Failing headgaskets on Bg with wrx ej20g swap.

[kunchris]

Hey guys i have a bg3 wagon with a wrx swap, Z4 ecu, WAIC(pump connected to fans) for stealth. Recently i have been getting HG probs. With no overheating just instant failure, with the steam and mixing thingy. I replace them had a good phase and 2 weeks later bam! Again. Mods are cone filter, 2.5in turboback exhaust, vf8 turbo at 1bar (14.5psi). Have had the setup for a year no probs apart from a BEB in april doing 250kph lol. I also have new denso iridium plugs set to 0.6. Whats is wrong with my car?

[funkytown]

warped head? had it planed or checked when you replaced the HG?

[kunchris]

Yes i had it phased or planned they way you put it. And the engineer said the warpage wasnt apparent coz i didnt touch the car when i saw steam from my exhaust. Its crazy coz its happend in 2 weeks after rebuild(heads torqued to specs btw) damage is more apparent around the combustion chamber.

[wrx_lou]

Who did you rebuild out of curiosity? Did they reuse the gaskets?

[kamineko]

can you explain the symptoms? "With no overheating just instant failure, with the steam and mixing thingy" I don't understand this

"i didnt touch the car when i saw steam from my exhaust"

how much steam? some water is a normal by-product of combustion

i'm no expert on headgaskets but want to understand what your talking about

[kunchris]

i repeat, i got the head gaskets replaced as in i got new ones??? id be dumb to reuse them and wonder why they have failed wouldnt i? i have autogauge oil temp and water temp gauges which showed no signs of spiking, the steam from the exhaust was massive!! like a steam train and definate loss of coolant and green stuff in the oil, which indicated the mixing= HG failure. i dont drive the car when its misbehaving because i dont like to cause more damage, that is why my engineer measured the heads and they were warped very slightly, which he phased or planned anyway. i am located in Nairobi Kenya we have alot of jdm cars here, hence alot of subaru goodies especially the STIs and rare stuff. a friend of mine who has an STI 2 ??? swapped leone assists me in my builds. i have done quite a fewHGs not in subarus alone, and i have never seen anything like this. could it be Detonation?? if so how do i combat this??

 kamineko said:

can you explain the symptoms? "With no overheating just instant failure, with the steam and mixing thingy" I don't understand this

"i didnt touch the car when i saw steam from my exhaust"

how much steam? some water is a normal by-product of combustion

i'm no expert on headgaskets but want to understand what your talking about

miss firing, backfires, steam from the exhaust....alot, coolant in oil, car didnt overheat because i didnt drive it. we good??

[Guest]

Sounds like yous didnt torque the heads down properly

[mattapo]

second for torqueing heads down, did yo just torque em down or follow trhe manual? also did you use an angle guage e.t.c. what gaskets did you use?

[kunchris]

 substirex']

Sounds like yous didnt torque the heads down properly

Heads have been torqued to specification, so as many others which have been done.

[quote name='mattapo said:

second for torqueing heads down, did yo just torque em down or follow trhe manual? also did you use an angle guage e.t.c. what gaskets did you use?

Subaru OEM metal headgaskets for ej20

[Ryan]

Did you have the heads hardness tested when they were planed? This is a must with alloy heads as they can easily go soft, dramatically increasing the chance of repeat head gasket failure.

[Ryan]

 kunchris said:

damage is more apparent around the combustion chamber.

What damage? Marks from coolant escaping? If I were you, take the heads off, have them planed to be sure they are 100% flat, have them hardness tested (must be above 40HB) and re-torque using triple layer headgaskets (not that expensive, use STA Parts).

[ReubenH]

Maybe it could be something to do with the heater core or thermostat or something, causing an initial overheat? Just chucking ideas around..

Maybe use some aftermarket head studs and get a bit more torque into em next time. But only after you figure out why you would have blown 2 sets of HG's.

[Guest boostcut]

how do you get a bit more torque into aftermarket head studs? lol. the torque settings are what they are, but i have a 3/4 impact gun if you really want to try it out.

[kunchris]

 boostcut said:

how do you get a bit more torque into aftermarket head studs? lol. the torque settings are what they are, but i have a 3/4 impact gun if you really want to try it out.

same here, woudnt wonna over torque the head studs, but on the flipside a set of ARPs woudnt be bad. My fears have been confirmed unforvnately, detonation has killed 3 of my ring lands. I think i used too much of a hot spark plug heat range. I need new pistons now...sad. How much wud i get used forgies.

[Guest boostcut]

if i was you, id put a set of standard pistons back in, make sure your using the correct head gasket thickness... and go a colder plug. and 98 fuel.

[kunchris]

 ReubenH said:

Maybe use some aftermarket head studs and get a bit more torque into em next time. But only after you figure out why you would have blown 2 sets of HG's.

my heater core is not connected actually it was by passed during the swap. In Africa, most people prefer to do thermostat deletes or softer settings coz vehicles here get up to temps pretty quick

[Ryan]

Where do u live?

[kamineko]

 kunchris said:

.. i am located in Nairobi Kenya ..

[kunchris]

 boostcut said:

if i was you, id put a set of standard pistons back in, make sure your using the correct head gasket thickness... and go a colder plug. and 98 fuel.

thanks man will do i had a feeling it was the plugs because i have a walbro 255 lt/h, so i couldnt have been leaning out.

[kunchris]

merry xmas guys!! update on the topic......got a new set of je forged pisons 92mm bore....fit in a standard 6k ecu running at 0.5bar....lately at high rpm i have been hearing a rattling noise(not sure if its pinging) and not bebs coz its not consisitent, between 3500rpm to 4500 rpm or sometimes higher in the rev range . especially in heel and toe situations or during overtaking. i had installed set of oem metal headgaskets and new studs and water pump.. two days ago taking the family for a drive, i down shifted from 5th to 4th to pass and temps started spiking upto 120 deg instantly. i parked the vehicle, checked the overflow tank was full of coolant and bubbling. realy pissed. remembering i heard the same rattling on the turbo side of the engine. my head gaskets had gone again. got towed home opened tha motor that afternoon, and same thing burning and melting on the water holes around the cylinder holes on the gaskets. what am i doing wrong. i usially run shell v-power all the time which i think is 98octane....i think. what heat range should is use?? eGr?? exhaust back pressure please help..its getting realy annoying but i realy love my car

[Guest S T E Y E]

rattling = pinking = detonation = why ur ringlands broke...

did u go to a colder plug??

ur combustion is far too hot if ur getting pink...i had detonation probs on my old wrx with v power its crap as man...

det is a killer

[Guest S T E Y E]

go to a colder plug....i use bcpr6es as mines quite mild.....which is a 6 plug...u might needa try a 7 plug even with a 0.8mm gap....

run as high octane as u can too i run 98 ultimate

v power is 95 with an aditive which seems to do more bad then good in most cases

[kunchris]

 S T E Y E said:

go to a colder plug....i use bcpr6es as mines quite mild.....which is a 6 plug...u might needa try a 7 plug even with a 0.8mm gap....

run as high octane as u can too i run 98 ultimate

v power is 95 with an aditive which seems to do more bad then good in most cases

i bought pfr56g NGK platinums lets see if the pinging goes. engine goes in tomorrow.