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Hey everyone. I took my car (2002 Subaru Legacy GT) to the shop Tuesday to have them look at it. It’s had a nuisance oil leak for almost a year. I can live with an oil leak, but the issue was the leaking oil was being blown back from under the motor and being cast on the exhaust and burning, making the inside of the car stink like burning oil. It was using about 1/2 quart between oil changes (3,000-4,000 mi).
I couldn’t find the source of the leak directly even after cleaning off the bottom of the motor myself, so I decided to have it properly diagnosed (with the dye in the oil). I was thinking the worst: rear main seal or oil pan, and both are big jobs (on Subaru you need to lift up the motor/transmission to take out the oil pan). When I got the call from the shop, turns out it was a lot worse. The service writer told me they found the head gaskets leaking, but kit wasn’t leaking coolant, but oil. It was only leaking while the engine was running, go figure.
They quoted me a hair shy of $2000 for the job (a great deal, I know), which included removing the engine, removing the heads, replacing the gaskets, decarbonizing the heads, new head bolts, resurfacing/machining the heads (might not need, but they included it). They threw in replacing the rear main seal, cam seals (half moon seals), and doing the timing belt/water pump, drive belts, coolant, and oil change, and some other small stuff too because it does need a timing belt.
My question is this: Do head gaskets really leak oil? I was under the assumption they leaked coolant? I hadn’t know of oil running through the heads? Has anyone ever encountered this issue before? I’ve heard of the valve cover gaskets leaking, but not head gaskets. I know Subarus are infamous for leaking head gaskets and I considered it before buying the car (bought it with 70,000 mi on it) but I figured I was safe with the post-2000 3 series EJ. Guess not :pinch:
Also, I have a harsh vibration in the steering wheel at anything over 62 mph. I’m thinking it’s tires out of balance, but could it be the alignment?
Thanks!
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Oil has to run through the heads to lubricate the valve train and also drain the oil back into the pan. Not having seen it but based on personal experiences, I would suspect the valve cover gaskets, not the head gaskets themselves.
I would suggest giving the underside a thorough cleaning with a proper degreaser or engine cleaning product, letting it dry off then using a healthy dose of a brake cleaner to remove anything left over. Let it run for a good 30 minutes or so on a level surface and take a look again. if you dare stick your hands in there if you can’t see anything you can physically just feel for oil. You might also want to check the front cam seals, they are hidden but it would explain the oil going right onto the exhaust.
My old ’93 Subaru had a Head Gasket leak on the passenger side, that would leak only when running when cool, before warming up, when it would seal again. Same symptoms as you, same problem, same oil burn rate.
I ended up trading the Subaru in on a new car a few months ago. The issue was at the rear lower corner of the head – it was discolored and definitely wet.
Regarding the vibration in the wheel – Definitely diagnose that issue before replacing parts. Could be suspension related, could be steering, or it could just be out of balance tires, like you said.
Thanks for the reply. It said in the diagnostic report that they did just that- cleaned off the bottom of the engine and then checked for leaks. I suspected the front cam or rear cam seals (also common for leaks), but they are good. The oil isn’t going on the manifolds themselves, but it’s blowing back onto the y-pipe that connects the two pipes coming off the headers, right above the front of the transmission. I can see where the oil has burned on the heat shields. That’s why I suspected a rear main seal or oil pan. I didn’t think to look at the head gaskets, but from the sound of it, that’s the issue.
Thanks!
[quote=”Koinonia” post=134108]My old ’93 Subaru had a Head Gasket leak on the passenger side, that would leak only when running when cool, before warming up, when it would seal again. Same symptoms as you, same problem, same oil burn rate.
I ended up trading the Subaru in on a new car a few months ago. The issue was at the rear lower corner of the head – it was discolored and definitely wet.
