I know this is a performce related forum, but I was told by some friends that you guys know your Subaru doodie up and down, so here goes my quick question...

My wife blew the head gasket on her 99 Forester today (4 cylinder). Is this something a driveway mech. can replace? The dealership wants $1300 to replace it. Based on the complexity or non-complexity of replacing it, would you say that the dealerhip is overcharging, or should I just let them do the work and have it be done with?

Thanks for any input guys. I don't want to bust the bank on this.

 

The reason it is pricey is because the engine has to practically be removed from the engine bay in order for the head to be removed since our engines are a flat (H) design. So there is quite a large amount of labour needed to do this. But do shop around, because it is a little pricey IMHO.

Dan

 

That seems about right. All Subaru mechanics charge an arm and a leg. You can probably find a bit cheaper outside of the dealer but not much, and you will probably get it done better and w/ more guarantee at the dealer. The labor is what cost so much. I just did a job on a Honda CRV and the dealer was charging the same for a blown valve, which requires replacing the head gasket on top of other things. I did it for about $500 including machine shop, valve replacement, gasket set, etc. That is for an inline designed engine and is a whole lot easier because you can work from up top, unlike the boxer design.
Your problem is curious because I have a minor(so far) coolant leak on one of my heads in my 99' Forester. I ordered the shop manuals and it should say exactly what is required. I will update as soon as I get them. Regardless, it's a 5 out of 5 in difficulty, and you need a manual for all the torque specs, etc.

 

you guys are dead on right. parts arent much it's the labor that kills you.

If the torque specs are the same (ej25) heads are a funky process for torqueing. it's something like 25 lbs then 55 lbs then off 180deg then 33 lbs and 11 lbs and then 90 deg and another 90deg with a breaker bar, odd but easy. shim clearance is .020 intake and .025 ex. If you want I can get them, I've done 3 so far but forget the specs off the top of my head so use that as a me guessing on it. If your good you can get the block out in 2 hours (if you've done it before). you'd be suprized on how small of a area causes a leak from pistion part to coolent part. some of the older cars (97-98) had HG problems because of a differnt than newer style of HG.

all in all $1300 sounds about right from the stealership. I dont know your location so I cant help you much other than tyring to post stuff here.

Has anyone done a right up on this stuff with pics and such? If I feel VERY motivated I'll see if I can do something but it's not a for sure thing. I dont own a impreza/subaru but for some reasion I work on those more than on my car (93 toyota MR2). I know on the Mr2 board their are a few very good how to's but I dont really see many here.

 

If you have access to an engine hoist/jack/stands/tools you can do the job in the driveway/garage. Everyone is spot on about the motor basically having to come out of the engine. You could just lift it in the bay with a jack but I'm not 100% sure you'll get it high enough (tranny hitting the tunnel/firewall). If you do do the job yourself (or take it to a non-Subaru tech) make sure you have all the torque specs!!!!!! I know too many folks who've destroyed heads/engines due to improper torque settings.

 

The Gen I 2.5 engine(dohc) has a poor headgasket design. The gaskets are sttel 3 layer and they leak. There is an updated gasket that is 4 layer. $1300 sounds reasonable for that repair. The labor guide gives 15hrs for that job.

sean@rallitek.com

[http://www.rallitek.com]

 

P.S Engine has to come out of the car. It is easier to pull the engine.

sean

 

What do you mean by pulling the engine?

 

it's when you actually pull the engine out of the car. you need to do that in order to replace the head gasket, or anything that has to do with working on the internals of the engine.

 

Its not that difficult if you have the right tools (read: hoist). Basically unbolt the tranny, disconnect all the various wiring harnesses, coolant lines, A/C, power steering, etc and pull. It can be done by jacking the motor up within the engine bay but I wouldn't want to do it that way... once the motor is out of the car it is incredibly easy to work on.

 

If you really wanted to save some cash and weren't comfortable with doing the gasket yourself then just pull the motor and take just the motor to the shop to have it done. It would save you alot on labor costs.