GeneralDisorder

Drill/tap charts are very misleading. Point in fact most are incomplete at best because there are about half a dozen drill sizes for any given tap depending on thread engagement percentage - which depends on factors like the depth of the threads, how loose/tight you want the fit, the type of materials and temperature expansion rates being used, and how much torque the fastening system must withstand. Changing a thread or mix/matching thread sizes and pitches on a fastener with a critical functions such as a head bolt IS WAY ABOVE YOUR PAY GRADE. . Don't do it. Likely it will be an epic fail and you will be this guy -> I understand - but just because it threads on doesn't make it right nor capable of holding 86 Ft/lbs of torque. We are talking about aluminium threads and a steel bolt. Improper fit might strip it out on the final torque, or it might hold through a dozen or a couple hundred heat/cool cycles before failure. Without careful examination on an engineering level you are asking for a very probable failure here. It will not be pretty if that bolts pulls out. Repair it right or just find another short block because if you do it wrong that's what will be happening anyway - just with more swearing and down-time. GD

Clean the mating surface and lube the seal with oil prior to installation. You could also use something like Dow Corning valve lubricant (111): http://www.amazon.com/Dow-Corning-Valve-Lubricant-Sealant/dp/B000LDLGEU That will seal the o-ring better than oil alone and is oil compatible (will not clog passages, etc). I've used that stuff on anything imaginable in the industrial world and it works great for lubricating o-rings and filter seals, etc. As for filters I generally stick with OEM but for applications or situations where OEM is not availible I will only buy WIX/NAPA/Carquest - which are all WIX products. For filters in general Mann makes excelent quality and may be the OEM for Bosch since they are both German... but I would look into it first. GD

I don't think he has posted anything about it here or anywhere else. I just know he recently did the conversion because I was on the phone with him trying to figure out the wireing change that was needed. He got it figured out but I don't know exactly which wires he changed since I wasn't there. GD

Taking your measurements into account, and the fact that EA82's are 11mm x 1.25..... My guess is that the EJ bolts are the same. In other words it's a special order Heli-Coil - no one stocks them. GD

Outers are high/low so you need the H4's. You have to rewire the outer's plug to match the H4 pinout since the sealed beams use a different pinout. Works fine if you rewire them though. My friend has a set on his Brat. PM renob123 (Jacob) for the details on the wireing change. He spent some time googleing and came up with some diagrams but some weren't right. Ends up I think you just have to swap two of the wires and they will work without issue. Great upgrade BTW. Definitely reccomend it. I know there are other off-brands that make the H4 conversion lenses too. Just have to look around. Might ask Jacob where he got his. BTW - you should always post the year/model of your car. I can read between the lines and tell you have an EA82 DL (85 to 89) but some other people will be confused because DL's came with different headlight systems prior to '85, etc. GD

Sounds like the pressure plate is toast to me or they used the wrong one somehow. I would pull the clutch/flyhweel assembly and inspect everything. Flywheel may have been resurfaced improperly, incorrect parts used, etc. You just don't know till you look at it. And sadly that may not tell *you* much since you haven't seen one before to know what to look for. Clutch's can be really frustrating - different parts, step heights, and such. Getting the right clamping force and the correct feel after it's been screwed up from factory can take some leg-work and sometimes trial/error. GD

I'll have to measure one for the size. I'll do that later today since I'm reassembling a 22 that burnt a valve. Have to pickup the heads and gaskets still this afternoon. $185 for resurface/valve grind (both heads), and repair of an exhaust valve with a 1/4" hole burnt in it on the #4 cylinder. Unusual failure GD

In this case the edges of the gaskets are clearly visible and are clearly MLS (Multi-Layer-Shim) gaskets. I count 4 layers. So are the orginal EJ25D factory gaskets corrugated graphite style like an EJ22 gasket? Is that what I'm seeing? It's hard to tell from the picture. I've installed the MLS gaskets before but I've yet to remove one so I'm not that familar with what a used one would look like Also - did Subaru ever roll any of the newer gaskets into the production runs? I'm going to check for those edges sticking out farther in the exhaust port area. That seems like a good indicator. My concern is that they redesigned the gaskets multiple times and since they could have been replaced at any time in the past.... how could I tell if I have the latest gasket or one that's only the first or second redesign? Or were the MLS gaskets the last design and all previous were graphite? GD

