EJ25 Outback

eddie351gt

eddie351gt

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Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Messages
37
Location
Sydney, Australia
Im new here, I purchased a 2000 model outback yesterday, it seems to be a decent car, i've been reading up about the problems associated with the EJ25 engine, and i have a few questions,

if i wanted to do replace the headgaskets :

a) can i do it with the engine still installed
b) replace the headgasket with somethign from a newer model which doesnt suffer the same fate of blowing head gaskets (ie, a better quality headgasket)

also, if i decided to get this done by a workshop, what would i expect to pay for this work (normal mechanic and subaru dealer prices if possible pls)

i picked up the outback for just under $4000, so i knew that i would need to spend some money on it. It drives fine, doesnt blow any smoke,

- there is a steering wobble when braking from 100km/h (but no wobble when braking under 60km/h
- temperature sits between 1/3 to 1/2, but with the aircon on, i have seen it creep up to 2/3 to 3/4, once i turned the air con off, the temp crept back down again (also the drivers side thermo fan i've noticed hasnt started up when warm, the passenger side front thermo works fine.

the engine bay is spotless, there radiator fluid is spotless and the oil is normal and not emulsified, so im not sure if i have a blown head gasket or if it is a buggered thermostat.

also, any ideas how to get ciggarette smell out of the aircon? i've tried cleaning the pre-filter behind the glove box, and also spraying it with frebreeze, but i can still smell it (being an ex smoker, it is pretty obvious)

I appreciate any help you may give me in advance

thanks

Eddie
 
Welcome.........I think you'll find it was the pre MY99 quad cam 2.5's which had the majority of the head gasket problems, it's an engine out job and there are better head gaskets out there, oil in water & water in oil don't mean much with Subi's. The best way to know if the head gasket is buggered is to find a quiet road and give it a good hiding, if the temp shoots up because it's pressurised the system it's usually the head gasket but you can get it gas tested before you go ripping the motor out.

Oh and get that fan working too, it can make a big difference.
 
I had a problem as well with steering wobble when braking from 100km/h but not slower after i had new tyres fitted. Couldnt work out why. After i had removed the front wheels to investigate, found slight rotor warp but not bad i put the wheels back on. To my amazement the wobble had disappeared! :surprised:

I can only presume there was grit or something preventing the wheel being properly aligned on the hub & which accentuated the wobble. Its the only thing i can think of :shrug:
 
thanks for the information so far guys,

i forgot to mention that the AC short cycles (compressor kicks in and out) when the engine temp is getting pretty warm - is this a safety feature?
 
G'day eddie351gt & :welcome: to ORS.
The first thing I'd do is get that second fan working. Once thats done, I'd see how the temp gauge sits & whether or not it helps, then go from there.

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
thanks guys

does anyone know a way i can get the ciggy smell out of the vents etc? i've sprayed freebreeze into the intake filter of the vent system (behind the glove box) and it seemed to of worked for a little bit, but i can smell it again..
 
eddie351gt said:
thanks for the information so far guys,

i forgot to mention that the AC short cycles (compressor kicks in and out) when the engine temp is getting pretty warm - is this a safety feature?
Click to expand...

G'Day & Welcome Eddie

Yes, the A/C will cut out when the engine is getting too hot.
 
ok, so what i've done, i've spliced the drives side fan to the passenger side wiring, so every time the ac is turned on, both fans are running. The temperature is now (at idle) staying in one spot, and the ac isnt short cycling anymore.

Quick question though, the wiring coming in from the drivers side (to the drivers side fan) is that also for ac, or is that for if the engine is too hot?
 
I have an 00 Outback as well. SOHC. there ar no know problems with the SOHC motors, only the DOHC motors are renouned to blow gaskets at 160-180 thousand ks.
 
i just took it for a good hard run, the temp doesnt go above half at all, so im very pleased with that, now all i have to do is sort out this steering wobble issue when braking from 100km/h.... what do you think, wheel alignment? wheel bearings? or discs warped?
 
Probably warped, if you hit water when the brakes are hot it can easily warp the discs, maybe just rip them off & get them skimmed at a brake/clutch shop.
 
Apparently people reckon EJ251? are really bad for head gasket problems, usually before 160000 km. Mine is a 251 in my 03, with 168,000km on the clock. :shrug:
 
didn't actually get to the price, but now it's worse than just a gasket :cry: i'm up for a new engine. can't wait to see how much thats gunna cost:rolleyessarcastic:
 
eden said:
didn't actually get to the price, but now it's worse than just a gasket :cry: i'm up for a new engine. can't wait to see how much thats gunna cost:rolleyessarcastic:
Click to expand...

Damn :cry: Many km on her/him?

H6 or just another EJ25? What is actually wrong with the engine? Could it be worth a rebuild if you got antoher 200,000km from it?

Taza
 
i hear that the H6 has a timing chain, where as the H4 is a belt, how hard would it be to install a H6 chain onto a H4?
 
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