Valve Cover and Plug tube seal guide

[GEE-OTTO]

Hello folks, today I have a guide on how to change those annoying spark plug tube seals and valve cover gaskets.

 

Tools needed:

10, 12 and 14mm sockets and wrenches

4 and 6 inch extensions

Flathead screwdriver

Pliers

OEM Subaru valve cover set and spark plug tube seal

 

• 04 x 10966AA000 GSKT-SPARK PL PIP
  
• 02 x 13294AA053 GSKT-ROCKER COVER
  

 

 

Shop towel (to wipe the surfaces clean)

Patience

 

***Notes

DO NOT BUY THE FEL-PRO KIT! It does not fit, in fact I'm not sure what EJ it was made for. The rocker cover gasket design is unchanged btwn the EJ251 and EJ253 02-09 , Not sure about the phase 3 EJ253 (MY '10-'12) When you go to your Subaru dealer to order this parts they will in fact be for a 2.5RS (until/unless they have updated their labeling system).

 

**Optional**

The easiest method to changing the gaskets is to raise your engine. To do this loosen the two 14mm nuts holding the mounts to the lower engine cradle:

 

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/GEE-OTTO/IMG_1545_zpsa58b3996.jpg

 

Once complete take the air induction assembly off along with the air box to expose the pitching stopper mount. Use a 14mm socket to remove the bolt that is connected to the firewall. Now all three connection points to the frame are free and able to move.

 

Use a piece of wood and a jack to lift the engine gently by the oil pan. I raised mine up to where it would not go any further as I wanted max room to work on the driver side lower rear bolts.

 

I also removed the battery, breather hoses, oil filler neck, filter box and rotated the fuse block out of the way just to gain more room to work. This is all optional but will make life much easier.

**********************************************************

 

Passenger side first

1. Remove the seven 10mm bolts:

-6 on the rocker cover

-1 securing the timing belt cover to the rocker cover

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/GEE-OTTO/84c968c1-98f7-4b1c-ba42-18c72bcd5459_zps8d087815.jpg

 

If you have removed your manifold (as I have done here) the bottom offers the best view and working room for the bottom three bolts.

 

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/GEE-OTTO/IMG_1549_zps851f896f.jpg

 

If not your engine should be raised enough to get to them with easy minus the lower rear bolt. It is still accessible but may require a shorter socket or ratcheting wrench.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/GEE-OTTO/IMG_1548_zps9ea01432.jpg

 

Remove the top three 10mm bolts and the cover will be ready to come off with a tap. The old seal will be stuck to the head and the tube seals will have flattened out a bit. Remove and discard. Also make sure to have a catch pan below as some accumulated oil will drain out upon removal.

 

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/GEE-OTTO/IMG_1550_zpsf1c76b4f.jpg

 

 

2. Clean the cover and head mating surfaces with a towel and press in the new gasket and tube seals. There is flatter side and a more round side. The flat side goes towards the head the round ene goes in the channel around the cover.

 

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/GEE-OTTO/IMG_1552_zpse808c5e9.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/GEE-OTTO/IMG_1551_zpsbc1fdc35.jpg

 

3. Gently replace the rocker cover ensuring the gasket remain seated in the channel all the way around.

4. Thread in the top middle 10mm bolt followed by the rest.

5. Tighten the bolts down.

 

**Note**

These are shoulder bolts once you tighten to the stop DO NOT exert any more force on the bolts. YOU WILL STRIP THEM! This did not happen to me but these are Aluminum heads, soft at that, you dont want to strip one of these and have to drill and tap

 

6. Repeat these steps on the driver side but not there are only 6 bolts, this is due to the driver side head being close to the firewall than the passenger side head and the timing cover not securing to the rocker cover.

 

*****Note****

The driver side rocker is a PITA even with the engine jacked up

7. Once you have the driver side done reinstall all removed items to allow for more space and you are done, go have a beer:)

[Dragondima]

What would you rate this difficulty wise? Also how long should we plan for this?

