Help diagnosing Subaru

[CaptainHenreh]

Did you go with an STI HG versus the faulty N/A one? Is there anything special I need to do for that?

You don't need anything special just buy the metal STI gasket, and so help me God if you don't I will find you and beat you senseless with a groundhog.

[ScottyB]

As far as parts. What all did you (the people that have done this) get? Did you buy new head studs? Did you go with an STI HG versus the faulty N/A one?

sorry i did not see this until now.

no you don't need new studs. the studs are steel and not torque to yield. if it was your second or third rebuild i'd suggest otherwise but for now this is fine.

yes you need the STi headgasket set. another name for it would be the EJ255/257 engine code which is the 2.5 turbo engine. this gasket will not de-laminate and fail like the stock N/A gaskets. its basically a direct fit and does something like affect compression by 1% or something stupid and not worth worrying about. there is no prep, you don't need to coat them with a copper spray or anything. just throw it on and torque to spec.

you want subaru p/n 11044AA642. this is for a 2004-2007 STi / legacy GT / Fozzy XT

here's the easy button:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Subaru-11044AA642-GASKET-CYLINDER/dp/B00BGGBQ6Y">https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Subaru-1 ... B00BGGBQ6Y</a><!-- m -->

make sure when you take your P/S pump off you don't flip it over or you might introduce an air bubble into the line, and then you'll have to bleed the power steering rack to get the bubble out.

[ispoonwithmugen]

Thank you for that. I was about to pay more at the stealership. Question for you guys:

A) There are paint marks on the timing belt stuff but not the actual timing belt. What are symptoms of a failing/older timing belt? I have a feeling that they have been done but want to verify before buying a new one.

B) What size are the gd head bolts??!! Is it a T40 plus or 12 spline 14mm or something else?

C) How much should I expect to pay for a machine shop to do the heads? Is it 100% necessary?

[SlimKlim]

I'm not much help but just for a data point, it cost me $360 to have the head of the M3 decked, pressure checked and hot-tanked. It would've been $300 but I gave him an extra $60 to save the stress of removing and reinstalling the cams.

I'd say if you've come you should get the heads machined. It would suck super hard to put it all back together only to discover the problem was actually due to a cracked coolant channel or a warped head.

[.RJ]

If you have a reliable straight edge and feeler gauges you can check it yourself, or the machine shop can check it for flatness before deciding what to do.

[ispoonwithmugen]

If you have a reliable straight edge and feeler gauges you can check it yourself, or the machine shop can check it for flatness before deciding what to do.

Didn't know that. I'll check into that too.

[ScottyB]

Thank you for that. I was about to pay more at the stealership. Question for you guys:

A) There are paint marks on the timing belt stuff but not the actual timing belt. What are symptoms of a failing/older timing belt? I have a feeling that they have been done but want to verify before buying a new one.

B) What size are the gd head bolts??!! Is it a T40 plus or 12 spline 14mm or something else?

C) How much should I expect to pay for a machine shop to do the heads? Is it 100% necessary?

A - if there's no marks provided, you need to count teeth (sorry, i know it sucks) on the existing belt from your own mark on the crank to a mark on each cam and make corresponding marks on the new belt with a paint pen or something like that. old belts have cracks in the rubber if you bend it hard, worn teeth, and will show abrasion on the outside from extended running over the idlers.

don't freak out if the marks don't line up after you hand spin the crank one or two times. you want to just make sure 1 full rotation puts the cam and crank marks exactly where they were in relation to the block when you started. the belt is meant to "orbit" as it spins so the mark will move on its own rotation, slowly during fast revolutions to prevent wear patterns. remember to spin the crank slowly by hand to check your marks with the plugs out, so its easy to spin and you can easily feel if your valves are making piston contact.

per this super-helpful thread on NASIOC:
"Be sure to manually turn by hand once the belt is back on, 3 rotations. Be sure the marks still line up. The belt marks will not; but the marks on the cams with engine should. If that looks good, you are fine." - post 816

B - its a Torx-Plus #40 / IP40. they're a pain in the dick to find. just get it here <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.mcmaster.com/#torx-plus-bit-sockets/=ky4inq">https://www.mcmaster.com/#torx-plus-bit-sockets/=ky4inq</a><!-- m -->

C - i paid $200 for a check & deck as part of my t-belt service and gasket replacement with an experienced subaru tuner.

