Replacing the head stud bolts is a very debated topic but according to Subaru's service information, it does not specify new head bolts as part of a head gasket repair job. But it does state that the final tightening of these bolts must not exceed the specified number of degrees for each step. Doing so could cause one of these bolts to reach its yield point, possibly permanently stretching and damaging it. There is more information here: mdhmotors.com/what-are-torque-to-yield-head-bolts/ Really you should always inspect your bolts and holes and use your discretion. If there's any doubt, replace the bolts.

Clear, comprehensive vids like this make me want to go to the junkyard, pull some abandoned motor, and wrench it back to good running condition. Guys like Nam make it look easy.

This guy would make an excellent instructor because of his level of clarity of instruction. And he's got a mellow tone which makes this easy to follow without watching.

one of the best videos i’ve seen in a long time. logical, technical, no bullshit rambling on or stupid music. thank you

Got a '98 Forester w/ 2.5 DOHC. Had a classic failure of the "fire ring" of head gasket ( i.e.- Exhaust gases into cooling system). Had a shop do it cause I didn't want to mess with it. Failed 4500 mi. later. They claimed it was a defective gasket. They did it again for a big discount in price. Failed AGAIN after 5200 mi. Finally I said enough, I'll do it myself. Ordered the Gates belt / pump kit, a new Subaru thermostat, Subaru "3 bond" sealant, after market Viton "O" rings, Viton cam & crank seals, associated gaskets and ARP head bolts. Instead of Subaru, Felpro, etc. head gaskets, I used "6 star" brand as they ARE the solution. I'm lucky enough to live in an area that has some great machine shops and I had the block and heads trued and then put on a lapping machine to bring the surfaces to 25 - 30 RA. This is a finer finish than what "6 star" recommends (50 RA). (RA is roughness average measured in microns). A standard Greenblat grinder at automotive machine shops can only go to 118 RA. I reassembled all per factory manual specs. That was back in 2007. I've put on 125,000+ since then with no issues. "6 Star" all the way, it's what all the rally engine builders use for their 500Hp+ engines. I'd NEVER use anything else on a Subie now!

That is the most convoluted head bolt torquing procedure I've ever seen. But Nam did an excellent job of explaining everything!

From one mechanic to another this video was awesome. Very informative and taking the time to explain everything. 👊

Thank you for a fantastic video! We followed this video step by step and sent the heads off to be machined. The engine is reassembled, and it runs like a champ. Your video saved us a fortune, and we learned so much in this process. You are an excellent teacher. It was our first engine pull and repair ever! What took you 22 minutes, took us about 2 days of step by step, ultra careful work. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Nam is super knowledgeable when it comes to Subaru's engines. Knows his engines, torque specs, dude is complete beast.

How anyone could put a thumbs down on this is beyond me.....This guy has probably done hundreds of these..nice job

Super competent and professional. Thumbs up to Mr. Nam!

The more I learn from these videos, the more I find it hard to imagine why anyone would continue to buy and/or lease new cars over a lifetime. With the same money, you could build your own shop with a hydraulic lift, and keep a bunch of really nice used cars running.

Nam killed this tutorial. Love how well informed the boys at NV are and super impressed at how clearly he can present that info!

Must I say...Nam, thank you so much for so much info & patience you give during the walk through on this job! There isn't many people like you. & I'm not that type to comment/review. But you & your camera guy deserve a double thumbs up!!👍🏽👍🏽I'll be keeping an eye on your guy's videos & supporting you guy's from now on. Keep up that hard work, & as always...✌🏽

This was very clear and to the point. And all done in 20 mins. There are other videos showing the same thing but stretched out over 2 hours. Thanks so much.

This video saved me $2000. Ship wanted $2700 and I’m doing it myself for 730 in parts. Thanks guys!

Love this vid, shows the real use of KZfaq, well done guys

Interesting to watch. My wife and I are having this same work being done on our Outback. I do maintenance on our car but this is something I am happy to leave this to someone else.

wow, this has to be the best motor/car/ anything tutorial video I've seen on youtube. Great job guys!!

