1 Lucky Texan Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 in post #1 you say it got a new water pump(???) and thermo. was the thermostat an OEM style? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climb1028 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Yes, I luckily stopped by a very reputable subaru shop here in town - Superior Import Repair - and the owner advised me on that. I was going to get the top of the line O'Reillys one at $27 but he had 6 Star brand with integral seal that he said is OEM sized and quality. So I finally figured it out. It was the water pump! Even looking at all parts of the old one after I removed it there is absolutely no indication it shouldn't work other than, well, it just didn't. The impeller is a slightly different (chincier) style than the new one... Also, I'm very proud of myself for figuring out how to add the coolant and not have ANY airlock issues, first try. I disconnected the upper radiator hose from the radiator inlet. Then I held up the upper hose as vertically as possible and kept it as filled up with coolan/water as possible. Slowly adding coolant directly into the engine and keeping the 'head pressure' constant for about 10 minutes. When the coolant started trickling out of the upper radiator hose I knew it was golden. Sure enough, no burping necessary, engine runs well at all loads and speeds and fan kicks on when it should (my alternate fan wiring scheme seems to be working so far...) Sweet! Hitting the road for Santa Barbara in my newly minted 92 Loyale wagon, D/R 5 speed, OBDII EJ22 with 2" lift and 1" body spacers. Her name is Caballo Blanco. She runs fast and straight but she'll climb any hill and buck you off in a hot second if you don't reign her in. Thanks for all the help everybody! Oh, and buddy mechanic Pat says my #1 O2 sensor which was unhooked was probably causing my hesitating/bucking/stalling issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climb1028 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Yes, I luckily stopped by a very reputable subaru shop here in town - Superior Import Repair - and the owner advised me on that. I was going to get the top of the line O'Reillys one at $27 but he had 6 Star brand with integral seal that he said is OEM sized and quality. So I finally figured it out. It was the water pump! Even looking at all parts of the old one after I removed it there is absolutely no indication it shouldn't work other than, well, it just didn't. The impeller is a slightly different (chincier) style than the new one... Also, I'm very proud of myself for figuring out how to add the coolant and not have ANY airlock issues, first try. I disconnected the upper radiator hose from the radiator inlet. Then I held up the upper hose as vertically as possible and kept it as filled up with coolan/water as possible. Slowly adding coolant directly into the engine and keeping the 'head pressure' constant for about 10 minutes. When the coolant started trickling out of the upper radiator hose I knew it was golden. Sure enough, no burping necessary, engine runs well at all loads and speeds and fan kicks on when it should (my alternate fan wiring scheme seems to be working so far...) Sweet! Hitting the road for Santa Barbara in my newly minted 92 Loyale wagon, D/R 5 speed, OBDII EJ22 with 2" lift and 1" body spacers. Her name is Caballo Blanco. She runs fast and straight but she'll climb any hill and buck you off in a hot second if you don't reign her in. Thanks for all the help everybody! Oh, and buddy mechanic Pat says my #1 O2 sensor which was unhooked was probably causing my hesitating/bucking/stalling issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climb1028 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Never mind. Everything's still $#%ked. I think I'm going to have to admit that it has bad head gaskets. Moving is going to have to wait another week or so while I figure out how to change head gaskets in this EJ22. I'm going to try it without pulling the engine because I don't have a picker. Hell, I don't even have a garage to do it because I had given notice at my house figuring I'd be long gone by now... Anyone in Portland area want to help with a head gasket repair? I can pay for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climb1028 Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 The head gaskets are blown. Yes, my EJ22 has blown head gaskets. Finally saw the tell-tale bubbles in the radiator fill neck tonight. I probably made them worse with all these test drives which ended in multiple overheating episodes. I guess I will pull the engine, take everything apart and go get the heads pressure tested. I am getting some mild ticking noise which I assume are a couple hydraulic valve lash adjusters sticking. I switched to full synthetic oil a few weeks ago and I hope this (and the fact that I never continued to drive very far after the engine overheated) has spared my lower end. I will test each lash adjuster and replace any bad ones. Subaru or Six Star head gaskets. Reuse the bolts. New intake manifold gaskets. Reuse exhaust gaskets. Anything else? Oh and I mentioned that I saw oil on the piston circlip of the hydraulic timing belt tensioner when I took it apart to replace the water pump. I'm getting a very slight wavering in the power band as I accelerate or hold even speed. Is this a symptom of the tensioner being toast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 (edited) good news - those heads are crazy easy to swap. headbolts are external and can easily be done in the vehicle. if you need additional space for removing the head - unbolt the engine mounts (only one bolt up top and 2 14mm nuts underneath for the motor mounts) and jack the side of the engine up that you're working on. very easily done in the vehicle. subaru water pump failure is almost unheard of, never replace them for overheating symptoms. never say "never"....except in this case. what year EJ22 - 1997? 1. resurface the heads yourself, very easy:http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/122588-diy-head-resurfacing-or-post-apocalyptic-machine-shop-techniques/ 2. do not get them pressure tested or anything else - pointless on those heads, they don't crack or warp. 3. install new Subaru headgaskets. reuse the headbolts, they're pointless to replace. Edited November 23, 2014 by grossgary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climb1028 Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Thanks Gary, I think you are right about the water pump, the new one *seemed* better than the old but after a day or two the overheating started up again. The old one felt solid and looked mechanically sound when I removed it. The new one did have a better impeller (expeller?) design. You do know my 1998 OBDII EJ22 is in a Loyale? Will I still have the same crazy easy time swapping the HGs as you promise? Cool, I'll get the Suby gaskets. Is the concensus still that I don't need to worry about warpage, crank bearing journals, lash adjusters, or anything else I might not know to worry about since I'm a noob. I feel like I've gone from greenhorn to noob and the amount of work I've done this past month has been in the 'ridiculous' category. I just want to nail it this last go and not miss anything. Last 2 issues: Wavering in power as I cruise at low speed. Occasional hunting and rough idle. (Im not getting any codes except O2 sensor #2 - because it's not connected yet - I can't for the life of me find anywhere the middle harness that runs between that O2 sensor and the connector in the hood.) AND the fact that my car now runs out of gas at 1/4 tank! That never happened before my original EA blew up in August. The car did sit in a driveway for about 2.5 months before I got to putting the EJ in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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