 

Thank you.

[GEE-OTTO]

What would you rate this difficulty wise? Also how long should we plan for this?

 

Thank you.

 

Difficulty wise i would rate this at a 6.5 due to the raising the engine, and making the extra space and the fact that if you mess up (strip a bolt , snag the gasket) youll be in trouble down the road.

 

If by some chance you find a way to get the covers off easily without raising the engine it would be 4 id say b/c the stripping bolt part and gasket precautions still exist.

 

If youre a DIY person but not mechanic savvy id say pay to have it done along with a spark plug change

[mass-hole]

Difficulty wise i would rate this at a 6.5 due to the raising the engine, and making the extra space and the fact that if you mess up (strip a bolt , snag the gasket) youll be in trouble down the road.

 

If by some chance you find a way to get the covers off easily without raising the engine it would be 4 id say b/c the stripping bolt part and gasket precautions still exist.

 

If youre a DIY person but not mechanic savvy id say pay to have it done along with a spark plug change

 

Hi Gee-OTTO, I am working on this now on fiances '09 2.5i. I started on the drivers side of course and immediately found out that I cannot get the cover out of the engine bay because it hits the fender wall before it clears the rockers. Will it come out if I lift the motor as you suggested or do I need to try to install the gaskets while it is still in the engine bay?

 

Also, I noticed you said the Fel-Pro's do not fit. I had read a number of reviews on the Amazon page for the 2.5i gaskets and they had positive reviews saying they worked fine. I know there are two parts for the different EJ blocks, SOHC vs DOHC. I bought the VS50780R and will report back if it works.

[mass-hole]

I also noticed that hte EJ255 requires RTV sealant in addition to the gasket. I didnt see anything about this in the FSM for the EJ253. Have you heard of this on the 253?

[GEE-OTTO]

I also noticed that hte EJ255 requires RTV sealant in addition to the gasket. I didnt see anything about this in the FSM for the EJ253. Have you heard of this on the 253?

 

The EJ255 does indeed use a bit of fujibond to seal things up but the EJ253 does not so you are fine with the gasket set.

 

As far as the rocker cover you will need to raise the engine a few inches to get it to clear and to ensure when you reinstall the cover the bottom portion of the gasket doest get hung up on the cam/rocker assemblies. It is a quick process the three 14mm connection (2 mounts 1 pitch stopper) and jack it up.

[GEE-OTTO]

As far as the FEL-PRO it would be great to test it out to ensure fit that way owners can be assured of another option should they choose to not go OEM

[GEE-OTTO]

Oh and be careful on the lower cover bolts they strip out EASY!

[Korrupt3d]

I just recently replaced mine and I'm leaking much worse than I was before. Going to have to pull it back apart today. Bye bye weekend plans lol

[GEE-OTTO]

yeah check to see if the gasket came out of the groove or that all bolts are tightened properly

[05legacysp]

I just did this on my 05 2.5i. Didn't raise the engine. Did use the felpro gaskets. No issues yet but they were cheap and if I notice a leak I'll switch them out for subaru gaskets:

[GEE-OTTO]

Yeah the 05 doesnt have the active valve lift so the rockers come off easier.

[Korrupt3d]

Yeah, we got under there and had a look. Vc gaskets are good. Head gasket is done.

[fishbone]

When tackling this issue, what else is a good thing to check and/or replace as preventative measure at 115K miles?

[GEE-OTTO]

When tackling this issue, what else is a good thing to check and/or replace as preventative measure at 115K miles?

 

Head Wise:

Check over the heads for clearance btwn the rockers and valve stems with a feeler gauge and adjust, check for cracked springs and failing valve stem seals, camshaft main seals should be replaced, make sure the oil galleys are free and clear.

