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97 OBW bad HGs.. UPDATE , found donor 2.2l, couple ?s on swap...


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ok, so the more i think about this, the more im leaning towards a 2.2l swap...

 

when ever i talk to the mechanic here about a swap he says to just fix the engine that's in the car now. and i understand that, you know the2.5L engine and buying any used engine has a certain amount of risk in it. although with 2.2L subarus it may be a low risk.

 

on the other hand, if you have just bought a used outback with bad head gaskets, you don't know how often or how severely it overheated. so in that case a swap would be a good idea. you don't want to put money into an engine that may have overheated bearing damage.

 

in your case, money aside, the repair would be a better choice (iirc, i think you have had this car a while). if a swap is cheaper, then go that way.

 

if you are going to go with a swap you have two choices regarding your old engine. i hate saying this, it goes against my nature to destroy an engine, but run it into the ground, get as many miles out of as you can. your other choice, pull it and sell it as needing head gaskets. the money you get for it will offset the cost of the 2.2L engine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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when ever i talk to the mechanic here about a swap he says to just fix the engine that's in the car now. and i understand that, you know the2.5L engine and buying any used engine has a certain amount of risk in it. although with 2.2L subarus it may be a low risk.

 

on the other hand, if you have just bought a used outback with bad head gaskets, you don't know how often or how severely it overheated. so in that case a swap would be a good idea. you don't want to put money into an engine that may have overheated bearing damage.

 

in your case, money aside, the repair would be a better choice (iirc, i think you have had this car a while). if a swap is cheaper, then go that way.

 

if you are going to go with a swap you have two choices regarding your old engine. i hate saying this, it goes against my nature to destroy an engine, but run it into the ground, get as many miles out of as you can. your other choice, pull it and sell it as needing head gaskets. the money you get for it will offset the cost of the 2.2L engine..

 

i just bought the car.. so i have no idea how bad it was overheated. on test drive no problems. few rides after purchase and getting it home, no prob.. then BANG.. over heats. so i think ill just go the swap route. im hoping to find a good 95 automatic motor that i wont have to change Y-pipes or anything, just plug n play basically from what ive read. ill put a new clutch in while im there. as those are not interference motors, i wont even sweat the t-belts or anything unless theres visible leaking from the front seals (in which case i prob wouldnt buy it). im thinking this will be my best bet. if i spend 6-700 on motor and clutch kit and do the labor myself, itll not only be quicker, but more cost efficient (especially in the long run)

 

but yes i am tempted to register and drive it to the ground whille i look for the 2.2l i need for it

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where are you located?
he's in CT mike.

 

non-interference is nice. i wouldn't shy away from 96's either - also non interference and the only difference is you'll need the y pipe. don't let that scare you, it has to essentially come off anyway (off the motor) and only requires removing two extra bolts. buy mike's, he's a straight up great subaru enthusiast, i've bought tons of stuff from him.

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its an automatic, i assume, with the egr system? let me know, im interested.. where are you on the east coast?
There's no 100% successful way to tell if 96+ have EGR or not, except to look. Auto/manual does not matter post 95.

 

In 1995 all auto's have EGR, manuals do not, after that it's not so clear cut....though most of the time they do have EGR, so just ask.

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There's no 100% successful way to tell if 96+ have EGR or not, except to look. Auto/manual does not matter post 95.

 

In 1995 all auto's have EGR, manuals do not, after that it's not so clear cut....though most of the time they do have EGR, so just ask.

 

cool!! good to know gary. if it comes to that route, ill know what to look for. if for some reason, i got one w/o egr, could i put the computer for that car into mine and avoid CEL?? just curious

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I have bad hg's too. My guy is fixing as we speak. 800.00. + 200.00 for hg set and timing belt. I got a new WP & tensioner too.

The bottum end is strong so i can't see risking a swap to a bottum end i know nothing about.

Mine is rust free from PA. it's definitly worth putting cash into.

