One of my friends dad is buying a new car, or looking into it. Iam suggesting the new legacy and he seems to like it. I dont think he will buy the turbo or 6 so i was wondering if the headgasket problem is fixed on the ej25 yet. I know it usally takes time to tell, but does any one know if subaru did alot of work working the heads or the gasket? I talkted to a couple dealers and they said that subaru dident like the head gasket probems and tried to fix it, but subaru has tried before and failed, and the dealers are tring to sell a car. Thanks

I don't know, but I think that it would very difficult to cure this problem. Essentially, the bore of the 2.5 is just to big for the block.

 

The only way to cure this problem is a new block, and that costs.

newest failure i have on my list is a 2002 (three of them), though i wouldn't necessarily take that as proof the problem has been fixed...

 

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/guestlog.html

I don't know, but I think that it would very difficult to cure this problem. Essentially, the bore of the 2.5 is just to big for the block.

 

The only way to cure this problem is a new block, and that costs.

The sad thing is that for all the trouble that the over-bore has caused Subaru (owners), it's a miniscule displacement gain. Most of the displacement increase over the 2.2 is from the stroke increase. If they would've left it at just the stroking, they would've ended up with a rock-solid & honest 2.4 liters. It must've been greed and wishful thinking that tempted Subaru to hog the bore to get an extra lousy 57cc (or therebouts) and call it a "2.5". It was a deal with the devil and they (you & I) lost.

 

I'm assuming that the 2.5 turbo must a semi-closed deck to help stabilize the thin bores?

Yeah the 2.5 turbo is a semi closed block. Subaru did change the block allitle, they added some more ribs and some other stuff.

It just seems wierd to me that a company who'd earned a reputation with engines like the EA-81 (so legendarily good that the experimental aircraft industry probably wouldn't exist today without it), would do something so foolish as to actually try to calculate what they could barely slip by with (and REALLY get bit in the rump roast by it), when traditionally their design philosophy was more like: "Calculate what's necessary, then add more".

 

At one time GM was the envy of the world too. Maybe it's just a coincidence that uh... mmm...

I know ive never had a problem with an EJ25 going thru head gaskets. Those problems are solved by having a 2nd gen block...with these new turbo legacy's have an EJ257...which is a completely different block all together. the USDM STi uses this block. Its got 300 HP/300 TQ...so...id say it good to go. The NA ones have the Phase two block, with SOHC...but ive heard form somewhere there is a 3rd gen block in those NA's tho....

 

Ofcourse, my dad's Outback with 180,000+ miles on it is all original under hood with its factory original DOHC phase 1 block and heads and headgaskets.