taylormac1993 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I was on the highway today, probably a solid 60 miles from home, when my car overheated and died. I was thinking it was the thermostat but I found a milky liquid in my coolant, countless air bubbles, and my friend thought he saw oil in the coolant too. There's no oil leaking, and from when I could make out, no coolant leaking either. I had to spend my last $200 on a tow truck to get me back to my house. Is there a way to diagnose what went wrong for sure without taking it to a shop? I know that taking it to a shop is the best option, but it's not an option for me at the moment. Please help. Thanks. Btw it's a 98 Legacy Outback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Sorry, sounds like a bad head gasket. To make sure you could do a hydrocarbon test, but from what you said those are all classic symptoms of a bad HG. I have been in your same position as many of us here have so we feel your pain. Is there white smoke coming out your exhaust? We'll help you fix it though and save you a ton of money. Edit: How many miles are on your car? They usually go bad around 160-170k or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcb122580 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 You could do a coolant pressure test and see if it holds pressure. Also if you are able to drive the car, the coolant will usually start to overflow out of the reservoir when the head gaskets are bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Users seabass07 Posted May 11, 2012 Mega Users Share Posted May 11, 2012 There aren't a lot of ways for oil and coolant to mix. It's probably the head gasket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdavidson7014 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I've had some expierence with a blown headgasket..unfortunatly sounds like thats what you are describing, id get a repair manual and get ready for some fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 11, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 11, 2012 Welcome to the super cool Legacy club! It happens to the best of us -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...
twisty Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 just curious... how hard is it to do both head gaskets with the engine in the car still? looks like theres plenty of room to deal with it well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 11, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 11, 2012 You need to pull the engine out of the car. You don't have enough room to get the heads off the block if you don't. -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...
monkeyposeur Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 twisty, here is a thread where someone was able to replace their HGs on ther EJ25 with the engine in the bay: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f66/how-replace-ej25-head-gaskets-without-removing-engine-57335/ I wouldn't want to try it though. Just pull the engine out like brok recommends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Users seabass07 Posted May 11, 2012 Mega Users Share Posted May 11, 2012 Are the engine bays comparable between the OB and forester? I ask because my friend's 99 forester seems to have much more room on either side around the heads than my xt does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I don't have enough knowledge/experience to answer that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylormac1993 Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 seeing as how i have no experience with not only Subarus, but internal engine maintainance in general, ive decicded to NOT do it myself. i have a couple shops in mind, but labor to do all the gaskets is gonna cost a fortune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelwatts Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 fwiw, if any of you are in doubt of the current state of your headgaskets, you can run down to napa and purchase whats known as a "block tester". its a blue chemical that will change color in the presence of exhaust gasses. super easy to use. but like others have said, pull your engine and put on some hg's. its not that hard if you are slightly intelligent. I'm a native of South Carolina. I am a dying breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylormac1993 Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 i have no doubt that i could do it, but i dont have the equipment or space to do it. i need the car in a timely manner, so i dont have the time to gather all of that either. By the way, while the shop has the block out, what else should i have them replace? i was thinking the water pump, timing belt, and spark plugs/wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TbirdMan Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 no no no, it isn't a flaw with our motors, it is a FEATURE, see this is Subaru's way of giving us a tour of their amazing boxer engine design and how it works. And more on topic, yes, water-pump and timing belt are a great idea, might want to look into an oil pump too. as for plugs/wires, it would be a bit easier to do the plugs while it is out, so if you think it needs them it might be a good idea. wires are about as easy in the car as out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Exactly tbird! I learned a lot about engines because my HGs went bad. Almost any engine related problem I can now fix which is pretty cool and empowering. In the long run it will save me a lot more money than paying a mechanic to fix all the problems that eventually arise with any car. Plus, it is a lot of fun, frustrating at times, but still fun. If your oil pan is leaking now would be the time to reseal it. If your rear main seal is leaking badly, replace it. A slight weep is OK. I would reseal the oil pump too. Have them check the screws for