Hands down one of the best head gasket rebuild vids for a Subaru. Now I know why most shop mechanic are behind a desk in their 50s? The repetitive overhand motion cranking on those head bolts all day everyday will totally jack your shoulders.

I don't understand most of the words you just used, but this makes me feel like I know what my mechanic will be doing now when I take it in to get this job done. Bravo!!! Gained a subscriber.

Best Engine Tutorial I've ever seen, Well done!

Perfect tutorials don't exi..... wait what!!!!

Today I just officially finished this exact project ! It turned out great with new head gaskets , spark plugs , hoses , pcv , and timing , motor mounts , it runs alot better !! Thanks to this video, and others !

The care and attention to detail of this guy make me want him to work on my Subaru. Wish he was local to me! Awesome video team NV AUTO

I have done this a few times and this engine builder knows his stuff! Good work!

Great video. Probably the best of any kind I have seen. The techs at my dealership told me that if you replace the head gasket with turbo gaskets they will never fail again. My 10' outback has 160K miles on it and so far no issues. (knock wood). Thanks for the great video.

Top notch technician and video. Looks complicated at first glance but like everything its actually simple. One step at a time following the correct method.

Honestly one of the best walkthrough videos on youtube. Thank you!

Very awesome step by step tutorial greatly appreciate the time and effort you invested to put this video together and share it with the interested audience. Well done job man, once again big thank you

Wow...After watching 4 min of this vid has definitely changed my mind about owning a Subaru...Thumbs up to the guys who have to do this job.

Best tutorial for HG replacement for Subaru NA on YT. Great job guys.

It can't get any more professional than this. Excellent video. Personally I was in a time crunch and on a budget so during a weekend I did my head gaskets (2009 Impreza 2.5 SOHC) with engine in the car and only cleaned surfaces with the 3m roloc so far it's been 2 years little over 20k miles no oil leaks or compression leaking into coolant system like it was no crazy oil or coolant consumption. I used the Fel-pro MLS and replaced most cooling components. If you have the time and money definitely follow this video instead.

347K views in one year. This is a very well made video. I like watching these mechanical videos for information. But I'm blown away by the amount of views. Don't think I would ever want to own a Subaru

Did anyone notice that the sequence that he tightened the bolts didn't match the sequence in the service manual he showed? Either way great video and I am halfway through putting my motor back together and couldn't have done it without Nam and this video. Thanks a million!

That 'thunk' sound when Nam pops the newly machined head on the block is so satisfying.

Well my wife’s car had a belt tensioner failure which made my timing belt snap and bend all my valves, the block and pistons were not damaged at all just the heads and I paid 1500 bucks to get new motor and get it installed. Wtf, time to go back and get me old motor and put new heads on it. This dude pretty much did the work for you. One of the best videos I have seen on KZfaq that shows you step by step. Now I have more confidence knowing that this guy is here to show us how simple it is.

Thanks so much. Your instruction was very clear & detailed. I'm contemplating doing this job on my 2002 Forester with leaking head gaskets. Thanks again!!!

Nam knows his Subaru engines! Now you should do a video with the engine in the car.

Best Subaru gasket walkthrough on the internet. Thanks for this!

People complain about Subaru engines but in all honesty they're super easy to work on. I have a 99 legacy 2.5gt with the ej25d and it's got over 300k on it and still runs amazing even after being in flood water up to the door mirrors 4 years ago.

Amazing video. Nam makes me think I could do this myself...even though there is no way on this Earth I would ever try to do this myself. I own a 2012 Subaru Impreza that just had recall work done for the valve springs. I think they had to do nearly everything described in this video as part of the work. Gives me a real appreciation for the work, and I REALLY hope they did it as well as Nam did.

Thank You a million times over! You are heroes.

is there like an award for the most caring and precise mechanic in the world cause it should go to him

I wish every dealership had a mechanic like this around, so well explained and so passionate about his job my local Subaru dealership is a joke and I will never go back.

