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Greetings everyone: My first post, here goes: Background on the Car: 1984 Subaru 155K miles. I bought this car not running. I don't know much of the history other than it hasn't been on the road since 2002. The previous owner parked it because it stopped running. After inspecting the motor and pulling the plugs, I found coolant in all four cylinder heads; intially, I thought that the motor had blown head gaskets- but then after reading several posts on USMB, it got me thinking the intake manifold gaskets were bad. This would explain why I had coolant in all four cylinders. So, I went ahead and pulled the intake manifold last weekend- and, to my surprise, found the passenger side coolant passage completely blocked with this white waxy/pasty gunk. I have no idea what this substance was, it reminded me of Elmer's Glue white paste. The blockage was about 1" thick. The only thing I can think of is that the previous owner added "Head Gasket Sealent" attempting to seal the coolant leak that was getting into the heads and the stuff sealed up the intake coolant port. So, I cleaned this blockage out the best I could using the head of a flat head screw driver and flushed the coolant ports out with water. I just finished cleaning the intake manifold mating surfaces in preperation for the new gaskets. I have also replaced the thermostat and thermostat gasket while the intake is off. My question is: Since the intake is already off, should I replace the head gaskets as well? I'm worried that after putting the new intake gaskets on, I'll find out that the head gaskets are bad and have to replace the intake gaskets twice (cleaning those mating surfaces was not fun and I would hate to do it twice!). If I don't pull the heads and just replace the intake gaskets, how should I go about getting the coolant out of the cylinder heads? When I turn the motor over with a wrench I can see coolant in the intake port as well as see pooling coolant looking through the spark plug hole. Should I consider flushing out the clyinder heads, then sucking out the water and coolant with a pump? Check out this pictures I took of the gaskets and unkown blockage substance: http://www.dropbox.com/sh/nnwoarop3cy5g3v/AAB1IrYALGDwwEL3_-LZv3gVa?dl=0 I would really appreciate any advice people have.

So my Dad's Subaru I call "The Oil-less wonder" finally and predictably developed head gasket problems. Had it towed to the dealership with a broken fuel pump, they said they smelled exhaust coming from the radiator cap, says there's an internal coolant leak and quoted us $3000. Took it back home, repaired the fuel pump at home and ignored the so called gasket leak. Now I know for certain it has a head gasket leak. Cold starts are plagued by misfires and the check engine light comes on. I've decided it's time to rebuild the engine. Dad doesn't want a new car and Mom doesn't want a monthly car payment. Our options are to buy a second hand motor and drop it in, or take out the current motor, get a rental and let me have at it. TLDR: I'm replacing the head gaskets in a Legacy Outback H6 3.0, taking motor out. What else should I replace while I'm down there? I want to do: Water pump as many seals as I can reach piston rings spark plugs Question about timing chains: Rockauto doesn't seem to have them and I've seen them on google for $100 apiece. Is it a good idea to reuse the chains I have? Also are the gears made of plastic?

Hi, I need to replace head gaskets for 2006 Outback 2.5i. While my daughter is using this car, radiator got blown. This has EJ253 with active valve system. I got these cylinder head off now. Subaru manual says I need special tools to remove valve rocker assembly, 18258AA000 and 18354AA000. Does anyone know this can be done without these tools or not? Just undo fastners for the assembly and cam bearing doesn't work? If I can, I will remove valves and replace seals. If not I wll replace head gaskets and valve cover gaskets only. Any imput, idea? Thanks.

I picked up a 1993 Loyale wagon for 400$, expecting the best from it as i always have... well it just so happens i bought the only subaru that has ever given me problems! Mainly due to the fact that the previous owner had no idea what they were doing and messed alot of things up. looking for some advice and guidance for sure! Ive done head gasket jobs on plenty of my buddies chevys but never on a boxer. ive got a chiltons on the way and wanted to ask if theres anything i should know before ordering parts and diving in? any info would be greatly appreciated. My ultimate goal is to lift it 2' and turn it into an offroad rig.

