hearnmike Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Experienced subie mechanics - head gasket leak for sure, good compression and motor. Asking advice from those who have, as to pulling the motor. Can you pull the motor out the front a leave tranny (automatic all wheel drive), can the airconditioning be kept intact?R-12 is so high should a change over be considered to the new stuff, I believe thats possible. Car has 165K and is in good condition, and head leak is internal nature with classic systems as I learned on this great site from you guys, locked up waterflow, with no cabin heat, new radiator, waterpump, thermostat. Any advice on head gaskets? I've heard there might be changes or wonder if some brands might be a better choice. All responses appreciated and I will not do this project for a couple of months, but will report the results for furure subie owners in my situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwst Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 No. You cannot save the R-12 unless you have a very expensive recovery machine. Will have to switch to R-134a. Not horribly expensive. Just a valve switch I think. Will need to be professionally serviced to refill properly. To drain r-12...w/o proper equipment/recovery machine is illegal. But someone once told me that if you have an r-12 ac guage kit, and run one end into a bucket of water, you can safely discharge the r-12 into the water w/o it going into the atmosphere. I don't know if this is true. May or may not be legal. Breathing too much r-12 can freeze your lungs...dangerous. Stick with a good quality gasket brand, I always prefer factory for head gaskets, but Felpro and National are okay too I think. Avoid cheap auto parts stores!!! good luck. If you find R-12 in a store...DONT BUY IT!!! It is cheap knock off and can cause an explosion. Real r-12 has been off the market for many years. ps. I am airconditioning ASE certified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 The AC compressor can be unbolted from the engine and set over on the side of the engine bay. No need to break the lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handtool Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 . No need to break the lines. 2nd vote for this. I just pulled my 2.2 to do the clutch and was able to unbolt the compressor and tie it back out of the way. It was tight and I really tweaked on the lines but no leaks. Knock on wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 3rd vote for just unbolting the compressor mount and moving it aside. Re: HG makers - At least on the Old-Gen side, there seems to be a concern over using FelPro (again, this is on the EA82s), and a general preference for Subaru OE headgaskets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 2, 2005 Share Posted July 2, 2005 first note - lots of people on here like pulling the engine but the head gaskets on the EA82 can be easily done in a day without pulling the motor and require no special tools. i have also pulled a couple motors, but i find doing it in the engine much quicker if i want the car back on the road as soon as possible. it is super duper convenient to pull it though if you have the space and equipment. it is easier but you have lots of hoses, throttle cables, wires, sensors, and the entire pulling and installing process to deal with. but it is the only way to get to the rear main seal and an excellent way to get to the oil pan. doing the oil pan under the car sucks the big one. push the a/c compressor to the side gently and it won't leak out. leave it contorted for as short of a time as possible. when pulling this motor...if it's an automatic it might be nice if it's your first time with an automatic to pull the motor and trans at the same time (they'll both come out together, still attached). the 4EAT auto trans on the XT6 can be tricky and i personally know of a few people that have not gotten it right and cracked the internal transmission oil pump. the problem is that the torque converter slides in easily but the last 1/2" or so is very tricky to get it to seat properly. if you just pull the engine, be sure to seat the transmission perfectly and don't let it come back out until you bolt the motor up. it's not hard at all if you just want to pull the motor, just make sure you seat the torque converter all the way...it's hard to tell if it goes that last 1/2 inch or so....it usually takes a few minutes, which seem like a half an hour because you're just turning the thing around and around and it doesn't seem to go anywhere then finally it drops right in. if you dont and try to bolt the engine to the trans, it'll crack the pump or shaft inside....then it gets ungly from there. also - source the "ring seal" as the dealer calls it and the torque converter seal. i would replace both of these with the motor out. grease the ring seal really good and be sure the old one comes out and is not left down in the trans opening. source these ahead of time, they likely won't have the ring seal in stock. old ones can be really brittle or bent. i've seen them crack right in half the minute you touch them and also pulled them off all twisted and gnarled. i'd have an extra one handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddevil Posted July 2, 2005 Share Posted July 2, 2005 Engine pulling and rebuilding tips section I wrote. I have pulled 4 engines this year, and rebuilt 3. http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=18218 I also have made a DVD of how to pull pistons, install rings and reinstall the pistons, timing belt install and clutch install. $7.50 if you want one. PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted July 2, 2005 Share Posted July 2, 2005 You don't need to pull the motor to do the head gasket. It does make it a hell of a lot easier though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwst Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 appologies on the a/c drain advice. I was listening to the Haynes manual advice...I should know better. They say on 2.2L ac has to be opened. Obviously they are wrong. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearnmike Posted July 14, 2005 Author Share Posted July 14, 2005 The AC compressor can be unbolted from the engine and set over on the side of the engine bay. No need to break the lines. Thanks for the tip, I thought it might be possible with a bit of care during the pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearnmike Posted July 16, 2005 Author Share Posted July 16, 2005 first note - lots of people on here like pulling the engine but the head gaskets on the EA82 can be easily done in a day without pulling the motor and require no special tools. i have also pulled a couple motors, but i find doing it in the engine much quicker if i want the car back on the road as soon as possible. it is super duper convenient to pull it though if you have the space and equipment. it is easier but you have lots of hoses, throttle cables, wires, sensors, and the entire pulling and installing process to deal with. but it is the only way to get to the rear main seal and an excellent way to get to the oil pan. doing the oil pan under the car sucks the big one. push the a/c compressor to the side gently and it won't leak out. leave it contorted for as short of a time as possible. when pulling this motor...if it's an automatic it might be nice if it's your first time with an automatic to pull the motor and trans at the same time (they'll both come out together, still attached). the 4EAT auto trans on the XT6 can be tricky and i personally know of a few people that have not gotten it right and cracked the internal transmission oil pump. the problem is that the torque converter slides in easily but the last 1/2" or so is very tricky to get it to seat properly. if you just pull the engine, be sure to seat the transmission perfectly and don't let it come back out until you bolt the motor up. it's not hard at all if you just want to pull the motor, just make sure you seat the torque converter all the way...it's hard to tell if it goes that last 1/2 inch or so....it usually takes a few minutes, which seem like a half an hour because you're just turning the thing around and around and it doesn't seem to go anywhere then finally it drops right in. if you dont and try to bolt the engine to the trans, it'll crack the pump or shaft inside....then it gets ungly from there. also - source the "ring seal" as the dealer calls it and the torque converter seal. i would replace both of these with the motor out. grease the ring seal really good and be sure the old one comes out and is not left down in the trans opening. source these ahead of time, they likely won't have the ring seal in stock. old ones can be really brittle or bent. i've seen them crack right in half the minute you touch them and also pulled them off all twisted and gnarled. i'd have an extra one handy. Great info and thanks for the detail and on hand experience. Yes I do have an automatic and can picture just what you are saying about that last half inch when it might be the demise as reinstalling the motor. I basically think of just the head gasket replacement if the motor is really good, or do it up as you have done with your motor and that sounds like some fun with these revy boxer motors. Think I will go with the head gasket replacement motor left in and glad to hear that it is feasible. This motor runs great and has no oil leaks as the front end stuff was already done, timing belt and seals. This will also make sure the airconditioning stays right and all the drive axles can be left as is. I actually have an 88 wagon and wonder if your trick motor is the 1.8 liter, so if you dont mind, please let me know if this is the same as your 89 car. Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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