clayh Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 Hello everyone, first time Subie owner here. Just bought a '95 Legacy automatic with a 2.2L?. Got it for very cheap as it was overheated and the head gaskets are leaking. I have a receipt from a shop that did a test and confirmed exhaust gases in the coolant. Can anyone give me a quick over view on whats involved with doing head gaskets? I'm a HD mechanic by trade and have a garage with tools but never worked on a boxer engine before. I've done some searching and read some places that the engine needs to come out but it looks to me like it shouldn't need to. Do these engines survive an over heating fairly well? I'm guessing the heads will need to be re-surfaced. Do the blocks stand up well? Car ran fine with I drove it a short distance but the oil and AF smell burnt. Any tips on what to look out for on these cars? Any links on where to get a factory manual, preferably PDF? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subikid90 Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130723 There are a few links to threads on here for head gaskets. I pulled the motor on mine for the sake of ease. Mine were not bad i just replaced them to be safe. -Subikid90 1997 Legacy GT 5spd & EJ251 w/EJ25D heads ~10.5CR 1998 Legacy GT Limited waiting for EJ22T hybrid swap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DN1911 Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 i've changed a lot of Subie headgaskets without pulling the engine, hell i don't even pull the intake out of the car! it is easier than you would think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayh Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 DOH! I just pulled the intake off! Now that you mentioned it I can definately see how the intake could stay on. Oh well. What I do need help with is the timing belt and crank pulley. I've got the bolt out of the crank but I'm guessing its pressed on. Will a regular crank puller work on this or is it something special? It looks like the crank pulley has to come off before the timing cover will fully come off. Should I position it a TDC first or do you worry about that later? Any tips on getting it to TDC on compression? I know I should have a manual for this but everyone is closed today. I'll hopefully pick one up this week before it goes back together. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datdookie Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 a diy would be awesome, i dont have an engine lift so i cant take my motor out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayh Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Ok never mind about the crank pulley, after doing some research I found that its not pressed on it. A few good wacks with a rubber mallet and it wiggled off. Passenger side head is now off, I'm glad I did take the intake right off, there is one head bolt that doesn't quite come out all the way due to hitting the frame and the head needs to be twisted slightly to get it off. Having the intake still sitting above it would have made it a real pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayh Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Did you guy but new head bolts when you did yours? Looks like about $150 for a set of head bolts and I'm a cheap SOB. Car is an auto and staying stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmb2485 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 In theory, no bolt should every be reused. A new set of head bolts is $55 on rockauto.com. Blowing up the motor because you reused a worn bolt is a lot more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayh Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 In theory, yes I know the bolts should be replaced. I guess I'm wanting to hear from people that actually did their head gaskets and reused the old bolts, for good or bad. Come on, I know you're out there...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayh Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 My bad, I should have searched first, there is a thread on just head bolts here: http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131971&highlight=%22head+bolts%22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DN1911 Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 if you pull the motor mount nuts on the bottom of the subframe and jack the motor up you can wiggle everything out with the intake in the car still, just takes practice Subaru head bolts are reusable! even Subaru Service Manuals do NOT require new bolts. common misinformed information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayh Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 Ahh, so thats how its done. Good to know! A co-worker of mine might have a lead on another one that I can pick up cheap because the HG is blown. Not having to mess with all the manifold connections would be nice. I got mine mostly back together last night but when I went to fire it up it wouldn't start and smelled strongly of fuel. After trying it a few more times the engine suddenly went "BONK"! and seized. A first I thought I got the timing belt wrong and the valves smacked the pistons. Then I thought no way, its a non-interfernece engine! I pulled out my code reader and got a 0204 code, #4 injector open CCT. Pulled #4 plug and cranked over the engine by hand and expeled over a 1/2litre of gas! Obvioisly the injector was hangining open. I got out the trusty multimeter, ohming the injector showed it good so I traced the wiring back and found that when I plugged in the connectors at the back of the intake manifold some how a pin folded over and contaced the pin for the #4 injector! How stupid is that?!? Straightend the pin and it fired up. A few more things to button up and its good to go. Some snow forcast tonight so I might be able to try it out and see if its better than my AWD minivan! Since its rated for something like 130hp I'm not going to hold my breath..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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