Hi, we are well aware of the head gasket issue on older Subarus, having purchased an engine for our '99 Outback some years ago. Can someone please clarify which years of Outback are effected by this plague ? Is there a specific engine to watch out for ? We are looking at buying our 5th Subi, a 1999 30th Anniversary Ltd Outback with the 2.5 engine --- does that have any known issues ? It is low miles. PS: our daughter just rolled our '99 Outback, she landed upside down in a snow filled ditch in the Adirondacks, and walked away unscathed. The car is in very good shape except the top is caved somewhat, but the insurance will total it. Not happy. Thanks, Craig

Hello all I have a outback xt with 150,000. I need new head gaskets. I'm not happy but it is what it is. Any recommendations on new head gaskets

So I just had my head gaskets fixed because I was told by multiple shops that they were leaking. Well everything generally seems to be running pretty nicely since the repair I am having a couple issues since this repair. I have the base model 2.5 subaru Legacy from 2009 1. The fuel mileage has dropped from around 26-27mpg on average to 22-23mpg on average 2. There seems to be a different smell coming from the exhaust. These repairs were finished 2 weeks ago so I don't know if there is a break in period for some of this stuff or not. Just looking for some opinions as to whether I have something else going on here.

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!

Hello All, I'm new to the forum, here's the information: 1996 Subaru Legacy (300,000 miles). Over heated yesterday- on the "H", check engine light on, go to Autozone, code reads P0125, list "coolant temp is always low" then list probable cause "661-check coolant level"- checked, fine "662=Thermostat defective"- replacted thermostat, then boiled old one and it popped open, so it was never in need of replacement then "663= ECT (engine coolant temparature) sensor defective"- I don't even know what this is did nothing with it. Then today, I had to pick my son up from school (single/astrologer mom who lives on student loans and near nothing pay), car makes it to school (no over heating), when we leave school car overheats, all the way to H- then car dies in street (hear what sounds like loud knocking 5 seconds before it dies). Car restarts, I pull over, wait for it to cool, then I drive home (3 miles) on "H" almost instantly. Now it's parked outside, I have 0 support system and need this car to continue living if possible. I burbed the radiator/bled it, check out the oil it is NOT milky, no white smoke out of exhaust, no bubbles in resevioure, no black much in there either (though some brown muck that's been in there since I bought it 3 years ago), looked at outside of head gasket and around- no coolant, no visible signs. Is it the head gasket? The heater worked briefly on the ride to school (after I changed the fully functioning thermostat and flushed/bled radiator), then nothing but cold air the rest of the time. I know NOTHING about head gaskets other then the basic signs none of which I see though the car is in "H", the car DIED, and the heat is not blowing. Please, someone, anyone, help me. I truly need an angel right now. Also, as a side note I'm an astrologer and write weekly horoscopes, find me on FB or google Mystic Gwen. PLEASE HELP!!! The pic below is me and what I hope to be doing after one of you Yoda's guide me and that is smoking a CIGAR. For the love of God, Alah, Buddha, Hendrix and Geddy Lee- HELP ME.

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?

Hey folks, I just got a 1998 forester 2.5 4AT for free. I drove it around for about a week and heard about head gasket problems, sure enough when I looked in the coolant bottle I found this 80% Oil 20% Coolant Premix. I just want a confirmation from you Subaru Professionals that this is indeed a bad head gasket/gaskets. there is no visible leak on the head-block mating surface but there is an Oil leak on the VC-Head surface. This Subie has over 260k miles on it so far, what can I expect from it? Thanks for the help folks.

Ok folks, I'm hoping someone out there can help guide me to my problem area. I have a 2001 outback wagon with the 2.5L. It runs greats, but recently is have been pushing the antifreeze into the overflow and not drawing it back into the system. I did the obvious and changed out the radiator cap for a new one. That was not the problem. I put the car up in the air and pulled the cover off to have a look at the head gaskets. They were dry. I squeezed the lower radiator hose and had antifreeze come out of the thermostat housing. I figured the gasket went bad and replaced it. That seemed to work for a bit, but on my way back from a 300+ mile trip the car began having the same symptoms again. I stopped, shut the car off and burped they system until I was able to open the cap. The overflow was full but the radiator was again low on fluid. I topped it off and made it home with no trouble. My thoughts are it's the waterpump, but I had already replaced that no more than 8 months ago when the timing belt was done. I am hoping it's not the head gasket, but I am not sure. Wondering if anyone else out there had a similar problem and could tell me what they had done to fix it. Thanks for taking the time to read/reply folks!

I need some work on my '02 legacy whose been with me most of my whole driving career, but I don't want to get ripped off. I really don't know anything about this so I'm putting my trust in my fellow Subaru die-hards. It looks like to replace the head valve gasket most of the cost is in the labor, is that right?? If so what would be a reasonable charge to have someone do it for me and as opposed to going to a shop?

