01 outback valve cover gasket failure :-\

[Todd H.]

Well poo.

At 108k looks like I'm in the market for new valve cover gaskets. The
car had been doing some goofy hesitation surging during onramp
acceleration. Fairly consistently betwwen 3000 and 4000 RPM, I'd get
a surge/hesitation where things just weren't smooth. You couldn't
maintain that rpm if you wanted to really, but once the upshift
occurred and you were back under 3k things seemed fine. It's been
doing this for oh about 2 months now. Finally I got a check engine
light that then cleared itself 2 days later.

A code read after the fact indicated it was a catalytic converter code
(can't remember if it was front or read). Since the CEL never came
back, I've been driving it for 2 months now.

Finally, yesterday, the hesitation/surge thing has really gotten
annoying, I got another check engine indication and took it my
mechanic this morning.

This time the code is MISFIRE CYLINDER #2, which made sense to what I
was feeling when driving.

We pull the (new as of 2.5 months ago) plug wire out of the hole and
find oil dripping down the snout of the wire. Dx: failed head
gasket cover, oil saturates wire, causes the arc and misfire when
engine's struggling under load.

We pulled a wire on the other side of the engine and there was a
little oil on it too indicating that side also need a new valve cover
gasket.

He'll be doing a full diagnostic to see if the coil was spared by the
arcing, also to a test to see if a catalytic converter issue that may
be causing increased back pressure that might've contributed to the
valve cover failure, and also doing a test to see if there are any
leaks in the dreaded head gasket. Thus far, I see no coolant weep and
the oil is not milky, but something caused this valve cover to leak
oil. Whatever it is beyond the valve cover gaskets themselves, it's
not gonna be a parking ticket worth of expense I'm afraid.

Anyone else been down this path?

Best Regards,

 

[Jay Alperson]

On my 2001 2.5L Outback, I had a CEL with misfire on #2 with similar goofy
engine performance; turned out to be caused by leaky seals (not the valve
cover gasket itself) that were causing oil to get on the wires. I could wipe
the wire clean, and it would be fine for about a mile, until new leaked oil
made it perform poorly again.

Repair was to replace the seals on both sides (similar problem there; less
severe); no more misfires. Apparently this is common on Subies.

About 5000 miles later I had the head gasket seepage problem which was
covered under Subaru's extended warranty. I think it was unrelated to the
leaky seals.

 

[Porgy Tirebiter]

Well poo.

At 108k looks like I'm in the market for new valve cover gaskets. The
car had been doing some goofy hesitation surging during onramp
acceleration. Fairly consistently betwwen 3000 and 4000 RPM, I'd get
a surge/hesitation where things just weren't smooth. You couldn't
maintain that rpm if you wanted to really, but once the upshift
occurred and you were back under 3k things seemed fine. It's been
doing this for oh about 2 months now. Finally I got a check engine
light that then cleared itself 2 days later.

A code read after the fact indicated it was a catalytic converter code
(can't remember if it was front or read). Since the CEL never came
back, I've been driving it for 2 months now.

Finally, yesterday, the hesitation/surge thing has really gotten
annoying, I got another check engine indication and took it my
mechanic this morning.

This time the code is MISFIRE CYLINDER #2, which made sense to what I
was feeling when driving.

We pull the (new as of 2.5 months ago) plug wire out of the hole and
find oil dripping down the snout of the wire. Dx: failed head
gasket cover, oil saturates wire, causes the arc and misfire when
engine's struggling under load.

We pulled a wire on the other side of the engine and there was a
little oil on it too indicating that side also need a new valve cover
gasket.

He'll be doing a full diagnostic to see if the coil was spared by the
arcing, also to a test to see if a catalytic converter issue that may
be causing increased back pressure that might've contributed to the
valve cover failure, and also doing a test to see if there are any
leaks in the dreaded head gasket. Thus far, I see no coolant weep and
the oil is not milky, but something caused this valve cover to leak
oil. Whatever it is beyond the valve cover gaskets themselves, it's
not gonna be a parking ticket worth of expense I'm afraid.