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if for some reason, i got one w/o egr, could i put the computer for that car into mine and avoid CEL?? just curious
no, doesn't quite work like that.

 

the only way that might work is if you can find the extremely rare automatic that didn't have EGR. i've had one car (97 or 98) impreza OBS that was automatic and no EGR. but those are probably like the most impossible subaru part to find, it's the only one i've ever heard of.

 

in that case (oh man do i wish i would have saved that ECU), it might work.

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Where did you get an estimate for 2K?I did my own and had between 4&5 hundred in them.That is with quality machine work.I'll do the job for you for $750.00.I live in Washington,PA.Call me crazy,but I like these engines.

 

id prob take you up on that if you were a little closer.... its either 5hrs or 8hrs ride one way to you (mapquest says 2 washington PA's)

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UPDATE ON THIS!!! ok, so i had tried that steel seal, and it didnt work.... well not sure?? but in the instructions it said to buy a STANT LEV-R-VENT radiator cap for bubbles in the coolant. i also had to buy a new OEM t-stat for it because i had gutted the other one.

 

install new t-stat, bleed system good, and installed this cap but left the lever in the up position. the car now runs at perfect temp, and guage doesnt budge. still get exhaust bubbles in the overflow tank, but leaving the lever up is letting that by into the tank without pushing the coolant thru. ive put over 100 miles on it today with no problems what so ever :grin::grin: i did this last night, and drove it around awhile and seemed good.. this morning, coolant level in the tank was at low mark. i went to DMV and got it all registered and drove the piss out of it all day everywhere. once at temp, the level in the tank came to the top full mark, and didnt budge from there all day.

 

i really want someone else to try this with theirs and post up the results here to see if this is a $20 fix for an $800-$1800:eek:that i was quoted headgasket job.

 

now if you have other problems causing the overheating IE heatercore, clogged rad, bad t-stat etc... i dont think this will work, but if your good, just bad gasket, i think this is the trick.

 

i notice no difference in the way it runs or anything. i actually went and bought 2 O2 sensors, and a knock sensor to rid the CEL, and will be attempting emissions tomorrow morning. im going to laugh if a car with bad headgaskets will pass emmisions, but CEL is cleared, and the car runs freakin AWESOME... so get off your but and go try this on yours if you have a PHASE I 2.5L with a bad headgasket.. you need STANT LEV-R-CAP PART NUMBER 11327. this is the 13lb cap, they also had a 16lb that i wouldnt recommend. you MUST AIM THE LEVER AT THE BATTERY with the cap tight, the lever will either face towards the grille, or the battery depending on which way you install it. IT NEEDS TO AIM AT THE BATTERY SO THE HOOD WILL CLOSE WITHOUT POPPING THE LEVER CLOSED!!!!

Edited by themoneypit
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There is no reason for a car with bad HG's not to pass emissions. You can even be burning oil at a good clip and pass emissions. They are not looking for the results of those chemical reactions, they are just looking for proper combustion.

 

You can pass emissions with lower then spec compression too.

 

The Stant lever cap is a red hearing. They are telling you that this is just a band aid, and not a fix. If it was truly a fix it wouldn't need a weaker radiator cap.

 

 

nipper

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i know that, but i will run it like this till it either blows up, needs a clutch, snaps a timing belt, or whatever. i dont think the steel seal did anything at all for this, BUT that rad cap doesnt allow the system to pressurize, it actually releases the air from the head. im telling you, it runs 100% and i couldnt be happier. i will continue to look for a good 2.2l and will scoop one up when i find one, but i wont install it until this one blows up!!! if it ever does blow up

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you still need to check your coolant a lot. driving with your cooling system 'open' will boil off the water leaving the antifreeze behind. eventually you will end up with a very high concentration.

 

So, add water, not antifreeze when coolant level gets low? Prolly a good idea to use a hydrometer to see what freeze temperature the antifreeze protection is providing.

