10 replies to this topic

[Dylan]

Hi guys,

I've got a buddy who recently bought a Gen2 RX and has suffered at the hands of the evil DOHC EJ25 that these vehicles are equipped with.

I am looking in to putting in the new head gaskets myself, and have been doing quite a lot of research on the topic (not having done it before, there is a lot to read!). I've got a Haynes workshop manual which details the entire procedure from start to finish, but I have also tracked down some additional websites. In my experience it always is a lot easier to cite the information from various sources, as each source explains it and displays diagrams in different ways. This all helps and gives me a better understanding of the task at hand.

I've purchased head gaskets from Subaru (2 required to do both heads) and the part number for this particular vehicle is in my parts number thread.

I will have to look in to head studs, cost and requirements for those as well as any other parts that are absolutely necessary. At this stage we are looking to do just the gaskets themselves as my friend is out of a job and does not have much money left for repairs after the initial purchase.

As I progress I will update this thread, I will also look to get scanned copies of the relevant section / pages from the Haynes manual - these things are worth their weight in gold!

Dylan

The page links are below:

- http://home.comcast....eplacement.html
- http://wac.addr.com/...headgasket.html

[GWINNY]

hey mate sorry to go abit off track but where would be the best place to get one of these workshop manuals you speak of so highly???? cheers mate Ben

[Dylan]

hey mate sorry to go abit off track but where would be the best place to get one of these workshop manuals
you speak of so highly????
cheers mate
Ben

No worries mate.

I bought mine online, direct from Haynes. Cheap, fast and VERY worthwhile purchase. I'll most likely buy another one soon, as mine is covered in grease and looking a bit worse for wear since I did my conversion

This thing could potentially save you thousands upon thousands of dollars if you're willing enough to give it a go.

[GWINNY]

No worries mate.

I bought mine online, direct from Haynes. Cheap, fast and VERY worthwhile purchase. I'll most likely buy another one soon, as mine is covered in grease and looking a bit worse for wear since I did my conversion

This thing could potentially save you thousands upon thousands of dollars if you're willing enough to give it a go.

sounds like a good investment...well to cut a long story short bought a 97 rx. got f**ked over. needed new moter.bought one from aek.got car fixed.. now have a spare ej25 that i was thinking of having a crack at fixing myself just for somthing to do!!!!so thought a workshop manual would be a good place to start...

[Dylan]

sounds like a good investment...well to cut a long story short bought a 97 rx. got f**ked over. needed new moter.bought one from aek.got car fixed.. now have a spare ej25 that i was thinking of having a crack at fixing myself just for somthing to do!!!!so thought a workshop manual would be a good place to start...

Absolutely. It gives detail on an entire engine tear down, clean and rebuild. No diagram or information spared in these Haynes manuals.

[alexGT]

dyl. i did mine at home with haynes manual/dad's knowledge. just get the heads shaved will save on $$. may as well do a 100k service if he will hold onto the car/motor for a while. budget $1500 to do it yourself. thats including VRS kit + service items + new head bolts. EDIT: by the way I think i was quoted around $250 to get the heads shaved. I paid $550 for a complete service, including a blast out, readjusting teh tappets and and and...

[Dylan]

Great Alex, thanks mate!

[Evil_VZ-T]

Since the motor is coming out. put a new timing belt, Tensioner(if worn), Water pump, rocker cover gaskets, Spark plug tube seals, inlet manifold gasket, and head studs. But most of that will come with a VRS kit. Check the engine mounts while your at it and the solid coolant lines under the manifold as they are prone to Failing. How bad did the engine overheat? As the heads and pistons May be damaged. You can get a Import Ej25 from Ichi ban for just under $900. put a VRS kit on at and mix and match the best parts and off you go

[lebspec_liberty]

Dylan its not a realy hard job to do but it can be a bit tricky getting to bolts if your not too experienced.. just make sure everything goes back together the same way it came out and try not to mix bolts up an stuff keep bolts for certain things in an order that you took them out its the easiest way for a big job like this.. id sugest getting the heads crack tested as well as getting them shaved and id stick to genuine parts as they are soo much better quality then cheep after market shit.. just wen putting the new head gaskets on place the head directly on the block because if you put it on the actaul head gasket material and slide the head into place you'll have a high chance of marking the surface and blow another gasket in no time at all.. just one last thing make sure all the joining surfaces with gaskets are as clean and smooth as possible and dont use any compound on the head gasket itself.. you may use a bit of spray glue designed for head gaskets if your in 2 minds. also do the timing belt and cam seals while your at it to save yourself from pulling it all apart againg in the near future good luck any questions just ask as ive done plenty of ej series engine head gasket in the 3 years ie been a mechanic..

[CodeBurn3r]

GLADBAGS!!!

GLADBAGS!!!,GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!

do i need to say it again.. YES!!!

GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!GLADBAGS!!!

I did this just before xmas and putting EVERYTHING possible in GLADBAGS!!! and then labeling it makes things so much easier!

also i have got the 97 and 98 service manuals from subaru uploaded

I did this whole job start to finish in 3-4 complete days, it was just me and i have never worked on an engine before so im sure you will be fine!

just use GLADBAGS!!! lol

and skips site is GOLD! as is rs25.com and nasioc.com, RS25.com is gold for the gen2 DOHC cause its the same motor all their non turb impreza's use and as such there are literally thousands of threads about doing head gaskets and the whole engine removal process.

one thing i cant stress enough is you will need to use some initiate and be ultra carefull when removing the timing belt and the cam sprockets as they are under tension and on one side if it slips the wrong way you will likely cut your finger off or if it goes the other way you will bend valves.. both not good, but the later is worse cause you mate will then probably still cut your fingers off lol

dont hesitate to give send me a PM or leave a msg on my msn (its on 24/7) jazzao_o@h0tmaildotcom(replace o's either side of "_" with ZERO's)

good luck
oh.. and >>>> http://members.iinet.....erty Manuals/

[RX25SE]

Ty, I was thinking of using glad bags. What do you think? Cheers J PS Any luck with the splash tray????