Subaru guy here. Heres some general ej series motor knowledge. Turbos don't have chronic head gasket failure. While it isn't unheard of on a turbo it's really the ej251 and ej253 that the head gaskets fail on (non turbo sohc). The head gaskets don't even "blow" normally, they start leaking oil externally from the bottom seam, and will for a while until the coolant passage is inevitably affected, even then coolant and oil mixing is rare, it usually just starts to overheat. A sohc engine will go 100k- 150k before it 100% needs head gaskets every time, every engine. The turbos can go 200k plus without being opened up. The gasket used for the turbo is different. The ej205 turbos are very stout and usually tend to die when they spin bearings due to lack of oil pressure. Usually because the owners have run them dry and beat them hard or even cracked oil pickup tubes. The early ej255 and ej257s can do the same but usually loose ringlands due to overboosting in a low rpm range and also lack of maintenance. While subarus are definitely prone to popping, it's really the less than bright owners thinking maintenance isn't necessary on their turbo hotrod. Aswell as owners modding their cars when they really have no clue what they're doing. The turbo engines the subaru dealers are changing all day always seem to have 1 common denominator and thats the owners. It's the cars with headlight overlays, fart cans and a rear windshield covered in stickers blowing up, while grandma's sohc forester just needs head gaskets and grandpa's stock turbo outback usually runs just fine for 250k.
07 WRX owner here who just replaced head gaskets on my old girl at 107k. The engine started to overheat with bubbles in the radiator which also destroyed the turbo oil seals. I will never own another Subaru and will be purchasing a civic soon. These cars are just too temperamental.
@@fokuz02 yep, most of the time the turbos experience head lift under higher boost and thats when they fail. This is pretty common on any factory turbo motors that have either been abused or modified (gas or even diesel). The other issues you've described are par for the course especially with 100k miles turbos are pretty tired on these cars. I know too many people who believe their used wrx will be fine and inevitably pop the motor because they bought someone else's punching bag. While they are temperamental I'd describe used ones as more of time bombs because of bad previous owners. Like I mentioned above, at the dealer there aren't very many stock turbo cars coming in with these issues, 9/10 it's a modified car and half the time its the modification directly causing the issue. Of course anything can break, I've also installed new engines in trucks with under 20k miles so there are always mechanical outliers. Another issue I see a lot of subaru owners facing is technician misdiagnosis. Too many people use bad "mechanics" or no mechanics or forum idiots and end up doing more work than they need to or making the car worse than when they started. But I maintain if you treat an ej turbo nice from new, keep on the maintenance, and even PROPERLY mod the car they can be reliable for well over 200k. Unfortunately 95% of them haven't been treated nicely at all. Turbo subarus are old enough now people pick them up cheap expecting things to just work... it doesn't work like that. And anything you'd compare to the wrx in price and performance and age is going to face the same reliability issues. Plenty of popped saabs, evos, vws, ecotechs and even the newer ecoboosts out there too, all mainly because they've been run hard and put away wet. The 2 hardest genre of car to find used are used turbo sports cars and used turbo diesel trucks because they get beat on. Hope your civic treats you better though. Those cars are tough as nails.
@@TheDingmann "Hope your civic treats you better though. Those cars are tough as nails." I would had "usualy tough". The Sis also get to be abused, fed with reg gas - premium is expensive - and floored all the time. Showing the same stickers on the back window... 🙄
@@floydcoppage1499 I think a lot of people just want to go fast for cheap this day and age. Don't get me wrong I love a 400hp wrx. But even if you do it right it'll always be a trade off. Power/cheap/longevity... if done right you can pick 2, but usually people manage to pick 1. It's just a matter of finding out how to do it correctly and completely. NOT just turning the boost up
If you ever want to know how something is SUPPOSED to work when re-assembling this engine, the Subi-performance channel has a bunch of rebuild videos. Now, some are in German, but you can still see what he is doing! Sometimes it is nice to watch someone who does these all the time and see how they tackle the process.
Just to add to the chorus of comments, blown head gaskets are almost entirely a naturally aspirated EJ25 issue. Not typically a problem for the turbo engines. MrSubaru has a great video on the topic.
Interesting to see what makes them tick. Had nothing but Subaru since 1991. Starting with an 85 touring wagon through to 2017 forester with an Impreza and another forester in between. Never had any issues with the motors, and they all had 350,000k’s and up when I traded them. Great cars.
I’ve been building/working on Subarus for a very long time and even though I take it apart a lot differently, I give props on just figuring it out. Exactly how I learned over 10 years ago, start taking bolts out until it falls apart. If you got any questions. I’ll gladly help you out
I don't think I've ever seen someone take a Suby block apart with the pistons still attached to the rods. That had to have been tedious. There are plugs in the block so you can access the piston wrist pins. WAY easier to leave the rods on the crank, pistons in the block, then split the block.
Good to know! Davin likes a bit of discovering things on his own. Helps him wrap is head around what he's dealing with. We'll certainly take this info with us when re-assembling!
