Luvn737s

This guy makes it look easy.

I think Walker carried it for $25 or so. But you'll need the attach bolts too for a couple bucks. I sealed mine with Permatex "The RightStuff" sealant.

I have a 98 Forester and I believe the worst head gasket issues were with the Phase 1 engines in 1998. I think the design changed in 1999.

Yep, all compressions were equal (or at least reasonably so). The valve looks fine from the face. I'll get them out of the head on Monday and see from there. So far, the shims on the 2 and 4 bank of cylinders seem to be pretty close to the same size, not a whole lot of variance. This is the first time this engine has been opened up so the shims are original. The misfire symptoms have been traced through spark(plugs, wire, coil pack, knock sensor) fuel( injectors) and air (MAF sensor, compression). It seems the tight valve is the most likely culprit. The head gasket didn't look to bad, but the new one will give me peace of mind.

The valves are being adjusted because of a misfire CEL code. The valve clearances are being checked per the Haynes/ FSM procedure with the engine out of the car. The tight valve is the #4 cylinder aft exhaust valve. The only other valve with very small clearance is the opposite exhaust valve on #3 cylinder, but it can at least be measured at .002". I suppose I can just go buy the smallest shim possible for the #4, because if I don't know the original clearance, I can't buy a specific size shim. I've got to pull the head anyhow for the head gasket, so maybe I'll find a surprise when I see the face of the valve, and a shim might be the least of my problems.

No, the temps are perfect here in Phoenix. But the whole size range of shims is not that great. I would think that worst case the valve clearance would be no closer than .005 or so. I got down to .0015 and it was still too close for that.

My 2nd car was a 1982 GL Hatchback 4WD and I loved it until a drunk driver nailed me at an intersection and totalled it. Pulled the motor and put it in a 1980 DL Wagon and drove for a couple more years. Now I've had my 1998 Forester for about 5 years and I still like it enough to go through pulling the motor and fixing alot of deferred maintenance on it. I'd still like to find a '82 GL Hatchback 4WD with the white spoke wheels. Good times, good times! Thanks to all the contributors who have helped me with the work I'm taking on.

I ran out of feeler gauges thin enough to measure the valve clearance on 2 of my valves. Any ideas on what size shim I could replace the current one with? If I go by the Haynes formula, I guessed I'd shave the bucket down!