Taking the engine out of the WRX isnt as hard as it looks.

Doing the headgaskets with the engine still in though is MUCH harder than it sounds.

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RS Liberty - Because WRX's are only good for parts...

May have found someone who can lend me An engine hoist in byron bay... :-) stoked. yous have successfully convinced me to take it out.
Should į get the heads skimmed too? Or just make sure they're spotlessly clean?
Mmmm if the engine's out; this could lead to more modifications... Hehe my ej207 may likę some new internals... then į could up the boost; AND potentially kill more head gaskets ;-)

You're quite the Master of Words my friend

Did you refuse to let the Israelites go?

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A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.

Į agree with adolf on this one less greedy, bearded AND circumcised people with freedom makes for a much nicer environment - even if it costs me a head gasket ;-)

Your car should have metal headgaskets which don't 'blow' in the way traditional composite gaskets do. I would do a thorough diagnosis prior to removing the engine, and if proven to be leaking definately machine the head faces, check the heads for bend and cracks and check or machine the deck surface of the block. EJ207's need to be cooked pretty hot to leak from the headgasket, hot enough to warp the heads for sure. When you machine them, make certain the engineer knows you're using MLS type headgaskets and you need a mirror finish on them. Normal head surface for composite gaskets is a much coarser finish that isn't ideal for Metal.

Ok i haven't had a good look at the heads yet... i'll do a compression test prior to removing the engine to see which bank is dead. would it be worth upgrading to cosworth headgaskets? or should i stick with oem/sti gaskets... also, should i do both heads while the engine's out? or just do the one thats shat?

I'll make sure to tell the engineer about the mirror finish required... by the sounds of things DTRALLY, my head/heads are almost certainly warped. i'm so sad :'-(

So... I was just taking the intercooler off, to get a better look at the engine - and the whole intake plenum and intercooler has tons of oil throughout it. So, following the problem back a little; does this possibly mean that the turbogaskets / turbo could be leaking, and hence oil is being injected in place of air (or oil rich air)? This would explain the blue exhaust gas, and difficulty in starting. And MAYBE, the heads are fine. Because, once the engine was running, it didn't have any major power losses, just a difficulty in remaining running below 1500rpm.

tl:dr could it be my turbo is leaking oil + coolant into the air intake system - hence not allowing my car to run properly/not start?

i'm going to go and remove the turbo now, and see if there're any blown gaskets. Any opinions on my new development would be greatly appreciated. Specially since turbo gaskets are simpler to replace than hgs.

....that would most probably be oil from the engine in the intercooler. It will be interesting to see what your pistons and rings look like...

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No Subarus currently owned

I dont understand how it could be oil from the engine in the intercooler??? unless ofcorse you mean oil from the engine through some extreme blowby or a busted seal on the turbo pumping oil into the compressor