I am AMAZED the coolant crossover tube bolts didnt break off AND that you got the cam gear bolts off. On a motor that looks like this, I would expect those to be massive headaches. Also, the turbo Subaru motors didnt have head gasket issues, because they used MLS (multilayer steel) gaskets. The non-turbo ones used inferior gaskets, so if you have for example a 2000s EJ25 nonturbo model, used the EJ25 turbo gasket and you wont have that problem anymore Its funny you sped through the last bit of the video trying to split the block! You did it the hard/wrong way, but it looks like you figured it out eventually. I bet there was lots of cursing the way you did it
Wow! I actually just got a free impreza with a spun bearing! I already ordered a reman engine but it's neat to see them come apart and their weak points!
I just rebuilt an ‘98 EJ25. I port & polished the heads, added head-studs, and did all the gaskets & hoses. It only has 94k miles and still had cross hatching on the cylinder walls. Cool engine though.
I remember when I too lived in the rust belt. I had a three year old Ford Explorer Sport Trac that started handling funny and when I looked at the front end one of the anti sway bar struts was missing. Looking at it Ford had placed the struts inside a plastic tube I guess to protect them but all it did was trap dirt and then road salt in between. When I replaced them the remaining one in places had rusted down from 10mm to about 3mm in diameter.
Davin, the engine I'm currently getting very familiar with is Chrysler's Pentastar V6. It's the engine that powers my '12 Chrysler Touring convertible. Two days ago I fixed a problem I had with the air conditioning compressor running every time the system was turned on past 0. The fix was a new replacement Air-Conditioner and Heater Control and now the system works as intended. 😊
For those of us in the know on these engines the facepalm starts at only 2:50 in. The intake design on the EJ engine allows the intake manifold/fuel rails and wiring harness to be removed from the block as one unit. I don't think I've ever seen someone remove the wiring harness with the intake in place. 😅
Having done about 6-8 of these per month in my shop for head gasket or bearing failures, it’s interesting watching davin navigate this one. (FYI, the intake comes off with the wiring harness, so you don’t have to fish it out 😉)
@@alexandercampbell3152 that's what I keep hearing, though I've never messed with them. In fact I only mess with 90's units. Not a fan of new stuff. Seems like everytime EPA standards get stricter, engineering gets more complicated and a lot of stuff was released prematurely in almost an experimental state to meet those new guidelines faster. I know a lot of changes were made around 95, but not at the drastic rate they are now.
@@B1GDaddyFatStax we mostly work with stuff from 2005-9. That’s when Subaru used single layer HG's, and they categorically fail at 140-165k. We usually do a full engine RnR in about 6.5hr.
Cool to see Devin dive into a completely unfamiliar platform. Honestly never seen anyone tear apart the block with the pistons still on the crank, so that was interesting to see! When you put that engine back together make sure to upgrade the oil pan and pick up tube. Subaru's EJ engines are notorious for cracking the pick up tube and causing oil starvation. Killer B and IAG are the best choices in that department along with many other parts! There are a lot of other parts that need upgrading on that engine as well but typing them out on here would be a huge list!
Normally I give a thumbs up to all of Davin’s videos because of his knowledge but on this one I had to go back and take down the thumbs up so I could give it a thumbs up for Davin’s attitude towards his being blackmailed (I understand they have Davins wife and at least one of his kids being held captive until he’s done with this rebuild) with this unGodly video series. I’ll continue watching only so any hostages are released at the end of this. Davin, please stay strong, remember, we’re all with you!
Maybe someone already stated this, but there are many tool companies that make socket sets for worn/rounded bolts. Haven't seen your method(which is what I and many others had to do) for over 20 years!
I love watching davin work he is so good on camera i laughed the whole episode he is a wonderful mechanic so passionate about his craft even with a Japanese boat anchor ⚓️ much love to you and your team thank for bringing me happiness at the end of a long day
@11:15 Called a "Cam Over Bucket" lifter system. I got a Nissan 4 cyl. with it and its common on Motorcycles as well :) There's usually a shim under there for lash because after all an OHC is a solid set up. So at TDC for each one you check it with feeler gauges and if its not right you have to modify that shim. The more you know!
There is a hole on the rear curbside of the block that will let you put a strong flat blade screwdriver in to hold the crankshaft if your removing or reinstalling the crank bolt without an impact gun (like on the beach, during my wife’s birthday) it will rest on the ring gear on the flywheel or flex plate.
Not gonna lie, watching Davin disassemble a Subaru engine without instructions is very entertaining indeed! Looking forward to the next installment of Redline Update for the Subaru engine.^^
@Omaris almost as entertaining as watching 99% of Americans try to figure out how to pronounce your last name! (Not meant to offend, laughing WITH you my friend)
2:34 That's mostly a myth. The NA 2.5 motors have that issue because of the composite head gaskets used (which, btw, Subaru bought a stock of in 1995 that lasted until 2005. Unfortunately there was a defect with those gaskets). The turbo MLS gaskets don't have that issue and we recommend replacing composites with MLS gaskets. 11:47 Case in point.
old dogs can learn new tricks to a degree... kinda funny how someone who rebuilt engines alot can still be stumped by a different setup like this. makes me feel a bit better in a way lol
@@varmint243davev7 nothing wrong with a Toyota pickup but where I live, it's winding roads that are icy, wet, loose and steep and I do a lot of miles regularly. A turbo Subaru is easily the best daily here. You do have to stay on top of maintenance... Unlike a Toyota
Just an FYI on what you call lash cap on the valve spring is not simply there to make a bigger contact surface between the cam and the valve it's also there to adjust the gap between the valve and the cam as there's a shim on top of the cap where the cam makes contact on and you adjust the clearance by changing the thickness of the shims while cam and the valves are already buttoned up on the head. And that design is more common than you'd think but you'd find it more on European and Japanese cars and even motorcycles like Fiat used that design on their SOHC and DOHC engines for decades and were even the first to design the shim to be on top of the cap instead of under it so that you don't have to remove the camshaft every time you adjust the valve clearance.
