collier89139 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 So I had a cross threaded sparg plug that finally blew out and now it looks like I need a new head on this Awesome seems to last for ever car. My question is...Can I get this driver side head off and replaced with out ripping out the entire engine? Is this something I can do myself? I am also wondering how much money I would save by getting an afermarket head or one from a junk yard.....or just have it machined....bc the spark plug hole needs re threaded....Thanks in advance for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted June 6, 2011 I Donated Share Posted June 6, 2011 Its best to do heads in pairs. So here is the list I would get together to do the repair 2 Heads (or take your current two heads to the machine shop) Head Bolts Head Gasket Kit Water Pump Timing Set Plugs & Wires Oil & Filter Coolant You can probably get away with just replacing the one head and buying a head gasket kit...however the other stuff is kind of a "better safe then sorry" sort of thing. I personally replace head bolts on Subarus. There is a great debate of them being torque to yield or not...or stretching bolts...blah blah blah....once again, better safe then sorry. As far as the timing kit and water pump, its best to replace it while you're in there. If your timing were to fail, it could destroy the valves in the head....so again, better safe then sorry....and the water pump is usually done with the timing belt since its timing belt driven. You do have to pull the engine to remove the head. I can't tell you if you can do it yourself or not because I don't know what your skill level is. I know that I can do it on my own at home, but I've been doing mechanic work for 10+ years.....5 of those years on a professional level. There are some people who don't pull the engine all the way out to do it....They jack up the engine just far enough for the head to clear the frame...however I don't like doing it this way because its not safe at all. Its best to pull the engine out and either set it on a table or support it with an engine stand. The good news is that your engine is VERY easy to pull. I can pull your engine in less then two hours. Two mounts, 4 bell housing bolts, wiring clips and fuel lines......easy as cake. If you're an amateur in mechanics, I wouldn't recommend doing this job yourself. Pulling the engine out of your car is easy, Subarus are some of the more difficult engines to time correctly. Like I said before, if your timing fails it could destroy the valves in the head. If you have never done a timing belt before, then just pay someone else to do the job for you to be on the safe side....or find someone who is knowledgeable enough to come help walk you through the job so you can learn. If your engine is DOHC your timing belt will look like this cluster mess http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3311/3654795426_e522ce2773.jpg If your engine is SOHC, it isn't that much easier http://www.subaruvanagon.com/tom/Timing%20Belt/Timing%20marks%20lined%20up%20teeth%20sm.jpg -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 call a local machine shop and ask how much it would cost to install a helio coil. (they drill it out, tap it and insert the coil. then you thread in the plug.) it will also be easier if you have them clean and check the head but that is not required. compare that cost to the cost of the used head (probably ~$100). (FYI: a friend replaced one valve in a 95 for $50, doing all the labor himself. same labor but no used head to buy.) the gasket is about $35, the local parts store may have to order it since you only want a single. the dealer will want about $45 - $50 for it. i would probably buy a used head and new gasket and bolt it on. probably a new intake and new exhaust as well. (but i would be doing it myself.) the ej22 engine, 90 - 96 is non-interference. so no damage if the t-belt is not done right. and if you are going to take this thing a part, replacing the timing stuff will mean you don't have to redo it for 60k miles. if you are paying a shop to do this you are going to bump into the '' more than the car is worth'' frame of mind. but the real question: '' is the repair more than the cost of a replacement car.'' the car you have is amazingly tough and forgiving. short of wrecking it, no oil, or human error (like yours) they will run ''forever''. how many miles? how long have you had it? miles? years? what is the condition of the rest of the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpgoodwin Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I'd recommend doing both head gaskets at the same time, but if you're on a budget. Just do the one. If the spark plug hole is not to badly fubar'd, you can get a thread insert installed instead of replacing the entire head, this will save you ALOT of money. Of course you can't do this in the car, you'll have to remove the engine. might as well do a timing belt, water pump, front seals, rear main seal and valve cover gaskets while you have it out. Don't forget to replace the head bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Tried to not reply, but, Subaru head bolts are not torque to yield. Subaru in their FSM says replacement is recommeded. (ergo: not mandatory). Do a search on Ultimate SubaruMB for this subject and all who are unsure can get this cleared up. All you are doing is adding $100+ to your cost for no benefit. O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted June 10, 2011 I Donated Share Posted June 10, 2011 Tried to not reply, but, Subaru head bolts are not torque to yield. Subaru in their FSM says replacement is recommeded. (ergo: not mandatory). Do a search on Ultimate SubaruMB for this subject and all who are unsure can get this cleared up. All you are doing is adding $100+ to your cost for no benefit. O. I replace head bolts on almost any head I take off just for safe measures. -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 No problem with anyone replacing them on Subarus"just because". Just noting that it is optional, not mandatory. And to date I have yet to hear of a head bolt failure, or head gaskets failing because of them being reused. For further info read the following posts. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=121496&highlight=head+bolts+torque+yield O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpgoodwin Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Subaru head bolts are torque to yield. Any fastener that doesn't have a final torque spec.... is torque to yield. (ex: torque to 60nm the tighten 90deg.) These are "plasticized" bolts which are designed to stretch. What happens when you repeatedly stretch a material that wasn't designed to stretch multiple times? they become weak and eventually fail. I'm not saying it will or won't fail, but that is why it is recommended to replace them (especially if you don't know how many times they've been re-torqued before). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Any fastener that doesn't have a final torque spec.... is torque to yield. (ex: torque to 60nm the tighten 90deg.) the question is ''should they be replaced?'' not ''are they T-T-Y''. we'll probably never resolve the TTY debate, but replacing them is not necessary unless they are otherwise damaged. you show me where the subaru FSM says to replace them. the final torque on the head bolts is about 90 - 95 ft lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogdansubaru Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 While replacing the head bolts, should the holes be taped? if so. what size tap? The driver side head i removed, the top right head bolt was really tight coming out. i have a 94 legacy 2.2 LS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 You can just cut a slot in a used head bolt and use it to clean the threads that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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