Pawlik Automotive Podcast Mar 30, 2026

2011 Subaru Forester Head Gasket

Annotations will appear as you listen

0:00

6:55

Car

2011 Subaru Forester

They’re working on a 2011 Subaru Forester. The problem they’re discussing involves the engine’s head gasket and how it affects the cooling system.

Concept

head gasket is leaking combustion gas into the cooling system

The head gasket is like a seal between the engine parts. If it fails, exhaust/combustion gases can get into the coolant, which can make bubbles in the radiator/hoses and cause overheating.

Part

The cylinder head gasket is the sealing layer between the engine block and cylinder head. It must withstand high combustion pressure and high coolant temperatures while preventing cross-contamination. When it fails, it can allow coolant to mix with combustion gases, leading to air bubbles and overheating.

Concept

dealership. So they're generally more expensive than we are

They’re talking about how dealerships usually charge more than independent repair shops. For a big repair, that price difference can add up.

Concept

pull the engine out to do it

For this engine, they have to remove the engine from the car to reach the head gasket. That’s why the job takes longer and costs more.

Concept

single cam engines

The speaker contrasts the turbo twin-cam setup with “single cam” engines, implying a different camshaft design and service access. In practice, different engine layouts can change whether the head gasket can be replaced in-car or requires engine removal. This is relevant for estimating labor time and cost.

Concept

engine stand

Once the engine is taken out, they put it on a stand. That makes it easier to work on the engine parts without struggling in the car.

Concept

Subaru's are relatively easy engines to remove from vehicles

The shop claims Subaru engines are relatively straightforward to remove due to packaging and connector access. This matters because the time spent removing and reinstalling the engine is a large portion of the total labor cost for head gasket repairs. Their point is that the wiring/connectors are manageable compared with some other makes/models.

Term

electrical connector

Electrical connectors are the plugs that link the engine’s sensors and control systems to the vehicle harness. The speaker notes that the engine removal process is simplified because there are few connectors to disconnect. Fewer connectors can mean less time and fewer chances of misconnection during reassembly.

Term

timing belt

The timing belt keeps the engine’s timing lined up—so the valves open at the right moment. When the front of the engine is taken apart for head work, the belt usually comes off too.

Term

cylinder heads

The cylinder heads are the top part of the engine where the valves and combustion happen. For a head gasket job, they come off so the gasket can be replaced and the sealing surfaces can be checked.

Concept

machine shop

A machine shop is a specialized shop that measures and repairs engine parts with precision tools. They check the cylinder heads and fix any damage so the new gasket will seal properly.

Term

pressure tested

Pressure testing is a way to check the cylinder head for hidden cracks. If the head is cracked, a new gasket won’t fix the problem long-term.

Term

valve guides

Valve guides help the valves move correctly inside the cylinder head. If they wear out, the engine can run poorly and the head may need extra repair work.

Term

intake manifold

The intake manifold is the part that routes air to the cylinders. It has to come off during major engine work so the mechanic can reach the cylinder heads.

Term

valve covers

Valve covers protect the top of the engine’s valve train and help contain oil. During head gasket repair, valve covers are removed so the mechanic can access components and remove the cylinder heads.

Term

turbochargers

Turbochargers are devices that use exhaust gases to spin a turbine and push extra air into the engine. If the car is turbocharged, the turbo parts have to be disconnected before the engine can come out.

Term

air pump

The air pump is an emissions-related device that helps the car clean up exhaust during cold starts. It’s usually in the way during major engine disassembly.

Concept

horizontally opposed engine

This is Subaru’s boxer engine layout, where the cylinders sit on opposite sides of the engine. Instead of moving up and down like many engines, the pistons move side to side.

Term

gaskets

The gaskets are the sealing parts that stop leaks between the engine’s main parts. For a head gasket job, they have to be installed carefully on perfectly clean surfaces.

Concept

engine ready to go back in the car

They’re saying the engine work is finished and the engine is put back together. At this point it’s ready to be installed back into the vehicle.

Part

valves ground

Valve grinding smooths and refits the surfaces where the valves seal. It helps the engine build proper compression again after the heads have been taken apart.

Company

Pawlik Automotive

They recommend Pawlik Automotive if you need Subaru service in Vancouver. It’s the shop doing the work discussed in this episode segment.

LIVE

Hi, it's Mark Brossard. I'm here with Bernie Pawlick. Pawlick Automotive in Vancouver,

BC, Canada. Vancouver's best auto service experience. And we're talking cars. How you

doing Bernie? Doing very well. So today's guest is a 2011 Subaru Forester. What was

going on with this vehicle? So this vehicle had been diagnosed at another shop with a

using coolant. There was air bubbles in the cooling system apparently. We did verify that.

We did a diagnostic ourselves, verify that there was in fact air bubbles getting in the

cooling system. And that happens because the cylinder head gasket is leaking combustion

gas into the cooling system. Head gaskets needed to be replaced. And why would they

come to you guys to do that work? They liked our price quote better than what was offered

at the other shop. Do you think that's probably because you guys do so many of these? You're

Subaru focused at Pawlick, even though you work on all kinds of cars. It could be. Every shop

has different rates. This was the dealership. So they're generally more expensive than we are.