Just put a clutch and flywheel in my son's 15 wrx. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But the bell housing was frozen on at both pins. Took about 40 minutes to separate them. Used a pressure treated 2x4 as a fulcrum and found a better prying spot on the transmission housing It wasn't too fragile
Going to be a great project. As they say "You learn something every day." I certainly learned something today. What a beast this thing is. Going to be great fun to follow along
The head gasket problem was much less in the turbo engines than in the normally aspirated ones because the cylinders were closed deck which supported them better as opposed to the open deck NA engines. My son’s 2003 WRX engine has 167k on it now with no leaks. Subaru recommended using Holt’s cooling system sealer to head off minor leaks before they could lead to a gasket failure. It worked on both of my NA engines and on the WRX. Our 2001 Forester went 247k with no leaks.
I can't belive your taring down a Subaru WRX STI engine. Taking one of those engines apart is like taring down an old 1970's Tacomsa lawnmower engine. So many screws, nuts and bolts. Plus od ball parts to figure out what they are and how they go back together.
From what I've seen, it was only the normally aspirated engines that had head gasket issues. The fix was to literally put the head gaskets from the turbo engine seen here in lieu of the stock ones. Aftermarket wasn't a bad idea either. The H6 also didn't have the issue.
Just to inform you the cable ties that you were saying,the ones on the coil pack harness are not a factory thing from Subaru overtime they get brittle and break and rather then buy new harness connector people do a dodgy and use cable ties.
For these engine any machining for block have to be done with torque plates and torqued both sides of block together also a line boring almost always necessary to do.
You can tell it's a Japanese made car because of the 10 mm bolts and nuts. I've noticed that with my Rav4. I know people like the Subaru! They are tough and fast. I always thought it was interesting that they are used for Safari Rally cars in Kenya. They beef up the suspension and take them to the dirt roads.
Genial el poder ver cómo va constituido el diseño de Subaru, donde no dejan de fabricar motores bajo la línea de los "BOXER", además de esa calidad por parte de Davin de demostrar esa técnica de desarmar motores con toda la seguridad de la experiencia adquirida; podrá ser que no haya tocado un Subaru, pero está seguro de seguir un procedimiento adecuado bajo el control de "los cuatro tiempos" y "orden de encendido", además de los extras que todo motor tiene frente a otras tendencias
Fyi I would suggest replacing the cam gear bolts, the hex strips super easy, and there is a special tool to hold the cam gears to tighten them, is it 100% needed? No, but there is one. There are aftermarket replacements that are actual bolts and worth the $$
Thanks, I am happy to see a rally car on this show. I read Sport Compact Car back in the late 1990s, and knew what a Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Evo, and Nissan GT-R were before the gamers did. The magazine also showed me what a mass air sensor was, and then I knew I would be able to work with EFI. Much of this was from reading an article about getting 450 HP from a 300ZXTT.
Grew up reading Hot Rod, then Sport Compact Compact Car for me, too. Wish I kept Dave Coleman's old tech articles. Still some of the best explanations ever written for younger gearheads. Mike Kojima still actively posts some really cool stuff with his MotoIQ channel here on TH-cam...
its funny, as a race mechanic I dont prefer one engine over another but Id say dont compare thes engines to how others come out. these are way easier, its just knowing the path....the PS system unbolts and lays to the side intact for the engine to come out. its the same with the AC system, it lays to the other side intact. I have never seen anyone remove the harness from the intake, its supposed to be several connectors and then intake comes off with fuel lines and harness attached in about 15 mins. these engines might seem "busy" with many lines, hoses etc but they are actually made to rip apart in a 20 minute rally service and go back together the same. the entire car is like this actually. its a car with a radiator held in with literally 2 bolts....what more could you ask for? ever work on a mk4 golf from the same gen as this subaru? the axles can be replaced in 10 mins, the exhaust is held on with 2 bolts, the driveshaft can be replaced in 10 mins. also these engines are not prone to HG failure. they are just one of the cheapest performance turbo cars for people to get their hands on so if you have many of them in the hands of people who used to own a 180hp honda and how they have a 260hp awd turbo that has 120k and 5 owners who didnt change oil.... you will see problems based on those numbers. im not here to say subaru is the best but I have a lot of personal experience with high milage well taken care of track/rally subarus that do just fine along side many other engines that dont, often due to maintainance neglect not engineering faults. also please put OEM or fluid crank balancer back in place. every time you drop the clutch the impact goes direct to crank if there in no balancer and these engines eat bearings when that happens. its like smacking the end of the crank with a deadblow while its turning, ouch.
it's not that I like the Subaru engine, but I love the fact that Davin don't like it at all! He is totally grinning and bearing it. this is going to be the best series of redline! All the cursing can be in japanese! he could partner up with a wrencher that is familiar with the babies...ioki ori maybe?
