idosubaru

Subaru and most legitimate shops offer a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty - that headgasket repair should be warrantied. Find a way to get it home and have it fixed for free. Given this engines propensity to blow headgaskets you don't just do 'an average headgasket replacement' - you want quantifiable, engine specific expertise. Which means this: 1. Use Subaru Turbo headgaskets or Six Star headgaskets - installing Subaru's "updated" gasket for that application is the same gasket failing in other Subaru's...that makes no sense on such an expensive repair. 2. Resurface the heads - no matter what. There's no need to pressure test or mic or measure or valve job - just resurface them, they never crack, warp, or fail (or if they do it would be to catastrophic abuse)

if you had zero overheating and replaced the radiator and had burping issues - yeah it's unlikely the headgasket and probably just air in the system if what you said is accurate. though i would be very careful letting it run hot as it seems like it has - having lost heat, etc usually means it's above nominal temps. you don't want to tempt an EJ25D to blow headgaskets.

loooooong pipe. you need more leverage - 2 feet is way too short unless you want to bust knuckles. get the car way off the ground too - or somehow have lots of room for the pipe/socket combo to take up slack and bend before it breaks free. the pipe will bend and hit the bottom of the trunk before you can get enough stank on it. get plenty of degrees of motion. or yeah - a really stout impact gun with lots of torque and hammer away. nothing wrong with that.

aftermarket tstats cause problems....but generally not bubbles in the overflow. seems unlikely but definitely want to be sure and diagnose properly. drain coolant into a clean container and reuse it.

should be fine. there's no advantage so generally it's pointless to do it for most people.

exhaust gases pushing into coolant is more typical with replaced gaskets - so that's very similar to many other failures. though let's hope you find a rad cap or other issue....

1996 Ej22 headgaskets are really easy. all the head bolts are external, it's the one crazy-easy Subaru headgasket job. alternately an EJ22 or EJ18 can be found cheapily and installed and sometimes be cheaper than a head job.

+1 sounds like headgaskets another member (since banned i believe) said he limped his along for a year by filling the system with brake fluid instead of coolant. he claimed it has better properties to mitigate the overheating. who is up to try that craziness!?

generally i wouldn't pre-emptively replace EJ22 headgaskets - they don't blow unless they have been compromised (overheated) or tampered with. but if your'e doing cams, over a quarter million miles, and we're talking about the easiest Subaru head gaskets to replace......? use Subaru OEM gaskets resurface the heads - that's easily done yourself read the thread about it on this forum

wow, that sounds highly suspect but i'd be surprised they'd make up something so off and print it?

Original Poster - add a bottle of Trans X treatment and you're done. Works almost every time. Do not change the internal filter screen inside the AT pan. Change all the timing pulleys and tensioner. A 1998 is likely to be the new style tensioner. Kits are like $100 - $120 on Amazon for everything. I wouldn't wait very long, certainly not 60,000 miles - the timing pulleys are just as likely to fail as the belt. Best to replace cam seals and reseal the oil pump while it's out. As to the AT screens - The internal screens are pointless to replace - they're never "clogged" or needing replaced. If they're scattered with debris you have much bigger issues than a filter. As to 1996 EJ22's being interference - a very few have reportedly been interference. One case swears it was the original engine, but if it hasn't been owned since new it can't be verified. If there were interference engines in 96 they are rare, most are non-interference it seems. Looking at part numbers on opposed forces should delineate it.

i would be suspicious of their diagnosis. so far you've given ZERO indications you have a head gasket leak. 1. no overheating 2. no coolant loss 3. if it is a leak - it's probably from something else like a hose or the thermostat housing. Subaru dealers often don't maintain cars more than a few years old - due to rust most dealerships out here would have forgotten the EJ22 by now and be clueless about it. they may associate any green stuff under the engine with external headgaskets leaks of the very common 1999+ EJ25 external headgasket leak. they see many of those every week, so that may be all a new kid knows. so far it sounds like they're wrong. crawl under the car and look for the leak. post pictures and look for green. best gasket for this engine is OEM subaru. if you want higher compression, mill the heads, don't use a different gasket. although I think Cometic will make gaskets any thickness you want, i wouldn't do that.

Burp the coolant - it gets air pockets in it and you need to get them all out. Some Subaru radiators have a plastic screw in the top passengers side you can bleed with. Otherwise get nose high and fill through radiator cap inlet. Run car, cool down, repeat refill. Do that a couple times.

1. Does it still have the spare tire on? ***Get matching tires on it ASAP 2. What's the history - the car ran great since the day you bought it 20 years ago - then one random day started doing this? or it's gradually gotten worse over time? 3. are the CV axles original? 4. are you still driving around with the same spare tire on? It's probably the wrong size? 5. what does it do if you insert the FWD fuse? you've given us really limited information...you're expecting too much without giving enough descriptive, historical information.

haha! well, i like making up numbers and seeing what they say. i did say get a quote since that would quantify his local resources, that's the big ambiguity here - who does he know or have at his disposal to do the work? i'm inferring high labor costs since it sounds like he's not doing the work... Raptor kit is $5k. (+ install) $2.5k STi engine and $2.5k install/parts = $5k RAM quoted $2,400 for a low compression H6 XT6 block rebuild. $2.5k for install/additional parts/labor As a very rough $/hp order of magnitude estimate - $5k seems a good starting point for him to start talking...."wow, that's better than i thought - what exactly does that mean.....or.....after i change my pants, how can I put $500 into this rusted beat up offroading POS?" custom exhaust, turbo charger and parts + install is going to be 4 digits couple grand for aftermarket ECU and tuning is going to be 4 digits Rebuilding the lower end with turbo pistons, wide band O2, EGT sensors, gauges....that's a few thousand more.

