Skanky

I just had the HGs on my 98 RS replaced. Blew back in July (115,000 miles or something). I really like the car, but i almost wish i had just left it for dead. The dealership kind of screwed me over. They quoted me around $800 i think (drill the heads, replace all gaskets, water pump.....). They called me a week later and told me it would cost double the original price. They said "we didnt know it was the DOHC model". When i got the original estimate i got it in writing, it clearly says "DOHC" on it. I guess the estimate i had wasnt exactly an official one because of the nature of the repair or something, (they did say originally it might vary substatially). Eventually they did convince me they were right. I asked if i could have my car back, but appharently they had already taken out the engine. They said i would have to atleast be billed for that, because it took so long (i guess i could understand this). I caved in and told them to continue with the head gasket replacment. 2 weeks later, when i got the car back all was not well. After driving for a day or so, smoke started to billow out from underneath the car. I first thought they didnt hook up the exhaust pipes right or something. After looking more closely i could see a steady stream of oil dripping out onto the pipes. I took it back the next day. AFter a week or so, they called me and told me it was a defective gasket. Thankfully they honored the warranty, and i didnt have to pay a cent. However this was not the end.....To make a long story short: i ended up taking my car back a total of 6 times before i gave up. They never fixed the oil leak. It dosnt leak as bad as it did before. I just have to top it off every week or so. All in all, i was pretty happy with the dealership. They were very friendly and even let me drive around a red Kia for the 2 months my car was out of commision (found an old 2pac cassette in the glove box). I am just a little unhappy that they couldnt fix the oil leak. It definatly wasnt there before. If this thing blows another head gasket im gonna push it into the lake and say someone stole it.

Lousy Dealership. They recalculated their estimate again. This time well over $1500. "we didnt know it was a dual cam..." I told the guy the first time i talked to him...he didnt believe me. Now im gonna have to donate some sperm to get some extra cash...

The dealership contacted me today. They recalculated the original estimate that they gave me. It is now around $1400. I guess I dont have much of a choice. This will put me in debt for quite a while.....damn the head gasket!!! Thanks for all your help.

I figure im going to be cautious. Im gonna get my brother to tow it the dealership on his flatbed. I'd rather not drive it anymore. The engine oil is a "soupy mixture", its also got alot of bubbles in it(i assume from the coolant). Easier to tow than to put some new oil in it just to get it to the dealership. They'd probably have to drain it anyway.

Im slightly confused either im getting a good deal or im about to get ripped off... I took my car to the dealership and they gave me a rough estimate. As Subaru X said $1500 is what i should rougly expect to pay. The dealship quoted me $950 plus they said I would get a discount on the labor, because it would take over 10 hours to complete. The estimate supposedly included replacing, servicing and fixing anything that could have been damaged. I set up an appointment on monday, for them to take a look at the car, and hopefully give me a more... accurate estimate. I cant believe thats what there gonna charge me, it seems way to low. On a different note... The first time the car over heated i had just turned on the car and driven it 50 ft down the road to a stop light. I looked down and the temp gauge was just about at the "H". I immediatly shifted into neutral and slowly rolled it into an abandoned parking lot. From there it was towed on a flat bed. The second time, i noticed it while i was at a stop sign. I must have been driving it while it was overheated, though i dont know for how long. Hopefully not long enough to do any real damage. How long does it take for an overheated engine to become severly damaged?

I checked all the related threads and could not find a suitable answer for my question. My 98 RS recently blew the head gasket. Its got the EJ25 Phase I engine with 120,000 miles. After toying with the idea of simply selling it "as is", I have decided to atleast fix it before i make a decision about whether or not to sell it. I really like the car and I'd rather not sell it if i can help it. It is very important that i have a car that is reliable, and so far this has been the best in that respect. Im currently shopping around to find the best price, unfortunatly no one will give me a dollar figure. They usually say something like "it'll be alot". I do realize itll probably cost around $1500. Im just about to go to one of the local subaru dealerships to see what they have to say. What I really wanted to know is just how reliable the engine will be after it has been fixed? Will there still be a high probability of the head gasket failing again? Will any other systems be affected? Am I better off selling once I have fixed it? I heard somewhere that the engine should be almost like new once it is fixed (i doubt that), is this true?

Im in the same predicament. A few days ago my 98 2.5 RS started to overheat. The coolant had black stuff floating in it and it was overflowing. I had researched the vehicle before I bought it, and found that the 2.5L engine is known for head gasket problems. I took it to a local shop. The mechanic there, told me that subarus are not known for blowing head gaskets and that there is no way that is the problem. He replaced the thermostat and gave it back to me a couple of days later. Yesterday the same thing happened again. Unfortunatly I took it back to the same place(i didnt have much of a choice, it broke down in front of the shop). I read a whole lot of posts on this site relating to my problem. All of which point to the head gasket. Im a student and im pretty much broke. I do have a job............delivering pizza, so i guess technically I dont have a job anymore. This really is a no-win situation.

Theoretically, if i could get my hands on an engine out of an STi (for a decent price) could i swap it into my 98 2.5 RS. My car is an automatic. Would I need a new transmission? ECU? Any advice?

