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by Justin Stobb

We have been using an improved gasket in the Subaru for a while now.  In noticing that there seems to be a few more 03 and 04 showing signs of failure which would mean the latest gasket for the 2nd generation 2.5l may really not be as good as the updated gasket for the 1st generation 2.5l was.

The updated gasket for the 1st generation 2.5l really is a fix, the deficiency in the gasket was resolved with the new design. This is the DOHC (Dual Over Head Cam) engine we are talking about now.  We have always felt that installing the updated gaskets and educating on maintenance would always yield great results.

The second generation 2.5l is a SOHC (Single Over Head Cam) uses an entirely different gasket, it has been superseded a few times through the years but the replacement gasket does look somewhat similar to the O.E. Gasket.  We have still never seen a Subaru vehicle that we have repaired in the Seattle area develop a second head gasket leak but in the last few months the number of posts to my article about head gaskets leaks found here http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/ and the number of emails I have received  indicating that there are still some issues out there.

I feel that part of the reason the Subaru’s we repair in the Seattle area don’t develop the problem a second time  is we really focus on trying to educate our customers on the importance of maintaining the vehicle based on how they drive the car.  When faced with a expensive repair we have almost always found our Seattle area Subaru owners receptive to ways to avoid expensive repairs in the future.  Part of the reason I spend all this time writing articles is I want Subaru owners regardless of demographics to have the same information that our Seattle area Subaru owners have.  

We test ran a set of these head gaskets on a 1997 Subaru Legacy GT belonging to a good friend of mine who is very hard on his cars and after many miles decided to try them out on a second generation 2.5l in a  2000 Subaru Outback belonging to a delivery driver in a rural part of Washington State.    We have since used these gaskets many times with great results and consider them to be a real fix for the problems with the second generation 2.5l head gasket leaks.  Now installation of these gaskets doesn’t mean that a good maintenance schedule shouldn’t be followed, it is always going to be very important in a Subaru and a  Horizontally opposed engine that the fluids are not allowed to become contaminated or corrosive.

For our local customers you have the option of either gasket, for our readers every where else we do sell these gaskets and can ship them to you just about anywhere you reside.

Here are a couple of pictures of the gaskets we use, I will be doing a follow up article that will focus on the technical side of things such as composition and installation methods. 

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24 Responses to “A Better Subaru 2.5l Head Gasket in Seattle”

1. Bob Imber Says:
   January 11th, 2009 at 1:13 am

   Hi. My 03 Outback (170,000 mi) just threw a rod. I am planning on replacing the engine w/ a longblock from an 04 with about 50,000 mi. on it. I am planning to use a place that specializes in replacing engines to do this work. Would you recommend replacing the head gasket, prior to installation in my car, on this “new” replacement engine? If so, do you recommend using your new gasket or the traditional one? If the engine is not yet installed, how much extra is replacing the gasket likely to cost (ballpark)? Thanks is advance for any help you can give. Bob

2. Justin Stobb Says:
   January 17th, 2009 at 7:08 pm

   Hello Bob,

   I cant comment on what another shop may charge you but if you want to keep the car out of the shop and your overall costs down then yes replace the gaskets.

   Justin

3. mike sylvain Says:
   February 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 am

   00 2.5 head gaskets at 44000 in 04. 98000 in 08.new head gaskets .both times subaru dealer replaced them.first time free. in 08 100.00.do subaru gaskets suck or what?same mach did it both times said subaru reps still say no problems with gaskets. he also said gaskets look the same in 08 as00.no improvement.subaru told me in 04 they would fix it for as long as i own it.guess i will see them in2012 with 200.00.

4. mike sylvain Says:
   February 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 am

   00 2.5 head gaskets at 44000 in 04. 98000 in 08.new head gaskets .both times subaru dealer replaced them.first time free. in 08 100.00.do subaru gaskets suck or what?same mech did it both times said subaru reps still say no problems with gaskets. he also said gaskets look the same in 08 as00.no improvement.subaru told me in 04 they would fix it for as long as i own it.guess i will see them in2012 with 200.00.

