First of all pardon my ignorance. I have done some searching on this but haven't found any official (or other trustworthy source) which states HG issues on 2.5 SOHC engines were resolved from factory after certain model year. Co-worker of mine is looking to purchase an outback (05+) and asked me about the HG issue. I figured this is the best place to ask this question. My assumption is that all Subarus past 05+ does not suffer from the HG issue MY96-02 2.5 engines suffered. Is this correct? If you know of any TSB etc. which states this that would be great. Thanks much in advance.
They do in fact still use the same head gasket and still leak, we have done one as new as 06. Luckily the sti head gasket is the fix, but subaru refused to admit it. 2010 n/a 2.5s have a new head gasket, I dont know what It looks like, but its multi layerd from what ive seen sticking through the block.
Just to make sure I've beaten the dead horse in my head completely to death - all the SOHC NA 2.5L's come with gaskets that tend to leak over time, there is no "sanctioned" replacement, but STi gaskets work and don't leak. And the older DOHC NA 2.5L's came with gaskets that failed often and there is a "sanctioned" replacement that isn't as prone to leaks. Does that sum it up correctly?
Thats why you just stick STI gaskets on it and call it a day. Not too dissimilar from the shimming in the pump, Subaru just likes being difficult.
Not sure if this will help at all or not, but the wife's '02 2.5rs received sti headgaskets well over a year ago thanks to the boys at morris and it works like a charm. She is still thankful for you guys. -Ryan
Thanks for chiming in guys. Much appreciated. My co-worker however is worried about the HG issue, since even 06s are also prone to this. They will be looking at something else to purchase. It's a shame because Subaru had the perfect wagon they were looking for. Not that other cars won't have problems ....
Sounds like quite poor reasoning (if they like the wagon so much). It's not like the HG is a persistent repeating problem. They go, you fix them, they hold up a long time after that (I hear).
Just wondering about the HG. I brought my 97 LGT to Minnetonka Morries for HG replacement as well as many other things. What are the chances that I got an STi HG and not just an OEM replacement? Also my engine is the EJ25.
The chances are zero, we wouldnt put an STI gasket in a DOHC, it would cause piston to valve clearance issues.
So what should I expect for the life of the updated ones? They got changed at 98k miles I'm now at 130k miles.
Here's one for ya'll. I've got a 142k 2.5 in my Legacy, which the prior *original* owner claims has never leaked a drop of coolant. I did the timing belt a little while ago, and it seems that he's correct, coolant looked good, heads are clean. Would it be worth my time to get gaskets and do them as a preemptive attack? How much does the job cost? How long does it take?
Never buy used NA 2.5L Subaru's. I think it is a good reason not to buy a car as it costs almost $2k at the dealer. You can probably get it done for closer to $1k else where, but still. It is about the worst engine made to do a head gasket job. It has two heads and is hard to work on in this respect. The engine almost needs to be pulled. Turbos don't seem to have the issue, why not look for a turbo? Mileage is about the same and way more fun.
!!! parts are like $150-200, should take less than 8 hours, and no, the engine doesn't need to be pulled.
The engine is 6 bolts, its not a hard job at all, do some research. DOHCs should be pulled, SOHCs can be done in the car, and Ive done them myself in about 3 hours total.