Anyone else been down this path?

Oil does NOT saturate wire,Neoprene/rubber and its seal around the shaft of
the ceramic stops Arc-over. The oil leak is not the cause of your misfire.
The valve cover gasket has failed due to CHEAP workmanship and/or material.
Coils do not fail due to arc-over or dead shorts.Look at it this way, the
plug gap is .030..the arc-over is over .250 or better and that's IF the plug
doesn't fire. You have other problems.
The error code for the catalyst is normal, you are throwing raw gas at it,
at least you know it works.
Keep driving it and you WILL kill it, at the very least overheat it
(Meltdown).
Increased backpressure did not kill the valve cover gaskets, anymore than a
bad wheel bearing would.
You wont see coolant weep if its going into #2, but it will cause a
misfire.....
Welcome to Subaru hell.....also known as the WONDERFUL 2.5L engine.Get used
to holes in your wallet, check engine lights on a lot and poor
drivability.This is a "PIG" of a engine design. You should be mad as hell
with Subaru.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Well poo.

At 108k looks like I'm in the market for new valve cover gaskets. The
car had been doing some goofy hesitation surging during onramp
acceleration. Fairly consistently betwwen 3000 and 4000 RPM, I'd get
a surge/hesitation where things just weren't smooth. You couldn't
maintain that rpm if you wanted to really, but once the upshift
occurred and you were back under 3k things seemed fine. It's been
doing this for oh about 2 months now. Finally I got a check engine
light that then cleared itself 2 days later.

A code read after the fact indicated it was a catalytic converter code
(can't remember if it was front or read). Since the CEL never came
back, I've been driving it for 2 months now.

Finally, yesterday, the hesitation/surge thing has really gotten
annoying, I got another check engine indication and took it my
mechanic this morning.

This time the code is MISFIRE CYLINDER #2, which made sense to what I
was feeling when driving.

We pull the (new as of 2.5 months ago) plug wire out of the hole and
find oil dripping down the snout of the wire. Dx: failed head
gasket cover, oil saturates wire, causes the arc and misfire when
engine's struggling under load.

We pulled a wire on the other side of the engine and there was a
little oil on it too indicating that side also need a new valve cover
gasket.

He'll be doing a full diagnostic to see if the coil was spared by the
arcing, also to a test to see if a catalytic converter issue that may
be causing increased back pressure that might've contributed to the
valve cover failure, and also doing a test to see if there are any
leaks in the dreaded head gasket. Thus far, I see no coolant weep and
the oil is not milky, but something caused this valve cover to leak
oil. Whatever it is beyond the valve cover gaskets themselves, it's
not gonna be a parking ticket worth of expense I'm afraid.

Anyone else been down this path?

Best Regards,

At that mileage you may very well need your first front O2 sensor. Not
uncommon on any modern vehicle.
And I have read of folks needing the 'tube'/whatever gaskets replaced in
the valve covers.
No, it probably won't be cheap.

Carl

 

[Todd H.]

On my 2001 2.5L Outback, I had a CEL with misfire on #2 with similar goofy
engine performance; turned out to be caused by leaky seals (not the valve
cover gasket itself) that were causing oil to get on the wires. I could wipe
the wire clean, and it would be fine for about a mile, until new leaked oil
made it perform poorly again.

Repair was to replace the seals on both sides (similar problem there; less
severe); no more misfires. Apparently this is common on Subies.

About 5000 miles later I had the head gasket seepage problem which was
covered under Subaru's extended warranty. I think it was unrelated to the
leaky seals.

Hi Jay,

Thanks for the experience. What do these trouble-prone seals seal?
I'm having trouble picturing them. Crank and cam seals?

 

[Todd H.]

Oil does NOT saturate wire,Neoprene/rubber and its seal around the shaft of
the ceramic stops Arc-over. The oil leak is not the cause of your
misfire.

So the fact that this particular cylinder that misfired had quite a
bit of oil on it is coincidence?

