Lumberjacked Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Well, the day has come. I was under my 2.5i (185,000kms) checking out my suspension components trying to narrow down where I was getting some clunking noises, when I noticed some engine oil on the bottom of the oil filter, nothing visibly leaking in front of my eyes, but everything is saturated. Upon closer inspection, it would seem that my head gaskets are weeping engine oil . I am confident its not the valve covers as I recently replaced those. I have been doing some digging around on this forum trying to get a feeling for how common this issue is, and by the sounds of it, a few here have been down this road already. My oil consumption isn't major (yet) - I may be going through a half liter every two weeks max. Just wondering, from those who have been here - whats my time line looking like here? Should I be sourcing parts for the fix soon? or do I have a few weeks/months? I have sourced another EJ253 online for $500 with 155,000kms - My thinking is - buy this motor, be proactive and throw on a pair of new head gaskets, and when the head gaskets finally go - do a quick swap over the course of a weekend. My question is: For those more experienced Subaru owners/mechanics - what else should I be replacing with the secondary swappable motor? I put a new clutch, and timing belt kit (tensioner, pulleys, waterpump) on my current motor about 5,000Km ago - so i plan on swapping those components over, except for a brand new timing belt which I will replace regardless. Anyways - I'm pretty down about this - just through a bunch of money at this motor with the new clutch, valve cover seals, and timing belt - I was hoping I would be good for another while! So any help/direction would be most appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aac0036 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Get an H6 and mate it to a manual tranny! Sorry for being totally unhelpful, but that's what I would do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay12Legacy Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 i would put head gaskets and roll on not getting a second engine unless there is a issue with it Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooblube Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Multi-Layer HG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lumberjacked Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Get an H6 and mate it to a manual tranny! Hehe - that'd be ideal! Just not feasible I am planning on using Felpro HG's - they put out a release on there version of the 2.5L boxer gaskets, and it has me sold - seems as though the EJ253 is the only one who used composite HG's - See document here: http://www.rockauto.com/info/Fel-Pro/Subaru%202.5L-FPO_158.pdf Jay - in terms of not getting the second motor - is there any downside in swapping motors? The fact that this motor is 30k kms lower in mileage than mine is tempting - not to mention the fact that I can get it ready at my leisure (more or less) and drive with the crappy HG's in the meantime, and then pull a swap over the course of a weekend. I dunno - still thinking about it. I'm thinking of picking up this Felpro kit as well as new Felpro head bolts: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Fel-Pro-Hs26170Pt1-Head-Gasket-Set/dp/B000C2AISU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top]Amazon.com: Fel-Pro Hs26170Pt1 Head Gasket Set: Automotive[/ame] [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Fel-Pro-Es72212-Head-Bolt-Set/dp/B000Q0R4QC/ref=pd_bxgy_auto_text_y]Fel-Pro Es72212 Head Bolt Set : Amazon.com : Automotive[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay12Legacy Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 You could swap hg in a weekend without sending out the heads also i was just saying to save ya a little money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I had the burning oil smell when stopped issue and decided to investigate on the weekend. I was totally expecting to find a leaking valve cover gasket on the passenger side. It was bone dry. It was the oil filter. It was "loose" and you could see a drip of oil forming on the bottom. When you looked upward you could see it was running/spraying into the heat shield. Not a lot, but enough to make an odour when stopped with a warm engine. I change my own oil so I suppose its my fault for not tightening enough. That said, the old filter was still too tight to remove by hand so I fabricated my own removal tool using an old brass door sweeper and pair of channel lock pliers. I had a look at the gasket on the filter and it looked fine. However, when I lifted the rubber ring I could see that underneath there's a small spot weld. So it would appear you really do need to crank these things down to seal properly. I put the new filter on and tightened by hand as much as I could, which I *thought* was plenty tight enough. I then used my new "tool" and was able to do another 1/3 turn. Now I'm confident that this will cure the problem. http://www.toronto-subaru-club.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEE-OTTO Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Dont buy new head bolts! Simple reuse your original ones and SKIP the stretching steps. NO point in spending more money than you need. Heads can be done with the engine still in the car, just unbolt your lower engine mounts and pitching stopper, jack the engine up to clear the inner fender wells and go to work. Remove the IM, timing components, EM etc. i would also swap the timing setup while you have it that torn apart. I would only use 6 start speed of Victor Reinz or Fel-Pro head gaskets. VR makes OEM Subaru HGs and the FelPro has that MLS (multi-layer-steel) good for the long haul. You could to the entire job over the weekend be good on maintenance for another 100K miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lumberjacked Posted January 25, 2014 Author Share Posted January 25, 2014 GEE-OTTO - Thanks for the advice - I had hear of people doing the HG's while the engine is installed, and others saying it's either impossible, or more of a pain. Though I suppose the latter probably didn't remove the IM or jack the engine up to help themselves out either. I think this is the route I am going to take! Felpro HG kit is onroute - new head bolts are already ordered so at this point I may as well use them. Hopefully no machining required, but I plan to take a straight edge and some feeler gauges to the surface just to make sure. At this point I am hoping that I might be able to keep driving with the slight oil leak for a few weeks - having a bit of a cold snap here in Canada atm, and I don't have a heated shop :s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEE-OTTO Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Sorry for the above fail, grammatically, post damn phone! Anyhow, if you have the bolts then go ahead just make sure you follow the instruction that pertain to the lubing method, they differ is you use motor oil versus their supplied lube. Rent a good torque wrench as well, it is fun project once you get that damn IM off I would get the heads off and scrap lightly with a blade then thinner to prep the surface for the HG (block and head). You can drive with the leak just be mindful of the oil level and I would try to knock it out on a weekend where there is a decent constant temp. Lastly you may want to replace the valve covers and grommets while you have the heads off, such a PITA while installed and it will be much easier to seat everything laying flat on the bench. Other than that you should be good. Take a break dont power through the re-install steps are straight forward but try to be mindful of the re-install you dont want to lose track of the 1/4 turns and pound feet of torque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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