I replaced the HG's in my 98 Lego GT, lined everything up, made sure it was right, fired it up. and get a ting, ting, ting sound of a valve tapping a piston. I pulled the covers off again, counted teeth, re-checked everything. Crap.

 

The heads have been machined twice and were still within service limits. I went from the Fel-pro head gaskets that have blown on me twice now to the thinner single thickness Subaru gasket that everyone recommends.

 

I'm frustrated, and a little angry. I wish I didn't like this car soo much, it would be easier to start it on fire and abandon it in a quarry somewhere.

if the valves were hitting pistons, I would assume you would only hear that sound once before it no longer ran. make sure the tensioner isn't slapping. or timing belt isn't too slack.

Guessing this is a dual cam Ej25?

 

Agreed. If the pistons hit the valves it would happen once and then wouldn't run anymore. It's probably lifters or the belt slapping.

I can tell you exactly what is happening, because it happened to me. You are using the wrong head gasket. You are hearing the piston hitting part of the head. You need to use the multilayered gasket and you will have the clearance for the pistons. I did a build not long ago and had the same issue. When I pulled the engine apart I fully expected to see signs of the valves hitting, but all we saw was signs of the piston slapping into the head. We replaced the head gaskets and the problem was fixed. You will have the same, i think.

 

Good luck

I can tell you exactly what is happening, because it happened to me. You are using the wrong head gasket. You are hearing the piston hitting part of the head. You need to use the multilayered gasket and you will have the clearance for the pistons. I did a build not long ago and had the same issue. When I pulled the engine apart I fully expected to see signs of the valves hitting, but all we saw was signs of the piston slapping into the head. We replaced the head gaskets and the problem was fixed. You will have the same, i think.

 

Good luck

 

So it begs the question, if everyone is saying use the 11044AA633 Subaru head gasket, why am I having this issue and others, using the same gasket are not?

 

I'm not trying to be argumentative, just trying to get to the bottom of this.

wait... what gasket is what?

 

I thought the gasket part number was 11044AA471?

 

I'm about to go to the dealer in about an hour to buy them for my 97 outback

 

*edit ok looks like the part numbers keep changing for each version change.

Edited June 17, 201114 yr by 1-3-2-4

I know for certain that the DOHC motor takes the multilayered gasket. If you are getting a single layer gasket, then you will not have the clearance you need for the pistons. The single layer is for the SOHC engine and that did not go in the GT ot Outback until 2000 in the forester in 1999.

 

I just looked up the part number for the correct gasket and it is: 11044AA610

Just looked back at your post and the part number you are listing is definitely for the SOHC motor and yours is the DOHC motor. Use the part number I gave you in my last post and you should be golden.

 

The difference is in the piston throw. Evidently the piston is just a bit taller in the DOHC and needs that small offset of the multilayer gasket. Plus, the DOHC heads require that gasket and the single layer would have failed in short order anyway.

 

Sorry about the bad news, but atleast you will be able to fix the problem and get the car back on the road in short order.

11044AA610 is the newest version of the gasket and it is definitely the one you want.

 

 

 

wait... what gasket is what?

 

I thought the gasket part number was 11044AA471?

 

I'm about to go to the dealer in about an hour to buy them for my 97 outback

 

*edit ok looks like the part numbers keep changing for each version change.

Yep picked them up

For an EJ25D - you must use the thick MLS gasket that Subaru sells for the DOHC EJ25D.... you cannot use the single layer EJ253/251 gasket - it does not provide enough clearance for the piston to crest above the top of the cylinder. EJ25D's have peek-a-boo pistons and what you are hearing is the piston slapping the head surface.

 

GD

I ordered the right gaskets:mad:

Are you saying that you ordered the correct ones now or that you ordered the correct ones originally and they gave you the wrong ones?

I oredered the correct ones now. I had erred and bought the thin single thickness gasket before, hence my woes. I ordered the multi-shim style .

You are good to go then. Hope you are up and running in short order.

For an EJ25D - you must use the thick MLS gasket that Subaru sells for the DOHC EJ25D.... you cannot use the single layer EJ253/251 gasket - it does not provide enough clearance for the piston to crest above the top of the cylinder. EJ25D's have peek-a-boo pistons and what you are hearing is the piston slapping the head surface.

 

GD

 

 

I have a question I tried to search on google but I never really got any hits.. but with all the versions of the gaskets (not sure how many) what makes theses gaskets better?

I have a question I tried to search on google but I never really got any hits.. but with all the versions of the gaskets (not sure how many) what makes theses gaskets better?

 

What makes these gasket better? Well, they seem to be the only ones that have a high rate of success . If you weren't around for it, you have no idea how bad the head gasket failure rate on the 2.5L DOHC was. There were 2.5L DOHC owners that had their head gasket replaced three times under warranty. Subaru went through head gasket revision after head gasket revision desperately looking for something to stop the carnage.

After many years, and many revisions, Subaru finally hit upon a head gasket design that works. I would guess that Subaru spent thousands of engineering hours to hit upon this specific head gasket design which is a "fix" for a specific engine.

 

That is why in the opinion of many highly experienced posters on this board, you should NEVER use an after market head gasket on a 2.5L, DOHC or SOHC. Genuine Subaru head gaskets are a specially engineered solution for a problematic engine.

Edited June 18, 201114 yr by The Dude

yeah I picked up my head gaskets from the dealer yesterday but I should of priced shopped over at SL-I.net they were like $109 was too much..

 

So I'm going to call around before I get the timing belt. Those are the only two things I wont fool around with on this motor.. on my Ej22 I went with a non subaru timing belt which gave me no problems.