The valve cover gasket has failed due to CHEAP workmanship and/or material.
Coils do not fail due to arc-over or dead shorts.Look at it this way, the
plug gap is .030..the arc-over is over .250 or better and that's IF the plug
doesn't fire. You have other problems. ..
The error code for the catalyst is normal, you are throwing raw gas at it,
at least you know it works.

That's good.

Keep driving it and you WILL kill it, at the very least overheat it
(Meltdown).

"it" being the catalytic converter?

Increased backpressure did not kill the valve cover gaskets, anymore than a
bad wheel bearing would.

Any interdependency between this oil leakage and other problems
though?

 

[Todd H.]

Well poo.

At 108k looks like I'm in the market for new valve cover gaskets. The
car had been doing some goofy hesitation surging during onramp
acceleration. Fairly consistently betwwen 3000 and 4000 RPM, I'd get
a surge/hesitation where things just weren't smooth. You couldn't
maintain that rpm if you wanted to really, but once the upshift
occurred and you were back under 3k things seemed fine. It's been
doing this for oh about 2 months now. Finally I got a check engine
light that then cleared itself 2 days later.

A code read after the fact indicated it was a catalytic converter code
(can't remember if it was front or read). Since the CEL never came
back, I've been driving it for 2 months now.

Finally, yesterday, the hesitation/surge thing has really gotten
annoying, I got another check engine indication and took it my
mechanic this morning.

This time the code is MISFIRE CYLINDER #2, which made sense to what I
was feeling when driving.

We pull the (new as of 2.5 months ago) plug wire out of the hole and
find oil dripping down the snout of the wire. Dx: failed head
gasket cover, oil saturates wire, causes the arc and misfire when
engine's struggling under load.

We pulled a wire on the other side of the engine and there was a
little oil on it too indicating that side also need a new valve cover
gasket.

He'll be doing a full diagnostic to see if the coil was spared by the
arcing, also to a test to see if a catalytic converter issue that may
be causing increased back pressure that might've contributed to the
valve cover failure, and also doing a test to see if there are any
leaks in the dreaded head gasket. Thus far, I see no coolant weep and
the oil is not milky, but something caused this valve cover to leak
oil. Whatever it is beyond the valve cover gaskets themselves, it's
not gonna be a parking ticket worth of expense I'm afraid.

Anyone else been down this path?

The diagnostic tests have been completed. 107,800 on the odometer.
7,800 out of the extended warranty mind you.

Catalytic converter code that came and went away a while ago... and
the annoying rattle that was bugging me are all about a failing
plugged up cat. It's overheating because it's falling apart and
restricted.

This added heat is though perhaps to have hastened the demise of seals
in the engine. The valve cover gasket is presumed gone. An extended
test of the head gasket has revealed a breach, though not a huge one.
Something about a fluid test with some colored stuff, took 2 hours to
change in a 4hr test.

So looks like rebuilt heads in my future. Cost est ~$1800.

I'm pissed of course.

Will be calling Subaru tomorrow and inquiring about my magically
disintegrating engine magically 2 oil changes after warranty expires.


Anyone have success and what factors help getting them to do the right
thing here?

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

The diagnostic tests have been completed. 107,800 on the odometer.
7,800 out of the extended warranty mind you.

Catalytic converter code that came and went away a while ago... and
the annoying rattle that was bugging me are all about a failing
plugged up cat. It's overheating because it's falling apart and
restricted.

This added heat is though perhaps to have hastened the demise of seals
in the engine. The valve cover gasket is presumed gone. An extended
test of the head gasket has revealed a breach, though not a huge one.
Something about a fluid test with some colored stuff, took 2 hours to
change in a 4hr test.

So looks like rebuilt heads in my future. Cost est ~$1800.

I'm pissed of course.

Will be calling Subaru tomorrow and inquiring about my magically
disintegrating engine magically 2 oil changes after warranty expires.


Anyone have success and what factors help getting them to do the right
thing here?

If the 'zone manager' whoever doesn't seem to want to cover all of it -
sometimes they will cover the labor if you buy the parts.

