legacycentral bbs

Hello,
A friend of mine has an 07 legacy with the 2.5l and 107,000 miles. I have been working on his car on and off for awhile now, but have really never done anything major to a Subaru engine. He called me and said he is losing coolant, about a half gallon a month, and there is no sign of it leaking. He said it smokes a bit on occasion but not regularly. I said it is probably the head gaskets, and it should have the timing belt done, and a tune up, both which have never been done. Are the head gaskets and timing belt job something that can be done fairly easily by a back yard mechanic? I have done head gaskets on many vehicles, but have never done anything on a subaru "boxer" engine. It looks pretty tight in their. If anyone has done this job, or has any ideas as to what else may be causing the coolant loss please let me know. Also, if I do the job should the heads be sent to the machine shop to be checked? Any advice or instructions on this procedure would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Is the smoke white? if so then a head gasket for sure. Try smelling the tail pipe for a sweetness, coolant passing through exhaust seals.

While the car is off uncap the radiator then start the car with the heater on full blast to get the engine warmed up and check if you see bubbles coming up.

determine if the engine oil is milky looking.

Yeah, maybe get the coolant sniffed for hydrocarbons. The newer engines might display more conventional signs of failure. The older ones did not. That said, it is tight in there, but fairly straightforward. Haven't worked on a new one, but it's still an EJ engine. I like to crack the head bolts loose, then lift the engine (sounds worse than it is) enough to give me a little more room if necessary. I'd also replace the water pump and tensioner while there. That's awfully low miles to have a head gasket, but if that's what it is, it seems they never really solved the 2.5's problem as that was normal for the earlier ones.

Thanks alott. He said the smoke was white, but it only smokes every once in awhile. Is that normal? My friend has a unit that goes on the radiator cap and while running if there are vapors in there it turns a certain color. Maybe I'll as him to do that. So, it is easy enough to do the gaskets and timing belt yourself? Great info. I really appreciate it.

HG can be done w/the engine IN the car, but much easier out....this is the non-turbo SOHC 2.5, correct? I wouldn't attempt a DOHC w/the engine in the car.

Edit: Back in '00, Subaru offered up a coolant conditioner (NOT stop leak) to address the External HG leaks on the Phase 2 ('99/'00+ EJ25's). This might be worth a try. Read up on the Ultimatesubaru.org/forum for more info.

The T-belt would be easy...or should be....all older SOHC T-belts weren't too tough.

Also, similar to what's stated above - the blown HG will also leave an oily residue in the rad. overflow bottle.
GL,
Td