Rooster2

My 99 OBW, just exhibited a blown head gasket. I shut off the motor when I saw the temp gauge at "H." I am confident that I caught the over heating early, and did not truly over heat the motor, as it was just beginning to push the coolant out the top of the overflow container, and yes, there were bubbles coming up the from the bottom of the over flow container. Since then, the engine has not over heated, continues to run strong, but I think it is just a matter of time for over heating to begin again. What to do: Option 1........Changing HGs, and adding a TB kit, at a cost of appx. $1,700? Maybe more, if heads need to be reworked? Maybe it would be good for another 50K-100K miles? The rest of the car is in good condition, inside and out, with new tires, and everything works well. My dilemma, at 196K miles on the odo, is this motor worth throwing money at?? Option 2.......install a 2.2 motor from a yard, and add a TB kit. Cost of motor and installation is appx. $1,700, maybe more, including TB kit. Getting a good 2.2 motor in good shape is a concern. Option 3........the car runs well enough, and keeping my fingers crossed, prolly would not over heat should the dealer people test drive the car, so I could trade in this car at a dealership. Trade in value, I think would be $2,000-$2,500 according to NADA, and Kelly BB towards a newer OB wagon. The engine work would be done at a shop I know and trust, that does Subaru motor work. I could bring them a TB kit from e-bay to save some money. I don't have the tools or know how to do the engine work myself. Please advise.....I need to really think this through to what makes the most financial sense. Thanks for your help.

I have replaced only a few rotors in my shade tree mechanic work. Yea, I noticed the oily coating, which I gathered was put on there to prevent rusting. I have never bothered to remove the oily coating, and haven't noticed anything negative. My brakes seemed to work well, even with the oily coating. After exposure to the elements, the oily coating will disappear on its own, and is not noticeable when changing brake pads months and years later.

Thanks..........a great idea! Rooster2 Also realize that the vent screw on top of radiator at opposite end from rad cap, can be loosened to vent out some of the exhaust gas as well.

Yea, this is my second first gen 2.5 motor. Last Fall, my wife burned up the motor in her 1998 OBW from a bad head gasket. I replaced with a 2.2 from a '95. So, I am not at all surprised to see my 1999 2.5 motor is like nearly all the others in blowing its head gasket. The motor is not damaged, so I will replace the HG, and motor on. I hope to get another 100K miles, by then the car will be junk.

Where have you guys bought OEM head gaskets on line at a good price and delivery? I have seen on line places recommended on this forum, but I can't find using the "search" function. Thanks for any help.

Grossgary, I am sure will chime in with a reply. We can always count on him.

Last night my 99 OBW began to over heat. I caught it early, and got the motor turned off before any damage. I opened the hood, and found coolant spilling out the top of the radiator reservoir container, with bubbles coming to the top of the reservoir, like an aquarium bubbler aerator. I know the bubbles are a dead give away that the head gaskets are bad. So, it is my turn to have the head gaskets replaced. Seems impossible to drive an EJ-25 in the 1996-1999 year range, with out blowing head gaskets. My car has 197K miles on the odo. I am the second owner, so don't know if the head gasket has ever been replaced before. I am still able to drive the car for short trips, and it runs great without over heating, so I have some time to gather parts, and plan when to get it into the shop. I have read enough here to know that genuine Subaru head gaskets work best. What website do you guys recommend to buy head gaskets? Does the head gasket kit package contain valve cover gaskets, or is that a separate part order? I already have a complete timing belt kit, that includes seals, water pump, tensioner, and pullys that I will give to my mechanic for installation. I will also have him put in a set of new sparkplugs, while motor is out of the car. My mechanic is well experienced in working on Subie motors, so I trust the quality of his work. Now, to bite the bullet and get the motor worked on. Thanks for any suggestions and help! Rooster2, Larry

Maybe who will sell you cans of refrigerant on line, will sell you a hose as well.

Yes, that means just drop in the product into existing system. Do you have the hose to connect from the can to your low side A/C port?

Yea, don't think an oil change is necessary. I have never heard that a "drop in" is simply added to the system. They are made to work with R-12 type oil.

Prolly a little low on refrigerant. I think your car still uses the R-12 refrigerant, which has been discontinued. Google "R-12 replacement" to source a drop in replacement can of refrigerant. It is an easy job to add a can of refrigerant, if not get a friend to help. Only takes about 10 minutes max of work. The other approach is to go to an auto repair shop, and have the system refrigerant converted to R-134a. Cost about $150 to do this.

Mikeec03, I live on the North side of Indy. What Indy shop did the work? Recommend their work? Rooster 2 (Larry)

+1 on 2.2 motors being cheap. Last Fall, I bought a '95 2.2 motor from a yard for $400. It had 146K miles on the odo at the time. Put it in my 98 OBW, and it runs great.

