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H6 Head Gasket Blown, 183k miles. Advice?

24K views 86 replies 17 participants last post by  cardoc 
#1 ·
So I've posted here before about my heads under the account soobfan but I lost my information and can't seem to reset my password. ANYWAY, I thought I'd try some BlueDevil sealer and it didn't work. Backstory, I bought a 2002 LL Bean about 2 months ago for $2800 and everything ran fine, now the head gaskets are blown (confirmed with a block test). 183k miles, no wrecks.

Other issues: CEL code P0174 ("system running lean, bank 2" AKA air is getting into fuel) that I've been trying to diagnose, along with the RPMs sticking when I let go of the gas at speed. This one is weird, it idles fine once it's warmed up but when I'm on the highway the RPMs like to coast down at the same rate as my speed, including when I brake.

Other than that, the engine is old (obviously) and has it's fair share of normal wear and tear with rust all over but nothing that concerns me too much. I have a guy that will do the repair with me for $500, he's a former army mechanic but he said he's never done HGs on a subaru. The mechanics around here either refuse to do the repair or are asking over $2000 and there's no way I do that on this old engine. I've been driving with the heads blown for about 3 weeks now. It's overheated about 5 times that I've kicked myself in the ass for but in the past 2 weeks I have been topping it off with coolant every time I drive it and had the temp has stuck perfectly. I go through roughly a gallon of coolant every 160 miles. I don't think I'm losing oil any more than I did before the HG issue, I got my oil change 2500 miles ago and just this week reached the low mark. Seems that I have the external leak. :)

So what are your thoughts? Should I go with the repair? From what I've read, the parts of the repair (heads, water pump, timing chain, head bolts) plus the $500 labor will put me around $800 to $900. Pretty sweet deal I know, but again it's with a guy that hasn't ever done this. I don't know what to think of the other issues that are going on, and it would suck if I did the repair just to lose the engine to old age, the MAF problem, or damage from the overheating. What do you guys think?

PS, I'm a poor college student so the $900 is a big deal. Hopefully that won't be true 14 months from now when I graduate. I honestly don't need the car that badly, I bought it for this summer where I'm living in a new city for an internship. Obviously I want to make it last now that I have it, but if it can run 2 more years just topping it off with coolant that's an option I have to consider.
 
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#72 ·
@eagleeye you nailed the process, incredibly frustrating. Mine was confirmed to be toast by AutoZone so I thought great, I'll get my money back and head to the O'Reillys next door who had a new one (NOT re-man) in stock. Turns out my AutoZone warranty is only good to get a replacement Alt of the same type so I have to deal with a crappy alternator again. I'll be angrily installing it tonight, as well as replacing the power steering pump.
 
#73 ·
how much does Oreilys want, with core charge? and what other cars does theirs take?
(I mean its not like Alabama is loaded with H6 subarus ...that a store front should be stocking one there ).

vs. the ones that people know work on the EZ30D.

which is Not Avail,...at DB :frown2: (so they might need a day or 2 to build one).
https://www.dbelectrical.com/products/subaru-outback-3-0l-alternator-01-02-03-04-05.html

notice the DB one ONLY goes on a 2001-2005 subaru H6. = (those 2005 year cars carried over)....but that one fit no other make / model.


(did not look at Maniac in Texas).
 
#74 ·
#76 ·
New reman alternator, same exact story. Upon startup it was pushing 14.7V measured at the battery terminals. After a quick trip around the block it was down to 13.8V and 30 miles later it's at 11.7V while the car is on.

Going to check grounds again but this time more thoroughly. I'm trying to get my money back from autozone but I'm not so sure that will happen, they will just blame it on the car.

Let's say its my car not the alt, is there any thing I should check first that is known to cause battery drainage? I cleaned all my grounds up this week (one from battery to driver side, one from engine to firewall, one from engine to passenger side) so I don't think it's that, fuses are all good.

Editted to mention that my battery tested "good" at autozone for whatever that's worth.
 
#78 ·
did you get a new alternator wire and plug?

if the 3rd wire is not functional the alternator will spin way to fast as it does not have the ECU telling it the load.

I think I would get a NEW Maniac one, and then drive the car down there. with the crap alternator(s) in hand if they did not want to give money back. make a stink, ask for a manager, ...and a district manager.

one of the problems that the parts stores try to do:
sell a H4 alternator that was worked up slightly into a H6 type. but not made the right way to start with. I live where there are lots of subarus, but I would never go into a local parts chain looking for a H6 alternator. (in stock,...or at a warehouse.)

= the cars are just too rare so the quality builders make them as needed,...or have very little stock.
 
#79 ·
Just went out to check on it and the battery is reading 12.1 with the car off and 11.6 with the car on. So the battery has less load when the car is on than when it's off. So gradually the alternator is performing worse and worse? Car still starts fine but eventually if this situation carries the same way it did last time the battery will lose steam and die out in a day or two.

I did not get a new alternator wire. I will order that today, as well as the three wire harness.

Editted to add that when I revved the engine the battery reading climbed up to 13.6, not sure what rmp that was at I was revving from the engine bay.

Thanks for the help again, as for diagnosing electrical I have no idea at all what I'm doing.
 
#80 ·
Guys. I googled 2002 H6 alternator wire and a link to this thread was the first result.
https://www.subaruoutback.org/forum...440210-2002-h6-outback-alternator-wiring.html

My 3 wire pins have been out of order this whole time!! Well testing it after arranging the pins correctly, the alternator was putting out 13.2, still weak but definitely better. I might have done damage to the alternator already by messing up the order I don't know, I'm just happy that I finally found that out. I'll be checking the voltage every day for a while and see how it all goes!
 
#82 ·
Took a quick trip today. AC was on and everything was fine on the way there but on the way back I got no cold air, which thus far has meant lack of charge. Multimeter read at 11.8 V across the battery, then I heard a change in the engine and it jumped up to 13.8! I don't know what cause the engine to change or even what changed about it. Weird things going on.
 
#84 ·
Been a long ol time but guys, the Bean was running better than ever after all of your help. Big thanks to everyone here, this forum saved my ass.

After I knew everything was okay with the car, I decided to sell it. I'm back in school now and I don't have time to deal with the next thing. I miss the Bean and the Subaru community though. I will post my swap notes in a new thread - they are long over due. Thanks again.
 
#85 ·
Let me know when you do, I had a very similar if not the same experience you had with my 2001 VDC and she seems to be OK after 10,000 miles and a JDM swap. I can add/supplement your notes if needed and make it a resource for fellow broke college students who have to do a JDM swap in the future :grin2:
 
#86 ·
Just followed this thread and read your ordeals with electrical issues following an engine swap. I also did an H6 engine swap last year, and am still having issues (not sure if electrical, mechanical, or both) months later. I know what you mean about not having the time to "deal with the next thing" with the car. At least you did the right thing and got it running well before you sold it. These are great cars, but a maintenance nightmare. I would never do another H6 engine swap again, that's for sure. Glad yours worked out.
 
#87 ·
They aren't a maintenance nightmare. You just need to keep up with a schedule and on top of the little things before they turn in to big things. Maybe I'm just used to them. I find them relatively easy to keep running and repair. Other than automatic transmission issues that pop up after a lot of miles, their relatively trouble free. You just have to look at the simple things first. :smile2:
 
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