Was my head gasket replaced?

I did try to search but was unable to find answers to some specific questions regarding the head gasket topic.

 

I just picked up a a 1998 Legacy GT, 2.5L engine.

 

I forgot to ask the previous if the head gasket had been replaced on this car or not.

 

Is there any diagnosis I can do to check what is the state of my head gasket at the moment?

 

I found something on the forum about smelling the coolant, but that was the extent of the comment on this matter. What is the coolant supposed to smell like?

 

Is there anything else I can look into?

 

Other questions, Is there a rough estimate of the percentage of head gaskets that failed in these engines?

 

I read that it happened to many people at 60k miles. Is that the case with most people? My car has 104k miles right now.

 

One more question, I would like to swap the automatic transmission eventually. What's the ball park price tag on labor for this project.

 

Thank you for your time gentlemen.

thats how i got mine so cheap guy didnt wana pay to get it fixed and their was only 90k on the car when i got it. and the other motor i got was a jdm and mine just blew yesterday so im gonna guess pretty high lol my sugestion is sell it or find someone that will trade for a ej20 or ej22. and i dont really think their is a way to check if they have been replaced

the head gaskets, subaru gaskets at least, have tabs that stick out at the corners and on the bottom where the exhaust connects. the old subaru gaskets have round holes? in the tabs on the corners. the ''new'' subaru gaskets have rectangular dimples ''stamped'' in the the tabs.

 

new gasket

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/johnceggleston/shop-pics-_1-038.jpg

 

old and new gasket

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/johnceggleston/shop-pics-_1-040.jpg

 

i don't think it is fair to cal a bad head gasket at 225k miles, some are failing for the first time at that mileage, i don't think it is fair to claim that is a design failure. it just looks bad compared to the ej22s which don't blow many HGs at all.

 

but HGs that go bad at 60k is absolutely a design problem. i personal opinion is that every ej25d, 96 - 99, will blow the HGs eventually unless you wreck the car first.

 

but if you got th car for a fair price and you drive it long enough you will have a decent car. even if you have to spend 1500$ to replace the gaskets. example: if you buy the car for $4000 and drive it 40k miles, you did pretty well. if you then have to spend $1500 on HGs and can drive it another 40k miles you did really well.

 

regardless of the above, once it starts to overheat, quit driving it. continuing to drive the car when it is over heating will cause other damage like cooked bearings and could lead to rod knock soon after the HGs are done.

hmm, good info on the new design HG's I'll have to get underneath and check that tomorrow. my understanding is the new HG's are much less prone to failure.

you should be able to see the headgaskets. if the gasket sticks out anywhere you should see 3 metal layers. if its the new one.

Awesome info, wow, I was not expecting such a thorough and detailed response on my very 1st thread.

 

I paid $3250 for the wagon. I love the way it looks. The mere thought of a HD problem in such a cool looking wagon is so depressing.

 

I will get under the car and take a few pictures, I don't feel confident I'll be able to find the HG.

 

I'm sure you guys are familiar with this page by now:

http://www.subaruheadgasket.com/

"The good news is that once your engine has new head gaskets, you can expect little or no problems going forward for many thousands of miles.

The replacement head gaskets are much better than the originals and the car should pretty much run like new once they are replaced. "

 

I had 1991 Legacy L before this one, it was a FWD, bought it for $1800 back in 2001. Drove it to 215k miles, not a single issue.

I had 1991 Legacy L before this one, it was a FWD, bought it for $1800 back in 2001. Drove it to 215k miles, not a single issue.

 

lots of folks have had the exact same experience. and that is what makes the 2.5L engines look SO bad. if you maintain your engine and replace the HGs , if needed, AS SOON as they show signs of failure, if they ever do, you can drive your car 100k miles.

 

do not miss the timing belt change interval. timing belt failure will require a valve job, $$$$.

I bought my LGT with blown headgaskets. Did all the work myself, replaced every seal in the engine. Have been driving it for 30k miles since, not a single problem (unless you count a broken clutch fork.. which I managed to convince Subaru that the clutch was bad as well so I got a new one of those at 25k. Lol)

 

If you have any questions feel free to PM me or something. I've done over 10 engine rebuilds in the last year starting with my LGT. Great way to make some cash.

 

-Kirby

I bought my LGT for 1.5K had it painted for another 2K and spent some on brakes and maintenance issues. It had 139K miles on it. Now it has 140+K miles. I keep looking at the temperature gauge and it is always normal in the middle. I have no idea about this cars history so I do not know if the belts have been changed, or the head gaskets. I hope it has been replaced and what usually causes the overheating? a stuck thermostat? a dead electric fan?

I shot some pictures from underneath the engine. I was able to find the heads but unable to tell whether they have been replaced.

http://www.passportsoccer.com/junk/98legacyGT/legforum000.jpg

 

Maybe a trained eye can shed more light on this.

http://www.passportsoccer.com/junk/98legacyGT/legforum002.jpg

 

 

Other than my concern about the HG the wagon is in fantastic shape.

http://www.passportsoccer.com/junk/98legacyGT/legforum020.jpg

 

Here's one of the engine bay. I'd like to be able to tell if the timing belt has been changed as well.

http://www.passportsoccer.com/junk/98legacyGT/legforum003.jpg

 

I only wish it was a stick shift instead of an automatic. Can someone tell me about these seats? The PO told me they are the original factory seats, but I have been searching the forum for info on then and have not found anything.

http://www.passportsoccer.com/junk/98legacyGT/legforum023.jpg

Thank you Kirby for offering to help, and everyone else for your knowledge and your time.

those pics appear to be of the valve cover gaskets. not the head gaskets. from underneath, you have to look closer to the center of the car, on the other side of the exhaust bolt on point.

 

nice and clean though.

Yup those are the valve cover gaskets. Nice clean car, same question are those OEM seats?

If no one is familiar with them here it is very unlikely that they are factory seats like the PO owner said. These are the most similar ones I have found on line. On this thread the poster says they are WRX seats.

http://www.toddlampone.com/pictures/forester/wrx_seats/images/DSC02478.jpg

 

This is the thread I found them at:

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f77/sti-limited-seats-08-fxt-50053/index2.html

similar, but not the same, i can't find an OEM Subaru seat that matches it with Google images. could they be out of another car?