Replacing exhaust manifold gaskets...

[Milemaker13]

Hi,

I need to replace the left side manifold gasket on the EA82 loyale wagon. How difficult is this? I assume it is just the four bolts holding the y- pipe on and the one hanger bolt on the y-pipe, and that should allow it to sag plenty to put new gaskets in right? What kind of gaskets are these? Flat or like doughnuts? I have had trouble locating them, so maybe I'll try the stealer. Cheif Tim, know about what they charged you at the counter? Hopefully by the weekend we wont sound like a beater jalopy anymore!

[cobcob]

Just ordered mine thru the Dealership, $8.20 each...

[idosubaru]

very easy, just unbolt the manifold at the engine and it should come down enough to slide the old out and the new in.

 

the only issue is the nuts, they are often corroded and hard to remove....it can get ugly real quick here. spray it down with liquied wrench or PB blaster ahead of time as much as you can. having heat available is a good idea as well (torch). heat the nut for no more than one minute, slowly going around and heating the nut only.

 

as for the studs, go to your local auto parts stores, i prefer avoiding advanced and autozone for this task, a more comprehensive store is better. they'll have loose bins of exhaust studs. they won't show any that will fit and won't have any part numbers to help you, don't waste your time asking or looking for any. take one in or look up the numbers here, they've been posted before....like M8x1.25 or something like that. the ones the stores will have will be perfect and almost identical to the subaru ones. they will have a very small unthreaded length around the midsection with thread on both sides. one side of the thread will be longer than the other, leave the longer threaded side for the nut end and the "unthreaded" portion of the stud will be in the bolt hole of the exhaust manifold. it's really simple, it just takes a bunch of words to explain it. basically they should be installed one way and it's obvious which way because if it's wrong the nut will run out of thread...so okay, just install it the other way. like i said, this is like adding 1+1, but just looks and sounds dumb trying to say it.

[Milemaker13]

Cool, sounds easy. I have the 7/16 tap ready and beyond that, I have a helicoil at the ready too! Can you guys tell if these are flat gaskets or the fatter doughnut looking things?

[idosubaru]

should just be the flat style gaskets. if you're looking it up and seeing two, including a doughnut style, that's the one between the y-pipe (exhaust manifold) and catalytic converter, under the transmission roughly.

 

7/16" threaded rod will work perfectly in the exhaust holes as well. think that's the size.

[82glsw]

if u want to stick with metric on the exhaust stud the size is m10x1.25

[dragonfire]

the trick i used when pulling the engine from my gl. to unbolt the exhaust, i used sea-doo lube. works just as well or even better the pb blaster. it is made to unfreeze steer cables used in jet skis. it penetrates like nothing i have ever seen before. can be gotten from any powersports dealer that sells sea-doo or just about any jet skis. with using the lube i also turned the nut to break it loose, then i turned it back. i did this back and forth until the nut or nut and stud came out. i think i had one nut and three studs when they finally were removed. let the jokes begin!!!!!

somehow that last statement is going to come back to haunt me:lol:

[Phizinza]

Sorry, only read first post.

 

You have to do both at the same time. I use aluminium foil torn up into little strips then rapped around the gasket all the way round. This has been amazing in stopping exhaust leaks. Only trouble I had was when I went over a big bump and the exhaust went thud onto the ground, then one side leaked. Replaced both and it was good up until I swapped the engine. Done the same with the EJ22 ones and they are holding up great.