theotherskip

i believe i have heard the guys on cartalk actually give this one some credit. but i've never tried it.... http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1999/November/11.html they tend to be not too sponsor based/biased...

on my phase I engine, the heads were not out of spec. I had a machinest check. they didn't require any reconditioning, though i had new valve guides put in. iirc, 99obw's weren't warped either...

it went very well, actually. aside from having to part with a wad of cash i wasn't planning on spending, it was extremely interesting and fascinating to tear down that far into the engine. prior to this, the most i had done was timing belts and half shafts - this was the most advanced by far. i took my time, used the FSM, and worked methodically and clean. everything went back together smoothly and i didn't have anything left over. it started right up... only things that were a pia were the getting some of the last minute parts. i ordered from www.1stsubaruparts.com all of the things i could think of in advance (gasket set, waterpump, timing belt, etc). but i had a bad idler pulley, the clutch fork boot fell apart in my hand, and i needed to get shims for the valve. all of these i had to rely on the local dealer for, and they only had the idler pulley in stock, and i had to spend about an hour with a micrometer and a box of shims at the dealer to find what i wanted (they just had a bunch loose). but everything came apart fairly easily and went back together well. overall it took about 40 hours. i wasn't working at the time, so i didn't mind, but now that i am working, i know i couldn't have my car out of service for that long. i got rid of the car about a month ago, under suspicion that the next gasket was on its way out (after about 30k miles). i liked the car, but didn't want to spend all of my free time keeping it running...

iirc, the order is based on the two circuits of the brake system (for redundancy). One front and the opposite rear are on each circuit.

engine swap out is pretty easy. you could probably do it in about 10-15 hours (first time doing it). not too many specalized tools required. you can have a look around here: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/Head_gasket_replacement.html for a better idea of what is involved...

like what 99obw said, i had to give mine a good run to get it to produce bubbles. i could do stop and go traffic without any problems, but if i took it for sustained 65+ for 20 minutes or so, i would get bubbles. hopefully you'll never see them...

you can try some of the internet junkyards... http://www.uneedapart.com/ worth a shot...

i think it depends where the crack is. the way the cylinders can crack in the block, i don't think it is possible to repair. someone just send me this link... http://webdev.ce.utexas.edu/subaru/ this looks beyond the repair of welding and machining...

also a possibility. this is usually accompanied by a collapsed radiator hose, caused by the vaccum the cooling has caused...

mileage doesn't seem to be a good indicator. some people experienced failures young (30k), while many didn't have any trouble until 150k and beyond... you can browse through this list... http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/guestlog.html

it can be a good indication, but not positive proof. the phase i engines leak internally. pressure from inside the combustion chamber leaks into the coolant passages. normally, the coolant is a closed, pressurized system, operating around 12-15psi. as it heats, the coolant expands, and overflows into the overflow tank. as the car cools, the coolant contracts, and a vaccum is formed, which sucks coolant back into the block from the expansion tank. if a leak is in the system, where the cooling system does not pressurize, it will push coolant out to the expansion tank as it warms, but since it never pressurizes due to a leak, it never draws a vaccum to pull coolant back. if you remove your radiator cap (with the engine cool!), you will probably see that it is low. a good check at this point is to fill the radiator (and burp it appropiately), then take the car for about a 20 minute drive on the highway. pull over, leave the engine running, and pop the hood. check the expansion tank. if you see a steady stream of bubbles, it is a good indication of a blown head gasket, and you can have further tests done (such as test for combustion gasses in the coolant) before comitting to the repair (or getting rid of the car...)

if the matter was improper torque, i deeply hope they would have figured it out by now. i think it is a larger problem...

aside from making sure everything is disconnected, it can be a bear to separate the two. after about 2 hours of trying everything imaginable (including my neighbor standing on the engine while i shook/pryed it), i hit a flat spot on the bellhousing with the butt end of a long breaker bar. low and behold, a hairline crack opened up. slowly but surely, i was able to get it apart more and more, until i could get something in between to wedge them apart. i put a bunch of notes and things i learned along the way up here: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/Head_gasket_replacement.html hope it helps...

after getting a nice reply from soa where they were "not aware of a known condition with head gasket failures at this time," i decided to start keeping a list. i count 58 listing of 96-98 (some of the 99's were phase I's, some were II's. i was just doing a quick count, so i omitted them). hopefully everyone who has signed the guestbook has been writing to subaru and including the list to let them know, so they can't pull the "we haven't heard of any..." line anymore. you can view the guestbook here: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/guestlog.html post or pm his email to me. i'd love to have a chat with him...