Since you like zip ties and boxer motors so much, do a project on a BMW motorcycle sometime. It’s what I worked on for 35 years and they love their zip ties. Thanks for interesting content, I never miss a show 😉
Thanks Devin, unfortunately it is hot where I live and that I am equally unfortunately having to run electricity to my shop. Or at least the storage part of my shop, since my job is actually just a 30 x 40 concrete slab.
His level of care when compared to an engine he cares about/respects and is comfortable with is hilarious. The Hack Master is present during disassembly on this one. 🤣 We all have one, just need to know when to use him.
Dang, 300k is way more mileage than any WRX that I've heard. Then again, every WRX owner I've known has totalled theirs. I would have thought 200k would be about the time death is knocking on most WRX engine's door.
Ugh more headgasket rumors being spread. Only one version had that problem for about 2 years and it was only naturally aspirated engines that had the problem. The fix is legitimately shaping to turbo head gaskets.
Seeing as I have sent a dollar or two to a Subaru dealership to get Head Gaskets and crossover O-rings replaced I am interested to see how this one goes. I'm also glad I'm not the one doing it.
Did I miss the end game for this build? Is it going back into what's left of that heap or is it going in something else? Not a subbie guy, but I have to admit the design of these engines is very intriguing. How about a rotary next?!
FYI, Subaru engines have nothing in common with VW engines. Subaru engines are based the aircraft engines from when Subaru was building Piper aircraft under license.
So far I've seen a lot of V8 and straight 6 redline but not a flat 6 yet. So how about you guys do Porsche flat 6 redline? Would be amazing since I'm also a Porsche guy😂
Your timing on the comment about the valves is perfect. I need to lap the exhaust valves on a Toyota 5SFE as they have some pitting. But how is the valve lash handled on an OHC engine? Lapping the valves will make them sit slightly deeper in the seats, right? And that's going to move the tip of the valve stem closer to the cam. What's the equivalent of the hydraulic lifter in a "normal" engine that takes up any play? I didn't really pay attention to how much play there is between the cam and the cap that's over the valve stem. Is there enough clearance there so a few thousandths (if that much) deeper in the seats isn't going to keep the valve slightly open?
Typically on that era of toyota DOHC engines it's a shim-on-bucket design, though it may be a shim-in-bucket. Either way there's typically shims involved.
Excellent. I hadn't noticed the shim on top of the bucket. First time I've had to mess with a OHC engine (wife's 2000 Camry with 257K on it). The pitting on the exhaust valves isn't severe, I may just let it go.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Subaru guy here. Heres some general ej series motor knowledge. Turbos don't have chronic head gasket failure. While it isn't unheard of on a turbo it's really the ej251 and ej253 that the head gaskets fail on (non turbo sohc). The head gaskets don't even "blow" normally, they start leaking oil externally from the bottom seam, and will for a while until the coolant passage is inevitably affected, even then coolant and oil mixing is rare, it usually just starts to overheat. A sohc engine will go 100k- 150k before it 100% needs head gaskets every time, every engine. The turbos can go 200k plus without being opened up. The gasket used for the turbo is different. The ej205 turbos are very stout and usually tend to die when they spin bearings due to lack of oil pressure. Usually because the owners have run them dry and beat them hard or even cracked oil pickup tubes. The early ej255 and ej257s can do the same but usually loose ringlands due to overboosting in a low rpm range and also lack of maintenance. While subarus are definitely prone to popping, it's really the less than bright owners thinking maintenance isn't necessary on their turbo hotrod. Aswell as owners modding their cars when they really have no clue what they're doing. The turbo engines the subaru dealers are changing all day always seem to have 1 common denominator and thats the owners. It's the cars with headlight overlays, fart cans and a rear windshield covered in stickers blowing up, while grandma's sohc forester just needs head gaskets and grandpa's stock turbo outback usually runs just fine for 250k.
07 WRX owner here who just replaced head gaskets on my old girl at 107k. The engine started to overheat with bubbles in the radiator which also destroyed the turbo oil seals. I will never own another Subaru and will be purchasing a civic soon. These cars are just too temperamental.
@@fokuz02 yep, most of the time the turbos experience head lift under higher boost and thats when they fail. This is pretty common on any factory turbo motors that have either been abused or modified (gas or even diesel). The other issues you've described are par for the course especially with 100k miles turbos are pretty tired on these cars. I know too many people who believe their used wrx will be fine and inevitably pop the motor because they bought someone else's punching bag. While they are temperamental I'd describe used ones as more of time bombs because of bad previous owners. Like I mentioned above, at the dealer there aren't very many stock turbo cars coming in with these issues, 9/10 it's a modified car and half the time its the modification directly causing the issue. Of course anything can break, I've also installed new engines in trucks with under 20k miles so there are always mechanical outliers. Another issue I see a lot of subaru owners facing is technician misdiagnosis. Too many people use bad "mechanics" or no mechanics or forum idiots and end up doing more work than they need to or making the car worse than when they started. But I maintain if you treat an ej turbo nice from new, keep on the maintenance, and even PROPERLY mod the car they can be reliable for well over 200k. Unfortunately 95% of them haven't been treated nicely at all. Turbo subarus are old enough now people pick them up cheap expecting things to just work... it doesn't work like that. And anything you'd compare to the wrx in price and performance and age is going to face the same reliability issues. Plenty of popped saabs, evos, vws, ecotechs and even the newer ecoboosts out there too, all mainly because they've been run hard and put away wet. The 2 hardest genre of car to find used are used turbo sports cars and used turbo diesel trucks because they get beat on. Hope your civic treats you better though. Those cars are tough as nails.
