derekd Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I had a post about a month ago on what to replace when the engine was out (96 obw, 144k ej22) You guys really set me up with great advice. I got it together and drove it about two thousand miles and sure enough, I saw the green drip of head gasket (potential) doom on the lower passenger side head gasket. It's only leaked about six ounces of fluid in about 250 miles. I'm in Phoenix now and need to get to Albuquerque to do the head gaskets (in an ideal situation). I have an engine lift in Albuquerque (all taken apart and in the back of the shed). So if I get back alright, I guess I should look all over the pipes and hoses to make sure there isn't an o ring leak or a hose leak somewhere. If I determine (to the best of my ability) that it is a head gasket problem, can or should I do this with the engine in the vehicle? Should I jack it up with the tranny to get at it better, or just leave it just where it sits. Is it overall a time and energy saver in the long run by pulling the engine out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 With Subarus, I always pull the engine out to do HG's. I know it's possible to do it in the car, and that people do it, but having the engine out on a workbench where I don't have to lean over and I can easily see everything is well worth the time to pull it. Besides, I honestly think that the time you save by having easier access to everything would be greater than the time it takes to pull the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Yeah, it can be done in-car, but as well as being easier out of the car, you're likely to do a better and more thorough job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlpineRaven Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Engine out - LOT easier and does the job properly, if you want to get sore back you can do it while engine is in. If you dont have time or effort to do it while engine is in, then thats the option, but I have the access to take the engine out so i would. Cheers AP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weddes05 Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Deff. out. Trying to fish the head back in while trying not nick the gasket with bolts or head is a pita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 if you got time, an extra vehicle and it doesn't really matter then by all means pull it and do it right. if you have a manual trans, pull it to check the pilot bearings and throw out bearing and clutch. no point it risking those on such a big job, do them at the same time. i'm not as familiar with the newer ones, but removing an engine takes awhile. i can finish and EA82 or ER27 headgasket job in no time in the car with air tools. pulling the engine would take much longer. pulling and installing an engine takes hours. for those that do it alot it gets quicker but in general it's time consuming. the guy that created a website for the headgasket job recorded his hours spent on each task. he recorded 11 hours for removing engine and checking valve clearance and 6.5 hours for reinstalling. now those are inflatted numbers, he admits he was slow and we know that's a long time. and many of those items you have to disconnect anyway to pull the heads - like exhaust manifold and such. but that's still a significant amount of time, particularly it will be for a first timer as well. in my oppinion on the older ones which i have much more experience with, you can save a ton of time by leaving the engine in the car if you have air tools. without air tools it's alot nicer on your back to get the engine out of the car. i haven't worked both ways on an EJ yet to really know the difference so i can't say it's the same, but for the most part it seems like it is. clearance issues with valve covers and you're golden after that if you leave the engine in. another point to make is that pulling a motor your first time takes quite a while. i've pulled some double digit number of engines and have a pretty good feel for the EA, ER and EJ series stuff. but for the first time it's usually a time consuming process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Will be easier for you with engine out. EJ22 is ~8 hour job pulling engine and replaceing head gaskets, t-belt, w/p, R&R reseal oil pump, replace crank seal............ EJ25 is ~10-12 for same. If you have done a few and have all the right tools and equiptment. This is time spent working, not figureing takeing heads to machine shop to be checked/milled. For your first or second time, figure on considerably more time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 if you got time, an extra vehicle and it doesn't really matter then by all means pull it and do it right. if you have a manual trans, pull it to check the pilot bearings and throw out bearing and clutch. no point it risking those on such a big job, do them at the same time. Along those line I'd replace the rear main seal, and re-seal the seperator plate. Both are things that will eventually leak, and you have to pull the engine or the trans to get to them. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Replace the plastic oil seperator plate with the new alloy one, it's a $17 part. Resealed plastic oil seperator plates will leak again. Different rates of expansion and contraction between the plastic plate and alloy engine block breaks the seal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Replace the plastic oil seperator plate with the new alloy one, it's a $17 part. Resealed plastic oil seperator plates will leak again. Different rates of expansion and contraction between the plastic plate and alloy engine block breaks the seal. Where do you get that? The dealer? UPDATE**** Yes you can get that part at the Dealer, I'm guessing most stock them. BUT, they said that you should also replace the 6 screws which are $1.40 each. They said the new screws are a different length because the metal is a different thickness than the plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Where do you get that? The dealer? UPDATE**** Yes you can get that part at the Dealer, I'm guessing most stock them. BUT, they said that you should also replace the 6 screws which are $1.40 each. They said the new screws are a different length because the metal is a different thickness than the plastic. Sorry, I don't understand the question. "Where do you get that?" The part? From Northeast Imported Parts & Accessories, Inc. OE part, PN 11831AA150 "The dealer?" The part? No. The information? Experiance. Thickness of the plastic vs. the alloy. Same Same. Lengeth of threads on back side of the plate with bolt inserted in the holes, plastic vs. alloy. Same Same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Sorry, I don't understand the question. "Where do you get that?" The part? From Northeast Imported Parts & Accessories, Inc. OE part, PN 11831AA150 "The dealer?" The part? No. The information? Experiance. Thickness of the plastic vs. the alloy. Same Same. Lengeth of threads on back side of the plate with bolt inserted in the holes, plastic vs. alloy. Same Same. I was questioning where you got the plate. Is it a dealer only thing, or have you found it other places. As for the screws I don't know what to say. The dealership I called claimed the screws needed to be replaced to match the metal plate. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I was questioning where you got the plate. Is it a dealer only thing, or have you found it other places. As for the screws I don't know what to say. The dealership I called claimed the screws needed to be replaced to match the metal plate. Keith I believe it is a Dealer only item. But I have never looked for it elesware. As for what the dealership told you. I just replaced one this morning. So I went and pulled the old plastic one out of the trash, grabbed a new one of the shelf and measured. No one had ever tried to sell me new bolts, so I had never questioned it and the bolts had never seemed to be short, so I measured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I believe it is a Dealer only item. But I have never looked for it elesware. As for what the dealership told you. I just replaced one this morning. So I went and pulled the old plastic one out of the trash, grabbed a new one of the shelf and measured. No one had ever tried to sell me new bolts, so I had never questioned it and the bolts had never seemed to be short, so I measured. Good to know. They said the bolts were something like $1.40 each which would have added another $8.40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekd Posted February 2, 2007 Author Share Posted February 2, 2007 The new bolts for the oil separator plate from the dealer have allen type heads while the old ones are phillips - more torque and easier to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea#3 Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Good to know. They said the bolts were something like $1.40 each which would have added another $8.40 Subaru has come out with another updated separator plate that is pressed steal which has to be updated with new bolts , one that has thread sealant on it, which is located where the arrow is that is pressed into the plate SEA#3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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