idosubaru

dismissing an entire manufacturer over one episode really limits you in the future. it's anecdotal and not the best way to make decisions. it's more indicative of a personality type than it is a good, well informed, decision making process that is best for you. essentially you could rule out every manufacturer on the planet - there is no company that has a 100% success rate in building vehicles that never, ever fail. japanese companies out pace the rest in this area. your 2004 EJ25 has a very good track record, it's unfortunate you got what you did. i didn't hear any details of leakage points or proper testing. i'm also hoping your mechanic didn't "assume" it was a head gasket due to the 2002 and prior EJ25 head gaskets. these had issues (and is why there are certain ones with extended 100,000 mile warranty coverage - that Subaru will honor - and why yours doesn't fall in the range). i would not be surprised if your mechanic assumed it was a head gasket because it's an "EJ25", not realizing that newer ones don't have those same issues. as good as he may be there are millions of hours of subaru specific experience on this board that easily trump his shop. that's the value of a board like this that can offer vehicle, engine, and transmission specific information and trends. good luck with the future, i don't blame you for avoiding audi's though! not a fan of those...or any german cars at this point!

something sounds wrong here. can you give more information? what you told us so far doesn't make any sense - head gasket leaks and valve train damage do not make sense at all. how do they know it's the head gasket?

what kind of horsepower, useage, how many miles do you want to put on it? whatever you can get out of an old school EA engine will be fine....150hp or more. if this is for an EJ swap, then swap the trans as well. there's a ton of variables and it's not asymptotic, but parabolic or something....in other words.....it's not like there's a magic number where at 234 hp it's fine and at 235 they break. so that makes your question unanswerable on one hand...or if it is answerable everyone will give a different one based on where they'd chop the curve...keeping in mind everyone's "curve" is different since this won't come down to quantitative measurements at all.

replace the rubber gasket under the cap and replace the PCV. i've replace the rubber gasket under the cap, it's available but i don't have any part numbers for it, i think they even come in some head gasket sets. anyway, Subaru should have it or cut your own like nipper said. also - oil coming out of the oil filler tube can cause a fire, don't ask me how i know. you can ask any fire department, they're quite familiar with it. it will likely start some time after the car is turned off as that is when the outer extremities get the hottest....again, don't ask how i know.....

that's really new/low mileage for any of the "typical" causes of something like this.

you are correct in that the only thing that matters is that the cam and crank marks line up. and of course that it's the right belt...which it sounds like it is. if something was off i would imagine you'd notice right away. very odd that the marks didn't line up and it had the proper tooth count. i think timing belts fit multiple applications (EJ22 and EJ18 for instance)...but maybe the marks are different between the motors? don't know.

while I have seen new wires cause this, i do agree that there's a good chance new wires won't fix it. particularly being NAPA brand, i've never seen them, but would think they are better than others. a simple wire swap should take less than one minute and cost nothing. reset the codes and see if it "moves" with the wires.

i have seen NEW aftermarket wires cause cylinder misfire codes. replace the wires and codes go away. others have had it happen as well. this isn't Subaru specific - it's EJ engine specific, they are not forgiving engines when it comes to ignition wires. i can't promise this is your problem, but i have seen it before....hopefully someone can help you diagnose more to pinpoint it. the wire swap should help show a bad wire.

INFO - vehicle? mileage? any prior history...axle, trans, engine work..etc? It only does this at 70+ mph? What if you romp it going slower? How about transmission fluid change, has that ever been done? And replace the filter if it's a 1998+ model. A clunk when down shifting is often bushing related...rear differential or transmission mount. Doesn't seem to be the case here though. Is your AWD and trans working properly otherwise?

GAH!! hold on! do not assume this is a head gasket problem. you need to search the boards here and have a second opinion. i see no mention of testing, information, diagnosis, so they're probably wrong. there are quite a few mentions of "coolant" smell in late model EJ25's, this isn't a head gasket issue. not sure what it is, but others have mentioned it.

agreed - i definitely see more EJ25's with failed bearings than EJ22's. which is odd considering EJ22's tend to be older (been around far longer) and have more miles/abuse...... i would also recommend the rebuild if the price difference is indeed that small.

i'd leave it if it was replaced properly. make sure the pilot bearing, throw out bearing and clips were all replaced 20,000 miles ago, anything that wasn't should be, they are very cheap and access is already granted. if you wear the clutch for some reason then replace it, otherwise it should be fine. yes you can. wear isn't the main problem, it is lack of grease. and yes you can tell a lack of grease by feel or listening to them. at this age/mileage i would doubt none of them need replaced. at least the bottom sprocketed pulley should be replaced, and probably more. personally with this much money going into an interference engine i would replace them. but then again i buy the cheap ebay kits, not high dollar dealer stuff on these items. at 200,000 you're expecting the original pulleys to go another 100,000, that's a lot. just tell him he's wrong and people that know more about subaru's than he does are helping you. i run into the same thing but the opposite way...i'll help someone with a vehicle and it won't make sense to me because i'm used to subaru's, that is about all i do, at least to an in depth extent. what you are experiencing is completely normal for an EJ25 leak. rather than rehash it here, you can revisit the "why EJ25 headgaskets fail" threads, there's one really good one...and others as well.