@@TheDingmann
"Hope your civic treats you better though. Those cars are tough as nails." I would had "usualy tough".
The Sis also get to be abused, fed with reg gas - premium is expensive - and floored all the time. Showing the same stickers on the back window... 🙄
@@floydcoppage1499 I think a lot of people just want to go fast for cheap this day and age. Don't get me wrong I love a 400hp wrx. But even if you do it right it'll always be a trade off. Power/cheap/longevity... if done right you can pick 2, but usually people manage to pick 1. It's just a matter of finding out how to do it correctly and completely. NOT just turning the boost up
@@marcryvon that's true... anything can blow up. I think it just helps that 90% of civics dont have turbos. Keeps the engines together a while longer.
If you ever want to know how something is SUPPOSED to work when re-assembling this engine, the Subi-performance channel has a bunch of rebuild videos. Now, some are in German, but you can still see what he is doing! Sometimes it is nice to watch someone who does these all the time and see how they tackle the process.
Subi has some really REALLY nice stuff.
His videos are amazing. His shop is so clean you could eat off of just about any surface. Really impressive tear down and rebuilds!
10x u can eat off the floor well said
Just to add to the chorus of comments, blown head gaskets are almost entirely a naturally aspirated EJ25 issue. Not typically a problem for the turbo engines. MrSubaru has a great video on the topic.
Interesting to see what makes them tick.
Had nothing but Subaru since 1991. Starting with an 85 touring wagon through to 2017 forester with an Impreza and another forester in between.
Never had any issues with the motors, and they all had 350,000k’s and up when I traded them.
Great cars.
I am a mechanic myself and I watch your videos all the time
I can just feel the Subie love coming from Davin😁
I’ve been building/working on Subarus for a very long time and even though I take it apart a lot differently, I give props on just figuring it out. Exactly how I learned over 10 years ago, start taking bolts out until it falls apart. If you got any questions. I’ll gladly help you out
I don't think I've ever seen someone take a Suby block apart with the pistons still attached to the rods. That had to have been tedious. There are plugs in the block so you can access the piston wrist pins. WAY easier to leave the rods on the crank, pistons in the block, then split the block.
Good to know! Davin likes a bit of discovering things on his own. Helps him wrap is head around what he's dealing with. We'll certainly take this info with us when re-assembling!
Another reason subaru fans are unbearable, saying "suby"
@@Terminxman huh
@@Terminxman way better than BMW fans saying "bimmer"
@@vyrnmn more like bummer :))
I am AMAZED the coolant crossover tube bolts didnt break off AND that you got the cam gear bolts off. On a motor that looks like this, I would expect those to be massive headaches.
Also, the turbo Subaru motors didnt have head gasket issues, because they used MLS (multilayer steel) gaskets. The non-turbo ones used inferior gaskets, so if you have for example a 2000s EJ25 nonturbo model, used the EJ25 turbo gasket and you wont have that problem anymore
Its funny you sped through the last bit of the video trying to split the block! You did it the hard/wrong way, but it looks like you figured it out eventually. I bet there was lots of cursing the way you did it
Wow! I actually just got a free impreza with a spun bearing! I already ordered a reman engine but it's neat to see them come apart and their weak points!
I just rebuilt an ‘98 EJ25. I port & polished the heads, added head-studs, and did all the gaskets & hoses. It only has 94k miles and still had cross hatching on the cylinder walls. Cool engine though.
I remember when I too lived in the rust belt. I had a three year old Ford Explorer Sport Trac that started handling funny and when I looked at the front end one of the anti sway bar struts was missing. Looking at it Ford had placed the struts inside a plastic tube I guess to protect them but all it did was trap dirt and then road salt in between. When I replaced them the remaining one in places had rusted down from 10mm to about 3mm in diameter.
Davin, the engine I'm currently getting very familiar with is Chrysler's Pentastar V6. It's the engine that powers my '12 Chrysler Touring convertible. Two days ago I fixed a problem I had with the air conditioning compressor running every time the system was turned on past 0. The fix was a new replacement Air-Conditioner and Heater Control and now the system works as intended. 😊
For those of us in the know on these engines the facepalm starts at only 2:50 in. The intake design on the EJ engine allows the intake manifold/fuel rails and wiring harness to be removed from the block as one unit. I don't think I've ever seen someone remove the wiring harness with the intake in place. 😅
Right? Had had to snap that all off the bolts underneath the manifold, or just fought to remove them
Having done about 6-8 of these per month in my shop for head gasket or bearing failures, it’s interesting watching davin navigate this one.
(FYI, the intake comes off with the wiring harness, so you don’t have to fish it out 😉)
Yeah, I was gonna say that too. One of the best electrically engineered setups ive seen.
@@B1GDaddyFatStax they got at least that much right. EZ engines to pull, on account of their horrid reliability
@@alexandercampbell3152 that's what I keep hearing, though I've never messed with them. In fact I only mess with 90's units. Not a fan of new stuff. Seems like everytime EPA standards get stricter, engineering gets more complicated and a lot of stuff was released prematurely in almost an experimental state to meet those new guidelines faster. I know a lot of changes were made around 95, but not at the drastic rate they are now.