You need to really decide BEFORE you meet witha anyone what you need
from them to be 'satisfied'. You're likely never gonna buy a Subaru
again - though I bought another Honda after having an early catastrophic
failure in a '78 - but what you think is the 'right' thing for them to
do. I assume you got good service from the vehicle until now? Anyway,
what's a 'reasonable' outcome here. Then stick to your decision. Ask for
names and the names of their immediate supervisors. Then get THAT guy's
boss's name if needed. Folks who threaten legal action usually never
follow through - but if that seems required, just ask for a contact in
their legal dept. and hand that info to your lawyer.

I HAVE read of folks getting 'good faith' coverage on major problems
just over the warranty period.

good luck

Carl

 

[Porgy Tirebiter]

The diagnostic tests have been completed. 107,800 on the odometer.
7,800 out of the extended warranty mind you.

Catalytic converter code that came and went away a while ago... and
the annoying rattle that was bugging me are all about a failing
plugged up cat. It's overheating because it's falling apart and
restricted.

This added heat is though perhaps to have hastened the demise of seals
in the engine. The valve cover gasket is presumed gone. An extended
test of the head gasket has revealed a breach, though not a huge one.
Something about a fluid test with some colored stuff, took 2 hours to
change in a 4hr test.

So looks like rebuilt heads in my future. Cost est ~$1800.

If it was coolant in #2 cylinder..that was your misfire, the raw
gas,(coolant DOES burn). This will drive the cat converter and O2 sensors
crazy.
Leaking valve covers are a byproduct. Engine heat should not have killed
them..
You have a right to be totally pissed off, this engine is a known "problem
child".

 

[Todd H.]

The diagnostic tests have been completed. 107,800 on the odometer.
7,800 out of the extended warranty mind you.

Catalytic converter code that came and went away a while ago... and
the annoying rattle that was bugging me are all about a failing
plugged up cat. It's overheating because it's falling apart and
restricted.

This added heat is though perhaps to have hastened the demise of seals
in the engine. The valve cover gasket is presumed gone. An extended
test of the head gasket has revealed a breach, though not a huge one.
Something about a fluid test with some colored stuff, took 2 hours to
change in a 4hr test.

So looks like rebuilt heads in my future. Cost est ~$1800.

I'm pissed of course.

Will be calling Subaru tomorrow and inquiring about my magically
disintegrating engine magically 2 oil changes after warranty expires.


Anyone have success and what factors help getting them to do the right
thing here?

I read some boards and call 800 SUBARU3 to talk to their case folks
and of course they want it at a subaru dealer to dx the car, for which
now there are state mandated tear-down costs they'll hit me with to do
I'm sure. in the end they may offer me free labor and hit me with the
crap subaru parts charge, and I may end up with more than $1800 going
to Subaru and I'll still have that lousy assed subaru head gasket
design in my engine rather than a 3rd party head gasket that stands a
chance of holding up. The head gasket breach is not huge and my car
isn't currently overheating though it is higher than normal, so I'm
unsure of how much Subaru will be willing to assist with this. I
highly doubt they'll replace my cat, seals and head gasket all on
their nickel.

Lousy situation to be in, I'd say.

I'd much rather pay my mechanic than Subaru, and I'm interested in a
fix that has minimal chance of recurring which means 3rd party head
gasket, and the only Subaru dealer I'd trust with the work is
exceedingly inconvenient to get to.

Yee hah.

Thanks all for the comiseration and advice. If the Subaru dealer near
me actually employed any techs over the age of 30, and I had more time
to shuttle my car around, I might spin the Subaru wheel of fortune, to
see what they'd offer, but might end up right back at my mechanic
anyway. What's so lame is that magically this stuff all started
happening right after my 100k 0 deductible extended warranty expired!
Grrr....

 

[Porgy Tirebiter]

I read some boards and call 800 SUBARU3 to talk to their case folks
and of course they want it at a subaru dealer to dx the car, for which
now there are state mandated tear-down costs they'll hit me with to do
I'm sure. in the end they may offer me free labor and hit me with the
crap subaru parts charge, and I may end up with more than $1800 going
to Subaru and I'll still have that lousy assed subaru head gasket
design in my engine rather than a 3rd party head gasket that stands a
chance of holding up. The head gasket breach is not huge and my car
isn't currently overheating though it is higher than normal, so I'm
unsure of how much Subaru will be willing to assist with this. I
highly doubt they'll replace my cat, seals and head gasket all on
their nickel.

