dennis111

On a 2000 Forester 2nd gen 2.5L, do the valves get adjusted with the motor cold or should it be warmed up first?

I had the same problem on an 2000 Forester and it took a couple of months in order to find the exact location because it was basically hidden. I smelled it and saw evidence of the leak on the exhaust. I also had oil mixing with the antifreeze (but not vice versa.) What I did was pressure wash the motor, and then put the car up on jack stands. I ran the car, checking the motor over until I saw the location of the leak which ended up being the back of the driver's side head--bad head gasket. It was in a location that was not easy to see, but because the motor was cleaned it stood out. You had to look down from the top of the engine compartment, near the brake master cylinder to see my weeping. I ended up doing the work myself and detailed much of it through the use of pictures found on this site. Good Luck!

It took leaving the negative cable off overnight for the CEL to clear on my 2000 Forester. It was a move of desperation prior to driving 35 miles to the nearest Advanced Auto/Autozone. Of course you will have to have the problem corrected before it will clear and I knew that I had forgotten to replace a plug on the temperature sensor after replacing the head gaskets.

HA HA HA!!!! Of course I meant that oil started mixing with the antifreeze. . . . .

I guess we got the "lemon." Female adult driven 2000 Forester bought new. Dealer serviced at the recommended major intervals. Lost a couple of rear wheel bearings before 60,000 miles-Warranty replacements. Automatic tranny went out at 99,000 (hesitated when put into gear)--$3K repair and 1 week downtime. (Subaru wanted $4k to replace it with a factory rebuilt one.) At 125,000 the driver's side head gasket went and antifreeze started mixing with the antifreeze and was dripping on the ground. Car had not been overheated. Did the repairs, replaced the water pump, timing belt and a reseal myself--$400 in parts and 1 week down time. Other repairs have been less hurtful, a CV shaft comes to mind. I must say though that even at 130,000 miles, the car still runs strong and otherwise appears to be reliable. Hoping to get another couple of years out of it. . . . .

Hi everyone, I recently got the pleasure(???) of replacing my head gaskets on a 2000 Forester 2.5L SOHC with 128K miles. Antifreeze was leaking from the driver's side rear gasket and oil was getting into the antifreeze. The engine was still running strong and was not overheating. You could smell the antifreeze when the engine was up to temp. I thought I would share a few pics of the various parts of the engine. I took these pics to ensure that I could reinstall everything back into their original locations. The pictures are displayed in reverse order: http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n229/dennis_8047/Subaru%20Motor/?start=all Hopefully the pics will help others to ID locations and hose/wire routings. Here are a few observations: 1. A good manual is essential to ensure that you have all the torque values and diagrams. Having some mechanical ability is a must. I've restored several American cars at home from the 60's so working on cars is not "foreign" to me. LOL 2. Following the manual during disassembly will be helpful. Don't just start removing things, like I did. LOL 3. Heads can be removed in the car (once you get to them.) In my case, I decided to remove the block from the car. 4. The AC system does not need drained if you are careful. I pulled the motor easily (with the intake manifold removed.) Pics above show where the compressor rested during the R&R. 5. You can remove the 6 head bolts without removing the cam and valvetrain. A 12 point 14mm socket or 12 point 9/16" socket is needed. 6. Removing the cam requires a T45 Torx "star point" socket. There are six torx on each head. Be careful as the bolts are tight. I stripped out 2 and needed to replace them. You will also need a 5mm allenhead socket. Follow the disassembly instructions in the manual as there is a certain order required in order to remove the bolts. 7. The timing belt tooth count was different than my manual. I needed 47 teeth on the passenger side and 43.5 on the driver's side. 8. It is hard to know which O ring goes where. 9. Replace both head gaskets at the same time as you will not want to do it a second time. LOL 10. Most everything can be removed with a 10mm, 14mm (12 point), and occasionally a 12mm socket and wrench. A couple of screw drivers, a pry bar, a feeler gauge, the T45 Torx socket, a 5mm socket, a 17mm, and a torque wrench pretty much sums up most of the tools I used. I also used a couple of "English" sockets--one for removing the balancer and another for removing the cam bolts. An air ratchet helped to speed things up, but was not necessary. 11. The valve adjustment setting in the book was not correct for my car. The correct setting was found on my hood sticker--> .010 intake & .015 exhaust. 12. You can make a strap wrench to hold the timing gear from turning by using an old serpentine belt (doesn't have to be Subaru, nor ribbed) and a pair of vice grips. Use the clamping action of the vice grips to squeeze the belt tight on the gear. then you can twist the vice grips toward the head which can help you to create a "positive stop." 13. The engines are mostly glued together. The oil pan, oil pump housing, and cam retainer block are sealed using only silicone. Of course there is an O ring behind the oil pump housing too. I used Permatex ultra-black gasket maker and I bought it at Advance Auto in a caulking gun size. You won't need that much (maybe 1/4 of it,) but because I am always playing with my other toys I like to keep some around. 14. This is an excellent time to replace the spark plugs. It will never get any easier. My plug gap is .041. The old ones where easily .050 and one was more. Definitely worn out. 15. I used a FelPro head gasket set which included all the correct gaskets and O-rings needed for the heads. This kit even included the spark plug seals. I also bought the Felpro lower gasket set which included the O rings and seals. It was practically a steal for that one. Head set was $166 and the lower set was only $44. I got all my parts from http://www.autopartswarehouse.com. Excellent prices, FREE SHIPPING, and good service. They shipped in multiple shipments from throughout the country and I had every thing in 4-5 days. 16. Remember to plug all the sensors back in. I forgot the temperature sensor (hidden under passenger side intake) and when I started the car, the fans came on immediately. No movement in the temp gauge when warmed up. Gave me a check engine light. Motor ran, but driveability suffered. I determined the problem and plugged the sensor back in (after removing the air box, the engine ground, and some brackets--it was buried way under. Once installed, driveability was perfect again. Check engine light remained on. :-( 17. The check engine light will clear if you leave the battery unplugged overnight IF THE PROBLEM IS CORRECTED. At least it did on my car. I left it unplugged overnight anticipating a 30 minute ride to an Autozone in the morning. Hooked it back up and turned the key and the light was out! 15 minutes unplugged won't do it. 18. The re-installation of the motor and hooking it all up was much easier than the initial removal. I started the job with a negative bias in doing it, but grudgingly continued to mark wires and such and remove bolts (bagging and marking them throughout the process.) I cleaned the engine bay, the various parts, and the bolts while I was waiting on parts. I did not order parts until I examined everything and knew what was needed. Reinstalling was as simple as looking at the markings, installing the labeled hardware, and looking at the various pictures that I liked above. Very easy to put back together. Just wish I had plugged in the temp sensor mentioned in #16 as it would have been easy then. LOL 19. All told, I had 3 full days in this project. One day to remove the motor and strip the heads. The second day included taking the heads to the shop (to check for head flatness (<.002), do a valve job, replace the valve stem seals.) I also cleaned the engine bay and all the related parts including the bolts. I replaced the water pump, resealed the oil pump, and removed the oil pan in order to replace the pickup O-ring. The third day I reattached the heads to the motor, installed the cams and retainers, adjusted the valves, installed the timing belt, set the motor in, and reinstalled everything. I was cruising by 4 that afternoon. Good Luck with your projects!!!!! Dennis

