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01 outback head gasket blues


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2001 Outback. Head gaskets failed at 244K. Lasted 10K then LH failed again. local shop replaced under warranty and now 2 days later coolant recovery tank is slowly filling up and coolant is bubbling at hot idle. We are thinking cracked head or worse cracked cylinder wall? Car runs perfect. No oil in water or water in oil. Car is in excellent shape for it's age. debating as to buying a head, buying a motor or another car. I have been told the 6 cylinder cars dont have these problems. Is a swap fesable or even possible?

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Did they surface the heads, clean the block mating surface, and make sure everything is perfectly clean and dry?

Did they try to put some crap on there to seal the gasket? (DON'T DO THIS)

What headgaskets were used? The heads almost never crack, it sounds like they're doing something wrong.

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The mating surfaces on both the heads AND the block MUST be perfectly clean and have the correct finish for new gaskets to seal properly. It isn't rocket science, but if someone got carried away with a rotary clean-up wheel the block surface could be worn down too much for any new gasket to seal properly. 

 

Need to get your money back from the shop, or take the car to a different shop and have the first shop pay to have the job done properly. 

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I agree with the others. Replacement head gaskets lasting only 10K miles is a strong indication that the head gasket work was not done correctly. I am guessing the work was done at an independent shop that didn't know what they were doing. Replacing HGs on a Subie is not like replacing HGs on a Chevy small block.

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So you have 254K on your 2001 car?  I think that you have got your money out of the car.   Since you have the shop on the hook, maybe, one thing that you can consider is swap a used motor in.  Don't try to repair the existing motor anymore.  Unfortunately, a used 2.5 motor is always a gamble.  You don't know if the used motor was overheated, etc?

 

Best, of course, is to buy another car.

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2001 Outback. Head gaskets failed at 244K. Lasted 10K then LH failed again. local shop replaced under warranty and now 2 days later

 

Mostly likely scenario is that the work was compromised. These motors have to be approached in a specific way.

 

1. what brand headgaskets are being used?

2. is the Subaru torque procedure for headgaskets being used?

3.  are the heads being resurfaced?

 

The answer to one of those questions is likely not in alignment with the best approach to this engine and that's the answer to why the HG blew twice in a row.

 

Ideally you also tell us:

4. how badly did the car overheat the first time the headgaskets failed?

5. were the HG's ever replaced before you owned it?

 

 

 We are thinking cracked head or worse cracked cylinder wall?

 

Highly unlikely. That engine doesn't crack heads.

The only way that's possible is if the car was driven under extremely abusive overheating conditions.  You haven't said that it was so we're assuming it wasn't.

 

 

6 cylinder cars dont have these problems. Is a swap fesable or even possible?

 

not feasible.  the wiring and custom work would be extremely cost prohibitive.  it easily "bolts in" to the engine mounts/transmission, but it won't run until all the wiring and ECU are fitted which is intensive and probably beyond the scope of what your mechanic would even be willing to do.

 

not to mention, 6 cylinder engines are starting to have more and more HG issues themselves.

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good to know. thanks for the info. this is the 1st I have read of the 6 cylinders having head gasket issues. Have they fixed it in later 2.5 motors? If so what year did they solve the problem?

 

1996-2009 all EJ25's have headgasket issues.

 

2010 is supposed to have seen updates to the block and gasket which is significantly different.  Subaru has claimed "updates" multiple times in the near 20 year existence of the EJ25, so it may be dubious to trust but the changes are significant and therefore 2010-2011's may be the "best" EJ25's.

 

i wouldn't call it permanently fixed until the new FB engines prove themselves - 2011+ forester and 2012+ outback/legacy.

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The head gaskets which Subaru makes for the EJ25 SOHC engines are junk.  We had multiple issues with them in those engines.  Since we started using the turbo head gaskets (the 860 ones) instead, we have had no failures unless the cooling system goes south.

 

They're right about the mating surfaces: they have to be perfect.

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