EJ25... overheated!!

[JourdanWithaU]

I drive a 1998 Legacy Outback... back in May It overheated and I had the heads inspected for damages and the gaskets replaced... and then on Labor day it overheated again... This time my mechanic has come to the conclusion that the water pump failed... but he still wants to inspect the heads and gaskets...

So here is my dilemma... It will cost around $1300 to inspect the heads and gaskets... keep in mind that they were inspected three months ago and were deemed suitable... Should I cough up the dough to replace the water pump and inspect the heads and gaskets or would it be safe to just replace the water pump and forgo the head inspection?

All thoughts, comments, recommendations welcome...

[Sarra]

Usually, after an engine overheats once or twice, it'll keep doing so. Metallurgy ftl...

Get it inspected. Don't waste money on an engine that probably has warped heads. If it were me, I would toss the motor, or the car, and put a new motor in, or get a new car.

[Huffer]

Depending on mileage, you could get a replacement engine with less miles for a similar price.

If the heads are warped, you just get them shaved and reinstalled with fresh gaskets. That should have been done the first time. What about a warranty on the original repair?

[Matt S.]

Jourdan,

There are people on here that know much more with me, but from my experiences with Subarus, here are a few things,

*Usually* with headgaskets on the DOHC 2.5 when they go bad, the overheating starts out intermittenly. Temp guage may rise, then come back down, then go back up, then the next day it may not do it at all, but it will continue to get worse. Also, take it for a ride, and when you get back, look for air bubbles in your overflow tank. The air bubbles will be caused by the compression from the cylinders leaking into the coolant system(due to bad head gaskets) and travling up to the overflow/resevoir tank.

A bad water pump is noisy. Almost like a squeal usually. I have never heard of a totally quiet water pump going bad. Many people don't notice it because it starts out little by little and they get used to the sound as time goes on. Bad water pumps are permenant. Once they go, you cannot drive the car for any amount of time. As soon as the coolant heats up, it won't cool down. Also, sometimes you will smell burning rubber(the timing belt running across the water pump pulley that is now seized), the motor will suddenly get quieter(due to the bad water pump not spinning anymore), and you will instantly loose your heat in your car, although the time it happened to you I doubt you had the heat on.

If the headgaskets are done right and the new gaskets are the 4-layer Subaru gaskets, there is no way it should be headgaskets again. Was the water pump ever done? How many miles on the car? For the cost of the water pump, even from Subaru, it is insane not to change it when doing the timing belt. I wouldn't trust a water pump past 100,000 miles anyway.

FWIW, these motors/heads are quite a bit tougher then the old EA heads which would warp/crack as soon as the motor got hot. You would have drive the motor overheated for a good while for these heads to go bad.

If you are sure the headgaskets were done properly and you are sure it is the water pump, change the water pump and the timing belt if it wasn't done the last time, and have him reseal the oil pump since he is in there.

Getting a used motor will result in you having to do head gaskets/seals, etc anyway. You already have a used motor , why get another ;) Get the water pump done and whatever else can be replaced while he is in there and continue driving it. At least you'll know what you have.

Just my opinion though.

[kirbyy]

It's sad..really

I saw this thread before I bought my subaru..but did nothing of the sort to believe it could be true to the one I was getting..


Oh how wrong could I've been... *Sigh* 6000$ later and time lost.. the 3rd post descibes everything exactly how it is to my car.