Head Gasket replacement Questions
 

Going to do the headgaskets on my 1993 RA in the next couple of weeks.

I am going to do this on a budget and want to only replace the parts that are necessary right now, or would be very hard to do once the engine is back in.

I have been advised to get the following:

ARP Head Bolts
Oil Cooler
Seals and Gaskets
Spark Plugs
Fuel Filter
Thermostat


A bit about the car - it is running 1.6bar boost at approx 350bhp. FMIC fitted with apprporiate fuel mods and mapping. Cambelt and idlers etc were replaced less than 200 miles ago so will be reused rather than replaced. (Head gasket started to go at Brands trackday last month and car has little road use at all)

Are the new head bolts essential?
Do I have to get the heads skiimed?
Do I need a new modine/oil cooler?

Have I missed anything and most importantly - is there a guide to engine removal?

Cheers!

I think it's good practise to give the heads a very light skim just to make sure you have a perfect surface for the gaskets to seal against.

hi mate, i have just done my head gaskets 97 stira.. i reused the head bolts, i was told by a reputable engine builder the bolts would be fine, and had no problems.
i did get the heads skimmed +tested= £100
didnt change oil thingy.


ps, i bought the car in RYDE ,FROM A GUY called john(landscape gardener) and brought it back to N.IRELAND.

HOPE THIS HELPS

I haven't quite finished refining this yet but it has most of the important info to get the job done. It's not as bad as it looks:

....Remove your engine - UK Legacy Forums

Regards
Jim

Do I need a new modine/oil cooler?

I would say if there was any chance of the cooler picking up any debris (ie in case of end bearing failure) i would change it and being as most subaru's ebgine rebuild's are due to this it is normally done as a mater of course.

If i was just doing the head gaskets and a top end freshen up i personally wouldn't bother.

Cheers for the replies guys.

Any more advice would eb much appreciated. With regards to gaskets, what are best to go for in the way of uprated ones and where from, and what would the spark plug recommendations be given the car is now to be used for event and track days only?

Make sure you give all parts a good polish before you put the engine back in. :lol1:

LPP alert

:D

No point in changing the modine unless the bottom end has failed and the debris has gone round the oil system.
Go for the OEM thick steel head gaskets as fitted to the Vers.3/4 STi's instead of the composite head gaskets and ARP head stud kit to give a good clamping pressure.
You might as well replace the camshaft oil seals while the head is off also.

Mick

do not reuse head bolts mate, as they will be stretched

I have a new pair of cometic mulilayer head gaskets which i was about to put on ebay. If you are interested in them I will sell them for £70 delivered. They

Pm if you want them.

Cheers Steve.

Thanks Steve but have organised those already for roughly the same price today.

Now if anyone has the arp head studs going cheap.........

The head studs are not cheap unfortunately and if you're doing a basic rebuild, they're a bit OTT at £150 most places. The standard head bolts definitely ARE reusable. I was worried about this being used to heads with stretch bolts on other lumps, but a lot of Subaru engine builders have said they can be reused and there's no particular reason to replace them unless there's something wrong with them or you're going for big power.

I've heard the same that subaru head bolts are not of thr "stretch " kind and are perfectly o.k to re-use.

[QUOTE=kyah710]


A bit about the car - it is running 1.6bar boost at approx 350bhp. FMIC fitted with apprporiate fuel mods and mapping. Cambelt and idlers etc were replaced less than 200 miles ago so will be reused rather than replaced. (Head gasket started to go at Brands trackday last month and car has little road use at all)



I would go for ARP head studs seeing what its used for.


Mick

re-use headbolts
cometic headgaskets,1.3mm multi layer steel ones,
dont bother with the oil cooler,
i would re-grind the valves in,replace stem seals,cam seals,rocker cover gaskets etc,

sounds about right

I think with the advice I have been given I will be doing the above. gaskets now on their way.

I am presently running around 350 and stock on an old wrx ra like mine is 240 so I am asking a lot of it. ARP studs will be used as everything else is uprated on the car pretty much and it gives me peace of mind if I wish to go any higher with power. :thumb:

head studs
 

make sure you tighten them into the block with an allen key and not finger tight as per the instructions
after cleaning out the threads meticulously
why you ask??
cos mine loosened and caused a head gasket failure
regards Andy

Good call. I'll do the same when I fit my ARPs.

Glad you've chosen ARP bolts - very wise choice, though you may still suffer some gasket problems in the future..... Have recently changed my head gaskets after significant coolant loss probelms. Mine is running 1.9 bar in the upper 400's (Turbo limit)

Given the price of fuel these days is your car mapped with Methonal? (you should be at least 1 litre in 10 litres of Methonal) - very good for lowering temps and you can add plenty of advance with the correct mapping

I have Iridium spark plugs in mine - NGK racing 8's fowled too quickly and 7's are for people who dont have much power........

The methanol idea sounds very interesting - we have fuel supply issues over here on the isle of wight and availability of 97 ron super unleaded can be unreliable - there is certainly no 99 ever over here.

How does the methanol work - just pop it in the tank at a ratio of 1:10?

Are there any down sides to using methanol and where can you get it from?

Any particular brand of spark plug you suggest for my car as it is now, or would iridium ones suffice for "normal" application at present and be suitable for methanol if I went down that route? Seems daft to buy spark plugs twice.