the "service campaign" that he is refering to does not concern the phase I engines. the phase I engines have an internal leak, where cylinder pressure is blown into the cooling system. the phase II engines have an external leak, where pressurized coolant forces itself out of the block. a stop leak, which he was refering to, will correct the external leak, since it can plug the leak, but will do nothing for an internal leak, where it will be pushed out of the way. my recommendation would be to stay away from all phase I engines. they have not proved to be a reliable engine. some will be fine, but it is a signifigant gamble that you should be well aware of from the get-go...

i didn't replace the head bolts when i replaced mine, and i think the gasket was going south again when i sold the car 30k miles later. i don't know if it was the block of not changing the head bolts that was the problem. might be cheap insurance if you plan to hang onto the car for a while...

i had the same car, same year, same problem. i did it myself, along with all the seals and a clutch. you can read all about it here: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/Head_gasket_replacement.html it's worth getting the gasket kit rather than individual gaskets...

it doesn't make sense that they were anywhere near the transmission. the oil pump is on one end of the engine, the transmission the other. they may have seen oil dripping from the bell housing, which could indicate an oil separator plate or rear main seal leaking, but you should have been notified. i think this dealer is doing some fishing for work. you should also be covered under the 5 year/60,000 mile warranty, no? in which case, complain, complain, complain!

Well, I just traded in my 97 OBW for an 04 Jetta TDI. I decided to cut my losses after i got rear ended recently. I took the other guy's insurance money and the crud collecting in the coolant overflow (i think the head gasket is going south again) as the final incentive to get rid of it. Thanks to everyone here for all there help, and I'll probably keep browsing through from time to time. I'll leave my web page up with info, and feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions. I also will be selling the trailer hitch from the car and a front skid plate over in the marketplace once i get a chance to take some pictures of the stuff and post it. Anyone who frequents the auctions in the northeast should beware of a white 97 outback, leather, 100k, 5sp, with a dinged front and rear bumper - its a lemon...its time is done. Thanks again for everyone who provided a lot of help and information over the time I owned it....

also note that the timing mark on the crank sprocket is a line on one of the lobes in the back of the gear, and not the triangle in the center...

the spring recall has nothing to do with it not being able to be aligned. they had a paint problem with the springs that could cause them to rust, break, and slice into the tire. there soultion - replace the spring, no, just install a catchers mitt. but it won't affect you alignment at all...

most likely a blocked radiator. the stop leak products are notorious for blocking passages. and it will show itself under the conditions you explained. when you are traveling at highway speed, there is sufficient airflow to cool with the limited flow, but when you are in town, there isn't enough airflow to keep the engine cool with the reduced capacity of the radiator. as for thing to do, you can have it flow tested, or you can remove and have it flushed, but i suspect that you won't see a drastic improvement. Might be worth a shot, though, if money is tight... good luck...

i did the head gaskets and clutch on my 97 by pulling the motor. i did all of the maintenance/seals while is was in there as well. i wouldn't have even considered doing it without the FSM's from techinfo.subaru.com. they made a total difference, with good step by step instructions & illustrations to help. i made a web page with all of the things i learned over the course changing the head gaskets and clutch. it is all of the collected wisedom i learned while researching it (a lot from the archives here at the usmb, plus some from the web and friends). i intended it to be a commentary to suppliment the FSM's and work arounds if you don't have all the special tools they mention. you can view it at http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/Head_gasket_replacement.html. for pictures, scroll down to the bottom and click next. i did do the water pump while i was in there, since it was only around $70. i did all the seals and replaced the plastic oil separator plate with the newer metal one - something you should definately do if you have the plastic one. it would suck to go through all that only to have the separator plate leak later. as for clutch, i went OEM, as i am just a daily driver, and with all the clutch judder issues, i hoped subaru would be most interested in solving it. 30k later, it is worlds better than the old one, but no where near as nice as the vw i test drove the other week. i also had the flywheel machined.

the subarus are a bit more tricky to get all of the air out. i don't know if the quick lube place would know to open the air bleeder on the top passenger side of the radiator. air pockets would definately cause irradic temperature readings, but with the tendancy of this engine to blow head gaskets, just be aware of what to look for. to get it to blow bubbles, i had to take mine out on the highway for 20+ minutes, then pull over and check the expansion tank with the engine running. i would see a steady stream of small bubbles coming from the overflow tube...

for 20 bucks you can download the factory sevice manual, and you will never go back. it is just a bit tedious... http://techinfo.subaru.com and there's always ebay...