Regarding the vibration in the wheel – Definitely diagnose that issue before replacing parts. Could be suspension related, could be steering, or it could just be out of balance tires, like you said.[/quote]
Thanks for the reply. That’s interesting. I didn’t think the 2.2’s leaked out of the head gaskets. As far s the vibrations, I don’t know if it is suspension related or not. I need to replace the front passenger axel as the boot ruptured about 8000 mi ago and makes noises sometimes when turning. Could that be the issue? The tires are needing to be replaced soon, so when I do that, we will see if it goes away. The mechanic recommended an alignment and new tires, so that will be in the works eventually. It would be nice to get another car (not another Subaru, sadly) but can’t at the moment. I own my car, have no car payment, and don’t want one.
Thanks again!
A Subaru engine of this vintage probably needs an engine out refresh. They are known for blowing head gaskets. It should be on the routine maintenance list – every x thousand of miles replace head gaskets. And yes they do sometimes leak oil at the head gasket. More common is for the valve cover to leak.
If you want to know for sure you can raise the car and look. Some of the block to head mating surface is visible. But I’d suggest just going ahead and getting it done.
[quote=”barneyb” post=134151]A Subaru engine of this vintage probably needs an engine out refresh. They are known for blowing head gaskets. It should be on the routine maintenance list – every x thousand of miles replace head gaskets. And yes they do sometimes leak oil at the head gasket. More common is for the valve cover to leak.
If you want to know for sure you can raise the car and look. Some of the block to head mating surface is visible. But I’d suggest just going ahead and getting it done.[/quote]
Thanks barneyb. It will get done eventually. It’s 1/3 the value of the car, so not enough to justify getting another car. Now, anyone got a spare $2000 they want to hand over? 😛
I have a 1,999 Forester with 122,000 miles. I let my ex-girlfriend drive the car and when I took it back, I took it to three shops, with the last one telling me to take it to the dealership, which said I had a bad head gasket, and they would charge me $3,500 for the honor. Kelly Blue Book says the car is worth $1,900.
That was months ago. The car drives fine, although it has a prodigious oil leak; however, it seems inconsistent. When I parked the car weeks ago, I topped off the oil. My friend checked it for me and it was still full. Yesterday, I cleaned the bottom of the engine. Today I ran it for at least twenty minutes, sitting there, waiting for a leak, and not wanting to run an engine without sufficient oil.
That grew boring…
I did not see any oil.
I wish that the shop that replaced my timing belt said Subarus were prone to blown head gaskets; replacing the timing belt was a big deal, but now I am trying to figure out how to replace the head gasket, and you remove the timing belt in the process.
I have heard of people retention there head bolts and that cured the small oil leak they get from time to time.
Here’s the thing, it is almost universal for Subarus to blow head gaskets. Also, Subaru engines have so much stuff around them that it is hard (on my WRX really hard) to see anything. Take it to a shop and if they say head gasket most of the time they will be right whether they have looked or not. Remember, I said it is hard to see leaks on these engines. So, the chance exists that it is not the head gasket but is in fact something easily fixed.
My WRX was smelling of burning oil. The oil level didn’t go down. I was under the car many times trying to find the leak. Finally I found it and it was only a leaky valve cover. So, I put on a new gasket and it still leaked. The do again finally fixed it. So, you never know until you know.
Sorry I haven’t replied to this post in a while!
Well I did find the source of the leak. It’s leaking right out by the oil filter mount where the block meets the head. I noticed it when i did the oil change. and ran the car. It gets worse with higher rpms. It’s also starting to leak from the valve covers and there’s possibly another leak from somewhere else towards the back. It’s also leaking coolant from the driver side head gasket now and has gotten worse. it’s external, not internal, so I’ve been dealing with it and keeping the radiator topped off every few days. I’ll have it fixed soon-just waiting for income tax check! I got a quote for a hair under $2000 for the timing belt job and fixing the HG’s. They want to resurface the heads, but it’s never overheated before so I am not sure if I want them to do that and save $300. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
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