bstone

Good catch! That is actually one of the things that a pressure leak down test would catch. I had an overheating issue two years ago that I was certain was due to bad headgaskets. I checked the radiator for hydrocarbons but there were none. I also checked it for bubbles and there were plenty. I was constantly having to add more coolant (about a gallon a day). I finally rented a leak down tester from AutoZone and pressurized the radiator to 16 PSI. Immediately I heard a hissing noise and the pressure was dropping quickly. I wiggled the upper and lower radiator hoses and found that the upper hose had a leak in it. When I wiggled the upper hose the hissing noise also wiggled. I replaced the hose, used new clamps and retested. No more hissing, no more leaking, no more overheating.

Bummer. Sorry. I feel your pain.

I think you mean this product: It probably didn't help or hurt. I have to admit, tho, I never put these things when doing a radiator fluid change. The cost you're looking at is probably around $1500, give or take a few hundred depending on the shop and where you are. The chances of the heads being in perfect shape is unknown as you've already overheated. The conventional wisdom is to send the heads out to a machine shop for grinding/flattening. It's not a full rebuild of the head and most machine shops charge about $50-100 per head for flattening them. You must make 100% sure that your mechanic only uses the Subaru Original Equipment new head gaskets. There are plenty of imitators on the market but the new Subaru ones are almost indestructible. They are a major improvement over the old ones. While the head job is going on, have your mechanic change the timing belt, water pump, tensioner and all the pulleys associated with the timing components. The timing components are likely the original ones and if one of them goes then you lose time and your heads are ruined by the piston crashing into the valve. It would absolutely suck for you to have the heads grinded, new HGs put on but then in a year have one of the timing components go and be back in this position. Another option, however, is this- have your mechanic pull out the engine that is already in there and put in an EJ22 SOHC engine. It is fully compatible with your car. The engine is a SOHC, so if the timing belt or timing components go then you don't lose your heads, you just swap out the bad belt or bad component and reset the time. Also, the head gaskets are way more reliable. You can likely get away with this for around $1200-1500, depending on location. It is something I am in the middle of right now (waiting on the arrival of the engine). Your engine will have a little less pep but you'll get better gas mileage and have a much less complicate engine. I ordered an EJ22 from LKQ for $550. I also bought the LIFETIME parts/labor warranty for an extra $300. I lose engines and transmissions like a hen loses her eggs, so I spend extra on warranties, insurance, etc. The labor warranty covers $50/hr, so not all of it, but if it does go bad you'll be glad you have it. You're in the enviable position of having options to choose from. I am in the unenviable position of having the passenger side cam on my EJ25 freeze up last week at night. It lost time and bent the valve. My car is now sitting in my buddy's garage waiting for the new engine. I am getting around on my bike. Good news- I am getting exercise. Bad news- it's cold in New England. Sorry for the long post. I just took a break from studying and needed to distract myself. Please ask questions. We're here to help.

Can he try some coolant conditioner?

Bubbles in the radiator? You know what I'm thinking..... When were the head gaskets replaced last time? Did they use OE HGs to replace them with or an aftermarket brand?

Sure you still want to do it?

I have few questions- Are the timing components on the ej25 and ej22 the same? I just bought all new ones for my now-dead ej25 and would very much love to transfer them over to the ej22. Also, is the timing belt the same? I assume not since the ej22 is a sohc.

Within a week I will be another user of an ej22. My ej25 died a few days ago and instead of sending the head to be rebuilt I am getting an ej22 from lkq. I also am spending $300 on the warranty (lifetime, includes head gasket and labor charges) just for the peace of mind. I'll report back once I have experience with it.

I just ordered an ej22 from LKQ. I got the lifetime warranty and in 06 the engine had 58k miles on it. Total cost: $865 Should arrive on thursday or so.

babies!!!!

binding timing sqeak and driver's side cam and squeaky cam (i give a shout out to USMB!) and squeaky cam is bad and timinginspection

Uploading video of the bad cam....

That will make two EJ25 blocks that I will have. Are you interested? Should I post in the sales section?

No. Probably going to replace it with an ej22 from lkq. They got it for 500ish.

Cam on the passenger side seizEd.

The belt felt fine, but I'll know more in the morning.

Oil level seems fine. I'll know more in the morning. Hard to inspect at midnight on the side of the street.

I know. It downright sucks for me, as well. I hope it's not the headgasket(s). They were replaced 1.5 years ago but the guy used felpro HGs (I did not know this at the time). I checked the radiator and the fluid seemed low, but I was not overheating nor did I smell any burnt oil. I'll find out more in the morning.

Gentlemen, all of this has suddenly become a non-issue owing to the fact that my Outback died while driving about an hour ago. I was going about 25mph down a side street when I started hearing a squeaking noise. A few seconds later the engine cut out and I coasted to a stop. The starter will turn and turn but the engine doesn't start up. I pulled both timing covers and the belt seems to be nice and tight. I had it towed to my buddy's garage and will deal with it in the morning. I'll pick up on the transmission issue once I resolve the engine issue.

Yup that's the plan. I would like to make a list of the most likely failed components and have them on hand when I do this repair. I'll be at my buddy's garage and will have one nigh to get it all done. So, what does one find in the tail extension housing and what is most likely to have gone wrong?

Yeah I'm taking care of this now so I make it through the winter ok. Can you recommend things to do while in there?

It appears I'll need a new clutch pack. Does anyone know the part number? Are there other things I need to do while in there? I did not check the drive shaft turning with the tcu unplugged, which I will just to completely make sure before cracking open the Trans. Any suggestions for other things to test or try?

Gentlemen, an uPdate. I went to my friends garage and put the car on the lift and into drive. The front tires spun but the read did not. H central drive shaft was not spinning but I could rotate it by hand. I unplugged the tcu and I would not induce any binding. No flashing lights on start up. Thoughts?