Fixing Valvecover Leak

99 Wagon with 2.2 150k. Timing belt service done, new plugs and wires.

 

I had a bad day in the misfire dept, and I have a sparkplug hole leak pretty bad, pulled the sparkplug boot and oil puked out.

 

http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=3692

 

This is the kit I need to fix it, pretty sure. Going to do both sides to prevent this emarrassing trouser wetting in the future.

 

What else should be done/can be done while I have the valvecovers off?

 

Its easiest to go from below to do this job correct?

 

Thanks in advance.

I havnt done them with the engine in the car so cant say but ide guess you could get to most bolts from above. I would enter your vin when ordering though and they will make sure you get the correct part.

when i took the valve covers off my 95 2.2 i did it from the top. it's 3 center bolts and which ever ones i could undo with the ratchet/socket i did that way and then switched to a ratcheting wrench for the ones where the socket wouldn't fit.

 

i did the same thing you did minus the spark plug tube things. mine was just leaking from the gasket. i replaced the grommets and the gasket.

 

from the top you get a direct view of everything. go with what ever is comfortable for you.

If you have a 22E, it should be fairly easy to get the valve cover off since those heads are smaller than the 25D (this does NOT hold true for a 222 as it has bigger & wider covers).

Hey thanks for the helpful replies guys. I don't think I have any special engine. I was in essence wondering if a valvetrain adjustment was in order or any valvetrain wear spots should be checked for. Plus lots of stuff like removing the engine is best done from below...

 

Even better question...

 

Can I just get a Fel-Pro gasket set or is this another instance where one MUST get Subaru OEM or it will leak in a week?

Fel-pro gasket set is perfectly fine and bomber. It's only $32 from your local parts store. Plus they are blue which must add some HP.

 

It's a piece of cake to replace them from above. A 10 mm (or 12, lol) wrench is all you need. A ratcheting wrench will make the job super easy if you have one. The FSM torque specs for the bolts is only 3.7 ft lbs iirc. But I just snug them down until they feel like they want to stop. Piece of cake.

 

I don't know how easy it is to check your valves with the block in the bay. If you had HLAs you can press on the rocker assemblies to feel for any play, but you don't.

Thanks again for the replies. I saved about $45 getting the Fel Pro gaskets over OEM. I am not sure what you mean by "fine and bomber" but I only paid $25 so its all good...

 

Essentially, last night I broke both of the washer fluid tank bolts off in the first 5 minutes of working on the car so I just said **** it and went to bed... That was actually the worst part about it.

 

The 1999 Legacy 2.2 uses the same valvecover gasket as many 2.5 engines, as the box from Fel-Pro was plastered with the cars it would work on not a single one of them a 2.2 liter engine. I had the guy at the parts counter double check. Apparently, this is different than the earlier 2.2's that use three bolts. Mine had 5 bolts, one in the middle and one at each corner. The Fel-Pro gaskets were NOT blue, but black like OEM.

 

All I needed was 10mm ratcheting wrench to remove washer fluid tank and the valvecovers, a spark plug socket with a 6" extension, a small flathead screwdriver to remove the intake box/pop the valvecovers off, and a 12 mm socket to remove the air box. I needed a whole can of brake cleaner and some rags to clean the messy spark plugs, spark plug boots, spark plug holes on the heads, and the valvecovers themselves. I used the extension and rags to clean the oil out of the spark plug holes.

 

I did the drivers side first. This was very tricky because there is so much going on on this side of the engine. I had to remove and install from below the car, and it was NOT easy to do actually because the new gasket presses into a groove and you cant just stuff it up there gung ho or you derail the gasket. Maybe I suck at this but I absolutely needed another person to help to ensure that it went up there and the gasket didn't come out.

 

Passenger side was easy, remove the air box and its like shooting fish in a barrel.

 

The old gaskets were cracked and dried out, and stretched and broke easily. The spark plug hole seals were the consistency of (no joke) pool balls. Rock hard. The new spark plug hole seals are shaped more like a horn and are several MM taller than the old seals, and flatten out as you torque them, while the old ones relied on a large flat surface area but didn't seem to press against the valvecover.

 

When I started the car, it didn't run for crap and I began to panic and frantically checked all of my work.

 

Kids, if you don't re-hook up the MAFS harness, the car won't run.

 

Hopefully this helps someone in the future.