Hi guys, So it's a 2003 Legacy GT with almost 177,000 km on it (110k miles). Today I only recently discovered oil residue when i checked with my fingers underneath the engine where the intake manifold meets the engine block (on the passenger side, both cylinders). Also on the driver side, I couldn't reach underneath the cylinder closer to the front but i noticed a similar residue under the cylinder close to the firewall. The residue was dark black with a lot of dirt in it, was still oily thou. I recently had the full timing belt kit replaced and put in new coolant+conditioner also changed the oil and oil filter. The fact that the oil i noticed was all black and not 'fresh' was kind of a relief but I'm still quite worried. Please tell me that this can be caused by a cheap seal and not the head gasket=/ If you think it is the head gasket, what is course of action to avoid getting it replaced for as long as possible, I can't afford it right now? I know overheating and bubbles in the coolant are biggest signs of head gasket failure and i haven't got any of those. Thank you

Hello, I'm a new comer in USMB. Always like subaru, bought a used 04 Outback (Blue color ) with 121K and love this car! It had a slight oil and coolant leaking when I got it. After I did the coolant flush with "all maker/all models" orange coolant without any "conditioner" ( have no idea of the head gasket thing back then, did the flush because a stupid coupon...), coolant is leaking faster. Now I can hear the dripping when car stops. It lost about 1 gal coolant in 3 months, but the oil level was only down down a little bit between oil changes. Now it has 128K and I'm going on a road trip so I need to replace timing belt to make it safer. I did have the T-belt checked before it was in a good shape although it's original. First I planed to replace both T-belt and head gasket (HG) at the same time to save the labor cost, but I decide to only do the T-belt and use the famous subaru cooling system conditioner to mitigate the leakage, after 3 day's research online. Really thanks everyone who post on HG leaking, especially grossgary and GeneralDisorder Here's my reasons: 1. many examples (15+) has been found that prove the little conditioner works pretty well and car should be good for 50K+ miles. And almost everyone who tried conditioner found it worked although the total number is only a few. a. GeneralDisorder tried this on his severe leaking 99 forester ( I guess EJ253?), the dripping stoped almost immediately and last for 20K+ miles (by now?). Also he said "My parts guy says many times the stop leak cures the problem forever and they (customers who had HG leakage) never come back." I think most customers found HG problem was fixed, though some might sell the car. b. grossgary talked about his friend's 03 (outback?) went from "solid oil leak" to "leaking really good oil" in 70K~80K miles, which was quite a lot mileages. But I don't know if HG is finally blown or not when he stopped using car. c. lots other cases can be found by searching on this board or through the internet, I just can't named them all. d. Very interesting and useful reviews about the conditioner on amazon: <http://www.amazon.com/Subaru-Cooling-System-Conditioner-SOA635071/product-reviews/B008HQHS7M/ref=cm_cr_pr_top_link_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=byRankDescending> 7 worked, 4 didn't specify the effect. also all worked cases are from newer reviews, so I guess they got this information online maybe this board. Great Jobs:) 2. coolant won't go to combustion chamber or mix with oil for these engines (EJ25 Phase II). Because of newer design of phase II, leakage was found to be external and most likely to stay with external leakage. Although allwheeldriveauto claimed this external leakage can become internal if not replacing HG after major leakage, I have only found one suspected case that overheated after 15K miles of coolant leaking, but no reason for overheat was stated. No one actually posted internal leakage after external leakage (I might see somebody said a direct internal leakage developed, but not sure), after going though some posts here, all posts in HG failure log on <http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/88-head-gasket-issues/18583-hg-failure-log-no-discussion-log-only-20.html>, and most post on <http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/>. 3. Even if coolant goes to combustion chamber, sign can be seen from bubbles in coolant overflow bottle; or even if coolant mixed with oil, sign can be seen from milky color thing on oil dipstick ( maybe and oil in coolant overflow bottle?). Even if all signs are missed, replace HG after first overheating seems won't cause more issue. If overheat is missed, then no next.... 4. This seems to be better in the long run. I expect my subie could run more than 350K miles, even not with me at last. I wish it could last for 8k+ miles with the conditioner, then replace both HG and TB, definitely using a MLS HG, which should be good for at least 150K according to allwheeldriveauto. But does anyone see a failure on the MLS HG? just curious...(I know the OEM ones are prone to fail a second time as the first one) 5. For the short run, spend much less money now. Local independent Subaru Shop quoted ~1500 for HG and TB replacement at the same time. If do them separately, TB (and gears) ~530, HG ~1270, so total is ~ 1800. As a college student, I feel nearly $1K saving is a lot. Even if it turns out HG need to be done very soon as well (which is very unlike to happen), I only need to pay 300 more. The disadvantages and concerns: 1. Replacing HG seems to be better for the mid-term run. If I only drive it for less than 8K miles, it is better for me to do HG now, but not the best way for the car. 2. The risk is higher for long road trip. Replacing HG gives more peace in mind than checking oil and coolant at each stop in a long road trip. I love road trips so this is a big concern for me. But checking fluid levels frequently also provides quite a peace in mind. 3. If the condition doesn't work and problem become severely bad within 10K miles. then I need to have the HG replaced, spend 300 more. But I believe possibility for this to happen is <2%. 4. This is just for me, my mechanic is a honest, knowable, and fair Subaru specialist. It may be a little struggle to find a good Subaru mechanic if I move away after graduation (probably will). But I need to find a good mechanic in the new area anyway. Well, to sum up, from the information and analysis I got, if just using conditioner, topping off fluids, and keeping an eye on temperature after leakage being found, I think there's 97% probability for engine to last 20K miles, 80% to last 50K miles, 60% to last 80K miles, 40% to last 100K miles (frankly, just guessing) before problem goes really worse, like annoyance by topping off every 300 miles, or internal leakage, etc. I have already dropped my car for replacing TB (&gears), coolant flush, and adding conditioner. I would like to test this method and post updates later, to see the result. Thanks for your reading, looking forwards to replies, answers, corrections, comments, etc. apologize if any misleading due to my poor english as a non-native speaker. And most important, Happy Holidays! Fisky