5. Keerthy Says:
   February 21st, 2009 at 5:35 pm

   Justin,
   Hats off on an excellent blog very informative and detailed. I just sent my 97 subaru legacy Brighton to get the clutch replaced which is totally gone. What other things do you recommend be replaced at this time? The car has 192 K miles and I have no clue about the history of the car since I bought it two days ago at a car lot. Since the car is a 2.2L do you still recommend replacing the headgaskets? I bought the car for $600 and it has some front end damage no grill and hood tied down with rope etc.,

6. Ku Ku Says:
   March 11th, 2009 at 11:01 pm

   Justin,

   Thanks for a great site. I own a 98 Forester with the DOHC motor and now I have the dreaded blown head gaskets at 155,000 miles which I think is good compared to others. I was about to buy some new OEM head gaskets, but I noticed that the head gaskets you guys use are not OEM ones. What brand are the head gaskets you guys are using? I am tackling the head gasket job myself and I just want to do it one time. Thanks in advance.

7. Richard Stone Says:
   March 19th, 2009 at 11:48 am

   Upon returning from Iraq (her fourth tour)my wife’s 2003 Subaru Baja with only 77,000 miles developed a head gasket failure on the driver’s side head. Thank goodness the anti-freeze was leaking to the outside and not into the engine block. However, not wanting to work on the engine myself I decided to take the vehicle to a supposed ASE certified shop. After totally messing up the vehicle and reconnecting the windshield wiper resevoir to a vacuum port (thus pulling washer fluid into the head) not to mention the anti-freeze recovery bottle being connected to dump into the engine block, I took the vehicle from them, towed it home, and decided to fix it myself. After several phone calls to Subaru “dealerships” and getting little or no help, I finally found Justin and All Wheel Drive on the internet. With Justin’s patient guidance (numerous phone calls). I removed the engine in my garage and began to dissamble it down to the block. After a thorough inspection I took the heads to a machine shop and had both of them checked and resurfaced exactly how Justin told me to. In the meantime Justin explained to me the importance of using his new head gaskets and gasket kit (it’s important that “ALL” of the gaskets get replaced). Anyway, thanks to Justin and All Wheel Drive my wife is driving her Baja again and is happy to be home.
   P.S. If you’re reading this and wondering what to do about your head gasket problem I would strongly suggest you listen to Justin and do as he tells you! You’ll be glad you did!!!

8. Justin Stobb Says:
   March 19th, 2009 at 5:26 pm

   Thanks Richard!

   I am glad we could help.

   Justin

9. Kevin O'Connor Says:
   April 9th, 2009 at 2:07 am

   Hi Justin,

   I’m new to your site but have seen references to the particular head gasket your shop uses versus the replacement one offered by Subaru. A number of people have asked how to purchase them through you or a supplier. Could you provide all the details involved in purchasing them in a quick response to this email? Thanks in advance.

10. Michael Wong Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 1:41 am

    I have a 1998 subaru legacy GT 2.5L and experiencing symptoms that point to blown head gaskets. Coolant is violently returning to the reserve tank and foaming from boiling. Water pump/timing belt/cam seals and thermostat have been replaced. The temperature gauge stays at a nominal state (just below halfway point). I am planning on replacing my HGs and would like to know where to purchase the HG your shop uses instead of getting them from the Subaru dealer

11. Justin Stobb Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 4:41 am

    Hi Kevin,

    the parts tab of our site will take you to a form at the bottom of the page, from there we will email out a price based on the parts needed, estimate shipping and go from there.

    http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-parts/

    Thanks Justin

12. Justin Stobb Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 4:43 am

    Hey Michael,

    You can fill out the form at the bottom of this link and we can give you a price.

    http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-parts/

13. Michael Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 5:59 am

    Hi Justin,

    Thanks for the quick response. I have never replaced the head gaskets out of any cars before. I want to start since I was quoted high prices and want to keep my car. I only owned the car for a month and a half and love how the car drives and handles. Do you have any literature for me to read in order to do this replacement? Any tips? How-to guides? what tools are needed? if mechanically sound, how long would it take?

    Thanks in advance,
    ~Michael

14. nubia Says:
    April 20th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Just wondering if you can help me , I just recently had the head gasket and the timing belt changed on my 1996 subaru legacy. After the work was done there was noice coming from the exhaust, I took it to a local muffler place and they told me the gasket to the manifold was left loose and burned subsequently creating a leak and the noise I am hearing can the damage to the manifold gasket a part of the work related to the change of the timing belt and head gasket? Do you have any idea?

15. Dale Greenwell Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 1:36 pm

    Great site, great information and insight. I too, suffered the head gasket failure in my 98 Forester. In retrospect and after reading your HG discusions I now know better (or think I do). I still love the Forester but am gun shy now. I am considering a 2003 with only 30K miles versus a 2007 with 50K. Thoughts? Would later model Foresters be more reliable in the long haul?