Lousy situation to be in, I'd say.

I'd much rather pay my mechanic than Subaru, and I'm interested in a
fix that has minimal chance of recurring which means 3rd party head
gasket, and the only Subaru dealer I'd trust with the work is
exceedingly inconvenient to get to.

Yee hah.

Thanks all for the comiseration and advice. If the Subaru dealer near
me actually employed any techs over the age of 30, and I had more time
to shuttle my car around, I might spin the Subaru wheel of fortune, to
see what they'd offer, but might end up right back at my mechanic
anyway. What's so lame is that magically this stuff all started
happening right after my 100k 0 deductible extended warranty expired!
Grrr....

Well consider that ANY misfire will overheat the catalyst. At the very least
it will melt down and clog, worst case a fire can result.
I have seen Cats glow dull red when they get fuel thrown down the pipe.
That's a LOT of heat under the car. I strongly advise to NOT drive it if
it's not hitting on all holes....

 

[Chicobiker]

I'd much rather pay my mechanic than Subaru, and I'm interested in a
fix that has minimal chance of recurring which means 3rd party head
gasket, and the only Subaru dealer I'd trust with the work is
exceedingly inconvenient to get to.

Just something to think about:

Do you really expect to keep this car beyond ANOTHER 100k miles? If
not, it shouldn't matter to you wether the new gasket is a genuine
Subaru or a 3rd party. That was my logic when I just paid to get my
viscous coupling replaced. What if I only get another 140k kms out of
this one? Not too concerned as I probably won't have the car that
long anyway.

Sucks though. I found a little oil on my spark plug wires almost 50k
kms ago, but nothing came out of it. I checked again another time and
it didn't seem to be oily this time. I was planning on waiting until
my timing belt change, but the tech told me it wouldn't save any
labour to wait until then.

Chico

 

[Todd H.]

Well consider that ANY misfire will overheat the catalyst. At the very least
it will melt down and clog, worst case a fire can result.
I have seen Cats glow dull red when they get fuel thrown down the pipe.
That's a LOT of heat under the car. I strongly advise to NOT drive it if
it's not hitting on all holes....

No worries.

It's not goin anywhere until its heads are rebuilt with new head
gasket and all those fun seals, and a new cat installed. I guess
that's part of modicum of feel good math I'm doin on this $1800
experience!

Beats the $2600 we started with before my mechanic tried a different
parts supplier, decided against remanufactured heads deciding instead
to do the rebuild himself and flat rated some items for me that he has
a history of gettin done in under book hours.

Let's hope she's a happy car on Friday.

 

[Todd H.]

Just something to think about:

Do you really expect to keep this car beyond ANOTHER 100k miles?

From what I've been reading, you can't necessarily expect a Subaru
replaced head gasket to go another 100k is part of the happy
justification I'm trying to sell myself.

If not, it shouldn't matter to you wether the new gasket is a
genuine Subaru or a 3rd party. That was my logic when I just paid
to get my viscous coupling replaced. What if I only get another
140k kms out of this one? Not too concerned as I probably won't
have the car that long anyway.

It's a good point of consideration.

If I had any 100% confidence Subaru would take care 100% of the repair
if I take it from the mechanic I like all the way over to em and tear
my engine apart and then make a decision, then I'd probably do that.

I was stuck with moderate confidence and leaning to the likely event
they'd say the head gasket wasn't leaking badly enough to take too
much responsibilitity, they'd have my car in pieces and if I wanted it
back unfixed they'd still hit me with a tear down fee, meanwhile it's
25 miles from the guy I want to pay to fix it if it's going to cost
even a few hundred bucks out of pocket, and I'm out a day of rental
car and headache in theprocess.

Lets Subaru off the hook which doesn't make me happy though.