Let's get to some pictures. Yeah. Our guest here we see 2011. Yeah, looks in good shape. Yeah,

great shape. And this mileage is about 168,000 kilometers. So pretty low for a Subaru. And what

the heck is this? This is the engine to do a head gasket job on this particular engine. This is a

twin cam engine with a turbocharger. You have to pull the engine out to do it. We do a lot of head

gaskets on the single cam engines, less these days, because there's fewer and fewer of those cars

anymore. But those you don't have to pull the engine. Some shops do, but you don't have to pull

the engine on those. This you have to do out of car. So that's the engine sitting on an engine

stand. So there's a lot that goes into just getting it to this stage. Can you give us just a

quick rundown of an idea of all the parts that have to be unhooked and is it any just old stick

a shoehorn in there and try it out? Yeah, that's a lot more involved in that. Yes. But what I will

say, and I said to you this before we started that actually Subaru's are relatively easy engines to

remove from vehicles. I think actually what makes them easy is that they have one electrical connector

that connects. That's actually two connectors. And you pretty much got all the wiring of the

engine unhooked. Where's a lot of engines you have to go and remove individual components,

the fuel injectors, all the wire makes it a real pain to pull the engine. So Subaru's have made it

a little easier than other cars, but the exhaust system has to be disconnected. Being a turbo

that's ducting that needs to be removed, the coolant hoses have to be disconnected. The transmission

has to be disconnected. So engine mounts, many things. And then it gets to this point. So what

do we have here? Well, these are some of the things, the guts, things that we remove. There's

those trays down there. The red trays are organized bolts. We're looking mostly at the exhaust system

down there that we had to remove to get the engine out. And on the right hand, there's a

big plastic splash pan. So this is all pre taking the engine out. And here we have the engine out

with the cylinder heads off. And the timing belt has been removed. So all the front of the engines

off, the water pump, timing belt, cylinder heads are off. We send those off to a machine shop.

Turns out they actually needed a lot more work than usual. We always have them pressure tested

to make sure they're not cracked. But in this case, they found the valve guides had been slipping. I

think the engine had been hot. So it required a fair amount of extra money beyond the initial

quote to get the cylinder heads finished up. And these are things we don't know until we take things

out. Anyways, the cylinder heads have been off being repaired at this time. We're looking at more

stuff, that big long black plastic thing, that's the intake manifold, the valve covers sit to the

right of that, the air conditioning compressors to the left, and there's turbochargers on the ground.

I believe the unit above that is the air pump, which is an emission pump just to reduce exhaust

emissions while on a cold engine start. And here we're looking at the engine cylinders that you

can see the pistons in the center. It's a horizontally opposed engine on a Subaru. So there's

two banks of these, and they move back and forth side to side. Most engines, they go up and down,

but on Subaru, they go side to side. So we've cleaned the engine block surface up. So the

new gasket can go on clean, no dirt in the way. And the cylinder heads will be fitted onto that.

So here we have, I guess, this is the whole problem. These are the gaskets. Yeah. Those are the two

head gaskets that you'll find on a Subaru. We can look a little closer in the next picture,

we can actually look and see where the gasket was actually leaking, right where the green

arrow is. So these are called a multi-layer steel gasket. There's several layers of steel.

The black is a coating that helps some additional sealing. But if you see in that sort of area there,

the coating is gone, and there's an area of carbon deposit around that, which is hard to

see in the picture, but it's there. Just right here on the edge. Yeah. And right where the tip of

the area. And of course, if the combustion gas leaks, it goes right into the cooling system. So

that's one area of the head gasket was definitely blown. And it looks like there might be other

places where it's a little thin. Yeah. It generally looks deteriorated in other areas for sure.

It should look roughly closer to how it's looking here on the outside area, where there's black

all the way around these rings, where the pistons are. Exactly. That's correct. And the new gaskets

do look like that. I didn't take a picture of them, but that's how they look. That goes on top of this.

Exactly. That fits right in there. Yeah. Some head gaskets are not multi-layer steel. They're

more of a fibrous type of gasket. So sometimes when they blow, you'll actually see a piece of the

gasket missing. But multi-layer steel seems to be very popular these days. For the last couple

of decades, it seems to work really well and it's pretty durable. And here, it seems like we've come

back to the same place, but in reality, this is the engine ready to go back in the car.

That's exactly what it is. Yeah. It's all back together and ready to go back in.

So after all that, immense amount of work, quite honestly. What was the result?

It was good. It ran really well. Nice and smooth. No coolant loss. The engine ran really well. And

with the cylinder heads being rebuilt, the valves ground and everything, the engine's in good shape.

So it should be good for quite some time. Another 14, 15 years?

Yeah. Yeah. So it keeps it that long, for sure. Good cars. They're well built and they do last a

long time. If you're looking for service for your Subaru in Vancouver, the guys to see are at

Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them online at pawlikautomotive.com. You can book your appointment

right there or you can call them to book. Check it out. Talk to them. See what they maybe estimate.

604-327-7112. That's Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Thanks so much for

watching and listening. Thanks, Bernie. Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching.

0:00

6:55

2011 Subaru Forester Head Gasket

dealership. So they're generally more expensive than we are

engine ready to go back in the car

About this episode