i've never said that, if i implied it i apologize. these motors do make 200,000 without blowing the head gaskets. replacing the head gaskets is a very reliable solution. i'm all about CCR, but with financial concerns and a 200,000 mile car i would not feel the least bit concerned recommending having the head gaskets replaced. for the cost of a CCR engine maybe you'd expect to make 400,000 miles...it could happen but i bet the odds are stacked against you...accidents, transmission issues, drive train, ujoints, rust, paint, and most annoying the suspension will start to wear on you (bushings all over the place, struts, etc...). there's a lot that can happen over that amount of time and mileage. or you could replace the headgaskets and have a good chance of the engine lasting as long as you want to keep the car anyway. i'm all about CCR but if finances are a concern i'd consider this. a very important part of this decision is how much you trust the person doing the work....are thy looking out for you or making a buck? are they going to do a good job. if you're confident with that, i would be confident with the head gasket replacement.

yes indeed - if you didn't use Subaru or Magnecor ignition wires, that could easily be your problem. the EJ engines are very funny like this. so you had the head pulled and valve actually replaced for that other one? what exactly was wrong with it again "it was tight"? i'm not sure what that means. who diagnosed/fixed it? bizarre they'd pull a 200,000 mile head and not do a valve job while it's off?

if it happens right when the load is put on that gear it could be bushings. the transmission mount or the rear differential mounts. if the bushings are worn out the trans or diff will torque under load and hit metal on metal. i've seen this a number of times. i wouldn't expect this on a 98 though (kind of new), but it's something to look into. you might be able to crawl under the car and torque the rear diff by hand to see.

i think there's another thread like this already. it would be a neat discussion if we could avoid the "i heard of this guy with 2.4 million miles on his and my buddy works at the shop and said it's never had a tune up", or the "a friend has one with 600,000 and it's the 4th owner but the engine must be original because the palm reader said it was"...then others discuss the liklehood of a previous owner replacing something, or what the mystical source of the 2.4 million mile wagon was....okay i'm exaggerating.....

not sure what you mean, can you tell us why you're asking? when driving, the TCU doesn't "default" to anything, why would you want it to default to 1st gear when you're doing 80 mph down a mountain grade? i'm confused.... when not driving...well it "defaults" to whatever you have it in..neutral.....

yes, i've bought and used a few. they aren't OEM Subaru parts, at least the timing belt is not. not sure about the pulleys. another option is to regrease the pulleys, that's basically free. there's a write-up on how to do that in the USRM, linked at the top right corner of this page. you are at the risk of your own skills here so proceed very cautiously, i don't recommend this on an interference engine unless it's done very well.

i was about to say that's way to high, they go much cheaper around here, but Denver looks to be a bit higher than here. that thing would never sell in a million years around here. around here there is no problem finding an EJ vehicle between $1,000 - $2,000 with 100k-150k on it, that's what i would want. the EJ22 is a great motor but don't listen to those who will undoubtedly post "oh yeah, they're 400,000 mile motors" or "I know a guy with a half a million miles, you're only half way there".....don't listen to those anecdotal comments. not trying to be mean but the fact is that most 250,000 mile motors have more issues and are close to their end than not. it doesn't even matter how good the motor is, the pivotal points are how well was it maintained, was it ever overheated or run low on oil, how often was the oil changed....all of this for the entire 250,000 miles and 13 years...not just 249,000 miles or 12.9 years.....etc. also - at high mileages if you want a reliable car, nearly everything needs attention. the entire timing belt system - belt, pulleys, tensioner, and water pump probably need inspected...and most of it probably needs replaced. hope you're looking for a manual trans, which is likely since your old one was?

if it's a 1997 EJ22 or later then it's already interference.

that 120k line from the sales rep was pure BS, he was just trying to sell you the car. did you buy this from a dealer? if so i'd go back and try to work out a deal. had you known ahead of time i guarantee they would have gladly replaced that belt for you for free or for the cost of the part. they do that all the time, but will try and get away with not doing it if they can. they might give you a cut rate ,though that certainly would have been easier before you bought it. i've done this before as well, asked about maintenance items before laying out the cash. they usually oblige.

if Subaru has updated pistons to address the "piston slap" issue, which i think i've heard of, I'd use those with the engine apart. that's what it should be called! Subaru calls it a "ring seal".

you need to read the codes, there are dozens of other possibilities... advanced auto parts, autozone and other places read the codes free and the OBDII scanners are now available for chump change $50 or less, so best to start there.

that brings up a good point OB99W - when the speedo's start going out they don't properly increment the odometer, so the mileage is not correct. i noticed this in my XT6...i thought i was getting horrible gas mileage for 6 months or more....but really it was my speedometer cracking up - it wasn't moving the odometer as far as i was actually driving. if the needle is jumping around and not working, it's not rolling over the odometer - so this thing might not be as "low mileage" as you think. if that's the case you really don't know how close you are to the next maintenance interval either.

if it's a Subaru or MWE axle (which it looks like an MWE) it'll be fine....if it's aftermarket you better where full protection, fire gear, pilot helmets, bullet proof everything...and stand back.