A machine shop will likely have every size on hand. If they don't then they will order it into their shop supply - they usually have a standard fee for broken bolt removal and thread repair. GD

Sounds like valve guides to me. The loading up at idle and the cloud on acceleration would seem to indicate valve guides. Rings are usually more consistent with their smoking. Lots of smoke all the time and increasing with RPM's. Those are just general rules though. Run a wet/dry compression test and I bet you find the rings are ok. GD

Higher than normal fuel pressure, bad needle valve/seat, sunken float, etc. Could definitely be why you were running so rich. I recently had a similar issue with a Quadrajet on my truck. Turned out that rust and scale from the fuel tank had clogged up some pressure regulating valves inside the mechanical fuel pump and was causeing it to put out like 20+ psi instead of 4 psi. . This had the effect of causing gas to come from every orifice (it was dripping out the throttle shafts ) and when it did run it was crazy rich with a ton of black smoke. Installed a pressure regulator and a whole bunch of filters before and after the pump - no trouble now . Check your fuel pressure - should be about 2.5 to 3.5 psi. Could be that someone replaced the pump with the wrong one, etc. Wouldn't be the first time. GD

They can't really shift - they are held in alignment by the heli-coil tap threads. In other words they can only rotate but never in such a way as to jam up the threads. It's perfectly safe to use them in a stacked situation. That is most likely how a shop would repair it. The centering and aligning of the drill is the most important procedure and with something like an EJ head bolt with threads that are several inches long I would probably do it with the engine out of the car and using a mag-base drill press, etc to insure complete alignment with the block mating surface. This is a very critical fastener and a tough job to get right even for us that know what we are doing. I would take it to a machine shop if I were you. GD

I've got a '99 OBW with the 25D - engine was replaced with a "120k used engine" is all the reciept I have says. The gaskets are MLS style but I'm not "up" on how to tell if they have been replaced or not. It seems to run just fine - no overheating issues - came to be my new project because of a grenaded 5 speed. So what am I looking for? If it's already got the upgraded gaskets I'm not going to replace them again. If it doesn't then I want to do them up front before I sell it since I know it's a problem with these. Problem I have is although I have all the documentation on the car, the engine could have had the HG's changed in the 120k before it was in this car . So now I have to do some investigating. I did some searches but this topic has been talked about 3 times a week for a decade and wading through all that crap is more than I can stand when half the (possibly applicable) threads I've found have dead links and bad picture URL's Anyone help a guy out here? *edit* - did more searching and still can't find a definite answer. I saw at least one post where somone said the number of layers increased from 3 to 4 somewhere in the design change path but the post was like 6 years old.... this one has 4 layer gaskets in it. That help any? GD

Possibilities: 1. Radiator cap failure. 2. Cooling system leak. Pressure test it. There are a few small coolant lines under/around the intake that can spring pinholes, radiator leaking at a seam, heater core hoses, heater core itself, etc. Check everything. 3. Clogged radiator - check for good flow - a laser temp gun is useful to check for cold spots on the radiator. Large cold areas while the engine is up to temp and still climbing indicate area's where flow is restricted or cut off. 4. Intake manifold gaskets (yes coolant flows through them) 5. Head gaskets. Only go this far once you rule out 1 through 4. Usually manifests itself as combustion gasses over-pressureing the cooling system and causeing the radiator cap to burp out the gas and a bunch of coolant along with it. They eventually run low on coolant and overheat. There are ways to check for combustion gasses dissolved in the coolant. A shop could test for this or there are chemical strips that you can buy as well. It is also possible that you just aren't getting all the air out of the system. Air bubbles will prevent circulation in the system and are a common cause of overheating after recent mechanical work has been performed. Make sure the car is pointing uphill and run it with the cap off while filling it and massaging the hoses to get the bubbles out. GD

