YABHG (Yet Another Blown Head Gasket)

[theidealist]

Okay, I know this thing is so beat to pieces on this forum that it is almost futile to even report it, but here goes my solicitation for input anyway.

 

Less than a month ago, I bought a 1998 Legacy Outback 2.5L with the full knowledge that the potential for this catastrophic failure was present. The owner had not replaced the HG and was not aware that the previous owners had either. Since the car had 138k miles on it, I thought I had a good chance that this was one of those that would not exhibit the problem.

 

After one weekend of mountain driving and some around town errands, I noticed the temperature climb than fall, and noticed bubbles coming into my coolant overflow tank, which was filling and never being returned when the engine cooled.

 

I took it to a mechanic who has, I think, correctly diagnosed it as a blown HG. My questions are:

 

1.) How long can I continue to drive it in this condition (without letting it ever fully overheat) without ruining the heads?

2.) Since I just got the car, and have really little clue if the engine is sound at all, is it better to get a replacement engine and have it installed?

a.) If so, should I go with a low-mileage 1995 EJ22 instead?

3.) Does anyone here know of a mechanic in the vicinity (zip 97124; portland, OR metro area) who will do this work reliably and inexpensively, or - even better - that would be willing to let me "help out" to save money? I am reasonably proficient at more basic car repairs and would love to learn more; however I live in an apartment without a garage at the moment and have no tools or work area to speak of. Everything I have done to-date is something that can be done in a day.

 

Any and all input/commiseration would be appreciated. I had a 1990 Subaru Liberty (Australian version of Legacy) Wagon before this and now I miss its reliability!

 

Thanks,

 

Patrick

[Dickensheets]

I had the same problem as you.

 

Same engine. I replaced the HG and all is fine 20,000 miles later. I did the wrenching and saved money.

 

Now if the motor is solid it's a toss up between fixing and replacing. I would lean toward fixing if the car is well kept by the previous guy.

 

Be careful driving in that condition, and if you do decide to fix it (which I would lean toward) make sure the heads are inspected by a professional machine shop.

 

Now if you can find a good 2.2 like you said then by all means. Plenty have been happy going that route.

 

Check to see if the thermostat is in there. If not then the last guy !ucked you over.

Edited October 31, 2009 by Dickensheets

[nipper]

Head gasket wear is an erosion. Over time it will get worse. Winter is coming, so it is not a repair you want to do in the first cold snap.

 

At 138K the engine is worth saving. First step is to do a compression test, both dry and wet. That will give us an idea on what condition the rings are in.

 

I wouldnt drive the car like this for very long, as all it takes is one quick overheat to ruin the engine.

 

nipper

[idosubaru]

I bet it happened once to the previous owners and they immediately decided to sell (probably knowing EJ25 head gasket symptoms). Just a guess but very odd that just a bit later....... Anyway - probably more of an issue of being deceived than the motors fault IMO.

 

As for fixing - do not drive this engine. It's futile on the Phase I EJ25's you have. Some engines you can manage, not on this one. Due to the nature of the problem it will overheat at any time, not just when it's low on coolant. These do not "run hot", they just overheat almost instantly. if yours is not doing that, it will soon.

 

If you haven't run it hot then the engine is good and worth saving. With new gaskets and a thorough timing belt job you got another 100,000 miles ahead of you, it's worth it in the long run. I would plan on an entire timing belt kit - the pulleys and tensioners are all 10+ years old and not up to par for another 100,000 miles. And this is an interference engine - if the belt brakes or a pulley fails you have worse than head gaskets i$$ue$.

 

As for the EJ22 swap, it's probably only worth it if you can save some money as your engine is probably in good condition. You would want to price it out and compare I guess.

 

The 95 and 96 EJ22's are nice because they're non-interference engines, meaning you can be cheap on maintenance and still get by. And the timing belt kits (belts and ALL pulleys) are only $89 vereses $200-$300 for the newer engines (they changed tensioner design).

 

Depending on prices sometimes you can get a cheap EJ22 for as much as you can sell your EJ25 for (even needing head gaskets). Do that and you're olnly paying install prices and for timing belt kit (which is really cheap on the earlier EJ22's).

 

Don't let the mechanic keep your EJ25, it's still worth money even needing head gaskets.

[theidealist]

Thanks everyone for the advice and commiseration. It seems like the unanimous recommendation is to simply fix the thing, as soon as possible, and hope for the best. I'll go with this, although as soon as possible is probably going to be at least two weeks. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the weather stays nice and I can ride my motorcycle instead until then.

 

As for whether or not the guy who sold it knew about it, I'm choosing to believe that he did not, because a.) He was just way too nice of a guy (I know, naive), and b.) It doesn't matter (caveat emptor and all)

 

Thanks again,

 

Patrick

[ericem]

We might as well open a whole category just for New gen headgasket issues. There is sooooooo many damn headgasket threads it is just unbelievable!!

[bheinen74]

We might as well open a whole category just for New gen headgasket issues. There is sooooooo many damn headgasket threads it is just unbelievable!!

 

that does make sense. we have old gen, we have newer gen, and there should be a category, called "headgaskets on the ej25"