idosubaru

10w60, what a strange weight oil. glad it's gone, now don't forget to attend to those turbo lines you mentioned might be dripping earlier. new hoses and clamps are a very good idea on those things.

what exactly happened to the engine to make it "crack the head"? if it just lost a head gasket -replacing that head and gasket should have you back in good shape. if you suspect any block issues, then buying a good used block might be the best bet. get a used block and put new head gaskets on it if you want to avoid head issues in the future.

never done it myself, but a friend swapped the air bag on my steering wheel for me, he said it's very simple. that's all i can remember, but i would think with some help from these guys and an FSM it should be easy to swap the cover. the passengers side is another story, but the steering wheel i believe it really easy.

this is true, but the "life of a replaced head gasket", the title of the original post, is applicable to both engines. there is no difference in the life of a DOHC replaced head gasket and a SOHC replaced head gasket, if properly replaced they should both last the life of the vehicle. the real tangent was the "head gasket replacement interval" comment. this likely needs to have a thread of it's own since it is not common practice nor is it mentioned in any FSM, owners manual or considered standard practice on any vehicle, Subaru offers no documentation of this, nor do i recall anyone in the US ever mentioning this. like i already said, the owners manual doesn't mention replacing the headgasket and there's a reason for that.

great, thanks!

it can be done, but it's worth the $10 to have it done unless you really can't spare $10. throw them in the trunk and pull over any time you see a little mom and pop shop, they'll often do it free or cheaper. the last set i had removed was free, first place i stopped at. now, if you're still wanting to do this yourself, and it is a PITA....lay the tire on the ground and drive the front end of the car up on top the tire and stop it just before it gets on the rim. you want the weight of the vehicle right at the lip, but all of it bearing on the rubber tire itself, as close to the bead as you can get. then start prying. the weight of the car will help break the bead. good luck and try really hard to have fun.

tack weld some razor blades so they stick out just beyond the corners of the stereo box before you install it. the next removal won't be nearly as profitable as they think.

if your car ran at all, it likely wouldn't make it very far. usually they just don't do anything. maybe there's an unlikely possiblity of a partial failure where it "hurts" it but doesn't destroy it...but i doubt it.

do not use an EZ out or bolt extractor, i don't know what they're intended for but they should be illegal, they are a POS. they break VERY easy. they're hard as balls but they're brittle and easily break. whats worse than a sheared off bolt? a sheared off bolt with an EZ out sheared off and stuck in it. left handed drill bit or other bolt removal options are out there. you'll find more and better info with a google search like he just mentioned. drill it out, retap, use a larger bolt.....helicoil if you must....

that's not always the case. i've seen plenty of mis-fire codes do both...run poorly or run fine. electrical goofiness.....

misfire codes are almost always plug, wire or coil pack related, i don't know why they're looking at the valves and such before the obvious stuff? if they didn't look at those, are these really Subaru mechanics or 8th graders with a Soobaroo sign painted outside their tree house? this is one of the most common EJ issues around, and it's normally cured with new spark plugs and wires. spark plugs have to be NGK (available at auto parts stores for $8 or from Subaru for $50), and the ignition wires have to be Subaru only, available only at Subaru. do not attempt to use non-subaru wires on this engine. if that doesnt' fix it then have your coil pack tested, or have it tested at the same time or test it first. or just swap in another one. just that you have a new engine doesn't mean the plugs and wires are perfect, they need to at least be inspected. did they reuse old ones, install new aftermarket (non-subaru) wires, is the coil pack the original? were the boots ripped or damaged on install? lots of options here. it "could" be something worse, but usually it isn't....of course used cars are suspicious too. why would someone sell a car with a new engine? there's no additive for your year vehicle. that only applies to later model EJ25's, not yours. if it's really a "new" motor it should have the updated headgaskets on it, but who knows really since you have no idea of the history and what he means by "new".

head gaskets are not replacement items, period. if they're saying that, it's some kind of rhetoric for PR, political, liability....etc just due to the 96-03 2.5 issues. this is really a circular discussion and you will get nowhere due to the fact that headgaskets are not replacement items in and of themselves. open up the factory service manual, the owners manual or any newer vehicle and none will even have the word "headgasket" in them. there's a reason for that.

