engine mounts, (5) 14mm bell housing bolts, and (2) 14mm nuts on the bottom of the bell housing. (4) Torque converter bolts if it's an auto. He isn't using the torque wrench correctly, he isn't using the right wrench for the job either, should be using the 1/2 wrench. He replaced the OE head bolts with crap Fel-pro bolts and used the junk Fel-pro gasket as well. But I digress, you're obviously an expert and I'm wasting my time even bothering to reply to you.
@@veteranheavyequipmechanic4990 2 hours to pull the engine? Takes me 45 mins on a non-turbo manual trans.
how much does a job like this cost
With a new battery, timing belt water pump pulleys, machine work oil change and labor about $3600
Not bad for a 90K mile service
Former Subaru Master Technician here. In my opinion and I do this when I work on Subaru's here at home. The best Headgaskets for all SOHC EJ 2.5L engines is gaskets from 2010 or 2011 Outback and Legacy. They are 2 shim steel gaskets and I never once saw one leak. Now if you had one severely overheated for example, Subaru says 0.003 in. is max mill debth then need new heads. If I've had to mill them further I've put STI gaskets in which are 3 shim steel and had no issues for many miles. I actually had one each head was 0.015 in out almost 5x recommended. I put Thicker STI gaskets in and it ran like a champ. No timing issues
What about for a 97 Impreza 2.2l engine? Recently blew the gasket on that one from not having water in radiator. Thinking about using felpro
At the dealership we always pull the engine and place it on a stand. We can then get a good look at any other areas that need to be resealed. We generally do this as a maintenance item and combine all timing components and water pump into the job. For the customers who want corners cut, we generally send them up to Midas or somewhere else. Reputation is too valuable.
Thats what i do. They come out so easy and you dont have to fight the valve covers or nick the permatorque coating.
I heard six star makes a good head gasket
holy hell those head bolts were long winded
I know. Quite the process.
how come you didn't show the drivers side head install, hahahaha
I just did a head gasket on my 03 durango 4.7 4x4
IM seeing more of those 4.7L head gasket leaks. Was it leaking at the LF cylinder head area?
Im not real sure. I got the car super cheap $400 cause of the leak. Both heads were warped almost 0.004" but the seats were intact and pressure tested good. Good compression. No water marking on cylinders. No sludge in the valves. Lot of coolant in the oil pan though. Bought it with one head off of the block. I believe the warpage occured between cylinders ... go with the 5.9l lol
The Car Doctor left
Yes Eric did a great vid. I would never consider a Subaru because of the poor engine design and a $3000 repair charge every 90k LOL I wonder if they still have this defect on the new ones.
They still have the issues as far as I know. Crazy.
No they went to a semi closed deck block and mls head gaskets in 2010 havent had a head gasket problem since!! Valve guide problem is from carbon build up from lack of tune ups!!
STEVE ROB The majority of headgasket issues come down to maintenance. Subaru requires coolant changes and their conditioner every 3 years. Most people with gasket issues don't follow that.
The '99+ 251/253 rarely has gasket issues when following the book precisely.
Noooo not felpros. Every set I've seen goes 50k.
I have a 09 Subaru Forester, this will be my first and last Subaru
Too scared to even consider getting a Subaru for my next car due to how much I hear about ringland and head gasket failures even when the car isn't being driven on beyond normal daily driving speeds like anyone else on the public highways would be doing. I think I'll stick to Honda or Toyota for reliability and simplicity of maintenance.
As both a Subaru and a Toyota owner - Toyotas are far far superior in terms of reliability. Below are some things I've noticed owning older models of each for the past year.
The rubber on Subarus is approx an 8year rubber. Toyotas rubber is more like 12 year - quality of rubber: like bushings, ball joints, etc.
Toyotas are also cheaper to maintain / less complex design.
Subarus excel at random things like I can literally dump quarts of oil into the combustion chamber and it comes out the exhaust but the car doesn't throw codes, the cat doesn't go bad, etc.
The Subaru can turn way harder.
Because of the independent suspension Subarus ride more smooth. Almost every Toyota has a characteristic jiggle when you hit a bump on 1 rear wheel.
Subaru's aside from spark plugs just seem easier to work on. The front and rear jack plates are amazing - no more jacking up each side to replace an end link.
Get a nail in 1 tire on a subaru? Expect to replace all 4 tires because they need to match.
If you go newer than 2010 you won't have the subaru head gasket issues. My 2007 has the issue with 170k miles.
subaru's will universally have lower gas milage than toyotas because you're turning more wheels / gears
cvts on both kinda suck aside from the planetary gears on the prius, but I've only owned stick aside from a 98 toyota avalon.
subaru fans very intense compared to toyota and it makes sense you can take the car more places and have more adventures. So you get some kinda cool but nut jobby people in the traditional sense.
imo subaru's are not reliable vehicles. They're just really cheap/easy to work on. They're also fun to drive. And I've gotten every toyota I've owned stuck in the mud. That's probably because I drive them down really remote fire trails in national forests. Avalon stuck, corolla stuck, tacoma stuck 2x. Subaru has literally never been stuck (knock on wood) - aside from the one time the ball join came off in a parking lot and I had to jack the car up right there and replace it.
Is this then a permanent fix? Or will this have to be done again in 100,000 miles? If so than even this is not a permanent fix. And you should drive this car back thru the show room window of the dealer who sold you this piece of shit!
Seems like a real money maker being a subaru dealer. Is that why my friend calls them stealerships
AFTER I buy a Subaru THEN I find out they are crap with routine expensive problems. Lesson learned, do your due diligence BEFORE you buy.
Been a tech for 45 years and I think they are junk
I,d never use a gates kit on a subaru, that is some junk ass parts