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so, i got my new motor in (rebuilt 2.2 block, sti rods, 20g heads/manifold, 2.2t h/g) and i'm having a problem with oil getting in my coolant.... it does not get coolant in the oil, just oil in the coolant. any ideas as to whats causing this? i'm about to just shitcan the motor for now and build a 2.5 but i would really like to avoid the extra cost right now and just fix the 2.2 so, help please!!!

Head gasket.

Hey Jake- ummm

Where do you work??

Nuff said

evolutionmovement wrote:Head gasket.

they're brand new and the heads are all torqued to spec..... i know if it was leaking both ways it would be a h/g, but its only leaking one way.

dscoobydoo wrote:Hey Jake- ummm

Where do you work??

Nuff said

we're stumped, i've never seen it leak one way and not the other, especiall on a completely rebuilt motor. thats why i'm probably going to just bulid another motor if i cant figure this one out.


and BTW this motor has approximately 900 miles on it, the oil doesnt pour into the cooling system... it takes a day or two to notice the oil. it doesnt get enough oil leaked into the cooling system to where i notice the oil is low.

They might only leak combustion gas into the coolant when they're bad (but that seems to be a mileage deal where the fire ring goes). I've never seen Subarus with coolant in the oil (which is at least better than the other way around). Oil is under higher pressure than the coolant, I would believe, so it would be the one to force it's way past a bad seal into the coolant. Sounds text book HG to me and you shouldn't be getting a ton of oil unless it'e really bad. Do the passages do something funky with lining up between the 2.2 block and 2.0 heads?

The only other thing I can think of would be some corrosion in the radiator, but I doubt, in this case, that you have an old brass radiator mated to this fresh engine. I also assume the engine cooling passages were cleaned out before hand.

yeah, i dont think the passages were off much if it all.... but i'm going to check it out tomorrow (spare parts lying around).

the radiator is only a couple year old koyo replacement. the whole motor was completely disassembled... twice. i think i'm just going to stick the car on a lift and start building a 2.5 for it

Did you split the block?
What did you clean your parts with?

evolutionmovement wrote:They might only leak combustion gas into the coolant when they're bad (but that seems to be a mileage deal where the fire ring goes). I've never seen Subarus with coolant in the oil (which is at least better than the other way around). Oil is under higher pressure than the coolant, I would believe, so it would be the one to force it's way past a bad seal into the coolant. Sounds text book HG to me and you shouldn't be getting a ton of oil unless it'e really bad. Do the passages do something funky with lining up between the 2.2 block and 2.0 heads?

The only other thing I can think of would be some corrosion in the radiator, but I doubt, in this case, that you have an old brass radiator mated to this fresh engine. I also assume the engine cooling passages were cleaned out before hand.

I was headed this direction also. I did not ask HOW BAD the amount of oil in the coolant is Jake? Oil pressue runing 55+ psi in a pinhole will probably do enough over time to notice. I would pull the heads and check the passage line-ups and get a new head gasket.

You might have just had a bad headgasket and that is it.

Kelly wrote:Did you split the block?
What did you clean your parts with?

yup... it was split twice (made a stupid mistake the first time )

i cleaned my parts with a hot water parts washing machine, then rinsed with water, then blown off with an air gun.

i think i've pretty much talked myself into a 2.5. i'll probably put this motor on the shelf and mess with it later, when i feel like dealing with it.

Sounds like a blown head gasket for sure.

maybe your heads aren't mating up flat with the block? Have you checked them with a straight edge?

That sucks Jake. I was hoping it would be problem-free since I'm planning a similar engine. Did you have the heads decked?

dzx wrote:maybe your heads aren't mating up flat with the block? Have you checked them with a straight edge?

nope

AWD_addict wrote:That sucks Jake. I was hoping it would be problem-free since I'm planning a similar engine. Did you have the heads decked?

no, i did not have the heads decked. that could probably be the problem.... but i dont think they were warped.

i just checked to see if maybe the passages were off at all between the 2.2t block and the 20g heads and they all lined up, none of the oil or coolant passages crossed each other... so that theory is out the window

on a better note, i have all the parts to build the forged 2.5 i just got to get the pearl white t-leg running and sold to fund the miscellaneous parts to build it.

What about a bad oil cooler?

Its possible.... have you ever seen one break though? where could it have broken at?

Dont think Ive ever seen one break in a subie, but Ive seen lots go on Volkswagens where they actually rust through.

i replaced the oil cooler today... fingers crossed it fixes the problem.... the oil cooler that was on there came off of a car with the same problem, i just never made the connection untill a few days ago