I remember something similar. I had kind of a rubbing squeal, while turning, even some when going straight. Braking seemed to reduce it. I fixed it by removing the road wheel, and using a flat blade screw driver, I pried back the dust plate surrounding the rotor. The dust plate was slightly rubbing on the rotor to cause the noise. With the road wheel off, check to see if the slides and pins for the brake pads are lubbed well. I had one pin freeze up, so the pad was cocked at an angle, and dragging against the rotor. It is possible that this too could be your problem, if the steel edge of the brake pad is rubbing against the rotor.

Any unusual tire wear that you can see?

The oil leak could also be from the valve covers. I have noticed mine leaking for several years now, and dripping oil onto the exhaust, which I can smell burning off the exhaust pipe. It also leaves oil spots on my driveway. I just add an oil stop leak additive product at each oil change. The additive swells the gaskets to reduce the oil leakage considerably. My Outback has close to 200K on the odo, so it is to the point that I am not going to put $$$ into redoing the valve cover gaskets. I just keep an eye on the oil level, and add some oil when it is needed. Just don't let your engine run low or out of oil, that is certain death to a Subie motor. It is a very good idea to change the ATF fluid in the auto tranny, if you have an auto tranny. There is a drain bolt on the bottom of the tranny to do this.

I don't remember the dye as difficult to remove. I think I have used paper towels or a rag to wipe it off, when it was fresh and damp. If you are just going to "red neck" drain the system to the atmosphere, I would wrap a rag around the Low port, where you would drain the system, so the dye soaks into a rag, and can't spray out to make a mess.

Are you seeing any blue smoke coming out the tail pipe, particularly upon hard acceleration? If so, you have significant "blow by" of oil past the worn piston rings. When I have owned old cars that did this, I went to 20W-50W thick oil to curb the oil burning during warm weather. Even if it is just light blow by, I would still recommend the heavier oil. Since you live in the North, use 10W-40W oil in the colder months. Keep up frequent oil changes. It is cheap insurance to keep your engine running beyond 300K miles.

My vote is a bad sensor or coil pack, agree that this is unlikely fuel related. Pulling the code is the first thing I would recommend. The car is trying to tell you what is wrong with it.

The green color liquid, is prolly bright neon color. That is a dye that has been added to the system with the refrigerant to find leaks. It is designed so that when a special light is shone around the A/C plumbing works, the dye glows to show where there is a leak. Special glasses are worn to make the dye easier to see at the leakage site. So, someone has worked on the system in the past to find leaks. The leak was prolly fixed since you still have plenty of gas pressure in the system. You can only hope that previous owner did not fill up the system with a lot of "stop leak" product, instead of fixing the leak properly with new O rings. If so, the system can be badly clogged with sealant. It is possible that previous owner tried playing mechanic and has added too much 134A refrigerant to the system, so the sensor prevents the compressor from turning on, because the pressure is too high. It would be wise to have a shop check the refrigerant pressure in the system with A/C gauges to find out what your pressure readings are, and get advise from them as to their findings, and how to proceed.

Like others may have said, I wouldn't worry about metal flakes in the A/C system. I don't think that is ever a big concern. I guess you could replace the dryer, but I doubt there would be much metal accumulated there, and not anywhere else. Subaru compressors sit high and up front on the motor, so they are easy to remover and replace with no special tools. Put a used compressor on with new O rings, evacuate the system to rid moisture and atmospheric air, check for leaks, then charge with 134A refrigerant. I am thinking if you replaced the compressor yourself, total replacement cost would be less than $200.

Sorry to hear about your overheating motor. Unfortunately, you have all the classic signs of a bad head gasket. I have a 98, and have already encountered this problem. Suggest you read the archives regarding bad head gaskets on this forum under the "search" section. There is a lot written on this subject. 1998 Subaru motors are prone to blowing head gaskets. It is the main weakness in what is otherwise a good motor. Whatever you do, don't continue to over heat the motor, or you will be replacing the engine, instead of repairing the engine. Let us know how you are coming along with this problem.

Be aware that the tranny dip stick is hard to find. It is located on the driver side at the firewall, buried under wiring and hoses. The LOW to HIGH mark on the dip stick is only a pint quantity measurement of ATF, so it is very easy to over fill.

The main fan is suppose to turn on, and stay continually on, when the A/C is in operation. The sub fan does not necessarily turn on, just because the engine is running. It is thermostatically controlled, and will only turn on when motor is getting hot above normal operating temperature. Driving the car pushes enough air through the radiator, so fan does not come on. Only if you are stuck in stop and go traffic on a hot day, will the sub fan come on. So, I am thinking there is not anything wrong with your cooling fans. Keep an eye on your dash board temperature gauge. If engine is started from cold, and needle stays in the middle of the gauge after warm up, and never goes up towards HOT, then you aren't having a problem.