I'm under the delusion if I fix this, then I might get another 100k out
of the car with relatively little drama.

 

[houndman]

Well poo.

At 108k looks like I'm in the market for new valve cover gaskets. The
car had been doing some goofy hesitation surging during onramp
acceleration. Fairly consistently betwwen 3000 and 4000 RPM, I'd get
a surge/hesitation where things just weren't smooth. You couldn't
maintain that rpm if you wanted to really, but once the upshift
occurred and you were back under 3k things seemed fine. It's been
doing this for oh about 2 months now. Finally I got a check engine
light that then cleared itself 2 days later.

A code read after the fact indicated it was a catalytic converter code
(can't remember if it was front or read). Since the CEL never came
back, I've been driving it for 2 months now.

Finally, yesterday, the hesitation/surge thing has really gotten
annoying, I got another check engine indication and took it my
mechanic this morning.

This time the code is MISFIRE CYLINDER #2, which made sense to what I
was feeling when driving.

We pull the (new as of 2.5 months ago) plug wire out of the hole and
find oil dripping down the snout of the wire. Dx: failed head
gasket cover, oil saturates wire, causes the arc and misfire when
engine's struggling under load.

We pulled a wire on the other side of the engine and there was a
little oil on it too indicating that side also need a new valve cover
gasket.

He'll be doing a full diagnostic to see if the coil was spared by the
arcing, also to a test to see if a catalytic converter issue that may
be causing increased back pressure that might've contributed to the
valve cover failure, and also doing a test to see if there are any
leaks in the dreaded head gasket. Thus far, I see no coolant weep and
the oil is not milky, but something caused this valve cover to leak
oil. Whatever it is beyond the valve cover gaskets themselves, it's
not gonna be a parking ticket worth of expense I'm afraid.

Anyone else been down this path?

Best Regards,

Are the valve cover bolts loose?

VF

 

[Jay Alperson]

Hey Todd,

Curious folks want to know what happened. Did you get it fixed? What was
the problem?

 

[Todd H.]

Hey Todd,

Curious folks want to know what happened. Did you get it fixed? What was
the problem?

Valve cover gasket failed, catalytic converter blocked, internal
head gasket leak.

My heads rebuilt and new head gaskets along with new cat for $1800
(independent mechanic) seemed like a deal. I think Subaru dealers
want $1900 for a head gasket alone (dunno if it involves rebuilding
the heads and their associated seals or not).

Plus, I wanted an aftermarket head gasket, which rolling the dice at
the Subaru dealer to see if they'd cover me at 107k for an internal
leak would never have gotten me.


Best Regards,

 

[M.J.]

Valve cover gasket failed, catalytic converter blocked, internal
head gasket leak.

My heads rebuilt and new head gaskets along with new cat for $1800
(independent mechanic) seemed like a deal. I think Subaru dealers
want $1900 for a head gasket alone (dunno if it involves rebuilding
the heads and their associated seals or not).

Plus, I wanted an aftermarket head gasket, which rolling the dice at
the Subaru dealer to see if they'd cover me at 107k for an internal
leak would never have gotten me.

Out of curiosity, regarding the head gasket issue, could you tell what
your driving habits were? Most miles were highway, or city? Frequent
start-ups? Lead foot perhaps, or were you generally gentle with the revs.
I am very interested whether the car was garaged, and was the coolant
changed regularly, and what kind of gas were you using. Do you yourself
have any hint as to what might have contributed to the early failure. Low
on oil incident perhaps etc. Anything?

I blew my camshaft seals on a very old Hyundai last year when
I decided to put straight 60 weight oil in it, to help it pass emissions
testing. It was stupid of me, but it worked several years in a row
before, and I always quickly switched back to normal viscosity
oil afterwards. Well, several cans of sealant later and the leak is
under control, ...kind of.

M.J.

 

[Todd H.]

Out of curiosity, regarding the head gasket issue, could you tell what
your driving habits were? Most miles were highway, or city? Frequent
start-ups? Lead foot perhaps, or were you generally gentle with the revs.
I am very interested whether the car was garaged, and was the coolant
changed regularly, and what kind of gas were you using. Do you yourself
have any hint as to what might have contributed to the early
failure.