 

Intake Manifold wise:

Check the IM gaskets these dont fail often but I have seen a few cracked ones. Make sure your injector O-rings are seated well if youve ever tinkered with them if not should be fine

 

Timing:

Replace your TB, pulleys and Waterpump

 

 

Optional but nice to do and know

Sensors:

Both O2 sensors since your exhaust manifold will be off, Camshaft and crank sensors, coolant temp sensor

[yinlun]

First off, thank you! This was tremendously helpful.

 

Instead of starting a new thread, I wanted to add my experiences for anyone else who might stumble upon this one.

 

These notes are for a 2005 2.5i

You do not need to raise the engine.

There is enough clearance to get both covers out. You will need to pivot the covers 90 degrees and they will drop down towards the floor to clear the spark plug tubes. Once they clear the tubes you should be able to slide them towards the front of the car and pull them out. I did this front the topside of the car. The only items removed were the airbox, battery, and oil fill tube. Everything else stayed in place.

 

The spark plug tubes were redesigned.

The new part number is 10966AA030 and will have a description of GSKT SPARK PL PIP. You will notice they do not look the same. I freaked out at first until I found multiple threads and pictures showing they are not the same size and will not fit against the valve cover the same way. Hopefully this also means they'll hold up better. I referenced this thread: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/36228-plug-gasket-superseded-part-wrong-part.html

 

The number of bolts is different

On a 2005, there weren't 6 & 7 bolts on the covers. There were 5 bolts on the driver side and 6 on the passenger side. There's a single bolt in the very middle of the cover. The other 4 are on the corners. On the passenger side, there's an additional one attached to the timing cover as shown in the original walk through.

 

Difficulty Level

These minor differences made a huge impact on how hard this is. Sure, you'll have to get to some of these bolts by feel, but overall if you can change spark plugs, you can do this.

 

Approximate part cost: $40.

Approximate time estimate: 1 to 1.5 hours

Estimated Dealer Cost: $500-600

 

And that's taking my time, referring to this thread. Looking up the tube seals. Taking pictures. I also did my spark plugs and new wires while I was in there.

[SohcIt2me]

Great Timing! I'm planning on doing those when doing my next scheduled tune up. Thanks!

[Turtlsdown]

Going to be doing this, sometime this week. I'm more pc hardware savvy than auto-mechanic savvy so sorry if these questions are a bit silly.

 

Once I get the valve covers off, I assume I need to clean out the sparkplug tubes (since they are very oily right now). Is there a best method for this?

 

Also, I've been watching videos on youtube of the whole procedure. On one of the videos the tech mentioned he had to clean the valve covers with baking soda and bake them in the oven to get them clean. Are the valve covers not supposed to be oily on the inside (facing the engine)?

 

Just want to be sure I get this right.

[yinlun]

Once I get the valve covers off, I assume I need to clean out the sparkplug tubes (since they are very oily right now). Is there a best method for this?

 

I stuck a rag down there with the plugs in. After I was happy with it, I removed the plugs and did it again. You might get some oil in the cylinder, but we're not talking a cup of oil here. We're talking a drip, which should burn off fine.

 

Some folks on the Subaru Forester forums had suggestions as well.

 

 

Are the valve covers not supposed to be oily on the inside (facing the engine)?

 

The valve covers will get oily. I saw the same video, and it really depends on how dirty your covers are. Mine wasn't caked over and didn't have any residue or build up. I simply cleaned the contact areas for the gasket and that was it.

[Turtlsdown]

I stuck a rag down there with the plugs in. After I was happy with it, I removed the plugs and did it again. You might get some oil in the cylinder, but we're not talking a cup of oil here. We're talking a drip, which should burn off fine.

 

Some folks on the Subaru Forester forums had suggestions as well.

 

 

 

 

The valve covers will get oily. I saw the same video, and it really depends on how dirty your covers are. Mine wasn't caked over and didn't have any residue or build up. I simply cleaned the contact areas for the gasket and that was it.