Found here are my tips, notes, and a link to 64 or so high resolution pictures that I took detailing my head gasket replacement on a 2000 Forester. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69717 Here is a sample pic: Good luck with your project!!!!!! Dennis

Final report. The Subby is running good and has no leaks after 30+ miles. Today I released it back to the girlfriend and it is back in her custody. I hope she appreciates it. Feel free to do as you wish with this thread on this site--I already added it to the "sticky's". I am considering making it a web page which is why I took all the pics, but can't really find the time to do it right away--to many other pressing projects and too little time. That is why I have posted all my experience here where it can be found and used by all. Enjoy!

Today I added 17 more pictures of my motor and the reinstallation. Enjoy! http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n229/dennis_8047/Subaru%20Motor/?start=all

Thanks. Canon PowerShot A620 on Auto.

Hi everyone, I recently got the pleasure(???) of replacing my head gaskets on a 2000 Forester 2.5L SOHC with 128K miles. Antifreeze was leaking from the driver's side rear gasket and oil was getting into the antifreeze. The engine was still running strong and was not overheating. You could smell the antifreeze when the engine was up to temp. I thought I would share a few pics of the various parts of the engine. I took these pics to ensure that I could reinstall everything back into their original locations. The pictures are displayed in reverse order: http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n229/dennis_8047/Subaru%20Motor/?start=all Hopefully the pics will help others to ID locations and hose/wire routings. Here are a few observations: 1. A good manual is essential to ensure that you have all the torque values and diagrams. Having some mechanical ability is a must. I've restored several American cars at home from the 60's so working on cars is not "foreign" to me. LOL 2. Following the manual during disassembly will be helpful. Don't just start removing things, like I did. LOL 3. Heads can be removed in the car (once you get to them.) In my case, I decided to remove the block from the car. 4. The AC system does not need drained if you are careful. I pulled the motor easily (with the intake manifold removed.) Pics above show where the compressor rested during the R&R. 5. You can remove the 6 head bolts without removing the cam and valvetrain. A 12 point 14mm socket or 12 point 9/16" socket is needed. 6. Removing the cam requires a T45 Torx "star point" socket. There are six torx on each head. Be careful as the bolts are tight. I stripped out 2 and needed to replace them. You will also need a 5mm allenhead socket. Follow the disassembly instructions in the manual as there is a certain order required in order to remove the bolts. 7. The timing belt tooth count was different than my manual. I needed 47 teeth on the passenger side and 43.5 on the driver's side. (corrected) 8. It is hard to know which O ring goes where. 9. Replace both head gaskets at the same time as you will not want to do it a second time. LOL 10. Most everything can be removed with a 10mm, 14mm (12 point), and occasionally a 12mm socket and wrench. A couple of screw drivers, a pry bar, a feeler gauge, the T45 Torx socket, a 5mm socket, a 17mm, and a torque wrench pretty much sums up most of the tools I used. I also used a couple of "English" sockets--one for removing the balancer and another for removing the cam bolts. An air ratchet helped to speed things up, but was not necessary. 11. The valve adjustment setting in the book was not correct for my car. The correct setting was found on my hood sticker--> .010 intake & .015 exhaust. 12. You can make a strap wrench to hold the timing gear from turning by using an old serpentine belt (doesn't have to be Subaru, nor ribbed) and a pair of vice grips. Use the clamping action of the vice grips to squeeze the belt tight on the gear. then you can twist the vice grips toward the head which can help you to create a "positive stop." 13. The engines are mostly glued together. The oil pan, oil pump housing, and cam retainer block are sealed using only silicone. Of course there is an O ring behind the oil pump housing too. I used Permatex ultra-black gasket maker and I bought it at Advance Auto in a caulking gun size. You won't need that much (maybe 1/4 of it,) but because I am always playing with my other toys I like to keep some around. 