The MAF adapter came in the mail yesterday. Of course the predrilled holes did not come close to lining up with the bolts on the MAF. Rather than try and drill i just put the damn think on crooked. It still made a good seal. By the time i got the filter attatched to the MAF i realized that there was only an inch or two between the end of the MAF and the resonator. THere was no way of fitting the pipe that came with it into that small an area, so i just left the stock plastic pipe on. So basically, after all that, all I had done was replace the stock air filter and air box with the reusable POS one that came with the kit. I turned it on and drove around for a bit. When I looked under the hood again i noticed that the mesh wire holding the filter together was starting to unravel. I immediatly took off the air filter and put everything back to its original state. Needless to say i am a little disgruntled, but i guess its not so bad seeing as how I only payed $20 for the whole thing. Some one told me "you should turn the filter into a lamp shade". I dont think i will do any more mods on this car. I think it is starting to die on me, but thats a story for a different thread.

Thank you for your input. I will leave the "resonator" alone.

Im sorry im not very good at describing what im doing. I am removing the air filter box. I am then removing the black tube that goes from the MAF sensor to the "big black box" (dosnt this thing have a name). Should I connect the pipe to the throttle body or should i connect it to the "black box"?. I have seen some cold air intakes that continue to use the "big black" box because it keeps the low end torque that cold air intakes supposedly kill. My major problem with connecting it to the trottle body is that there are only two openings for hose connections (grommets i think), and there will be about 5 or so hoses. IF i just connected it to the "black box" then there would only be one hose to connnect. The other opening on the tube i would plug up, so air dosnt escape. I hope this was better. Here is a link to a page that has the intake http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7917197819&category=38634

I actually started the thread "Intake." As it turns out they did not send all the pieces, but i should have them later this week. I have decided to disregard the instructions (they make no sense) and put it in a different way. I will attatch the filter directly to the small tube that has the MAF sensor on it. And on the other end of the MAF tube i will attach the pipe. The pipe will then run directly to the big air box instead of the throttle body. I will then only have one hose to plug in instead of 4. Does this sound like it will work? Or should i still hook the tube directly to the trottle body like the instructions said? I wish i had a digital camera but I did find this while searching google (it has a picture of the engine) http://www.dharmaworks.net/Tim/Impreza/mods/intake1.jpg

I got my intake today and was looking foward to installing it. My friend said it would be easy (last time i listen to that idiot), and since i was looking for something on the less expensive side he recommended a Bomz CAI. It supposedly came with detailed instructions and all the parts nessecary to install. Unfortunatly the Instructions that came with it were not very helpful. They were general instructions for all makes of cars, and it is only a small paragraph long. Now im just frustrated. It looks really simple but i dont want to do anything i will regret later. The instructions say to connect it right to the throttle body. If i did this i would have to remove the big black box with the subaru emblem on it. Once every thing would be out i would have several hoses that need to be reconnected somewhere. The pipe only has two possible spots though. But like i said the instuctions were not really specific at all. The sensor just before the stock air filter (the temp sensor i think) probably needs to be connected some how also. I tried and obviously failed to include a picture of the intake, so all i can say is that it looks like most other intakes out there. It is a shortram system so it is pretty small. Im not going to be able to see my friend for a few months so he cant help me. If anyone out there can provide better instructions it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the input. I can rest easier now.

I do drive through a few puddles but not to deep. The intake is well above the ground. You said rain will not damage the car.

What are the chances that my engine will get waterlogged because of a cold air intake? Is there anything i can do to prevent this?

ARe you sure about #2. Nothing was purchased. I think the battery was removed so that the ECU was reset. THen he disconnected all the grounds and cleaned off all the corroded metal so the connection was better. Supposedly it makes the car accelerate more smoothly. I just dont know which grounds and where they are. About the intake. I thought i bought one but I guess not. I tried to buy it online but the internet conked out on me. What type of intake do you recommend (keeping in mind that i just spent all my money on purchasing the car). Is the car in the pic yours. its sweet.

1. I have purchased (but not installed) a new cold air intake for my 98 2.5 RS. Is its possible for water to get inside of it and screw up your engine? 2. I saw on a website somewhere that if you clean the connections of certain ground wires you can get your car to run and shift alot smoother. I think there wass three wires. Has anybody heard of this? I would try it myself but I dont know which ground wires to do, or where they are.

Thanks for all the input! My car is an auto so I dont need to worry about a clutch. Oh, and for the record, the tractor hit me not vice versa.

A few months ago i crashed my '92 Paseo into a farm tractor. I commute to the local college every day so I really needed a car. I found a 1998 Impreza 2.5 rs for sale. It was in nice condition, except for some minor rust which i patched up, it had about 70k miles on it. I ended up paying a little over 7,000 for it (I hope i didnt over pay?). I really like this car. Its fun to drive, it looks cool, and it gets decent gas mileage. The problem is i deliver food for a living. In the past 4 months i have driven just shy of 20k miles. Alot of times im forced to drive the car places i would not normally go: dirt roads, fields, flooded roads..... I have to accelerate very hard several times a night. I would quit my job for the car's sake but i make so much money working there. So far nothing has gone wrong. I heard alot about the Head Gasket giving people trouble. If and when something goes wrong is it worth the money to fix it or should i sell it to some one who could take better care of it?