 

Thanks for the input. I'll do the same with my tubes and covers. Parts are getting in tonight. Hopefully in a few days my Legacy will be free of the CEL.

[Turtlsdown]

Well I've got my passenger side valve cover off. (Had to take out the entire air intake assembly, and the battery on the driver side. Still a bit of a tight fit).

 

The gasket came partially off, and then a small section broke off. Of course at the very bottom where I can hardly see it. Trying to figure out how to get the remnants off without damaging the gasket surface area.

 

 

EDIT: Well, I cleaned up the surfaces as best I could and put the valve covers back on. So far, so good. My next issue is that the NGK RC-FX101 sparkplug wires look very different from my old Subaru wires. The NGK's are varied lengths and L-shape into the coil. The old wires were closer to same length and straight shape into the coil. I tried searching online to see if I ordered the wrong wires but my searches seem to show the FX101's are for a 2005 N/A Legacy.

 

Any thoughts? Should I still use these wires?

[GEE-OTTO]

Go to a parts store and ask for a set of 05 wires to compare the NGK word against. The same thing happened to me while doing the wires I got straight wires and needed 90 degree ones

[Turtlsdown]

Ok, I did just that, went to Advanced Auto Parts to take a look and see with my own eyeballs what the deal was. So it turns out that there are two versions of the wires/coil. The California version, and the non-California version (everyone else). Turns out my car has the California version (straight wires).

 

I've already ordered the correct wires (NGK FX102's) on Amazon, but with the long weekend, won't see them until Tuesday. So much for taking out my Legacy for a weekend drive :/

 

Ah well. Could be worse, right? (Actually, my heater blower just started making noises today, to let me know it's time to reach into the 'ol wallet again... hehe).

 

On this sidetrack, how can one tell where a Subaru was manufactured? I guess my was made in California? My manual says that California Subarus have an extended emission system warranty, so I'm wondering if I can take it in for them to fix the CEL (one of the CEL's it was getting was about levels after the catalytic converter, which might have been caused by the oil in the sparkplugs/cylinders). Could this mean I've lucked out on a free replacement? Not really sure how that works, I've tried to read up other threads on the forum but it's a bit confusing.

[GEE-OTTO]

Get your VIN and decode it your Legacy was made in Indian the 4S3BL616 part the rest is the various options, drivetrain etc aspects of you car

 

Try it for yourself!

[yinlun]

Ok, I did just that, went to Advanced Auto Parts to take a look and see with my own eyeballs what the deal was. So it turns out that there are two versions of the wires/coil. The California version, and the non-California version (everyone else). Turns out my car has the California version (straight wires).

 

I've already ordered the correct wires (NGK FX102's) on Amazon, but with the long weekend, won't see them until Tuesday. So much for taking out my Legacy for a weekend drive :/

 

Ah well. Could be worse, right? (Actually, my heater blower just started making noises today, to let me know it's time to reach into the 'ol wallet again... hehe).

 

On this sidetrack, how can one tell where a Subaru was manufactured? I guess my was made in California? My manual says that California Subarus have an extended emission system warranty, so I'm wondering if I can take it in for them to fix the CEL (one of the CEL's it was getting was about levels after the catalytic converter, which might have been caused by the oil in the sparkplugs/cylinders). Could this mean I've lucked out on a free replacement? Not really sure how that works, I've tried to read up other threads on the forum but it's a bit confusing.

 

I didn't see this until later. But you're spot on. I ordered the NGK (55004) FX101 from Amazon as well and they were a direct fit, with the angle to the coil pack. This was for a 2005 2.5i NA - non Cali car.

(You can see pictures of the sets here instead of going to the store for future reference)

 

The Cali-spec was actually sold in more than just cali. CA, CT, NH, NY, MA, MS, RI, VT have California Spec Ultra/Partial Zero Emission Vehicles Edit: for 2005. Future years were expanded. Usually I've seen them with a tag stating PZEV. You can also call Subaru to run your VIN. More info in this thread.