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there's no reason for it to run poorly and you certainly won't have any problems passing emissions with bad head gaskets, so that's not anything you even need to think about. that's awesome instant leave-you-stranded overheating quit. wonder if the cap alone would help with that? you did the sealant stuff first right?

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there's no reason for it to run poorly and you certainly won't have any problems passing emissions with bad head gaskets, so that's not anything you even need to think about. that's awesome instant leave-you-stranded overheating quit. wonder if the cap alone would help with that? you did the sealant stuff first right?

 

yeah i tried that stuff.. but i dont think it did a damn thing... id like to see if someone else with the same prob will try it on theirs... but as far as instant overheat quit, it will dump the pressure if your overheating, but im not sure if itll keep it from overheating for any reason other than this HG issue, it just releases the gas that bubbles in thru the head.

Edited by themoneypit
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so noone wants to give this a try and see if theirs will run without overheating or pushing the coolant into the overflow tank??? it cost 7 bux at advance auto for the rad cap stant 11327.. someone post up here if it works for theirs too, ive got almost 300 miles on it since doing this, and runs freakin great!! no overheat, no coolant res. overflow, nothing!!

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so noone wants to give this a try and see if theirs will run without overheating or pushing the coolant into the overflow tank??? it cost 7 bux at advance auto for the rad cap stant 11327.. someone post up here if it works for theirs too, ive got almost 300 miles on it since doing this, and runs freakin great!! no overheat, no coolant res. overflow, nothing!!

 

i respect engines too much.

 

nipper

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i respect engines too much.

 

nipper

 

dude putting a ventable cap on a bad motor to begin with isnt going to make it worse... im just curious to see if this will work on another car besides mine, because if it saves you a 150 tow bill when your HG goes, ill take that anyday and drive it home, over towing it... i plan on running this one into the ground!! i will locate a good 2.2l for it, and keep it in stock until this one grenades... but to be honest, i think its gonna be good to go for quite awhile, driving the car, you'd never know it had a bad HG :lol:

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you still need to check your coolant a lot. driving with your cooling system 'open' will boil off the water leaving the antifreeze behind. eventually you will end up with a very high concentration.

 

havent lost a drop.. its not boiling. the car runs at normal temp @170 IIRC. i will keep a gallon in the back just in case, but i dont think its going to get low at all 300 miles so far, not a drop low

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It is such a shame to see a perfectly rebuildable engine run into the ground. I'm sure there are many on the board that are with me on this one. You could fix that engine and have a very stable ride for over 100K and you could do it for under 500.00, including machine work. The trick is to use Subaru HG's and not aftermarket. The whole job is easy. I understand the uses of the cap for emergencies, but to just run a motor into the gtound is a sin. These are good engines and can run forever, if properly maintained. Oh well, I said my piece and will shut up now.

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It is such a shame to see a perfectly rebuildable engine run into the ground. I'm sure there are many on the board that are with me on this one. You could fix that engine and have a very stable ride for over 100K and you could do it for under 500.00, including machine work. The trick is to use Subaru HG's and not aftermarket. The whole job is easy. I understand the uses of the cap for emergencies, but to just run a motor into the gtound is a sin. These are good engines and can run forever, if properly maintained. Oh well, I said my piece and will shut up now.

 

see i disagree, if they are such a good engine, they wouldnt be prone to headgasket failure... im sure i could do the job myself, but would rather replace the 2.5 with a 2.2l and have a motor in it that i know i wont have to worry about until @300k with normal maintenence. reason being, i cant tie up my buddys garage for a week while i remove the engine, send out the heads, wait for parts to be ordered, etc... id rather make a one day job of it, for the same price, if not cheaper for the unkillable 2.2l. im going to look at a motor today for it. as far as this being a good rebuildable engine, look around theres tons of these with blown HGs that people are practically giving away. so doesnt bother me one bit to run this into the ground... i mean come on its an old subaru... in my younger days, we would buy subarus for a few hundred bucks and take them in the woods and offroad and beat them till they broke in half!!! thats because the motors didnt blow up in them, like this 2.5l would in a heartbeat

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