Suba_GL_87 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 1996 EJ25 DOCH recently i was installed new head gasket and use for under 100 miles. so can use same head gasket or must new head gasket replace, for replace ring pistons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Replace. Remember that crazy torque procedure on install? Yours are already squished. I prefer OEM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I installed one, never ran the motor, and when i asked even then everyone said to replace it anyway to get it to seat properly. So I did. Stinks to eat it but it's such a huge job it's not worth it to me to repeat. If you don't mind doing the job again then do whatever you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suba_GL_87 Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 ok ok ok...i will order headgasket on ebay... anyone you know cheaper head gasket than Rockauto? OEM? meaning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suba_GL_87 Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 how about that? http://www.ebay.com/itm/96-97-98-99-2-5-L-SUBARU-LEGACY-DOHC-HEAD-GASKETS-EJ25-/150522207898?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item230bd29e9a&vxp=mtr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 OEM is Original Equipment Manufacturer. Get SUBARU Head Gaskets. Not the place to try and save a few bucks. How many times you want to do this job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Subaru gasket 610 (last three digits of part number) only for this engine. anything else is very risky and not worth the few dollars savings. this is not a place where you want to try to save a few dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suba_GL_87 Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 just wonder if cheaper headgasket will blow gasket like 100kmiles? i mean it's just a headgasket...nonsense. i just want to know and learn.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 (edited) *** An alternative if you feel compelled to try to reuse the Subaru gasket would be to coat the gasket with some of that copper sealant/spray or whatever folks use sometimes. They swear by it, search for it. I don't recommend it nor have I ever used it but maybe that's an extra hedge of protection if you're cutting corners? just wonder if cheaper headgasket will blow gasket like 100kmiles? in this case I would bet it blows way before 100,000 miles. but the answer to that question is "yes" and "no", because it's a poor question. it actually depends which motor you're talking about. some Subaru engines can handle aftermarket/cheap headgaskets just fine. The EJ25 engine on the other hand is a horrible candidate to cut corners with. The focus here is on the ENGINE, not the headgaskets. headgaskets are just gaskets...but the EJ25 is an animal that should be known when you're dealing with it. EJ25's have significant headgasket issues - Subaru has redesigned the gasket multiple times and even still it can eat headgaskets like crazy. You can search google and read all day long about it, some Subaru forums (though not this one) have dedicated headgasket forums on them just for this motor. Add to that, your particularly DOHC EJ25 is the most grievous of them all. The EJ25's of later vintage are a little bit more forgiving but I still wouldn't trust a cheap gasket on them. If you want more information google "All Wheel Drive Subaru Headgaskets" and you'll get a website of some shop guys detailing some very technical information about the EJ25 headgasket. i mean it's just a headgasket...nonsense. i just want to know and learn.. The answer can get even more technical than that - engine design in the 90's was outpacing available headgasket sealing technology. So while they were increasingly pushing the limits and lowering the amount of sealing surface, clamping area, etc surrounding the combustion chamber, the headgasket and sealing technology was not keeping pace with those increasing demands. Many manufacturers had engines with headgasket issues in the 90's as manufacturers tried to eek out 6 more horsepower every year. If you look at 80's Subaru headgaskets and compare them to modern headgaskets you will see this - the 80's stuff looks really basic and simple graphite stuff, modern gaskets are suave looking multi layered stamped steel, completely different approach. Those older gaskets had no issues, but couldn't hold up to pushing the limits that were being pushed though.... And there's folks more versed in this than me that can add more reading if you want to learn more. I suggest google, "EJ25 Headgasket" will give you weeks worth of reading due to the severity of the issue. So - all of this to say - the EJ25, for a variety of reasons even beyond what i've mentioned - is a problem child motor. When you get a cheap gasket, it's not about "it's just a gasket", it's a very particular engine with some very particular failure modes that you're up against. it is that which we are commenting about when we suggest which gasket to use, we're not just making this up or holding on to some kind of OEM ideology. for that matter you can look up Six-Star or Cometic headgaskets - companies have gone so far as to make their own specific solutions for *this motor*. Edited October 19, 2012 by grossgary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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