head gasket replacement

[markwv]

getting ready to replace my leaking head gaskets on my 08 legacy 2.5i  . i will be leaving the motor in and pulling the heads. i have a question for anyone who has done this with the motor in the car.

can you put the car up on ramps or does it need to be on jack stands?  i know the engine mount bolts have to be taken off and the engine jacked up to get the heads out but did not know if it had to be on jack stands or if i could just put it on ramps?

 

thanks\

 

[el_freddo]

Ramps will be fine as you’re not playing with the suspension or wheels. 

I’d recommend lifting the engine out to do the work. So much easier!

Cheers 

Bennie

[FerGloyale]

42 minutes ago, el_freddo said:

 

I’d recommend lifting the engine out to do the work. So much easier!

+1

[moosens]

Think about the other issues you’ll be on top of if you pull the engine.

Rear main seal , clutch or empty/refreshen torque converter and tranny. I’m not at all familiar with anything from this millennium but my old 2.2’s have rear cam seals or O ring. 

Of course only you know how much space you have , tools , budget etc. 

But even the cheap harbor frieght engine crane works and saves the back from bending into the engine bay while also using your arms. Might not sound so bad if you’re a young buck but back issues are real and often crop up from such activity.

Cheapy engine crane - $100-140 , probably cheaper than the co-pays from the chiropractic therapy sessions.

 

If you do manage it while in the car please post back with your experience. Good luck with it. 

[GeneralDisorder]

Pull engine. Doing them in car is messy and can lead to poor sealing due to difficult surface prep and bolt thread cleanup, etc. 

It only takes about 2 hours to pull the engine. Little more to put it back. 

GD

[idosubaru]

Save your ramps for the dinner plate.....

If you can't pull it, which is more ideal - use jack stands for sure.  You will need to crawl under there, move things around, get access, and lift the engine/trans/push/position it around - you don't want those big clunky ramps in the way.  I've never done it but there's no reason ramps "can" be used if you're willing to tolerate it. 

[FerGloyale]

Pull the engine.

Getting the HGs into place with the fresh head is INCREDIBLY difficult to do without gouging the block with the bolts, or gouging the gasket with the corners of the head or the dangling bolts.

the reason is that 5 of the 6 head bolts have to be inserted through the head, the gasket hung on the dowels in the block as you lower the heads down between the rails. So you've got bolts trying to slide back and forth in their holes.  And they have to stay within a 1/2" range in order to clear the framerails and drop into place.  It's difficult.  I've ruined a HG doing it that way. ~$50+ down the drain.  Lucky the block wasn't damaged.  (I worked in someone elses shop, and the boss preffered them done in car so that's how I did them.  Won't anymore)

Also, even if you get perfect alignment and insertion of the heads and bolts, you've still got a Torque by degree process for the head bolts.  Very hard to do with them in the car, even with a proper degree measuring torque wrench.