@@B1GDaddyFatStax we mostly work with stuff from 2005-9. That’s when Subaru used single layer HG's, and they categorically fail at 140-165k. We usually do a full engine RnR in about 6.5hr.
@@alexandercampbell3152 geez! My 25D lasted longer than that! I knew they were bad, but wow!
Cool to see Devin dive into a completely unfamiliar platform. Honestly never seen anyone tear apart the block with the pistons still on the crank, so that was interesting to see! When you put that engine back together make sure to upgrade the oil pan and pick up tube. Subaru's EJ engines are notorious for cracking the pick up tube and causing oil starvation. Killer B and IAG are the best choices in that department along with many other parts! There are a lot of other parts that need upgrading on that engine as well but typing them out on here would be a huge list!
I have rebuilt many Jaguar XK engines, I would love to see you guys do one as I am sure it would give you guys some challenges that I know of !!!
Nothing like workin' on Michigan cars . . . glad to accompany you on your pain. Makes me almost nostalgic for my old '86 CJ7. . . .almost
Best car channels TH-cam. Always waiting for a new episode of redline rebuilds with Gavin.
Normally I give a thumbs up to all of Davin’s videos because of his knowledge but on this one I had to go back and take down the thumbs up so I could give it a thumbs up for Davin’s attitude towards his being blackmailed (I understand they have Davins wife and at least one of his kids being held captive until he’s done with this rebuild) with this unGodly video series. I’ll continue watching only so any hostages are released at the end of this. Davin, please stay strong, remember, we’re all with you!
Maybe someone already stated this, but there are many tool companies that make socket sets for worn/rounded bolts. Haven't seen your method(which is what I and many others had to do) for over 20 years!
I love watching davin work he is so good on camera i laughed the whole episode he is a wonderful mechanic so passionate about his craft even with a Japanese boat anchor ⚓️ much love to you and your team thank for bringing me happiness at the end of a long day
Going down an incremental socket size for a rusted bolt is such an amazing tip
Boxer engine fun. Love it
I have had a bettle engine apart, but never a Subaru engine! A interesting video to watch. Thanks for posting this!
@11:15 Called a "Cam Over Bucket" lifter system. I got a Nissan 4 cyl. with it and its common on Motorcycles as well :) There's usually a shim under there for lash because after all an OHC is a solid set up. So at TDC for each one you check it with feeler gauges and if its not right you have to modify that shim. The more you know!
👌 *SUBARU, desain mesin yang unik.. Ok, ditunggu update video selanjutnya.*
There is a hole on the rear curbside of the block that will let you put a strong flat blade screwdriver in to hold the crankshaft if your removing or reinstalling the crank bolt without an impact gun (like on the beach, during my wife’s birthday) it will rest on the ring gear on the flywheel or flex plate.
Not gonna lie, watching Davin disassemble a Subaru engine without instructions is very entertaining indeed!
Looking forward to the next installment of Redline Update for the Subaru engine.^^
I can see 😂
What in the world is your channel
@Omaris almost as entertaining as watching 99% of Americans try to figure out how to pronounce your last name!
(Not meant to offend, laughing WITH you my friend)
@@samsonian I know right? 🤣
2:34 That's mostly a myth. The NA 2.5 motors have that issue because of the composite head gaskets used (which, btw, Subaru bought a stock of in 1995 that lasted until 2005. Unfortunately there was a defect with those gaskets). The turbo MLS gaskets don't have that issue and we recommend replacing composites with MLS gaskets. 11:47 Case in point.
Nice to see something else than another antiquated american V8... 👍
Word
old dogs can learn new tricks to a degree... kinda funny how someone who rebuilt engines alot can still be stumped by a different setup like this. makes me feel a bit better in a way lol
I've never been a Subaru fanboy. Powerful, compact engine, but geeze....
what else would you want to drive in gravel or snow?
@@emrico1 4x4 Toyota pickup
@@varmint243davev7 nothing wrong with a Toyota pickup but where I live, it's winding roads that are icy, wet, loose and steep and I do a lot of miles regularly. A turbo Subaru is easily the best daily here. You do have to stay on top of maintenance... Unlike a Toyota
Just an FYI on what you call lash cap on the valve spring is not simply there to make a bigger contact surface between the cam and the valve it's also there to adjust the gap between the valve and the cam as there's a shim on top of the cap where the cam makes contact on and you adjust the clearance by changing the thickness of the shims while cam and the valves are already buttoned up on the head.
And that design is more common than you'd think but you'd find it more on European and Japanese cars and even motorcycles like Fiat used that design on their SOHC and DOHC engines for decades and were even the first to design the shim to be on top of the cap instead of under it so that you don't have to remove the camshaft every time you adjust the valve clearance.
Just put a clutch and flywheel in my son's 15 wrx. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But the bell housing was frozen on at both pins. Took about 40 minutes to separate them. Used a pressure treated 2x4 as a fulcrum and found a better prying spot on the transmission housing It wasn't too fragile
You are the most fun mechanic to watch!
Going to be a great project. As they say "You learn something every day." I certainly learned something today. What a beast this thing is. Going to be great fun to follow along
The head gasket problem was much less in the turbo engines than in the normally aspirated ones because the cylinders were closed deck which supported them better as opposed to the open deck NA engines. My son’s 2003 WRX engine has 167k on it now with no leaks. Subaru recommended using Holt’s cooling system sealer to head off minor leaks before they could lead to a gasket failure. It worked on both of my NA engines and on the WRX. Our 2001 Forester went 247k with no leaks.
