DILLONGRIMES

1/18 - 1/19, total 6-1/2 hours to pull engine and get heads off. Only need basic tools to do the job, hoist, 1/2" impact with 7/8" socket for cam sprocket, fuel disconnect, prybar, scraper, scotch-brite pad. Broke power steering/alternator tensioner bracket and fuel evap hose. Evap hose (oops, easy fix) Bracket (@#%%#^%#$%) 3 hours, 7 brackets and pumps at LKQ and I ended up changing the pump/bracket combo. EVERY pump was different. Be wary of this bracket in future, $100 new and only 1 in Subaru national inventory. Tranny bottom bolts/nuts and bottom starter nut are a pain, easily hardest part of the job. Heads came apart easy but jumped time as soon as i took timing belt off. Do yourself a favor and compress the belt tensioner with a cotter pin from the start. 1/25, 4 hours to clean engine, install heads, new intake gaskets, timing belt, spark plugs, and set engine back in car. ALLDATA instruction manual was unclear about my particular engine black head bolt placement. Didn't label which side was the front of the head so I just kinda guessed and torqued everything down properly in sequence based off black bolts. My cars timing was: Passenger cam sprocket was free-floating while aligned, crank was aligned, and driver side cam sprocket was not free-floating, it was caught 'midstroke'. Had me concerned at first but 30 miles later it is fine. 1-27, 6 hours total in reassembly and diagnosis for stupidity. Remember the 6 P's: Prior-planning-prevents-piss-poor-performance. My failures: hooked all connectors up before I routed the valve cover hoses to air box, forgot to put plug wires in before installed engine, hooked up fuel lines backwards and chased a non-starting issue for 1 hour, accidentally installed starter ground on starter hot-wire and damn near had a heart attack. Other than that everything went great. Definitely do your top end first before your bottom end and you'll be fine.

My only concern is upon reinstallation do i have to bleed any lines whether fuel or power steering or etc?

I'm full aware everything involved. Used to pull engines with my dad all the time in my teens. I have guidance from my uncle during it (he broke his back) so I'm using his advice when needed, tools, and cherry picker. Plan is to remove radiator, fans, all added BS that comes with it, disassemble everything to timing belt with engine in, and then yank the engine. Take heads to get pressure tested, milled, and pistons reworked. Total OEM parts to do the job estimated $309 with tax from Subaru (every seal and gaskets, spark plugs, head bolts, etc)

Believe it or not after talking to several acquaintances at shops, all data, etc it appears to be 6 bolts holding the engine in and no special tools needed. Just have to limp the car for 3 weeks. Drilled holes in overflow jug cap so pressure could vent. Backed radiator cap off 1/4 turn. Drove for 30 minutes twice so far no overheating

The bad part is I already paid the shop $300 to put the timing belt and water pump on. Got on all data and printed the procedure manual, looks extremely basic cut and dry pull the engine disassemble reassemble after sending the heads off. I've secured a place to do it leaving the engine out for 2 to 3 weeks while I scrape together funds. So we will see. I'm going to try to do it in increments, by head gaskets this week, send heads off next week, and buy all my remaining stuff the week after. I finally found it by the way after all this searching. Your Civic has a blown head gasket, check the last one on this link https://haynes.com/en-us/tips-tutorials/7-different-ways-head-gasket-can-fail

It's automatic, priced $3,300 from Kelly Subaru in Chattanooga, TN. $1,978.99 from Greased Lightning in Ringgold, GA. That should take care of both lol. IDK If I'd wanna do this myself or not honestly

Got really agitated with it and drove it until overheat. Limped it home, coasting most the way. Parked it at 3/4 heat and made it redline to see where it was smoking from. Back of the heads by the exhaust. Could explain the pressurizing, overheating, and general BS surrounding this. Going to call around and get quotes to do the head gaskets.

Quick update. Radiator and new thermo are in.. still overheating. Has to be head gasket

Plan on doing the radiator tomorrow afternoon

Got my radiator and upper hose (they were out of the lower) from Advanced and a new work light for $160. Carquest brand so we will see. Honestly if this doesn't fix it I'm going to just drive my optima while I replace head gaskets myself with good ole AcDelco instructions. Much like your Civic my mechanic said the same. It's building pressure too fast.

Oh and have already checked relays and everything. All are fine.

I cannot say if I'm losing coolant or not. To be honest I believe the only time I do is when it overheats, it will spray on the bumper cover and top/front of the engine but the radiator cap does not pop off or overflow cap. The hoses appear fine even though I had to severely tighten the bottom clamp at the thermo housing. I haven't noticed them leaking. The head gaskets appear fine and were checked by Subaru when I first got it, they said they were fine. There's no blowback in the coolant but there is faint white exhaust. I had the shop that did the timing belt remove the normal thermo and install the open one until I can afford to get fixed. They did pressure test and it held steady at 20 with no leakage. I'm leaning towards blocked radiator causing a restricted coolant flow to the thermostat. It being open will allow a constant coolant flow even though restricted it's barely enough to get by with. My opinion though. Now to describe the overheating issue. Won't overheat at idle. Will overheat while driving with AC on and off. Shift car into Neutral and coast, turn off and then key on running AC so fans are running. Can restart by time needed to and resume driving until overheats again. I don't let it red-line.

About a month ago I purchased my first Subaru. I got it for two grand and it's in good condition so I think I beat the odds there. I looked at the Carfax, took it to Subaru to get a used car inspection done on it with a maintenance list, and here I am. Subaru said timing belt needed done, belts needed replaced, and the head gaskets were good. So I had Subaru do the belts and put the timing belts and water pump on back burner. Well it started overheating a couple weeks ago, tell-tale signs of a thermostat so I replaced it. Turns out they were running an open thermostat, whenever I put the new one in it it overheated in less than 20 miles. So went back to the jerry-rigged setup and had a shop replace my timing belt and water pump and thermostat this weekend. It overheated in less than 10 miles after I got it. Took it back to them and put the open thermostat back in it until I can afford to be down again. The jerry-rigged setup is not cutting it anymore and it overheated twice afterwards yesterday. Both fans are cycling, it's not throwing any telltale signs of head gaskets now, I'm lost. I plan on trying the radiator but figured I would check here first just to see if anyone else has had one of those problems that they just can't seem to fix them on these.