Subaru only, there are some online subaru parts suppliers. do a search and look for subaruparts or 1stsubaru....i can't remember the names. some give internet discounts, so call and ask for internet pricing if they have it. get a price and ask if your local dealer will match it, sometimes they will.

can you reseal an EA81 oil pump like you can an EA82, a new oil pump might not be necessary? do a search for online subaru parts links. subaruparts, 1stsubaru...etc..one of them has really cheap parts.

like michael said, it's in Scranton, PA and i got it for my best friend in georgia. now to figure out a way to get it to MD or WV.

that sounds very strange. that's like having a recommended replacement interval for an engine? very strange that they would tell you that applies to all cars? there are many motors that will not blow headgaskets prior to 200,000 and even 300,000 miles if never overheated (read - experience coolant loss or thermostat failure...etc). the headgaskets on some motors will hold the life of the vehicle. problem is most people don't maintain cars to that age and they eventually overheat to a cooling system failure, but avoiding that there are engines that will not blow a head gasket. that is fact. my oppinion is that a properly done 2.5 with the updated headgasket would even fit that, but that's certainly debatable but not worth debating.

he PM'ed me and here was my reply, i'll copy it here so i can keep things straight: i'm not sure what you mean by "metal side in". the "flat" side...which i would call the "metal side", should be installed facing OUT, not IN, so you may have installed it incorrectly? the seal will have a lip on the "inside" portion, with a sealing spring inside of the lip...but you won't actually see this metal sealing spring unless you peel the lip back or look closely. here's a better way to say it...seals typically (at least the stock subaru seals), will always have ANY writing, number, or lettering on the OUTSIDE of the seal, it should be facing you after you install it, you should still be able to read those numbers. there is no numbering or lettering on the side that faces IN. does that help?

ha ha, i bought the car, hope it comes out okay!

manuals are cheaper to rebuild. less fluids to monitor and change, manual has front gear oil only, the auto trans has front diff gear oil and ATF both. if you're towing or using it for out of normal duties you don't have to worry about the ATF overheating. no filter to change (in the newer 98+ trans). it's easier to "rock" a manual trans if you're stuck. since this is titled only about the benefits of a manual trans i'll leave out the benefits of an auto trans and the cons of a manual trans.

anyone wanna let me know what it says on this vehicle? email or PM?

if properly replaced they should never need to be replaced again. the first time around, what brand gaskets were used? it should have been Subaru, if not then that's a possible cause. if not then the shop likely didn't properly clean or torque the head bolts or the heads were not checked and milled.

mikeshoup replied on the xt6 group: "The bottom of the T is the smaller wire (goes to the dash light), and the larger wire is the top of the T (comes from the fusible links)" worked like a charm! thanks mike!

i went to replace my alternator plug today with a new one. i cut the old one off and when i got inside the plug crumbled instantly into pieces leaving me with only two wires. a black one and a white one. i *think* i recall how they go, but want to be sure before i put them together. if anyone knows, can check an FSM or can look, help me verify which wire goes to which terminal? or can i test with a multimeter and verify some way? i'm supposed to leave tonight at 6pm on a road trip....grrrrr.....i got 5.5 hours to figure this out.

i don't think that's right. pretty sure it's a bolt up affair with a few minor issues. wiring is not one of them and i don't think exhaust is one of them. 95 is a dual port, if it were a later model 2.2 you would need the exhaust manifold, but not with a 1995. that being said, swapping an exhuast manifold is really easy. anyway....the big issue here is the bell housing bolts. the 4 bolts will line up with 4 out of the 8 bolts that are in the other one. so bolt up, no problem, the issue is with the starter. you'll end up with only one starter bolt that lines up properly i think is how it goes, this is from memory. there are two options, just use the one bolt on the starter. or you can drill and tap the second bolt hole that you need, i believe the "spot" is there for the bolt to be easily drilled and tapped. there's more information on a 99 swap, it has been done and isn't that much more complicated. if you're paying to have it done, it would be better all around just to have the head gasket done more than likely. if you're doing it yourself the 2.2 swap has advantages.

caliper rebuild kits are cheap and easy to do. i've seen the kits for between $5 and $15 before and that's for both calipers.