idosubaru

have it milled only. don't pressure test it. pressure testing is nice, but you should be fine without it. if the car drove fine, the head was fine before and you blew a gasket but didn't abuse the car (like over heat it, blow the gasket and keep adding water and still drive it for 6 months) then i wouldn't get it pressure tested. i've actually replaced a few head gaskets without milling (for friends who wouldn't spend the 50 bucks) without incident so far, but one day it's not going to hold. mill it and clean the head bolts really well (i use a wire brush and drill). then lightly oil the head bolts so they go in smooth and torque accurately. this will keep your head gasket lasting awhile.

i'm with reddevil, i replace every rear main seal i can get to. as long as it's done right then you definitely want it done.

no need to check compression, i was just trying to figure out what you mean by "5 cylinders". i can't tell what that means on the computer....it could mean two things. 1. you have bad compression in one cylinder 2. you don't have spark in one cylinder if you don't have spark in one cyilnder then there's no need to check compression, i was just trying to clarify which of these two options you meant. if it was indeed a spark issue then plugs and wires should fix the problem. there's a chance the distributor cap and rotor could be at fault as well. if money is an issue you swap the spark plug wires around and see if the no spark condition follows a particular wire or stays with one cylinder. if it follows one wire then the wire is to fault. if it stays at one cylinder even while swapping wires then the cap/rotor or spark plug is to fault. this way you can narrow down exactly what the problem is and save $. i would suggest replacing everything at once though - plugs, wires, cap and rotor all at the same time.

different cars could likely see different results. for the ER27 (same motor as EA82 except 2 more cylinder) i saw no decrease in mileage without a cat, with a cat and with a high flow converter, i've had all different combinations. i saw a 2 - 3 mile per gallon increase in highway mileage when i replaced the stock muffler with a dynomax straight through muffler. i drive 30,000 - 40,000 miles per year highway miles. around town driving may not have the same results.

they are different. different bore sizes. XT is 13/16" XT6 is 15/16" i think those numbers are correct.

oh my crap he's got a chopped wagon. how sweet is that. is that legal in the states?

wouldn't surprise me if that was common. doubt i'll notice though, all my other soobs are XT6's so they make any variety of vibrations/noises depending which one i drive.

there are sources to have subaru gaskets mailed to you if you wanted them. subaruparts.com or something maybe. i've called my "local" dealer and had them mail me parts because it's an hour out of my way to get there and back. i would check about retorquing before making your decision. the XT6 does not require it but i believe the EA82 4 cylinders do, so get some feedback from these guys that have done it. i'd try to find a head gasket that doesn't need retorqued. to retorque you tear it down, install head gasket, drive car until it warms up and then tear it all back down again to retorque the bolts. very annoying. there are aftermarket head gaskets that require retorquing for the XT6 but the OEM subaru gasket does not. that's alot of saved effort if time is a concern.

this is a discussion board so if i don't like discussions i should probably leave.

gaskets depend who you ask, some swear by subaru some have done fine with aftermarket. one thing i would look for is a gasket that does not need to be retorqued. not sure on the 4 cylinders but i think subaru recommends retorquing the head bolts.....which is super annoying. some gaskets don't require this. i would have the head milled (might be able to find somewhere for 35 or 40 dollars if you call around). you can try checking it yourself, but they are always off by some amount, so best to get it flat. i can finish one head in a day (if i don't have to take it in to get it milled, i have extra's on hand ready to swap out when i do it). for the first time i'd plan on a couple days (weekend) just in case. this can happen quicker but roughly: timing belts, covers, radiator fans, pulleys can all be off in 2 hours. valve cover, rocker arms, cam housing and head can be off in another hour or two. add an extra hour or two for cleaning up parts, organizing and cleaning the head bolts and head bolt holes. hit the water pump pulley bolts (if it's driven by the serpentine belt) and radiator fan bolts (if they are electric) with pb blaster as well. keep two bolts in the cam carrier (but threaded half way out) and don't remove them until the cam housing is loose as it will be stuck in place on the head due to sealant. keep the rocker arms marked and ready to install in the same spot they were before you removed them. i get the cam carrier loose, then grab each rocker arm by hand and pull it out so they don't drop and fall on the ground. once the cam housing is loose and rocker arms out, take it off. loosen head bolts in the proper order. clean the head bolts and the head bolts holes really well. might take an extra 30 minutes or hour but it's worth it to have it done right. don't want to blow a new head gasket. do not forget to replace the little o-ring between the head and cam carrier. the one by itself in the bottom corner of the cam carrier. do not reuse the old one and do not try to use sealant in there. get a new one, they are 2 dollars and change from subaru. http://www.thepartsbin.com also carries them. when putting it all back together. have thick high grade grease ready to reinstall the rocker arms. they won't stay in place by themself. engine assembly lube is nice and sticky as well if you have that. load them up and let them hang off the lifters and carefully install the cam carrier (with sealant) without knocking the lifters off. i got it just fine first time i tried it. remove anything you can out of the way (battery, distributor cap, auto transmission hoses, a/c compressor), get anything out of the way. this can be tricky and it's annoying to redo it because you knocked a rocker off or rubbed your sealant. just a few tips to help you get started. gotta go.