I'm led to conclude only:

Lousy design with known problems, and now I know why Consumer
Reports has a big black dot for engine mechanical in the 2001
column in the used car guide for teh 2.5L Outback. My survey
to them when I submit it this year may make it blacker.

Low on oil incident perhaps etc. Anything?

Never. Bought the car new. I'm an anal retentive engineer who was
reluctant to spend that much on a new car, so it was babied. Oil
changed every 3k-5k, 5w30 MObil full synthetic often, though I'm
changing to 10w30 on the advice of my mechanic. Factory filters every
time. I am not an aggressive driver--married guy with a kid. Car
rather dutifully maintained with all scheduled maintenance (my 90k
service I had done a little late) and I was into the dealer getting
the coolant conditioner installed within a week of receiving the
recall notice way back when. Successive coolant changes included the
conditioner. I had a 100k 0deductible extended warranty and had no
hints of problems until after 105k magically.

Most mileage was highway. I do have frequent short trips here lately,
but that's only in the past year. I do not have a daily commute. The
car was always garaged through its entire lifespan.

The only possible negative is that I I use 87 octane fuel and don't
obsess about who sells it to me. Most gas this car used over its life
was from Citgo. In the past year or so, Clark and Amoco.

The head gasket failure was not a dramatic event. It was evidently a
small internal leak discovered on diagnostic after discovery of a
valve cover gasket oil leak that was contributing to cylinder 2
misfires. During the diagnostic where a dye is involved and
circulated through the cooland system, the color change took 2 hours
out of the 4 allotted for the test. In large breaches, the color
change evidently occurs very quickly.

In hind sight, my advice to other owners is to be very cognizant of
coolant usage. I recall refilling my coolant refill bottle once
around 95k and not thinking much of it. Knowing what I know now, I'd
have had it into the dealer demanding explanation as to why my car was
using coolant.

Best Regards,

 

[M.J.]

I'm led to conclude only:

Lousy design with known problems, and now I know why Consumer
Reports has a big black dot for engine mechanical in the 2001
column in the used car guide for teh 2.5L Outback. My survey
to them when I submit it this year may make it blacker.


Never. Bought the car new. I'm an anal retentive engineer who was
reluctant to spend that much on a new car, so it was babied. Oil
changed every 3k-5k, 5w30 MObil full synthetic often, though I'm
changing to 10w30 on the advice of my mechanic. Factory filters every
time. I am not an aggressive driver--married guy with a kid. Car
rather dutifully maintained with all scheduled maintenance (my 90k
service I had done a little late) and I was into the dealer getting
the coolant conditioner installed within a week of receiving the
recall notice way back when. Successive coolant changes included the
conditioner. I had a 100k 0deductible extended warranty and had no
hints of problems until after 105k magically.

Most mileage was highway. I do have frequent short trips here lately,
but that's only in the past year. I do not have a daily commute. The
car was always garaged through its entire lifespan.

The only possible negative is that I I use 87 octane fuel and don't
obsess about who sells it to me. Most gas this car used over its life
was from Citgo. In the past year or so, Clark and Amoco.

The head gasket failure was not a dramatic event. It was evidently a
small internal leak discovered on diagnostic after discovery of a
valve cover gasket oil leak that was contributing to cylinder 2
misfires. During the diagnostic where a dye is involved and
circulated through the cooland system, the color change took 2 hours
out of the 4 allotted for the test. In large breaches, the color
change evidently occurs very quickly.

In hind sight, my advice to other owners is to be very cognizant of
coolant usage. I recall refilling my coolant refill bottle once
around 95k and not thinking much of it. Knowing what I know now, I'd
have had it into the dealer demanding explanation as to why my car was
using coolant.

Thanks for your reply and good advice.

No doubt it is a blunder on Subaru's part. Good luck with the new head
gasket and please have a look at the thread titled "2008 Coolant
Conditioner."
I mention there several things that I believe may help, at least a bit, to
avoid
this problem.

M.J.