Hi all, I'm new here and just bought a 97 outback and have been having overheating issues. A mechanic did a leakdown test and determined that it was a leaking radiator, so I replaced the radiator along with the thermostat, and the upper radiator hose (the aftermarket lower hose didn't fit). The engine runs great and drives fine around town, but when I take it on the freeway it overheats. It'll run well for anywhere from 2 minutes to an hour until the temperature suddenly rises. It takes about 30 seconds to go from normal temp to red line. If I stop for a minute and run the fan then it will return to normal temp and I can drive another couple of miles before the problem develops again. I took it to another mechanic who did another coolant leakdown test and he said the system held pressure just fine. Any ideas? I'm worried that it's a head gasket, but shouldn't that show up in a leakdown test or wouldn't it also overheat at low speeds? Could the thermostat just suddenly close?

I have a 96 Legacy L Wagon with an EJ22 in it. I have 120,000 on the car, I bought it 3,000 miles ago. Now I have a head gasket leaking coolant from the passenger side under the timing belt cover (according to my mechanic). The car runs fine. It has not overheated. I brought it in to have the cam and crank seals done because they were dumping oil. I am reading more and more about how uncommon this head gasket issue is on the 2.2. I am starting to wonder if this guy has it wrong. Is there something else I should check out? In order to do this, I need to cut some of the parts costs. Do I have to get OEM head set? Is there something more reasonably priced available that will hold up for the many miles I have left on this engine if I can get it on track again? Quoted parts: $440 That seems higher than it has to be from my searches around the web. Do I have to put in a new head bolt, too? I know some are designed to expand once. Is that true on this? Quoted: $125 I have checked out few videos showing how easy it is to plane the heads, too. Easy enough for me to do on my own without messing it up? That would cut a significant cost for me, too. Quoted: $150 I would love to dig into it myself, but without a lot of experience, I need a big confidence boost or someone who knows more than me to help me out with it. Thanks for you help.

My old man's car blew its head gasket according to the dealer. So in an attempt to save a few mortgage payments getting this car's gaskets replaced in a dealer, I figured I could do it myself. Now, I'm no slouch in the mechanic department; I'm wondering if any other members here have done the head gasket themselves on an H6 EZ30 motor. The repair industry calls for 14 hours for each head gasket and I know that there's not very much clearance at all in the engine compartment. Provided the heads are not damaged (the rad did boil over) I could potentially save a lot of money. The labor is not something I'm fearing. TLDR: Head gasket blew on an H6 3.0 (EZ30) engine. I want to replace the gaskets myself. I have an AllData printout of what i need to do but: Do I need to take the engine out? Do I need any special tools? Any tips from the pros? what to look out for, what not to do etc. Thanks a lot in advance, wish me luck!