I recently bought an 01 with 201K, It's leaking but I haven't had the head gasket tell tales.
I can't belive your taring down a Subaru WRX STI engine. Taking one of those engines apart is like taring down an old 1970's Tacomsa lawnmower engine. So many screws, nuts and bolts. Plus od ball parts to figure out what they are and how they go back together.
watching from South East Michigan. Hagerty is doing great things.
VQ35DE next, guys pls! It's one of the only widespread performance engines that doesn't have a decent rebuild video documenting the process.
03 200K Evo checking in. Good video.
SUPER CAPACITOR + VARISTOR IS POWERFUL ITEMS TO DO THIS JOB.
From what I've seen, it was only the normally aspirated engines that had head gasket issues. The fix was to literally put the head gaskets from the turbo engine seen here in lieu of the stock ones. Aftermarket wasn't a bad idea either. The H6 also didn't have the issue.
Hmm, I've had 2 H6 engines go with head gaskets myself. Love em though!!
Just to inform you the cable ties that you were saying,the ones on the coil pack harness are not a factory thing from Subaru overtime they get brittle and break and rather then buy new harness connector people do a dodgy and use cable ties.
I definitely felt the struggle with the stupid oil dipstick tube!
That thing was the worst part of my whole engine rebuild! 😆
I remember thinking that the engine in my '73 911 was waaaaay to complicated.
Hdd trouble with rounded bolts a lot, no more after getting sockets with extra grip (irwin) to remove them, never an issue anymore
For these engine any machining for block have to be done with torque plates and torqued both sides of block together also a line boring almost always necessary to do.
You can tell it's a Japanese made car because of the 10 mm bolts and nuts. I've noticed that with my Rav4. I know people like the Subaru! They are tough and fast. I always thought it was interesting that they are used for Safari Rally cars in Kenya. They beef up the suspension and take them to the dirt roads.
Привет из России, с удовольствием смотрю Ваши видео и получаю удовольствие . Хорошая работа, здравия Вам!
Hi guys, interested in this one! Also can you please give us an update on the historical race car on the hoist in the back? Thanks heaps:)
Genial el poder ver cómo va constituido el diseño de Subaru, donde no dejan de fabricar motores bajo la línea de los "BOXER", además de esa calidad por parte de Davin de demostrar esa técnica de desarmar motores con toda la seguridad de la experiencia adquirida; podrá ser que no haya tocado un Subaru, pero está seguro de seguir un procedimiento adecuado bajo el control de "los cuatro tiempos" y "orden de encendido", además de los extras que todo motor tiene frente a otras tendencias
Fyi I would suggest replacing the cam gear bolts, the hex strips super easy, and there is a special tool to hold the cam gears to tighten them, is it 100% needed? No, but there is one. There are aftermarket replacements that are actual bolts and worth the $$
Thanks, I am happy to see a rally car on this show.
I read Sport Compact Car back in the late 1990s, and knew what a Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Evo, and Nissan GT-R were before the gamers did. The magazine also showed me what a mass air sensor was, and then I knew I would be able to work with EFI. Much of this was from reading an article about getting 450 HP from a 300ZXTT.
Grew up reading Hot Rod, then Sport Compact Compact Car for me, too. Wish I kept Dave Coleman's old tech articles. Still some of the best explanations ever written for younger gearheads. Mike Kojima still actively posts some really cool stuff with his MotoIQ channel here on TH-cam...
its funny, as a race mechanic I dont prefer one engine over another but Id say dont compare thes engines to how others come out. these are way easier, its just knowing the path....the PS system unbolts and lays to the side intact for the engine to come out. its the same with the AC system, it lays to the other side intact. I have never seen anyone remove the harness from the intake, its supposed to be several connectors and then intake comes off with fuel lines and harness attached in about 15 mins. these engines might seem "busy" with many lines, hoses etc but they are actually made to rip apart in a 20 minute rally service and go back together the same. the entire car is like this actually. its a car with a radiator held in with literally 2 bolts....what more could you ask for? ever work on a mk4 golf from the same gen as this subaru? the axles can be replaced in 10 mins, the exhaust is held on with 2 bolts, the driveshaft can be replaced in 10 mins.
also these engines are not prone to HG failure. they are just one of the cheapest performance turbo cars for people to get their hands on so if you have many of them in the hands of people who used to own a 180hp honda and how they have a 260hp awd turbo that has 120k and 5 owners who didnt change oil.... you will see problems based on those numbers. im not here to say subaru is the best but I have a lot of personal experience with high milage well taken care of track/rally subarus that do just fine along side many other engines that dont, often due to maintainance neglect not engineering faults.
also please put OEM or fluid crank balancer back in place. every time you drop the clutch the impact goes direct to crank if there in no balancer and these engines eat bearings when that happens. its like smacking the end of the crank with a deadblow while its turning, ouch.
it's not that I like the Subaru engine, but I love the fact that Davin don't like it at all!
He is totally grinning and bearing it. this is going to be the best series of redline!
All the cursing can be in japanese! he could partner up with a wrencher that is familiar with the babies...ioki ori maybe?