if you're loosing that much oil - you are positive it's not leaking? no oil under the car anywhere? 2.2 or 2.5 liter? huge difference, 2.2 should not have head gasket problems. did this car ever run hot or overheat? if there are definitely no oil leaks you need to have a compression test done before going any further. quotes of thousands of dollars with no testing come from people hoping to make lots of money and take advantage of someone else. they aren't helping you at all without doing further testing. a compression test takes only a couple minutes and is very easy to do. i would not return to this dealer. have a compression test done and post the results back here. if you can verify the headgaskets are bad i would have them replaced (should not cost over 1,000 dollars). some people have even gotten the 2.5 headgaskets replaced for free or at a very discounted rate since it's a known issue on 2.5 liter motors. but that takes persistence and a little luck from what i hear. if it's not the head gaskets then it may be internal (like piston rings)....but my goodness that would be very strange to have a 2000 subaru with 73,000 miles have a bad piston ring???? if it was the block (pistons or something serious) i'd install a used motor which can be done for under 2,000. (but not by the dealer). just found some used good 2.5's by me for under 1,500.

saw them listed as the same part one place and different somewhere else.

we do care and are trying to help - one of the first replies to your question (from myphalx) told you to do a tune up - spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor. if you don't have spark then following this tip would have solved your problem 3 weeks ago. if it's related to one cylinder then likely you just need to replace the plug and wire to that cylinder (but best to do them all). if by "5 cylinders" you mean compression and not spark then it's an entirely different issue.

http://www.ramengines.com has the pistons i would use.

you can remove the a/c belt and spin the a/c pulley by hand. it should spin freely when the car is off. the bearings can seize. it will feel lumpy, sticky or maybe even impossible to turn if bad enough. you'll have to hear from others about vacuum issues.

check the clutch/bearings in the a/c pulley. if they aren't good they may load the system and cause the a/c to shut off. how is your idle? if the car isn't idling well the a/c may shut off to prevent further strain on the idling. i think there's a sensor that disengages the a/c compressor clutch if the rpm's get too low. and you're sure it's charged properly?

150 is right about spot on, that's very good actually. a cylinder or two that's 10 percent off the rest isn't that odd, yours sound good. didn't mean to deter you from pulling the motor, i do myself sometimes (just did the last one that way). didn't want you to feel you had to pull it. it's nice having it out and easy access to everything. only thing i don't like about pulling it is that it takes longer. for me, if it's one i'm taking my time on i pull the motor. if i need it up and running as soon as possible i do it in the car. having extra heads to install right away is nice, no need to wait for the milling or valve job. if you didn't even get into the red and shut it off you should be golden. no way i can promise anything but if it wasn't driven in the red i would be surprised if there was any engine damage.

a little searching can find transmissions in the 250-500 range (or even much cheaper if you're patient and keep the eyes open). but someone might pipe up here with an easier fix.

get a used hub. these cars are new enough that you can find a good used hub with low miles for 35 dollars easily and just swap hubs and forget about the bearings (that's something anyone can do with regular tools). call around local yards and get a rear hub. $35 or $300, sounds easy to me! lewiston idaho has about a dozen hubs at 35.00 each: 1800 967 5228 more in idaho at $35 each: 1800 331 9630 1208 678 7580 1800 999 9076 i think ABS and non-ABS hubs may be different, you'll have to find that out as im not sure, but whatever it is your hubs should be widely available.

you'll want to check your brake pads first. they can squeak with or without the brakes being depressed. remove wheel and look at the pads/wear indicator. doesn't require anything but removing the wheel, most of the time you can even check them without removing the wheel by turning the steering wheel or manuevering around in the right position. i removed my hubs, bought a set of wheel bearings (can't recall how much), gave the hubs and bearings to a machine shop and they installedl them for 100 bucks (50 bucks per side).

put new pads on. i wouldn't bother turning them unless you feel vibrations. i've had two 200,000 mile XT6's with the same rotors that were on the car when i got them at 75,000 and 105,000 miles. never had them turned and they never warped or vibrated. i replaced my front rotors on my XT6 at 220,000 miles last year eventhough they were fine, didn't vibrate and i never had them turned. one of the new ones i installed was warped!! go figure? be sure you're loosening the brake cylinder cap when pressing the piston in, the fluid pressure needs to bleed off somewhere or the master cylinder could fail. bleeding your brake fluid would be more beneficial than turnign your rotors in my oppinion.

thanks for the feedback all. i like solid pulleys better than harmonic balancers as the rubber ring can fail and i hate failure points. i'll take the minor vibrations. i'm hoping a PRO ECM pulley is well balanced. i know a few others running PRO ECM pulleys on other soobs and never heard them mention vibration issues.

don't buy those tornado or whatever gadgets. waste. do a search on them, others have asked about 'em. BS. they serve one purpose, to make money off of gullible people. you can speed up air flow at localized points, while slowing it down across other areas (do you think the speed is increased where the metal is....no it's stopped actually). by introducing restrictions in the air flow will offer you nothing possibly even losses. the rough finish in the intake ports in the heads induces adequate swirling effect for fuel/air mixture. when porting and polishing a head you don't polish or even try to smooth it out like you would the combustion side of the head and the exhaust. you can gain horsepower by machining your throttle body opening just 2 or 3 mm, RC Engineering does it, so by decreasing intake cross sectional area it's possible to decrease performance and these gadgets placed in mid stream of your intake do just that - decrease your cross sectional area/volume available for fluid transfer.

i'd continue to change it at least at recommended intervals, possibly more often. you should be fine. run some fuel injector cleaner through it. i like to run multiple bottles per tank, say two.

how do you know the valve seals are leaking? in general it shouldn't cause problems, depends how bad and why they are leaking.