I have 2001 Subaru Outback 2.4L Automatic wagon with about 190K miles. It runs great, however when it gets below 40 degrees farenheit, it has a few symptoms that are not present when the weather is warm. 1. Strong odor of gasoline, so much so that I cannot turn on heat unless the car is moving and wind is forcing the order to leave the engine area. 2. Overheating when driving more than 5-10 miles, regardless of uphill or downhill. At the end of last winter, I replaced the thermostat, drained old coolant, then refilled the system with 50/50 coolant to make sure I had a proper mix. Sure enough, I drove about 10 miles, and immediately saw the engine begin to near the red line. After this, I brought it to a mechanic and asked them to look for any problems and possibly check the water pump. They gave it back to me and told me the water pump wouldn't fail the way it is engineered, and they claimed that it had to be a head gasket problem. I don't believe they actually checked anything out because they didn't charge me after leaving it with them for three days. So, I saved up a little cash and it was around May, when things started to warm up. When I was ready to bring it in to have the head gasket replaced, the weather had consistently risen to 50-70 degreees farenheit and I was no longer having overheating issues. I was testing it on hills, and with AC on full, trying to get it to overheat with no success. So, I figured even if they replaced the head gasket, I couldn't verify that their work was successful until it got cold again, so I didn't do it. Now that we've had a couple weeks where mornings are below 30 degrees, all the symptoms are back, and they seem to be worse when it is really cold than just cold. I don't have anyway of proving that the gas odor and the overheating are related, but I never have one without the other. If I lived in a warmer climate, I don't think I would even be aware that there is an issue because it drives great in the summer and I have no issues, even on long road trips with the car packed and AC on full blast. Other info... I didn't see any excessive rust or metal particles when I flushed the coolant, I've always changed the oil regularly and i've used synthetic oil since it cleared 100K, no major mechanical failures but have replaced starter, alternator, knock sensor, belts when worn. Timing belt changed at 125K. Flushed & changed transmission fluid at 150K. I've regularly replaced spark plugs, spark plug wires, & distributor cap, but I've never replaced the fuel filter or anything fuel related because I was always afraid of a spill and stinking up the garage and having to hear my wife complain for weeks while the smell went away. Please help me!! I've aked every mechanic that I've randomly run into and they only tell me that it's either thermostat, water pump, or head gasket, however none of those suggest that it would work fine in the summer but overheat and stink in the winter. Any insight and explanation could help. I'm at a loss. I don't want to spend $1500 for a head gasket replacement and find out that it was some other anomoly that only costs me $50. I love my Subbie and hope to get her to at least 300K miles.

Greetings- I just bought a '95 Legacy LS wagon with the EJ22 engine (EA4T with 143k) for cheap ($500) because it needs head gaskets. I'm going to do the work myself (first time for this repair) and I'm wondering if anyone in Northern VA area has a recommendation for a shop that can machine the cylinder heads after I remove them. I live in Springfield for reference. I'm going to pull the engine to do this so I am going to do the timing belt/water pump (of course) and already saw some discussion about the eBay kits with the Aisin water pumps (which looks like a great deal). I also see that there is decent amount of gunked on oil on/below the block so I am going to clean the block and investigate that and figure out what else I need to do (e.g. oil separator/baffle plate, etc.). I'm still trying to figure out which head gaskets I should use. I know the consensus for the EJ25 motors looks to be a HG with MLS. How about for the EJ22...do most people use an OEM head gasket? Decent aftermarket like Felpro that is similar to the OEM? Or some other aftermarket that is superior to the OEM? Any info is appreciated.

