Hi,

As the owner of a Sube with an EJ25 engine, naturally I'm concerned about a blown head gasket. What sorts of preventative maintenance is possible to help stave off head gasket failure?

 

Thanks!

 

Damien

Subaru has a conditioner that they sell for the phase 2 2.5. we use it in the dohc engines too. It is supposed to help, not sure if it does a darn thing though.

 

darin

 

Hi,

As the owner of a Sube with an EJ25 engine, naturally I'm concerned about a blown head gasket. What sorts of preventative maintenance is possible to help stave off head gasket failure?

 

Thanks!

 

Damien

Regular antifreeze changes using SUbaru antifreeze and demineralized water. Also use the subaru additive. That will help, plus some luck.

 

 

nipper

and just change the gaskets. A bit expensive though.

Hi,

As the owner of a Sube with an EJ25 engine, naturally I'm concerned about a blown head gasket. What sorts of preventative maintenance is possible to help stave off head gasket failure?

 

Thanks!

 

Damien

 

I used to be concerned too, until I found out that not all ej25 engines are prone to HG failure.....if people would be more specific about the engine they have when they post HG failure other people like me (new to subaru) would understand that most failures are DOHC engines!

Yes, keeping the coolant in top shape is a good idea, and also replacing tired hoses and the thermostat.

MAKE SURE you get all the air out of the cooling system!

I used to be concerned too, until I found out that not all ej25 engines are prone to HG failure.....if people would be more specific about the engine they have when they post HG failure other people like me (new to subaru) would understand that most failures are DOHC engines!

 

I have a 97 OBW auto 182 K minor oil leak someplace original head gaskets and it purrs right along.MAintained like clockwork by previous owner.

 

Of course you ALL know if they blow this morning onr of you is coming over to change them

 

nipper

Regular antifreeze changes using SUbaru antifreeze and demineralized water. Also use the subaru additive. That will help, plus some luck.

 

 

nipper

 

This additive looks like it's basically Hollis Radweld or a similar product called Bars Leak (sp?). Is this something I can just add to the overflow tank or should I swap out the fluid in the radiator first? Oh, as a side note...what is the capacity of the radiator should I drain it? I can't drain the block right now as much as I would like to....:-(

 

Thanks,

Damien

additives always go right on the raditor. AT this point ill defer to somone else, as there is a procedure for burping the cooling system which i havent done yet on a 2.5. The 2.2 i never had a problem

 

I would flush the system with a garden hose while the car is running, im seeing 6.3qts on the 2.5L engine. Thenik would fill it with the anitfreeze and deminerilized water.

 

 

nipper

On a phase 2 it makes sense. The phase 1 tends to blow from cubustion inot the coolant. Nothing stops that that I have ever seen, with the possible exeception of keeping the engine cool and inhibiting corosion. With the phase 2 you get a slight external leak. The Subaru product can fix that. I run it in my phase 2 even though I have the new gaskets.

Have an '03 Legacy Special Edition sedan. '03 engines weren't supposed to have HG problems. GUESS WHAT: They were wrong. I had the "treatment" put in my engine after first leak was discovered.

 

Have had 2 head gaskets replaced since then. Last one only lasted 9,000 miles. We'll see how long this one lasts.

 

The new gasket was developed in 03, the question is when did it hit the production line? I imagine the engines are assembled in Japan and if the car is assembled over here there is going to be a time lag.

When BMW had a probelm with the M engine the South Carolina factory was still cheerfully bolting in engines with problems long after the correction in Germany.

The new gasket was developed in 03, the question is when did it hit the production line? I imagine the engines are assembled in Japan and if the car is assembled over here there is going to be a time lag.

When BMW had a probelm with the M engine the South Carolina factory was still cheerfully bolting in engines with problems long after the correction in Germany.

 

I was under the impression that the ENTIRE Legacy was built in Lafayette, IN. I posed that to Subaru because my manufacture date is April '03 (which is not too far off of Dec '02). They INSISTED that my engine was an '03 and NOT covered under the original recall. After a couple of "heated" discussions with SOA, I had a regional customer service MGR send me a letter stating they would cover the head gasket for an external leak for 8 years or 100K, which was what the recall was. Very interesting though.

anybody out there know for sure if the engine is built in the US? I wonder because the company I used to work for shipped engines and trannys to the joint GM Toyota plant in Fremont on a just in time delivery basis.

Sometimes getting correct info can be difficult.

I've been operating under the assumption that parts & sub-assemblies (engine, trans, seats, radio, body panels, interior panels, etc.) are built in Japan, with final vehicle assembly done in Indiana, although I've never actually seen any documentation to back it up.

I replaced the HG on my 97 at 140K even though not blown. The heads were milled at that point so they were flat, which also helps HG longevity. Currently has 164K.

 

Just sold it to my sister-in-law, who drives 2,500 miles a month, so we'll see how long it lasts.