Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

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Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby ReubenM » Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:21 pm

Hi all,

About a year ago I bought a subaru liberty with about 180,000km on the clock just to get me by for 6 months or so till I could afford something with lower mileage. Full service history came with the car and two previous owners were mechanics and everything was going fine and dandy till one day driving home I noted the temperature creep above it's usual resting position just below half. I immediately stopped, let it cool and then took it to a radiator specialist who took the radiator cap off which had fallen to pieces with the spring sitting inside the radiator. He simply replaced the cap, did a pressure test (which came up fine) and said it shouldn't be a problem. I then drove it for 400km or so and the temp started going up again (only when stopped) and I realized there was a problem. After further pressure tests and professional opinions they say my head-gasket it blown and I will need it replaced. After heading to a subaru specialist they said with an engine around 200,000 km there is no point replacing the head-gasket without a rebuild.

I have been quoted $8,500AUD for a rebuild which is insane to me. I'm considering scapping the car. I love the car's ride and the room for my family and have always been a subaru lover but by the time I spend that money on fixing this, is it worth it?

I'm after your opinions on here as to whether you think I'm getting ripped off to pay that much or whether the advice they've given is good or not.

Much appreciated.

Kind Regards,
Reuben
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Surge » Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:42 am

I'd buy a used engine from a wreck and drop it in.
I'm sure if you look hard you will find a decent one for a couple of grand.
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Tradewind » Fri Nov 24, 2017 6:32 am

$4k max - you are being RIPPED OFF

I did mine a few years ago, and turned out to be well worth it, no further issues
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Chippy » Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:50 pm

Hi All

Well, another blown head gasket case. This is my wife's 2005 Spec B with 150,000 on it. A trip back from Noosa ended up with a radiator problem which overheated the car. Replaced the radiator and was ok for a while but now head gasket gone as diagnosed by Bridgestone shop in Forestville Sydney who are Subie specialists. Their view given the age of the car is an engine replacement which they have quoted $5k for. Seems a lot. I have solved the problem by replacing the car with a 2017 Levorg, however, I need to either sell the 3.0 R as is or get it repaired and then sell. Of course, ironically about 12 months ago I spent $'s putting a Kenwood touchscreen head unit in it! Anyhow, does anyone know of a place in Sydney who could potentially do this for less than the $5K? Thanks Chris
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Tradewind » Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:12 pm

I had my gaskets replaced, no issues since. Was a good move.

This was the set I used about 5 years ago - good German made stuff

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/05-09-FITS- ... Swwo1XdAM3
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Chippy » Mon Mar 05, 2018 2:26 pm

Thanks Tim

Problem solved :)

1. managed to sell the car for what I would consider a reasonable price given the blown head gasket.
2. 2017 Levorg now in the driveway

Appreciate your thoughts

Chris
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Tonic » Tue Jul 07, 2020 9:29 pm

Mine with 190,000km on it has been running beautifully but lately just didn’t seem as crisp as usual.
Son said when I start up a puff of white smoke from the exhaust happens. Got him to start and what I saw reminded me of the NZ volcano.....
After that the smoke goes away.
No coolant contamination I can see and oil use seems non existent...
So am I right to suspect a head gasket?
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby flatsix » Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:34 pm

Is that every time you start up ? Is the coolant level on the overflow bottle dropping over time when checking with cold. Or any bubbling in side the overflow when it's hot ? Any visible leaks underneath the heads ?
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Tonic » Sun Jul 19, 2020 5:43 pm

Going in for a service tomorrow so am going to ask them to check it out.
Not sure if every time or just first time in morning.
Coolant seems spot on fill line after 10,000kms so am thinking not boiling the coolant.
No leaks visible from top. Too old to get under it so Mechs can check that part.
Hopefully just worn rings with a small bit of oil seep after sitting around all night. I do tend to see the redline as the goal ...

Mind you a few things going bad.
Change to 5th over about 4,000 rpm produces a crunch..... reverse lock out gone...
Electric seat only adjusts Up or down or pitch on the right side!
Paint on bumpers is a bit chipped..... and. A few scratches...but no dints.... each wheel is kerbed heavily.....
But electrics all good and no thunks from vicious coupling ....

Fast getting to the stage of spending a few big bucks or moving on...
Mind you won’t be able to get an able 3rb anymore so could be a Rex of focus rs next.....
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby RX25SE » Sun Jul 19, 2020 6:52 pm

With regards to the seat, it's common for the bracket that the adjuster works against to snap off.
If you can move one side of the seat up and down with your hand, it's broken and will need welding back onto the seat frame.
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Yowie » Sun Jul 19, 2020 10:15 pm

With regards to the seat, it's common for the bracket that the adjuster works against to snap off.
If you can move one side of the seat up and down with your hand, it's broken and will need welding back onto the seat frame.


Not necessarily a weld job, depending on the break.

The little bracket/saddle in this picture (with the shiny bolt heads) was spot-welded on from factory, but is a common breakage item for Foresters. My wife's car and mine both had the same sort of break (we're both a healthy body mass too, thank you for asking).

Image

The "at home" fix involves drilling out where the spot-welds pulled off and replacing with a bolt. It's a bit of an embuggerance, but you can tap a thread into the mild steel with a compact hand-tap (or something you modify to fit the tight space). Sometimes the bolt will cut its own thread on the way in.

Probably not as strong as getting it welded, but both of our cars are still going fine with this fix and it's the sort of thing you can do yourself at home in an hour or two at very little cost.
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Re: Subaru 3.0R H6 - headgasket blown

Postby Tonic » Sat Jul 25, 2020 6:41 pm

Thanks Yowie and RX
Will try and bend myself to look into the seat... had to be the centre side so contortion may be needed.
As to the smoke puff.
Seems the gasket is OK and thoughts are it is valve seals. So little oil being used so will probably ignore it until I decide what to do with the car overall.
My son is keen for me to spend on it.
Have Corgi fixing me up with some shifter parts to fix the lock out... getting the short shifter kit and will redo all the bushes while the mechs are in that area.
Will have to get the gearbox quoted I guess. Ratios are fine by me so maybe just a refurb?
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