What to do with damaged alignment dowels in block?

Question

Just took the second head off the 98 Subaru Outback I'm working on and I found one of the alignment dowels was badly crimped over the gasket for about 1/3 of its circumference. I have no idea how it got that way, but unless I do something about it, it's going to be very hard to get the new gasket on it without damaging it, and even if I do it's probably not going to seal right.

What's the best way to deal with this? Is there a decent way to remove and replace the dowel (even a damaged one like this)? Can I just dremel off the crimped part (taking care to shield the block)?

Edit: Here's a photo showing the good one (on the upper left) and the crimped one (on the upper right):

Answer 1

At Bob Cross's request, I'll throw an answer out here for you. The information given is with the assumption your engine is an EJ25 series engine, which the 98 Legacy (assumed) Outback had, which is most likely the EJ25D (please correct me if not).

While many people call this a "dowel pin", Subaru calls it a straight pin. It should not be threaded (should be press fit). I found pn 804010070 which I believe is the right part number, but check with your Subaru dealer before you order. From your description, yours absolutely will need replaced, but should be able to be pulled out by grabbing with a pair of Vice-Grips and a gentle wiggle (maybe even a firm wiggle). Use a brass drift to gently install a new one. You do not want to damage the deck surface (where the head mounts to the engine) when installing the new straight pin.

Something else to look at here is whether there is damage to the head where the old straight pin may have dug into it. If damaged the head may require repair or replacement. You'd have to take it to a machinist to see which route it may need to go.

Answer 2

If it is a conventional dowel pin then I expect you should be able to coax it out with a pair of pliers.