Bet you Nam worked at Subaru dealership at one time in his career. This job is not for fair of heart, quite a few tricks involved. Would have been interesting to hear it run before and after, maybe no difference but still nice to hear a job completed and running.

Awesome video and very informative. The heads looks great, but what about the block? I am under the impression that surface finish roughness is crucial to the sealing of MLS-type gaskets.

Watching this 3 years after doing it myself. 99 Legacy GT. Pulled engine for ease of access and was replacing clutch. Had machine shop polish crank and hone cylinders. Heads surfaced and valves were good. New valve seals, new rings and bearings. I used FelPro gaskets. New head bolts. No issues thus far. Timing belt installation is more finicky on a dual overhead cam engine. Get both sprockets on one head aligned and the slightest movement when doing the other head results in valve spring tension spinning previous sprocket(s) out of sync.

I love these step by step walkthroughs! SO informative. More like this please!

Explained very well👍

the best subaru mechanic

I love the fact that you guys completed everything with complete information thank you so much ❤

I love this guy, I've have been trying to complete my reinstall for so long, thanks for the step by step instructions, omg gosh, im so greatful #doityourselfmommy!

Probably the best rebuild instructional I've seen. We're STI manifold gaskets used?

Well done. Hats off to Nam he makes it look like a simple job. About to get mine done...AGAIN. Last HGs only lasted 60,000kms.

VEry good video and no awful music so very professional video . I have done many of these head gasket replacements over 26 years . I usually remove the intake manifold . When I put the belt on I use two small clamps to keep timing belt in place . I usually put the belt on and then the tensioner followed by the lower puley with the fence on it . Excellent video and straight forward with clear instructions good job Bill

Still waiting on that engine removal video

It's understood to be best practice up here in the north where everyone has a Subaru and we have Subaru experts to replace those head gaskets with a multi-layered metal version, not factory OEM or part store "Felpro" gaskets. The multi-layered metal gaskets last longer.

Best Teacher Ever , the tone and speed of his voice never change .

Very informative with great production quality...this is how, a how-to video should be done.

Made it look easy good job 👍😀

How come you guys didn't scotch Brite the pistons? Figured while the engine was apart you could clean up the carbon build up.

Damn Nam...you DA Man! Love watching people that known their stuff.

Best auto repair vid I've ever watched, thank you!

It's also a good idea to use head gaskets for a turbo engine on the naturally aspirated engine of the same type. The turbo head gaskets are more durable and your engine probably won't blow a head gasket ever again. Make sure all the coolant holes line up and you should be good to go. I learned that from a Subaru technician. Their shop specializes in Subaru's only. He told me about a couple other tricks to make the bad head gasket problems on these engines better,but I can't exactly remember those ones and I don't want to spread bad info. If you're going to do this job yourself I'd do some research.

Why am I here. I don’t own a Subaru.

The best video of engine repair. I spent a lot of money on my Subaru just to figure out that head gasket is damaged, since oil is getting empty every 1000km and coolant stations on oil filling hose. I am going to request a mechanic to do this. Thank you for the video.

Nam, you are very knowledgeable and explain at a great pace. Please don’t fall into the typical “uneducated KZfaq” explanation style of saying “thee” rather than the when appropriate. You’re NOT the typical DIY guide, don’t short yourself.

My hands became itchy from watching this great video. Ive done of of boxer engines before and it wasn't that hard. Now I have to look for a Subaru on Craigslist to satisfy my itch.

Yay to subaru content!!!!

Very clear and concise video, highlighted the right parts and fast forwarded the unnecessary bits. Saved for later ;)

Good job. I dont have subaru engine but I watched to the end. I love the way you explain everything. The way u speak kept me to the screen. Thanks a lot for teaching us new skills daily. Cheers

You know, as fun as this looks, I think I'll just pay my mechanic's trip to disney...