14. This is an excellent time to replace the spark plugs. It will never get any easier. My plug gap is .041. The old ones where easily .050 and one was more. Definitely worn out. 15. I used a FelPro head gasket set which included all the correct gaskets and O-rings needed for the heads. This kit even included the spark plug seals. I also bought the Felpro lower gasket set which included the O rings and seals. It was practically a steal for that one. Head set was $166 and the lower set was only $44. I got all my parts from http://www.autopartswarehouse.com. Excellent prices, FREE SHIPPING, and good service. They shipped in multiple shipments from throughout the country and I had every thing in 4-5 days. 16. Remember to plug all the sensors back in. I forgot the temperature sensor (hidden under passenger side intake) and when I started the car, the fans came on immediately. No movement in the temp gauge when warmed up. Gave me a check engine light. Motor ran, but driveability suffered. I determined the problem and plugged the sensor back in (after removing the air box, the engine ground, and some brackets--it was buried way under. Once installed, driveability was perfect again. Check engine light remained on. :-( 17. The check engine light will clear if you leave the battery unplugged overnight IF THE PROBLEM IS CORRECTED. At least it did on my car. I left it unplugged overnight anticipating a 30 minute ride to an Autozone in the morning. Hooked it back up and turned the key and the light was out! 15 minutes unplugged won't do it. 18. The re-installation of the motor and hooking it all up was much easier than the initial removal. I started the job with a negative bias in doing it, but grudgingly continued to mark wires and such and remove bolts (bagging and marking them throughout the process.) I cleaned the engine bay, the various parts, and the bolts while I was waiting on parts. I did not order parts until I examined everything and knew what was needed. Reinstalling was as simple as looking at the markings, installing the labeled hardware, and looking at the various pictures that I liked above. Very easy to put back together. Just wish I had plugged in the temp sensor mentioned in #16 as it would have been easy then. LOL 19. All told, I had 3 full days in this project. One day to remove the motor and strip the heads. The second day included taking the heads to the shop (to check for head flatness (<.002), do a valve job, replace the valve stem seals.) I also cleaned the engine bay and all the related parts including the bolts. I replaced the water pump, resealed the oil pump, and removed the oil pan in order to replace the pickup O-ring. The third day I reattached the heads to the motor, installed the cams and retainers, adjusted the valves, installed the timing belt, set the motor in, and reinstalled everything. I was cruising by 4 that afternoon. Good Luck with your projects!!!!! Dennis

Cool, thanks for the back up!

Yep, I replaced many of the seals/O-rings and the water pump while I had it out. I removed oil pump and replaced the seal and O ring, removed the pan and replaced the pick-up O ring, and removed the water manifold to replace the O-rings. I replaced the front cam seals and I am going to replace the rear main seal once I get the engine off the stand. I also did a valve job and verified that the head was flat (.0015.) The crap on the exhaust valve was too tough to lap so I refaced them (neighbor has machine shop in backyard garage ) and then I lapped them to the original seats. The intake valves looked nice and so I just lapped them in with out refacing. I was surprised at how nice the cylinders and such were after 130K miles. The engine had no leaks, except the driver's side head gasket. Even so, the various O-rings were hard and brittle. It was only a matter of time until they started to leak. Hopefully reinstalling the motor will go smoothly. . . . . Here are e pages of pics of my motor as I was disassembling it: http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n229/dennis_8047/Subaru%20Motor/ Currently they are in reverse order on the site. I took all the pics to use as a guide for reassembly. Lots of plugs, hoses and wires. I was able to pull the motor without draining the AC once I removed the intake manifold. Thanks for your quick help. Dennis

Hi, I just finished replacing my head gaskets and such on my SOHC 2.5L 2000 Forester and realized that I did not mark the teeth on the timing belt prior to disassembly. DOH! On reassembly, I followed the manual I have and it says 40.5 teeth on the driver's side and 44 teeth to the passenger side. The problem I have is that I need more teeth on both sides to get the gears anywhere near the timing marks. It appears like 44.5 teeth on the driver's side and 47 teeth on the passenger side are needed to get all there gear in the 12:00 position. Is that right? What is the spark plug gap for this engine? Thanks in advance, Dennis