Head Gasket Replacement: Head gaskets are a normal wear and tear parts of your Subaru’s operation. Your motor is made from aluminum and Subaru head gaskets are made from steel. As you drive your Subaru and your motor gets up to operating temperature the aluminum expands with heat. The steel head gaskets also expand but as a different rate. This action tends to scuff off the rubberized coating of the head gasket causing either oil or coolant leaks and at times both at the same time. Usually a coolant will be an external leak on the left hand side head gasket. Oil will usually be an external leak as well.
To repair this problem, we recommend both left and right cylinder heads be removed and replacement of both head gaskets. This operation will vary between different Subaru models, but generally engine removal is the most efficient. With your motor removed , it will be disassembled and all parts from the head gaskets outward will be removed cleaned and inspected, heads will be machined and in some cases valves ground if necessary and new head gaskets will be installed. During this process, we will inspect your water pump , cam shaft oil seals, oil pump and front main seal for signs of leaking, and condition of timing belt and belt tensioners. If we have removed your Subaru’s motor for this work we will inspect that pesky separator plate behind the flywheel. This is an annoying cover that allows motor oil to run down on the exhaust and cause that burning oil smell as you are driving. In addition if your car has a standard transmission, you don’t want oil on the running surfaces of your clutch, which can cause slip or chatter. We also inspect your clutch for wear. By measuring the thickness of the clutch disc we can give you an accurate idea of how long your clutch may last (factoring in your driving habits). Replacing your clutch at this time will save you a great deal time and money over doing it as a separate operation down the road.
The reassembly process will include all new gaskets and seals from the short block out. Suburb Service recommends replacement of your timing belt, timing belt tensioner and water pump at this time. If we replace these part while the motor is out and apart, you save considerable labor costs over doing these as a separate operation later. Your motor will be reinstalled into your Subaru , new coolant, oil and filter will be installed at this time. We will start your motor and purge the cooling system of air bubbles. Once we have checked the correct operation of the cooling fans and checked our work , we will take your Subaru on road test for our final approval of this work.
We at Subaru Service only make recommendations for repairs to your Subaru. In most cases it makes financial sense to do additional work while the motor is out and apart. We will recommend this additional work but we only recommend, understanding it is your Subaru and your money and we will always work within your budget. We want to offer you the most efficient and economical way to keep your Subaru trouble free and dependable.