Some points to consider: 1. Go ahead and blow the other cam gear off, or don't be surprised when the head come back from the machine shop without it. 2. May want to drain that block before you tilt the engine and spill it all over yourself. 3. Clock the motor with pistons half way through their travel so as not to risk valves contacting pistons. 4. Remove the block dowels before cleaning the deck. 5. Check both the block decks and heads for warping and pitting. 6. Reusing stretch bolts? Spring for some new ones and double the longevity of the repair, ffs. 7. You're not showing how to hold the cam sprocket while torquing it. I like to use an old belt and some chain tool for plumbing; just don't use metal tools directly on the gear so as not to chip it. Same is true for the crank pulley. 8. No crank oil seal replacement while it's exposed?

Nice Nam. I put over 150,000km on my STi swap and still running great since you built it.

super vid guys, thanks so much i am just getting into this same job on an o6 and this sure was good to see, and bookmark! I sure appreciate the time it took for you guys to make this for us guys that need to do our own, due to costs, you sure do a great job with that engine.

10:05 LOL, that was NOT cleaned with a scotchbrite pad, unless they stuck one to an air tool.

18:26 Did the left cam sprocket get damaged from the machine shop? It wasn't cracked on the top right corner before.

Love this guy. Used many of his previous vids especially for the timing belt/cooling system on WRX

Make sure to change your oil a 2nd time pretty quickly after a head gasket change. You'll more than likely end up with high aluminum content in your oil. I sent it off to blackstone labs for testing that.

Do not use abrasive Scotchbrite on the deck. You basically sanded the deck. Good chance of it leaking again. Use non abrasive pads and hard nylon brush. And CRC Gasket remover is your friend.

Are reusing head bolts part of the install procedure? I thought it was common knowledge to use new head bolts/studs on all engines, because the torquing procedure stretches the threads, and redoing the procedure weakens them. Head bolts/studs are the only fasteners that's soul job is to contain explosions.

This is one of the BEST how to videos I've seen. Dang... Thank you !

Definitely I need him redo my 2008 Subaru exactly this is my problem now with 110000 miles on the engine . Worth every dollars I spend with this special service expert.

What is that bolt extractor you used on the rusty plastic cover bolts

Did you say "STI head gaskets" at 11:07? I'm having trouble understanding you right there.

I’m not a mechanic but I love these kind of videos. Thanks

One of the best service video's I have seen. Big Thumbs UP

This is why I'll never own a Subaru ever again. The dealer and Subaru denied anything was wrong with the gaskets lol. About $3k later and my POS is on the road again, these engines should all be recalled.

The turbo version gaskets fail as well.......ask how I know.

I just picked up a 2001 Outback. I was afraid of having to do the head gasket, due to a clear oil leak issue on mine. Awesome vid, can’t wait to perform this repair on mine🖖🏽🍻

That was a very good clear and concise video. Nam it's great in front of the camera. Quite calming in fact!!! My sister's Suby drips oil so bad!! I'll show her this video and say ... Fix it. Easy!!

This video makes me never want to own a Subaru engine.

So copper spray instead of anti-seize? Interesting..... My #1 reason for KZfaq, to learn of all the ways to "skin a cat"!

Wow. This is a first-class video production, and Nam is a model of the ideal mechanic. (I hope the shop has an active air-trading circulation system to remove the carcinogenic fumes coming from the brake-clean, etc.)

Very informative and well done. I do not have a Subaru, or work on any but I enjoy watching and learning this sort of thing.Hopefully I don't ever need to know this procedure but if I do I know I could do it from everything you have shown.

But its not leaking early like ford focus rs does.

I had a brain aneurysm watching this. Great vid though.

Nice to see good work being done and effectively communicated. Refreshing.

Got the first Subaru I have ever even ridden in today. It had been nearly perfectly maintained, but got in a crash and broke the grill and the radiator. Going to replace the belts and gaskets since I have to remove the radiator and stuff anyway. This is gonna be cool to learn