ztrain727

Well, I'm impressed you both mentioned blown U-joint. Sure enough, that's the first thing I noticed. See attached photo. The back wheels spin, but the front end is totally locked. It says the car is in park, but the gear shift is totally loose and has broken parts and no lights. If the u-joint is what failed first, what other damage should I expect? I will start by draining the tranny fluid to see what I find. Thanks so much for the help! Edit: I just noticed looking at the photo that the u-joint collided wth the gear shift cable so that explaines that. Do I need to replace the whole tranny assembly?

Driving down the highway at 70mph tonight a violent metal grinding slowed me to a stop in a few hundred feet. I felt parts flying at me in the cabin as I was slowing down. Upon inspection the shifter has popped free of it's layered plastic housing and is stuck in park. Moving it does not seem to engage the tranny. The car is still runnig but stuck in place. I'm assuming it's a blown transmission but understand that is quite rare on these cars. Anyone else has a similar experience? The car is a H6 3.0 Outback 176k miles. Previous symptoms were stuttering upon acceleration and an intermittent rattling that I thought was the exhaust shield. I will post pictures of what I find in the morning.

I wanted to ask some advice. I managed to drive 4,000 miles since the new HG but continued to loose coolant. There is now coolant in the oil again. I did a really thorough job with the repair so I'm guessing there is either a hole/crack in one of the heads or the block. I assume one of the heads would be more likely. I have the opportunity to sell the car honestly but still don't feel great about passing on the problems to someone else. Should I scrap it? Sell it cheap? I could also buy new heads but if the problem persists I would really be kicking myself. I don't need the car now that I'm out west. I share my girlfriends H6 OBW. I'm still happy I took a stab at it and learned what I could.

I put the old radiator to crossover hose back on which wasn't leaking. I didn't remove the crossover pipe due to time pressure, but it also wasn't leaking to my knowledge. The throttle body hose looks a little rough but I'm 99% sure the leak is from the very front passenger side of the block. All those little hoses from the crossover/throttle body would cause a leak more mid-rear on the block, and the car was parked on a slight upward slant. I'll see if it keeps leaking and report back. Thanks for the suggestions!

I have driven 320 miles so far and everything is running smooth, but today I opened the hood and found coolant pooled on the front passenger side under the power steering pump. It looks like it's from the top radiator to block hose. I replaced it and the new ones was too long so it went over the ridges on the crossover pipe. I can't imagine the head gasket would leak that much externally in 300 miles!?

UPDATE: Got the show on the road - drove down to baltimore 160 miles with no issues. Temps held absolutely steady at all RPMs. Just wanted to say thank you for all the support! Fairtax4me I think I owe you a case of beer next time I'm in your neck of the woods... The smoke/steam was in fact residue burning off the exhaust. I ended up also rebuilding my power steering pump (was leaking from the pump body) and swapping the thermostat (it was not OEM). Hoping for smooth travels to the West! Thanks again for all the help!

It was about that long. It's funny - I was just thinking maybe it was from spraying down the exhaust manifolds with WD40 to get some rust off. Anyway, you're always a step ahead, and I appreciate it very much. I'm going to refill the cooling system with the small hose siphon method tomorrow and then run the engine again keeping an eye on the exhaust. It was late evening last time, so not the best light for diagnosing the problem. Again, thanks for bearing with me

So I got the thing put back together today. I understand why people pull the engine after doing the HG torque sequence in car - not fun. Anyway, got my timing marks set, everything looked good. I fired it up, let it idle a bit, killed it and checked the timing marks (I kept the cover and v-belts off for now) and all seems well. Fired it up again and let it idle for a few minutes, then noticed some smoke or steam coming from somewhere near the back of the driver side head. Killed it immediately. I could feel heat around both heads. Please advise. I don't want to fry the head gaskets again. I've burped the coolant system before after replacing a cracked hose, but always while idling.

Well, interestingly none of the driver side valve cover bolts broke. I guess they just over-torqued one side. I could feel the difference. I'm going to put one bolt in one cover, two in the other and start reassembling. I'll pick up the new bolts tomorrow and pit them on with the heads in the car.