Since you like zip ties and boxer motors so much, do a project on a BMW motorcycle sometime. It’s what I worked on for 35 years and they love their zip ties.
Thanks for interesting content, I never miss a show 😉
Just gonna say it, EJ205 DOHC engines don't usually blow head gaskets they eat rings, its the SOHC EJ201,2,3,4 blow their head gaskets
That's some good music playing in the background on the radio lol
Its just a 4cyl… in half, and separated ;) Subi-performance is a great channel for Subi’s.
Thanks Devin, unfortunately it is hot where I live and that I am equally unfortunately having to run electricity to my shop. Or at least the storage part of my shop, since my job is actually just a 30 x 40 concrete slab.
Just be glad it didn't have any emissions stuff on it- that makes it even more complicated!
His level of care when compared to an engine he cares about/respects and is comfortable with is hilarious.
The Hack Master is present during disassembly on this one. 🤣 We all have one, just need to know when to use him.
I bought this car new in 02 when the first came out, honestly I liked it better then the Sti I had. Just don’t rev them out!
Dang, 300k is way more mileage than any WRX that I've heard. Then again, every WRX owner I've known has totalled theirs. I would have thought 200k would be about the time death is knocking on most WRX engine's door.
My 2008 WRX has 345,000 miles :) About to start a build on it though
270k on my ej25
my 07 wrx has 305k
Ugh more headgasket rumors being spread. Only one version had that problem for about 2 years and it was only naturally aspirated engines that had the problem. The fix is legitimately shaping to turbo head gaskets.
I can't wait for the reassembly video for this motor......gonna be hot!!!!!
That engine looks good and clean for having 300000 miles
Great knowledge of this boxer engine
I'm sure you'll **love** the way to put piston-pushrod pins back :) Or call local proctologist, he'll have all the tools and skills necessary...
I love this channel with my whole soul
Pretty sure a WRX engine usually disassembles it self ;)
🤣🤣🤣
Scotty Kilmer approves!
🤣
Subarus are nice, shame we don't see them here much in UK as basically most of them dissolved in the rain lmao.
I'M GETTING MY WORK DONE, BOSS!!!
God Bless you Davin !!!
Keep walking.. from Greece with love
A m5x bmw motor would be very interesting to watch you rebuild very simple motors
I guess if imitation is truly the strongest form of flattery Volkswagen and Porche should be blushing.
Make sure you have the mains aligned honed since thats a major fail point on rebuilds.
Gostei muito da desmontagem, apesar da dificuldade, você também vai fazer a retificação e a montagem?
Even with no instructions, it should be like a LEGO build. Subaru's Engines are literally as easy to disassemble like a Honda.
Need any help there, David, just give Crawford Performance a jingle.
I'm not quite sure yet, but I get the feeling you aren't absolutely thrilled about the Subaru project. hehe
I’d like to see you kids rebuild a paramotor engine. Unlike other aircraft engines it doesn’t require certification.
Good.....Good......Let the hate flow through you.
Head jobs on Subaru cars are what keep some mechanics fed. They aren't that bad just tedious. I have done quite a few during my time pays well .
“I can’t believe head gaskets blow so often that they like to change them” 🤣🤣
Seeing as I have sent a dollar or two to a Subaru dealership to get Head Gaskets and crossover O-rings replaced I am interested to see how this one goes. I'm also glad I'm not the one doing it.
I think I saw him use a pry bar to separate the case halves. That’s a big no no.
Bit extreme just to replace the spark plugs but whatever 😉 ……. looks really good for a 300k subie honestly!
Is the WRX turbo a good car?? Any tips and info greatly appreciated. 👍
Did I miss the end game for this build? Is it going back into what's left of that heap or is it going in something else?
Not a subbie guy, but I have to admit the design of these engines is very intriguing.
How about a rotary next?!
Change of pace. They wanted to appeal to the younger demographic, so they are going to build that WRX.
FYI, Subaru engines have nothing in common with VW engines. Subaru engines are based the aircraft engines from when Subaru was building Piper aircraft under license.
So far I've seen a lot of V8 and straight 6 redline but not a flat 6 yet. So how about you guys do Porsche flat 6 redline? Would be amazing since I'm also a Porsche guy😂
Great video! But now, the worst part: Waiting a whole week for the next one. =)
Your timing on the comment about the valves is perfect. I need to lap the exhaust valves on a Toyota 5SFE as they have some pitting. But how is the valve lash handled on an OHC engine? Lapping the valves will make them sit slightly deeper in the seats, right? And that's going to move the tip of the valve stem closer to the cam. What's the equivalent of the hydraulic lifter in a "normal" engine that takes up any play? I didn't really pay attention to how much play there is between the cam and the cap that's over the valve stem. Is there enough clearance there so a few thousandths (if that much) deeper in the seats isn't going to keep the valve slightly open?
Typically on that era of toyota DOHC engines it's a shim-on-bucket design, though it may be a shim-in-bucket.
Either way there's typically shims involved.
Excellent. I hadn't noticed the shim on top of the bucket. First time I've had to mess with a OHC engine (wife's 2000 Camry with 257K on it). The pitting on the exhaust valves isn't severe, I may just let it go.
I bet you put that crank pulley back on too, haha
Video started with ( oh no ) I'm like ( oh yeaaaaaaah 👺🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 )
hai .. im from indonesia...i like watch your video