[ispoonwithmugen]

Good thing I checked before ordering that head bolt. Mine was a 14 12point. After a little fight and some hand cramps the heads are off. Unfortunately they look freaking great... and like the STI one. I'm going to check it over tomorrow and see it with some fresh eyes but they look almost brand new.. metal and shiny. Not sure what the issue would be now. Perhaps PO changed them, didn't get the heads resurfaced and ran into issues sooner rather than later? If I can't figure it out what's going on we may just pull the motor and swap a used one that's working in. Almost seems like less trouble than sitting and troubleshooting a half removed motor.

Per Justin... BURN THEM ALL.

[Senor_Taylor]

Wow, I'm sorry this is all happening.

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[ScottyB]

its possible the last owner had a leak and threw new HG's on and didn't deck the heads to be as cheap as possible and just get it back on the road. if so, no amount of new HG is going to seal them right if they weren't straight.

sorry dude. without knowing the car's history it might be worth finding a junkyard engine but beware an engine from a junker might have the same issue, be sure to check if a block shows moisture between the block/head.

also if you try to get rid of your old engine, people buy those SOHC N/A heads to replace engines that overheated (from blown HGs) and warped stuff so just know they are worth money in nice shape. same with the bottom end.

[ispoonwithmugen]

anonymous pictures website

Snapped a few pics before work. I think Lil is going to run them to a shop down the road and see if they'll inspect them at least (they were the ones who originally diagnosed a failed head gasket). See anything standing out? Definitely not as clean/nice as I remember last night but they don't look bad to me?

[ScottyB]

whats up with that weird bright silver fleck of metal by the pin hold on the far right of the bore? Was that there or just scratched from removing it? is it flat or raised up on that spot? i can't tell from the shot.

[ispoonwithmugen]

^Good question... Not sure to be honest. You have to be a little rough to get those heads out of the dang thing so I could've scratched it for sure.

[ispoonwithmugen]

So Head Gaskets were confirmed to be in "wonderful shape". Going to take the heads to a machine shop tomorrow and get them checked then pressure tested? I can safely say that this will probably be the last Subaru either of us will own... Bad taste will be imbedded in us for quite a while. Not sure at this point if we'll keep it or "flip" it. We could almost make our $ back if we cleaned it up and I did a little bumper fixin'.

[JustinG]

I can safely say that this will probably be the last Subaru either of us will own... Bad taste will be imbedded in us for quite a while.

[Senor_Taylor]

So we have how many Subarus in Mm Right now and how many are not currently in running order? I'm sorry, Garrett. Not sure what you did the deserve this, but it must have been bad.

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[ispoonwithmugen]

Went to the head shop and he wanted $400 if I didn't remove everything from the head. Back home I went last night to tear it apart. The camshaft cover? is being a real bitch to get off but I want to ensure I'm not going to break anything here. He also told me to check the pistons. I had some weird wear marks that had him a little curious and wanted to ensure that the rod bearings or anything else isn't going to go. I didn't see anything do you see anything wrong with these? To be honest this is the first time I've even had to look at a lower end...

[.RJ]

Those pistons are fine.

[ispoonwithmugen]

^ that's what I thought. Any advice on how to clean them? Or do/should I?

I'm really at a loss of what's next on this GD thing. Two shops (including the original dealer) confirmed it was a head gasket and the heads needed to be resurfaced. I take it all apart and the damn HG is perfect...

What should I be doing next? They performed Cylinder leakdown and compression tests and signs pointed to HG. I believe that they breached 200 PSI in two cylinders or somethign like that.

[.RJ]

I wouldnt bother. Did the heads check out flat? Did the machine shop check them at all before demanding you break them down?