Update: All 3 valve cover bolts snapped off on the driver side head. I guess the last mechanic over-torqued them pretty bad. I had to order them from the dealer. Managed to get them all out. So now the question lies: should I touch the bolts on the other head? Are they likely to fail if I just leave them alone? The valve cover seal looks pretty new, but the grommets are beat up and one is leaking a bit.

Sounds like a plan! I resurfaced the heads at home as per the DIY method so no shavings. I had to take a lot of metal off, especially on the driver's side. There were some strange scuffs including a small gouge right under one fire ring (looks like it held though), and the bottom center of both heads was very recessed, which explains why pockets had formed there in the gaskets. I remembered that prior to overheating the combustion leak tester had repeatedly come up negative, giving me the impression that it was not a HG failure. Examining the heads and gasket, I wonder if it's possible that there was never a failure around the fire rings, just between the coolant and oil passages. I suppose it doesn't make much sense given the low pressure as compared to the fire ring, but it would explain those early symptoms. Anyway, thanks so much once again. I feel encouraged in light of the fact that I'm almost positive the heads were not resurfaced last repair.

I'm not seeing any signs of metal shavings which is a relief. If I stir up the oil, I see swirls but they are orange which I take it is from coolant. I got the heads resurfaced today, going to start in putting everything together tomorrow. I got a beck/arnley head gasket set and I wasn't planning on taking off the valve covers but looking at the kit I'm now having second thoughts. Is it highly recommended I replace everything in the kit? The last mechanic did the timing belt and water pump but not sure how much else.

Didn't see any swirls in the drained oil. The catch pan was clean. I will try the other methods and see what I find. Again, many thanks

I didn't pull the pan. Wasn't planning on it. Could I get an idea from the oil filter?

Thank you so much! Really the kind of excellent, precise response I was in need of. I will go ahead and work on resurfacing the heads as per the DIY method. If they are seeming too warped for that, I'll find a machine shop. Is there any way to check the bearing without tearing down the block? Engine is still in the car since I don't have a hoist, and I'd prefer to keep it that way if possible. And should I be looking for cracks in the heads/block? When it last overheated, I was stranded, but managed to top the coolant the next day and drive 300 miles with no further overheating.

Ah interesting... I would be at a total loss without your help. Thank you! So, I guess the million dollar question is why did it fail so quickly. The gaskets both popped right off the heads so I do think they're fresh, but they're bulging and cracked really badly. I saw on another thread grossgary posted 3 possibilities: 1. heads are not flat or the repair wasn't done right (very possible) 2. headgaskets are cheap (unlikely given the Fuji Heavy Industries logo, and bolts look original) 3. it was previously overheated severely and the block is compromised...cylinder liners shifted or something else. (very possible) Without further diagnosis, I guess this leaves two options: a. swap the block b. resurface the heads, put it all back together and hope for the best. I'm going to be selling this car once it gets me across the country but I don't want the same fate for the next owner so I'm trying to do this proper.

That is the correct gasket!? Seems odd. Why would the coolant passages in the gasket be smaller than in the heads? You can see from the residue and broken gasket that it created a pocket of coolant in the gasket because of the restricted flow. It looks like that's where coolant and oil mixed. Doesn't seem right to me, but your word means a lot my than my speculation. So could the repeat failure be a symptom of warped heads in that case? I was expected to find junk gaskets, but they look OEM which has me wondering... FEL-PRO Part # 9854PT is the gasket I have. Also have a beck/arnley that looks identical. Both say for 1990-1996 legacy, and the coolant passages are not identical to those in the heads.

Hello Folks - Just got the first head off my 1997 Legacy Wagon, under 15k miles since it was done last, and look what I found! Previous mechanic (yes, it was done at a shop) put the wrong gasket on, obstructing the coolant passages. Totally blew open parts of the gasket. So now I'm at a bit of a loss. First thought was coolant obstruction = inadequate cooling = other engine damage? It overheated to a stall when the HG failed but I never noticed high temps prior, just below the middle. I'm curious if this block is toast. Anyway, if I were to keep it, where can I find this gasket!? I have two sets now, both for '90-'96 with the wrong cooling passages like above. I can't seem to find 97's anywhere, a few 98-99. I'm at a loss. Any help greatly appreciated!