16. Paul Says:
    May 24th, 2009 at 5:15 pm

    Hey Justin,

    Don’t know how to ask a question so I’m going to add to this one…..
    I’m selling my Mustang 5.0 so I’ll be looking for a little more power from my 97 Outback Sport 2.2,5sp.,150K miles.
    I’m looking into building a 2.5 for it. I have access to a junkyard core from a 99 DOHC from an SUS(wrecked car means it was running at 193K. I also have a line on a 00 SOHC running engine.
    A pullout from a 2.0T swap. I should have access to the wiring harnesses on either car. Are there advantages or disadvantages to the DOHC engine. Would the SOHC be a better engine to use? Either engine will recieve new rings, bearings and gaskets and head and block surfacing. There may be a turbo kit in the future.
    The only other option I’m looking at is selling the Mustang and the Outback and buying an 02-04 Outback Sport. Any good info you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
    Paul

17. Mat Says:
    July 2nd, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    Paul, as a fellow Subaru enthusiast, I’ll tell you… the jump from a 2.2 to a 2.5 isn’t going to be worth the money. You’d be better off swapping in a 2.0t or 2.5t. To get a 2.5 NA to run turbo reliably just isn’t cost effective when compared to the stock turbo engines.

    But I bet you could talk Justin into swapping in one of those turbo engines for you

18. robert allen Says:
    September 14th, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    Hi,
    Im writing to see if you have access to rebuilt heads for a 97 Outback ? Both of mine have burned valves in them. Its better to replace than rebuild them ? Your gaskets sound great for the 2.5 which mine is. If you do have some, how much for them , the gaskets and head bolts ? Anything else essential ?
    RA

19. Shawn Ellis Says:
    October 16th, 2009 at 3:38 am

    Justin has helped me numerous times, I used his gaskets and his recommendations for installing them, and have not had any issues. Thanks Justin, and yes, use the head gaskets he sells and nothing else, or the problem will resurface again. Thanks Justin for all your help. Subbie guy from MN…

20. Tim Shoop Says:
    December 31st, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    I have replaced many Mercedes diesel, Volvo, and Mazda Miata head gaskets,timing belts and or timing chains but not a Subaru. Now have occasion to replace headgaskets,timing belt and other mileage related items while down. vehicle is a Subaru 2004 Outback 2.5L automatic, mileage 88,000.
    Headgasket leak is internal. My request is for the 1st gen. updated gasket for this vehicle. Repair is for a two Subaru family so doing it right the first time is essential. Any references to the mentioned 1st gen. updated gasket
    greatly appreciated.

21. Mike Says:
    January 20th, 2010 at 12:28 am

    I have a 97 legacy Brighton wagon with 134,000 on it, do I really need to worry too much about the headgaskets since I do properly maintaine the car, every 3,000(or less) fresh fram filter, Castrol Syntec Bend, every 6 months new fuel filter,and air filter, Lucas oil injector cleaner every 6.000 miles, coolant flush every year, yeah I baby it a bit to much. My back up lights also went out, I replaced the bulbs but nothing, is it the sensor? and if so, where the hell is it? its also a 5spd, and where can I find a lift kit for it! I really want to extra clearance?

22. Juan E. Delacruz Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 3:58 pm

    My 1999 Forester is on it’s THIRD (3) HG job, it has 203K and still going. I change the oil faithfully every 3,000 miles like clockwork. I wish that I had seen this article or for that matter ran across your website before I did my head gasket job. I would had bought your HG kit. For the price you just can’t beat it. Keep up the good work!

23. Mark Coomber Says:
    March 13th, 2010 at 7:21 pm

    Over 4,000 miles on my head gasket replacements on my 1999 Legacy Outback DOHC. So glad I stumbled across this website and Justin and his crew. Justin is very helpful and his instructions and advice were spot on. Using his gaskets and advice on what to use on the gaskets and how to properly bleed the cooling system proved to be the perfect solution.
    I just bought a 1996 Outback from my sister and guess what? Yep, bubbles in the coolant recovery tank so it looks like I’ll be placing another order soon Justin.
    Thanks very much.
    Mark

24. Justin Stobb Says:
    March 13th, 2010 at 8:56 pm

    Hey Mark,

    Its good to hear from you. As always happy to help.

    Justin

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