need help replacing headgasket in 1996 subaru

my buddys headgasket just went in his 96 subaru legacy outback. we are gonna start pullin it apart tonight. we need to get it back on the road ASAP. (wed morning)

what will make this as easy as possible?

should we pull the engine? what else should we replace? are there any tricks or short-cuts?

i tried looking for a good thread on some subaru forums, but i cant seem to find one. any links or advice would be great.

thanks...jon

96... Is it a 2.2 or 2.5? The 2.2 is easy enough to do with the engine in the car. With the 2.5, it's easier to pull the engine.

Either way, the engine will come out in about an hour.

its a 2.2

so we should leave the engine in?

jhaas wrote: its a 2.2 so we should leave the engine in?

yes

Now would be a fantastic time for a water pump, timing belt, cam seals, and an oil pump seal, if you're into such things. Good engine though, that 2.2, worth spending a few bucks on.

A couple of the head bolts are a bit of a pain with the engine in. What I usually do is unbolt the two engine mounts, jack the engine up enough the clear the studs, then use a ratchet strap to pull the engine side to side to give you more room to work.

E36 M3, its ej25...i guess that means we should pull the engine?

timing belt and pulleys are 10k old, they look great. planing on HG's and other assorted gaskets, anything else? water pump?

thanks

Some people have done 2.5 HG's with the engine in the car. But if you have a hoist, you can get the engine out easily enough.

Waterpump, valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, rear main, clutch...

The dual cam 2.5L is a PITA in the car. That one I'd pull.

The later Phase II 2.5L single cam motors can be done it the car.

In reply to fornetti14:

Borrowed from a local forum (prices in New Zealand dollars) "The problem with the 96 EJ25 is the open deck block the head tends to sink below the exhaust and the standard head gasket rots away, allowing compression gas to escape to water jacket I have a couple of good examples in my shed. Subaru brought out a steel head gasket upgrade which solves the problem. I buy the whole upper kit which includes all cam seals etc all brand for $600 at repco .

Now Ive done 9 of these repairs 2 my own and rest mates and have never had a return so i l tell you the basic requirements for reliability 1. pull the motor out don't try do them in place easy as 2. Get the heads planed and have equal amounts taken of both sides - do both sides I've had up to 7 thou taken off bad ones costs around $100 3. Replace the head bolts - dont care what any ones says replace those torque to yeld bolts $120 bnt when fitting cam covers clean all seal groves with thinners and coat with thin red silicon sealer , you will never get oil leaks 4. bleed the bloody thing properly and I add the heater core bypass mod, allows to still retain the troublesome heater core but also allows a bypass -makes real easy to bleed"

"as you know with subaru's the coolant always has to be circulating through the heater core to operate the thermostat at the bottom of the motor. If the heater core blocks up , gets an air lock you over heat the motor. The problem with bleedings is the top of the core sits higher then the rad cap and bleed screw on rad so the air sits trapped in there so a mod I got off the net is

where the 2 heater hose's got to the firewall just back from it you cut both those hoses and install a tee in each one then add a bit of hose to join the 2 together so the coolant can flow through the core and through the bypass no matter what happens in the heater core you still get coolant circulating through the bypass works a treat esp if the heater core is getting a little tired , In almost all cases of over heating in subs is blasted heater core blocked or air lock It does decrease the hot air slightly when you got the cabin heater but still blows enough hot air to keep you warm"

OK, which cylinder is the no. 1 on a subaru ej25

From a subaru forum:

rear
3 4
1 2
front

For future reference, follow the plug wires back up to the coil pack, cylinders are numbered there on most of the newer cars, I believe.

I've done the ratchet strap method I mentioned above several times on SOHC EJ25's. I've never done a DOHC EJ25, so I can't really help if that's the case.