I know, right? Makes you wonder... I'll give it a shot and hope for the best. The car is scrap otherwise.

Great! Thanks for the help! I will give it a go, take lots of time and pictures, and if I get stuck hopefully I can get some help here. I;ll read up plenty on the timing belt. If I resurface the heads myself (sandpaper glued to glass method) do I still need to remove the valve cover? Details on the vehicle: 1997 Legacy Brighton Wagon original '97 2.2 L (EJ22) to my knowledge Automatic 135k miles (HG done previously at 125k by unknown mechanic) Forest green (really?)

Could anyone perhaps point me to any complete and comprehensive guides? Does Haynes outline it? I saw the video of the 2007 2.5 HG job on youtube but I'd assume things have changed, plus the 2.2's have exposed head bolts. It is an automatic and hasn't been leaking oil, just some power steering (ATF) fluid. The coolant smells like gasoline, has a white (almost pink) frothy substance floating in it that increased significantly after overheating. Seems like a head gasket to me. Not quite sure how else that could happen. I've read that cheap gaskets tend to fail around 10k miles, which is about what I'm at since buying it. I should probably get a leakdown test to see if/where it's leaking anyway.

86Bratman - I can take a look, but there is lots of oil in my coolant and my engine has overheated a few times from losing coolant. I don't think a thermostat can account for either of those problems. Whether or not it caused them is another question (i.e. thermostate -> overheating -> HG failure).

Hello Folks - I am looking for some step by step help with repairing a '97 EJ22 head gasket in car. What I know so far... 1. Drain oil and coolant 2. Remove spark plug/alternator/starter wires etc. 3. Remove intake manifold and attached hoses 4. Remove external belts/pulleys 5. Remove timing belt cover, belt, pulleys 6. Remove heads (Valve covers stay on) 7. Resurface heads, OEM/felpro gaskets only, specific torquing procedure I am concerned with the timing belt removal and re-installation (I understand the '97 is an interference engine). Are there other points of particular concern? I know a few of you on here are very familiar with these engines (grossgary, MilesFox, Gloyale, others I'm sure) and have said it's probably among the easiest subie head gaskets to do. I figure the learning has to start somewhere. Background on the car: Bought a '97 legacy wagon with a new head gasket at 123k miles. 12k miles later it overheated and stalled out (I wasn't driving), lots of oil in coolant, no combustion gasses detected, no coolant visible in oil. Car still ran, I was stranded, so had a shop take a look, top off coolant, drove 300 miles home. Temps were stable all the way, but it's idling a bit rough. Many thanks!

Thanks - I understand that the issues with running just water, especially tap water, for an extended period (corrosion, boiling point). The plan was to run it for just a day and then drain it as a flush. When all these other problems popped up, I didn't want to fill it with coolant (I got phosphate free pentofrost - it's a little pricey) just to drain it again a few days later. I will go ahead and refill it with a proper 50-50 mix and burp it as you say. Fingers crossed this is all residual.

Hello - I bought a '97 legacy EJ22 with 125k miles and a new head gasket installed by a mechanic (don't know the details). This was 10k miles ago and far, far away. Recently I started noticing dropping coolant levels. I found a big crack in the block-to-heater hose, flushed coolant (prestone kit) and replaced the hose, refilled with pure water. Now its overheating/low coolant again. It's very possible I hadn't re-bled the system properly. But here's the kicker... There is a distinct gas smell in the coolant and some clumps of white milky sludge. When drained the coolant smells burnt, has a vague oil slick on top, and is tinted yellow (it was clear water). HG, right? BUT, I did a combustion leak test to check for CO2 in the coolant, and it came up negative both times. There is also no bubbling in the coolant overflow tank. Could this be residue left over from the previous HG failure? Is it possible to get gasoline/oil in the coolant but no exhaust?