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Yeah man good luck. Probably a minor imperfection. i repaired one water pump mating surface hacked up from drilling and work on seized/sheared bolt removals. A good bit of metal missing and all cratered up like the moon.

Quick check on romraider doesn't have your 03 NA ecu listed. Either doesn't have a definition or the ecu is unsupported. https://www.romraider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7591

what fel pro part number? Id be curious what they supply for the uncommon Phase II EJ22 If you bought the car recently like this then you have to wonder how badly it was abused prior. Roll dice, assess things... If you’ve owned and driven it a long time trouble free before this then it was probably a glitch during install. 1. Resurface the heads yourself and clean them. It’s so easy, compared to DIY head gasket replacement it’s a drop in the bucket. ”testing them” is a complete waste of time on Subaru’s. They always test fine but you’ll see high and low spots every time if you watch during resurfacing. I don’t want high and low spots on a engine that has head gasket issues from a new factory clean seal job 2. Calibrate or somehow verify your torque wrench and your torque procedures. Ignore Fel Pro recommendations and clean and reuse your original Subaru head bolts if you have them. Use Subaru torque procedure and bolts, even the used ones 3. clean the block - do not use sand paper or wire wheel. 4. clean and lubricate the bolt holes and bolt threads so proper torque leads to design clamping loads. On EJ25s the gasket installed today is not what was originally installed. I favor Subaru, many others do as well, but Fel Pro is used extensively by some shops and I’ve installed a couple without issues. But totally ignore their asinine head bolt comments. Those are EJ25 part numbers, he’s got an EJ22.

The only gaskets I really worry about OEM for are the intake manifold gaskets. They are completely different and better than aftermarket cardboard like ones, even Fel-pro.

DIY Head Resurfacing... or "Post-apocalyptic machine shop techniques!" - Old Gen.: 80's GL/DL/XT/Loyales... - Ultimate Subaru Message Board Should help with resurfacing Don't know what went wrong the first time, but .... O.

If you ever have a problem like that again, say something and I or someone will gladly help you through it. I've been working on computers since the beginning of personal computers (before DOS). That happens to me too. Walk away and think about it, then come back and fix it.

Yep, dry usually works, 2 in 10 might not. I've used that stuff only a couple times over many EA/ER engines. Aftermarket gaskets are thin as frog hair and suck. You're right, I've used them with a coating and they will work but avoid them most of the time.

I've had this happen before. 1. smooth the mating surface with fine grit sand paper. check the water pump too just in case it got knicked. If you think you got it smooth, addressed the problem area then reinstall dry. 2. if that doesn't work or you're uncertain, I use permatex water pump sealant on both sides of the gasket. Just follow the directions - it can be used alone or with a gasket. Or just skip trying a dry gasket if you don't want to go back in there again.

I used to use a very thin film of RTV on both sides of the gasket, as a sealer. Do not use so much that it oozes out into the cooling system. The bolts should not be in contact with coolant. The holes should be blind.

John, I can print and mail it or post/send the images to you. We live in the mountains with no internet/no cable/no TV options (which is totally fine by me!) so I totally understand having hard copies verses digital.