2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i Head Gasket issues.?

Question

I bought a 2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i two weeks ago. The car has been fine except for one issue. Last week I noticed an oil smell coming into the car whenever I was at a red light. I quickly brought the car in the have it checked out.

The dealer I brought it to called me two days later. The mechanic told me that I needed a new head gasket on the passenger side of the engine. It turns out the head gasket was leaking oil on the oil filter and then dripping on the exhaust manifold creating the burnt oil smell.

The work is being done under warranty but I wanted to know how long does it take to replace a head gasket on an 07 outback 2.5i with an EJ253 2.5L engine?. The car has been in the shop for 5 days. Not counting the weekend since the shop is closed on weekends.

MasTec 1970 · Accepted Answer

They are pushing you back because it is warranty work! 
Have you been down there yet, they probably haven't even started on it yet.
This is typical dealership behavior.
 
 And they are replacing only one? 
The other will fail soon, (I hate to sound negative) But, Subaru has released an "Updated" head gasket for the 2.5L because of VERY common failure of the old style gasket.
 
 I just did BOTH head gaskets and a new timing belt and tensioner and thermostat (another common failure on the 2.5L) and the vehicle was a 2006 Forester (2.5L) two weeks ago, and it only took me 6.5 hours to finish.
 
 NOTE: In order to have a successful repair, there is a special surface cleaning procedure that has to be followed (Or the gaskets will fail again (TSB #02-100-06R

TSB Link: http://www.bescaredracing.com/sti/tsb/cylinder_head_gasket.pdf
 
 ADDED: Tks. Yes, they are decent cars, but,they have just been having an awful time with head gaskets lately, like from 2003-2009 vehicles.
Yes, there is another common failure, and that is the engine thermostat, (Subaru also has an updated one of these)

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Subaru Outback 2007

Anonymous · Answer

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2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i Head Gasket issues.?
I bought a 2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i two weeks ago. The car has been fine except for one issue. Last week I noticed an oil smell coming into the car whenever I was at a red light. I quickly brought the car in the have it checked out.

The dealer I brought it to called me two days later. The...

Anonymous · Answer

2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i

Robert M · Answer

You MIGHT just try ONE SIMPLE THING!!! FIRST!!! <<<Replace the HEAD BOLTS with new ones from the DEALERSHIP! it costs about $40 a set for them. WAY cheaper than the rest. What happens is that if the engine OVERHEATS< the bolts wilL S T R E T C H and this allows MORE Issues with seals on the gaskets. use ONLY genuine SUBARU coolant and new head bolts. the WHOLE repair should be under $150 for time and parts DOing things this way will HEAL a warping cylinder head and save you BIG MONEY. SUBARUS'are GREAT cars, but a SMALL oveheat will upset them a bit. ALSO they are vulnerable to AIR/FUEL mixtue issues ab it as well . Kepyour IDLE AIR CONTROL VAVLE nd throttle bdoy CLEAN ALWQAYS and use ONLY synethic oil like AMSOIL, PENNZOIL ULTRA< or MOBIL ONE, THAT's ALL! GOODLUCK !!.

gee-man · Answer

usually one day for tear down then they have to send the heads out to the machine shop to have them resurfaced and checked for cracks,and that is usually 1 to 2 days then 1 more day for installation. This is usually the turn around time depending on their workload also. Hope this helps ya out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Andrew Bruce · Answer

depends how backed up the shop is ? this job takes about 12 hours at the most.

nick · Answer

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2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i Head Gasket issues.?

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