mrwoodboat

I got the impression from this forum and the other forum, that the ASIN gaskets were the improved gaskets over OEM- according to that opinion, there was an imp[rovement in the design and manufacturing that was better than the OEM gaskets. Personally I feel that the HG issue has been around long enough that the OEM should have reengineered the head, block or gasket to help mitigate the issue. Seems to be the only weak spot in from my opinion, what looks to be a well designed engine.

So idosubaru- quick question if you dont mind- heads are clean, surfaces are decked, block and pistons are clean, basically ready to put back together. I purchased the ITM (Asin) gasket set and the head gaskets are MLS but there is not an indicator to direct which aide goes up. One side of the HG is plain, the other side has a red thin strip of some sort of silicone around the outer perimeter. Which way to I install? Thanks

most of the engines I have done were old vintage mahogany boats- most used non detergent 30 wt oil- all of them are sludged up and the cylinders look like the Sahara and Gobi desert has a sand fight in them LOL so it is nice to see a clean motor in good shape....

I looked around for an E22 and didnt find one loca the ones on line were out of our budget plus shipping. The TQ is reseated and its fairly easy to tell where it goes given the starter interface so thats good- I have ONE cam saddle bolt being a pain- it doesnt want to come out- the head is rounded now so guess I will have some quality time with a small drill and extractor tomorrow. I was very amazed at how spotlessly clean this motor was- with 189k on it- there was zero sludge in the pan or heads- the cylinders even still show some crosshatching on the walls...

thanks guys- it seems straight forward- I did mark both the converter and bellhousing with a reference mark. I ordered a factory front seal- figured why not while it is apart...

Hi All- have the motor out of our 1997 Legacy Outback to replace head gaskets, timing belt, water pump etc. The transmission has a leak that I think is coming from the seal behind the torque converter. I started to pull the torque converter out but there was a shaft that was coming out with it so I stopped and reseated the converter. Can some one tell me how to remove the TQ so I can install the new seal? TIA

thanks GD- to be Capt Obvious- I am new to Japanese cars- my area is more like old Chris Craft and Century inboards....those, I know- this soobie-not so much

Thanks everyone- I feel like between having a bubble in the block and a bit of "dad"ism happening, it is all good now- however, the AT OIL TEMP light stays on for a heartbeat when you start the car now- it had not done that prior to the radiator blowing out (side tank was brittle and crumbly- why we had to replace it)- Will a standard code reader work on this year? My buddy has one he said I can use tomorrow.

UPDATE- so I did see both fans run once I cut the A/C on- the smaller one was continuous but the larger one ran intermittently. I did see on here that when filling the radiator, to remove the top hose and fill from there, then fill radiator- I pulled the top hose and put about 1/4 gallon in, then another 1/4 into the radiator. I am wondering if the heating issue may have been that I didn't get all the air out of the system. I do see where the 2.5 has headgasket issues- I do not see any vapor in the exhaust nor bubbles in the radiator, the oil is clean but the car does have 186K on it and I do not see a service ticket for headgasket repair. How worried do I need to be about this immediately? I have no problem pulling the motor and rebuilding it but hoping to wait till winter when its cooler and my son wont need it for a bit. Thx to all!!!

Hi all, newbie here so sorry if this has been covered. Purchased a 1997 Subaru Legacy Outback for my son- it is in good shape and has been serviced regularly by the Subaru dealer. Radiator cracked so purchased a new one, replaced cap, and thermostat at the same time. Took a while to get all the air out of the system. The only issue we are still having is it runs at normal temp but will spike to the hot mark when you are going slow (we have a long drive up the side of a mountain with lots of 180 degree switchbacks). If you stop for a moment and run the heater, the temp will drop back to normal. I am wondering if one of the fans is not coming on as it should. Any tips or help is appreciated