so i took off my GF's head on her 2.2 97 Legacy to do head gaskets and noticed that one of the cylinders has scoring but not so bad you can catch it with your finger nail.the motor got pretty hot on that side,hot enough to melt the timing belt cover.do you think i should hone it or something?the head is warped after checking it with a straight edge and feeler gage.just need to get this car going as cheap as posable but want it to be reliable too.thanx!

Do nothing. The cylinder will be fine. You will create an oil burning mess if you touch the cylinders. Vertical scoring is pretty typical on older EJ22's. 

 

Cut open the oil filter to check for metal and CHANGE THE OIL. Overheating breaks it down. If you find metal in the filter get another engine. 

 

Take the heads for resurfacing so they seal up. 

 

Clean the head bolt holes with brake cleaner and chase the threads with a greased head bolt (optionally buy one new one from the dealer and cut slots in it to make a chase tool), DO NOT wire wheel the bolts - just clean them very well. 

 

Use this LIBERALLY on the head bolt threads and between the bolt head and washer. Nothing between the washer and the head:

 

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/motor-oil/racing/engine-assembly-lube/

 

GD

i wouldn't touch it either.

 

if it overheated badly it'll be knocking and loosing lower end bearings before you have significant cylinder wall issues. 

thanks for the info!i was worried that it might be worse but thats why i ask the experts!i did plan on changing the oil because it smells burnt.and thoughts on Lucas oil stabilzer?already have genuine subaru head gaskets from the local subbie dealer.cost more but i heard they work the best.this site rocks!thanx again!!!

Don't use Lucas in it. Just put a good 10w40 in it.

 

GD

does the lube have to be amsoil.i have some white engine assembly lube.i will get some if thats what works best

The white lithium won't do it. Not enough high pressure additives I don't think. The Amsoil stuff is the best we have used. Second best would be the "no smoke" additives you can find in the auto parts stores. Not as good though. For whatever reason the Amsoil assembly lube stops the creaking when almost nothing else will. It's a near 100% success rate with it.

 

GD

i will get some.heads should be done today.thanks for all the help.im a good mechanic but fairly new at some of the prosidures on these subarus.pretty excited to get my ej swap started on my gl.got three subbies in the driveway!

based on the melted timing belt cover, i would have done an oil analysis and see if the data shows any bearing material in it. 

 

i've seen two melted timing belt covers - one was an immediate blown mess, the other lasted maybe a week or a month before a rod started giving death wails.  and i've seen a melted knock sensor before but i can't recall the story on that engine. 

We see melted covers from time to time. Sometimes it signifies severe problems. Other times not so much. An oil analysis is good, but a filter cut/inspection and oil pan residue visual inspection is usually good enough. It helps to know what to look for though. I cut a filter almost every day to check for engine failures or check progress on a break in, etc. A proper filter cutting tools is an invaluable tool for diagnostics and learning. 

 

GD

GD, what's your opinion on head bolts - re-use or replace ? Especially on a higher CR build like 12:1 ?

First of all, don't do 12:1. You can't make that run right. 10.6 or so is as high as I will go. I've seen several melted 12:1 engines. You could run it on ethanol but you will get terrible gas mileage and that requires a tuning solution because you need 1/3 more fuel to air volume. 

 

Yes reuse the head bolts unless they are pitted from rust or otherwise damaged.

 

GD

OK....did the oil filter inspection and there was some brass colored particals in there.mostly real fine but there were a few bigger pieces.i wounldnt say there was alot but a noiticable amount.i do have a 91 2.2 ej i just got for my swap but i could use it if i have to.so will a 91 ej 2.2 go into a 97 that has ej 2.2

That's probably rod bearing material. I would swap out the engine. Yes the 91 will work. You have to use the 97's manifold. If it has EGR you will have to run the EGR tube to a T in the idle air control supply hose as you cannot drill and tap the 91 heads. You will hit a coolant jacket don't try it. 

 

GD

im kinda at the point of no return on this repair.already have new head gaskets and other engine gaskets.new timing covers to replace melted ones and having heads shaved.how hard is it to change rod bearings?ive built several air cooled vw engines.that are simular design.its down to the short block still in the car right now.

Well I wouldn't recommend it. The learning curve is really steep. You are likely to end up with a smoking pile of garbage if you split the block. We have a few rules regarding that:

 

We only use new crankshafts from Subaru. We never undersized or polish. In fact I don't even measure them I just throw them in the recycle. 

 

We ALWAYS line hone the block. This is not a simple process and very few machine shops are capable. 

 

The rods must be checked for twist and the big end trued up round. 

 

Both the case halves and the rod caps are not well located by the fasteners / dowels. You have to use the crank to "walk" the case halves into alignment using pretty much a dead blow and experience. It's a really F'd up process and most people would cringe at what we do to their engine during assembly. 

 

As I said I don't recommend it. 90% chance it has a short life if you split the case having no experience with the process. The first ones I did ended up with rod bearing and thrust bearing failures within 5k - 10k. Till I got really particular about cleanliness, measuring and tool calibration, and the assembly procedure. With all-aluminum blocks you have super tight cold clearances - as tight as .0004" on the mains per Subaru specs. Most machine shops can't even measure in single digit tenths with any accuracy. It's basically done by experience, eye, and dead reckoning.

 

GD

well i did it!just put the engine back together and its running great.did have one little issue with a stuck thermostat and a loose hose.blew the antifreeze,but got that fixed and put another 150 miles on it with no problems!it does have a CEL on but i think it was on when i bought it.engine shakes a little at idle but other wise runs strong.brand new plugs gapped at 44,new wires.happy with it so far.lets see how long she goes!

If it shakes at idle then your compression isn't even, your timing is off, or there's ignition system problems. Should be smooth.

 

GD

i will do a compression check to see where thats at.when i put the timing belt on all the marks lined up and i checked it several times by rotating the crankshaft.it has new spark plugs and wires.it does pull nice when accelerating but i do notice a little miss i can hear at the tail pipe