I have a 98 outback ej25 that has gotten hot a couple of time due to what I believe to be a bad head gasket. My plan is to pull the engine do a complete reseal and have the heads and block checked for warpage. The question I have is how strong is the bottom end of the ej 25? I dont want to have to do a complete rebuild if I dont have to. The engine has 182,000 miles on it.

 

Opinons appreciated.

Well there are a few things you need to check. The two issues with a sooby engine that has gotten cooked are connecting rod bearings, and the cylinder liner shifting. If you see any signs of the 2nd the block is scrap.

 

 

nipper

Well that sounds pretty serious so I am going to take it to a buddy who has a machine shop and have him check the whole thing out. Thanks Nipper

You may want to replace the pistons while you have it apart. There's a molybdnym??? coating on the skirts that wears over time, and the EJ25's are really prone to piston slap. Replaceing the pistons at 180k can't hurt, and nothing sucks as bad as dropping 1500 in parts into an engine and having it have piston slap afterward.

SUbaru has a fix for those two pistons that cause the noise. Just replace those.

 

 

nipper

You don't want to replace pistons without replaceing rings......

And you don't want to replace rings without honing the cylinder......

And you can't properly hone the cylinders without splitting the case......

If you split the case, you might as well replace the main and rod bearings.......

And at that point you are doing a full rebuild, so just skip it and call CCR.

 

Or you could choose not to be a worry wort and just replace the Headgaskets.

 

If the engine runs strong, it will continue to do so with the new headgaskets. Cleaning the carbon build up off of the pistons and valves is about all I would do to it. There is no reason in my mind to even pull the eninge.

 

Just pull the heads, have them checked and surfaced if needed.

 

Slap some new head gaskets in and go.

 

Enjoy all the money you saved

I agree; just pull the heads, check them & do as needed, replace the gaskets, and go.

Beofre oyu pull the heads, (assuming it still running) listen to the bottom end.

 

After pulling the heads, run a straight edge along the cylinder edge. If everything seems fine then give it a shot.

 

 

nipper

It runs great right now, it just has a nasty habit of getting hot fast. It gets hot intermitintly every now and again. I have replaced the thermostat with a genuine Sube unit and still get the occasional overheat. When it gets hot I will pull it over and let it cool off. I have never pushed it while it is hot. I am going to pull the heads have them checked and put a stright edge on the deck. I am also going to throw a new WP and T belt while I am at it. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

Dave