tightness. And replace all the other usual stuff like crank seals, and cam seals. Valve cover gaskets and grommets are easy to replace when the engine is out, check the valve clearances, and have them machine the heads if necessary. Definitely do the timing belt and water pump while it is out, as well as replace all the pulleys, thermostat, and tensioner. If your car is a manual, might as well replace the clutch. Starting to sound pretty expensive, sorry. But at the very least replace all the timing components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBamf41 Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 In the 2gen legacy. What I assume your talking about. There is about 2 to 3 inches between the frame and heads after you remove the head cover. It is possible but keep in mind you need to remove the camshafts to. Which allows the buckets to slide out. And you don't wanna mix them up. Pulling the engine is much more fun and saves your back from leaning over a car for 6 plus hours. I just did the heads on one of my legacys. Probably spent under a 100 dollars to fix it. 60 bucks for gaskets. Exhaust gaskets. Oil and coolant. And a filter. Though I should of shimed the buckets. Sent from my Galaxy Tab using TapaTalk 2 BNR18g on 93oct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 i have teh added benefit of other vehicles to drive while mine is down for whatever reason, so im not worried about having to pull the engine. i just have always done it in the car, so its been a short project for me traditionally. makes sense tho, with little clearance to the sides. i dont actually have a need to pull the heads (yet), i was just curious. right now the biggest issue i have is oil leaks on the front of the engine, and im pretty sure i can rip the whole front off, replace pretty much the whole timing area of stuff and get it back on the road in one afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94lgt Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 right now the biggest issue i have is oil leaks on the front of the engine, and im pretty sure i can rip the whole front off, replace pretty much the whole timing area of stuff and get it back on the road in one afternoon. I'll agree with you here. I've done it before on a 1995 Legacy L and it took about 4 hours from start to finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesm113 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 By the way, while the shop has the block out, what else should i have them replace? i was thinking the water pump, timing belt, and spark plugs/wires. there's an oil separator plate on the back of the engine. replace that too with the latest part number Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 ^For sure! Do it! The old plastic ones are crap. However, when I replaced my old crappy one, it wasn't leaking in the slightest. Glad I did though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylormac1993 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 I can't find an "Oil Separator Plate" from Advance. I would go talk to them, but I don't have a car... Here's the list of stuff I'm going to buy: - GMB New Water Pump - $62 - Dayco Timing Belt - $38 - Felpro Head Gasket Set - $207 - Felpro Water Pump Gasket - $4 - Felpro Head Bolt Set (2) - $146 It all comes down to $457 Edit: Forgot to mention that I already have a new thermostat with the gasket included, so I'm going to put that in as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 ok, forget the head bolts. they are not needed unless you messed them up. just clean up the threads and then oil the threads and the washers when you install them. cha-ching $146 saved. the oil separator plate is a subaru only part, ~$35 with screws, go to your local dealer or get it online from a subaru dealer. if the t-stat you bought is not a subaru part it too may cause you issues. almost all aftermarket t-stats for the ej engines are CRAP. do not make this mistake. i haven't bought a ''head gasket kit' only pieces parts. head gaskets from subaru = ~$75 oil seals, cam & crank oem = ~$35 intake & exhaust from felpro = ~40 not sure. what else do you need? not the rear main seal. not the T-stat, not the throttle body, not the IAC, not the EGR, not the coolant crossover pipe....... there are a lot of seals in the ''kit'' that you do not need and may never use. not a big deal if you buy the kit for $35 on ebay, but $207, that's a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelwatts Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 2nd on the a/f thermo being shitty. They are rated really low and take forever to warm up in the winter. Go with a Subaru genuine part. I'm a native of South Carolina. I am a dying breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylormac1993 Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 An ex-subaru tech told me to replace the bolts for some reason. He told me not to skip out on it if I can because they're specialized bolts. The gasket kit is a 61-piece set and includes everything from the head up accept the water pump gasket. My theory is, if I replace all the gaskets at once, I won't have to open the engine up for this kind of problem ever again. I don't want to have to crack my engine open because of a little $0.99 gasket that I didn't think about to begin with. Ebay is a great idea that I didn't think about, but I need all of these parts in a few day's notice so I can't wait a few weeks for shipping. As far as the price goes, the Head gaskets and valve cover gaskets are gonna be $120 at least, so I might as well spend $80 more and a few more hours of my time to ensure that the engine works properly for the long haul, especially since I tend to drive cars a little harder than most people. Edit: how much is the Subaru T-Stat going to be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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