ha ha!!! good call. Ozone generators, right!

they normally don't leak so something is compromised if you think the torque procedure was followed correctly. i would wonder about the block flatness - check it when you go to do the repair again. ivansimports resurfaces every block he sees (which is a lot - like dozens a month) - i would guess he does that for a reason. this doesn't usually work for Phase I's, but neither do Phase I's normally have your symptoms you're describing. so...would it be worth using Subaru coolant conditioner which works in Phase II's?

you should read up on forced induction or take it to a custom shop and get a quote for what you're after. $5,000 - $10,000

wow, rats? nasty. O2 generators are the way to go. works 100% every time. rent them from local tool rental places or places online will rent them to you - ship, keep for a few days, ship back. liquids aren't terribly effective for organics and can not get into the foam, HVAC vents, electronic controllers, wiring, connectors where urine coagulates and dries out, etc. gas can get into all those places. if liquid worked then it wasn't actually that bad ( i mean in terms of clean up - it may have been visually atrocious), or it will come back in a few days/months. if they urinated and defecated all over the dash and chassis wiring heater blower motor, up inside the HVAC vents, and other electronics, and nooks and crannies inaccessible with liquids, etc - you wouldn't want to or can't get that saturated with fluids.

good news - those heads are crazy easy to swap. headbolts are external and can easily be done in the vehicle. if you need additional space for removing the head - unbolt the engine mounts (only one bolt up top and 2 14mm nuts underneath for the motor mounts) and jack the side of the engine up that you're working on. very easily done in the vehicle. subaru water pump failure is almost unheard of, never replace them for overheating symptoms. never say "never"....except in this case. what year EJ22 - 1997? 1. resurface the heads yourself, very easy: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/122588-diy-head-resurfacing-or-post-apocalyptic-machine-shop-techniques/ 2. do not get them pressure tested or anything else - pointless on those heads, they don't crack or warp. 3. install new Subaru headgaskets. reuse the headbolts, they're pointless to replace.

yeah you want printed versions. get the PDF versions and print off the pages you need - which should only be a couple dozen at most for the headgaskets. or print batches: 1. timing belt/water pump 2. head gaskets 3. engine pulling shouldn't need much more than that. 1999-2002 Forester manual here: http://manualmadness.com/1999-2002-subaru-forester-service-repair-manual/ Any 2000-2004 4 cylinder engine is the same as your 1999 Forester for headgasket repair. 2000 Legacy: http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/2000+_Legacy_FSM/ if you don't have much space - another option is to pull the car right up to the door - yank the engine and pull it inside. do the pulling outside with bouts of snow removal and putting cardboard/carpet pieces on he cold ground - then do all the engine work inside.

that's very pricey, shopping around would save you $2,000 probably even if you didn't do the actual swap yourself. $400 transmission + $400 to install = $800 call around to 10 shops/mechanics and find some better prices/people to install a used transmission that you supply. should be able to find a place to do it for $500 or less....maybe a slight premium for CA urban environment, but shouldn't be much. www.car-part.com, search by zipcode ask questions here about finding a good used transmission. ebay and jdmenginedepot are other sources the problem may simply be that the shop can't source a reasonable priced transmission and places do freak out about 1999's for a variety of reasons. that is somewhat of a crossover year 1996-1999 OBW, SUS, GT, and EJ25 equipped LSi's should fit your vehicle - but ask first. you could even swap an earlier EJ22 (probably 1996-1998 auto) transmission into it if you swapped the rear diff to match. open your options up like that and you can often find a cheaper transmission. i've had a couple bad front diffs - i've never tried it but always wondered if i converted them to RWD if that would take the loading off the front diff and it would prevent it from getting worse? do you need AWD, LOL? otherwise - yes - install it yourself! the FSM's are readily available free on the internet, get one of those and sift through the procedure, keeping in mind often the FSM has unnecessary steps. like disconnecting the fuel lines and battery i'd never do for a trans swap...

nah, i just pull the rear seat bottom out (very very easy) and remove the passengers side access plate/cover. brake lines are staring you in the face there - cut/splice/flare away there and fish the new line back. cutting and running the new line is actually really really easy. there's not much to it. the annoying part is the flaring/joining and bleeding brakes.

Most jobs are warrantied for 12 months or 12,000 miles - you're still within the warranty of most repairs. probably headgasket - they can test for hydrocarbons in the coolant. the key isn't repairing the engine - but repairing it properly. all headgasket jobs are not equal - particularly on an engine with known issues and weaknesses: 1. use Six Star or Subaru Turbo EJ25 headgaskets only 2. resurface the heads most places don't do either of those so a repeat failure isn't that surprising.

great, glad you found it. get a used (or new - they're not that expensive i don't think) bracket. the tensioner is bolted to a bracket which is easily replaceable - just 2 or 3 bolts hold it to the block. http://www.mttechsuba.com/picture/timing%20belt%20tensioner%20bracket.jpg?pictureId=2382432&asGalleryImage=true that will have brand new threads in it. longer bolt - i usually chase the threads with a tap too so what's left is clean. M10x1.25 threads. being that it's int he bracket you may have limited threads to work with like the typical block bolt holes though? helicoil will repair it for good. pull the bracket and do it off the vehicle. yes - plugging them in will run certain diagnostics - fans come on, fuel pump will cycle every few seconds, etc. totally normal.