TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 I hate cross linking threads. But this has been an ongoing problem, and Ive started a thread on Legacy Central. Would love it if maybe some experts here can glance at it and shed some light on my problems: http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?p=236952#236952 Thanks in Advance. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 Could be a headgasket problem. If you've got a new rad cap and new SUBARU thermostat...better prepare to do headgaskets. The EJ22T's have the same headgasket construction as the EA82T. I've seen lots of EJ22T's need headgaskets once they reach this age. As for that coolant line...get some high pressure fuel line and make the line. Thats what I did with all my small coolant lines on the EA82. Works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 It sounds like a HG issue. The combustion gasses are presurizing the cooling system. You need to do all the uusual tests for the HG. It may be a bit tricky since it seems to not do it all the time. Is your overflow full to overlfowing? Do you loose heat when the car starts running hot? Have the radiator tested for combsution gases, and look for bubbles in the coolant. good luck. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 25, 2007 Author Share Posted December 25, 2007 The EJ22T does not have a radiator cap. It has a coolant tank that is detatched that the cap is on, and you fill from there. Its nowhere near the radiator, and makes that trick hard to pull off. The car doesnt run like bad at all, and it doesnt overheat until its out of coolant (of course). When its full, the temps stay normal no matter how hard I drive (and i tend to drive pretty rough on it). And I never have heat, as the heater core started to leak before all of this started... and I bypassed it. I dont have time to tear the dash apart and replace the heater core, so ive been dealing with no heat all this time. Im wondering if i should add that into the mix. SO thats a heater core that blew, then 3 coolant lines, now the coolant tank. I was thinking if the HG blew, i would be burning coolant through the exhaust. Or coolant in my oil. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 You should have some sort of pressure reliefe cap (radiator cap is a generic term) that releives pressureout of the system. Pressure is either not getting out of the system, or getting forced into the system. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 The EJ22T does not have a radiator cap. It has a coolant tank that is detached that the cap is on, and you fill from there. That's the radiator cap. If it was me, I would try and borrow a cooling system pressure tester somewhere, pressurize the system, and look all over for leaks. The turbo engines are especially more of a plumbers nightmare than the naturally aspirated ones. Water feeds for the oil cooler, turbo, and that remote radiator tank, are all possibilities. This car is 15 years old, there is little shame if there is a small hose (rubber, or metal) leaking. Pressurize the system cold and see if it holds, then hot, and re-check. When I got mine, whoever worked on it before me stripped 2 of the water pump mounting bolts, the thing would leak cold (about a gallon), but once warmed up (and the block and water pump expanded with the heat) it would not leak at all. The same type of situation is possible at the Rt rear cam cover, there being an "o" ring in there for water sealing. The coolant tanks on these cars are known to get brittle, crack, and leak. There is a bunch of water piping down front for the oil cooler that looks to me like "trouble" waiting to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 25, 2007 Author Share Posted December 25, 2007 I know where its leaking now. Just wondering why things keep blowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 When EJ engines blow a headgasket they DO NOT exhibit the signs like the EA82 does...aka no milkshake, no coolant burned in the exhaust. Rarely does it pressurize the coolant system like the EA82's did...however since the way the EJ's blow it allows combustion gases to enter the cooling system it does raise the pressure above normal, but it instantly turns the local coolant into steam rather instantaneously...so you have a loss of coolant that way as the steam works its way to the top and exits out the cap into the overflow...or air locks the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 When my 2.2 blew a HG, the exhaust gasses entered the cooling system to the point that the added heat and pressure caused the radiator to spring a leak and loose a lot of coolant. Not knowing about the over heating problem, as my wife drove the car and never said anything about over heating, I thought a new radiator would cure the problem. When finally I realized the car was over heating, I figured out the HG problem. It is rather amazing how an exhaust pressurized cooling system can cause the cooling system to leak mass quantities of coolant in a short period of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 ^ For sure. My 96 outback had the same issues. Blew the upper rad hose before the HG's finally showed up 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 Great... well, looks like im going to be buying a HG kit here soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 Do I need EJ22T Specific gaskets? Napa's site lists the Gasket set for $269. Found a set on ebay for like $35. Definatly dont want to buy el'cheapo gaskets for sure. But this couldn't have happend at a worse time for my bank account. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 SUBARU has a specific part number for the EJ22T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Do I need EJ22T Specific gaskets? There is a complete engine set here: http://www.subaruparts.com/catalog/?section=767 $218.41 I am under the understanding a 2.2 head gasket is a 2.2 head gasket. (only the torque values are different) There are a few "O" rings/gaskets that are different between the turbo motor and the normally aspirated, and more than the $11 difference in the two kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 never done an EJ turbo but often times you can mix and match - buy a cheap head gasket set for everything else but use Subaru head gaskets. if you're not getting a valve job/machining done you could get away with just buying the minimum parts to fix it rather than the entire head set. i don't recommend it, but people do it. head gaskets and intake gakets you would need for sure. exhaust gaskets can actually be reused quite successfully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 I get a pretty hefty discount from napa through work, so I wanna see what our cost on a gasket set would be. My car has been burning oil off the exhaust since I bought it via a leak in the valve cover. So I think a head gasket kit would be a good way to go. I don't think i can afford to have the heads rebuilt And i would hate to do all this and then have a valve seal go bad so I don't know. this really couldn't have happend at a worse time. Im so strapped for cash its not even funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 Well Napa wants $221 and thats just a head gasket kit. Subaru Parts has the entire engine gasket kit for $218. Anyone know what gaskets they use? SOA parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 What gaskets who uses? NAPA in their kits? BTW I found that NAPA is INCREDIBLY overpriced even at employee pricing over normal walk in for the other places. WJM used to work at a large NAPA store a few years ago for about 2.5 years and knows (well, used to ) the ins and outs of the systems. Anyhow...I just confirmed in the parts catalogs that the EJ22T gasket is a different part number than the EJ22E (N/A) head gasket. The NAPA head gaskets suck. I've used them. They suck. Badly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 No, wondering if the gasket kit SubaruParts.com is a SOA kit or what? And yeah, LegacyCentral.org confirmed the EJ22T is a different block than EJ22 and needs a different gasket. Im also wondering, if the EJ22 doesnt show typical symptoms like EA's when they blow, can I still determine with a compression tester? I mean, a leak will still show a weak cylinder am I wrong? I just wanna be absolutly sure before I go and drop $300 on this job. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 The head gasket part number is: 11044 AA280 Call and get a $ from Subaru (I could call here tomorrow, but it would not do you much good). A compression test probably won't show you anything. (I'm still *thinking* a cooling system pressure test cold/hot would be the "ticket") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 cant do a coolant pressure test if my coolant tank is split. That would give me bad readings. And if compression is making it past the gasket into my coolant, wouldnt that give me a low reading on that cylinder? Not sure why a compression test wouldn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deltacam Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 If you find out it is a bad head gasket, let me know, would like to help by doin your heads custom if you are ready for an upgrade. and I have the ROL head set for around $210. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 Whats a ROL head set? And I'd love to have you work on my heads, but I dont have an extra grand to drop. I dont even know how im going to come up with the $300+ to do the gaskets (and timing belts cause im not pulling the motor again after this) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Compression and cooling system pressure tests will show nothing. I went thru that with several cars....its a dynamic event. You cannot find the problem the normal ways. Experience finds the headgasket leak. Just replaced both of them, as well as the tank...and drive on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Compression and cooling system pressure tests will show nothing. I went thru that with several cars....its a dynamic event. You cannot find the problem the normal ways. Experience finds the headgasket leak. Just replaced both of them, as well as the tank...and drive on. This is absoulty correct. If you want deffinative proof of a combustion leak into the cooling system on a 2.2 or 2.5 Subaru engine..........................You can either, run engine up to operating temp, and perform a cylinder leak down test. Or use a gas analyzer to test for HC's in the cooling system. A lot of the time other HC tests will not show positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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