Hey Everyone, I'm happy to be back in the gang of scoobie owners. I just purchased a 1995 Legacy LS wagon (for $500) to use as a third car for my oldest daughter who is about to get her license. I have previously owned a number of family members: '86 GL-10 sedan, '87 GL wagon (loved that d/r), '88 DL wagon, and a '90 Legacy wagon (we had some bad luck with that first gen EJ22!). This wagon is in pretty good shape with only 143k miles and no body rust. The big project for it is the need for head gaskets. I'm going to work on that myself so I'll continue digging into the various threads here on that topic. I've seen lots of discussion about what gasket to use (OEM v. some other MLS) and I haven't figured out what direction I'm going yet. I have some time so I can do more research. I need to find a shop in northern Virginia (just SW of DC) where I can get the heads measured for flatness and machined if needed. Anyone have a recommendation? I look forward to using the board more. I received some great help (on the old message board!) when I changed my first timing belt on the '87 GL back in 2001 or so.

Hi all, Current vehicle of question: 1999 Outback Wagon, 2.5l DOHC, 120k, Second owners... This is a friend's car that I'm helping out with, and am hoping to get some good insight. Knew that this would be the place. Story: The car was bought last October, and has had 9000 miles put on it by a very calm and defensive driver... They started noticing the thermostat indicating it getting hot. After watching it, they noticed the coolant was low, and that they needed to add. Then they noticed air being forced into the coolant reservoir. They took it to a few independent subaru shops, and got the same answer: Blown Head Gaskets, and bad Viscous Coupler (for a different post....). So we pulled the motor, and started getting the heads off. It had the old style HG (http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/), and they were both bad My question has to deal with the driver side head in particular... While taking the intake camshaft retainers off, a pressurized aqueous solution squirted out at us from under the retainers. Also, two of the camshaft retainer bolts were heavily corroded. Is this a sign of a cracked head? I plan on submerging the head in a tub of water, and spraying compressed air into the retainer bolt holes. If there are bubbles from anywhere, I'm assuming the head is bad? Should we be concerned with the block internals being compromised? How much should another head cost, and should they just slap a 2.2L in there (I'm in favor...)? The oil that we drained from the pan is not chocolaty/frothy. And there was maybe a gallon of coolant that drained out of the system. Thanks, Greg

Hi there, I've only owned my Subaru (92 legacy L-EJ22) since the end of April and I love it! But now its sad Had a small oil leak which I figured was the valve cover gaskets. In the process of changing them I made a VERY dumb mistake and loosened my head bolts inadvertently. I tightened them back up to spec, went ahead and did the valve gaskets, plugs and wires, and changed the oil. I now have smoke (steam?) coming up from under the passenger side head and A LOT of white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Didn't see any bubbling in the reservoir but I might have just missed it. I have the gut feeling that I need to do the head gaskets and wanted some input. Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I am poised to buy a 2003 Forester with only 91,000 miled on it. One previous owner, no accidents, carfax looks great mostly dealer serviced local to where I am buying it from. $6995, with tax and conveyance fee it'll be just shy of $8,000. Dealership did timing belt, waterpump, and head gasket. Tires look new. 1: Would you say go for it? This is my first sube and I'm switching from an '01 camry. I really need a wagon for this summer. I hear these last forever so when I saw one with less than 100,000 miles I pounced on it. 2: Where/how can anyone suggest I get an extended warranty? The dealership is only offering a 60 day warranty. While I consider myself a fairly educated person, I don't know much about buying cars as I've been driving my camry forever- so feel free to point out anything you might consider obvious that I might not have considered yet. I will be making my decision on it very soon, I have paid them to hold the car for a couple days while I come up with the money. A big thanks!

So heres where im at: My 1987 RX blew a head gasket. Two options im considering: EJ "swap" or rebuild w/mods I read the ej swap threads and a bit about the ea82 so i have an idea of the work involved in swapping, and i know the limitations of the ea82T. So I need some input on this. Reading the ej-ea document(sorry cant remember the author off the top of my head) the part that has me a little anxious is the wiring, mainly the removal and installation of the wiring harness. so for the swap my questions are: Is there anyone who would splice the harness for a fee? is there a shop who could do the whole swap? Whats the ideal(easiest) donor for this project? for the ea mods, i know it cant handle a ton of boost so i’m mainly looking at the rebuild to begin with: Is there a difference between the turbo and non-turbo blocks? and the different years? my current block has been tapped in two locations, and id like to have stock threads for the distributer and the tensioner pulley. I guess my overall question is what donor block can i use and how can i tell if the head is warped ahead of time? and then besides all that, while i have the engine out, ill be doing the belts/water pump, but what else should i do as far as maintenence and reasonable mods? i dont want to spend more than 4k on the whole thing, but the cheaper the better. but obviously i want as much quality as money that money can buy.