I'm sure he could for the right amount of money . Better get your order in quick - he's probably moving out to the west coast soon and won't have access to his special machines. GD

I've seen it once before - the original engine in my '91 turbo Legacy was run till it seized and had actually melted away part of one of the cylinder liners. All the plastic was melted - timing belt covers, knock sensor, etc. Also blew the turbo, radiator, and heater core. I don't know what the driver was thinking and I'm not sure I want to crawl around inside that person's head to find out either. Better that I don't know IMO . GD

With it that far out and accessible you need to center punch it and start with a small bit. It is VERY VERY critical that you center punch it right. If you don't know how to correct an off center punch you need to read up on it. Yes you can stack them. They also expand as they are threaded into place by around 25 to 50% GD

How much thread do you have left on top of the broken bolt section? GD

DO NOT change the bolt to a larger size. This will throw off the torque value and make it near impossible to properly install the heads. Besides that as mentioned if you don't know the proper composition (grade) of the bolt you shouldn't be messing with it. That is way beyond your pay grade . Heli-coil it. GD

I do use RTV on some very limited applications. Cork gaskets - but generally those are only used on older equipment and engine designs. The RTV makes them "rubberized" and helps their longevity immensely. The aftermarket paper EJ water pump gaskets - I use RTV on those. But really Gary is right - sealant or gasket. Almost never both. And when you *do* use sealant - most people use WAY too much. If more than 1/32" of squeeze-out occurs - you have used too much. Generally a thin smear with your fingertip is all that is required. Uniformity is much more important than quantity. GD

No - always install the HG's dry with clean, oil free surfaces. You should clean the surfaces with an evaporating degreaser. I use Laquor Thinner personally. GD

You can try it . I've seen crazier things. GD

Always installed dry. GD

Buy quality aftermarket (Japanese) and hand them to the mechanic. No way I would run another 105k on used bearings at that kind of mileage. The dealer clearly is a pile of morons. I have spoken with my local dealer and they ALWAYS reccomend they be replaced. Customer's often opt to not do it but they still tell them it's a good idea. Regardless of what Subaru says - as Gary pointed out they don't want people to have the impression that Subaru's are expensive to maintain. They would rather have the occasional angry customer than have every single customer pissed off that the 105k service is $2000. Personally I think Subaru should just make these parts cheaper - take a hit on the parts profit and have satisfied customers with reliable vehicles. Obviously they are being greedy when I can buy high quality Japanese bearing equipped idlers for $25 each through my local parts house and they still are making a profit. GD

Less business overall is really the reason. People don't have jobs so aren't fixing things or are only doing the bare essentials (instead of an $80 valve job/resurfance they will only do the $40 resurface). Also these guys do a lot of race engines, port&polish, etc. That stuff isn't being done because there's no one with the expendable income. So they have to increase the prices of the jobs that people can't do without even in a bad economy to offset the other work they aren't getting. You'll be able to see the low spots as you go. Just wipe off the head and visually look for places where there is still gasket material or the metal isn't shiny and there are not sanding marks. You can use spray adhesive to keep the paper on the glass, or you can cut the glass in such a way that you can bend the paper over the edges and hold it that way. Depends on if you want to move the glass/paper across the head or move the head across the glass/paper. Both can work but typically it is better to leave the glass/paper stationary and let the weight of the head insure the sanding process proceedes evenly. The ideal process would be to have a sheet of paper that was 2' x 2' and adheared to the glass with a very thin layer of spray adhesive. Then you could run the head over the surface in a figure-8 pattern. You have to use THICK glass to insure there is no flexing and back it up with thick plywood, etc. I wouldn't use any less than 3/8" thick glass and 1/2" would be better. But by the time you buy all the materials you would probably be pretty close to paying the shop. Call around and see if you can find a better price. Like I said I pay $80 for two heads and I know there are places that are cheaper. I had a friend that found a place that did his for $25 a head. I wasn't impressed with the surface finish but it worked fine. These aren't swiss watches and often I am too picky about that sort of thing. GD