02 outback head gaskets ?

[Michael R Kirschner]

I think I have been hit with the head gasket demon. I was doing my o/f
change yesterday and I always check the underside of the engine while
I'm down there . Well I noticed some weeping liquid coming from the
driverside head gasket .Around the # 4 cylinder .It is mostly on the
back side and bottom of the block by the firewall. It is a very little
amount not enough to run down the block and drip on the ground . I
can't tell what it is because it is black in color and feels gritty
probable from picking up road dirt and sand from the beaches here . It
almost looks like when you drop some oil while filling up you car and
you don't clean it up ,it attracts the dirt and grime from the road .
I then checked all the other areas and found no other weeping. I don't
have to add any oil between changes . I am not losing any coolant and
I don't have any overheating problems .I have checked the coolant tank
after driving it appears normal . Is this normal for them to weep
alittle or is it the start of head gasket problems . I have a 02
outback 2.5l 4eat with 37k miles on it .


Mike k

 

[Marc Soloway]

Generally, when the head gasket goes, you smell the antifreeze burning. Are
you sure that you are not talking about a front main seal?

 

[Michael R Kirschner]

..I was able to stop by my dealer today on my way home from work to
have them look at my heads (lol).Well the mechanic and I are becoming
quite friendly these past couple of months . I was able to finally
have them change my timing belt tensioner last month .
Any way back to my heads . The mechanic put the car on the lift and I
showed him were i saw the leak . ON my car you can see better from the
top of the engine .Mine were leaking from the back and bottom of the
block around the # 4 cylinder. When I showed him it said ohh well
whats another one when I do about 2 a week .He said that I caught mine
early because the gasket didn't fail around the coolant jacket . Mine
was only leaking oil. He is going to call SOA and see if he can
autherize to have both of my heads done , since he has to pull the
engine anyway.He said that there seems to be a problem with the late
01 model builds and the early 02 model builds . Mine 02 outback was
built in 6/01.I'm dropping the car off next Monday and he said it will
only take 1 day which seems kinda short to me .

How long did it take to have your head gaskets done . For the people
on here that have had this problem .
Thanks
Mike k

 

[Jeff]

Where do you find the built date? Thanks Jeff

.I was able to stop by my dealer today on my way home from work to
have them look at my heads (lol).Well the mechanic and I are becoming
quite friendly these past couple of months . I was able to finally
have them change my timing belt tensioner last month .
Any way back to my heads . The mechanic put the car on the lift and I
showed him were i saw the leak . ON my car you can see better from the
top of the engine .Mine were leaking from the back and bottom of the
block around the # 4 cylinder. When I showed him it said ohh well
whats another one when I do about 2 a week .He said that I caught mine
early because the gasket didn't fail around the coolant jacket . Mine
was only leaking oil. He is going to call SOA and see if he can
autherize to have both of my heads done , since he has to pull the
engine anyway.He said that there seems to be a problem with the late
01 model builds and the early 02 model builds . Mine 02 outback was
built in 6/01.I'm dropping the car off next Monday and he said it will
only take 1 day which seems kinda short to me .

How long did it take to have your head gaskets done . For the people
on here that have had this problem .
Thanks
Mike k

"Marc Soloway" <(e-mail address removed)> wrote in message

 

[Debra Co]

Where do you find the built date? Thanks Jeff
I think it's on the driver door jamb. But I don't remember exactly. I have an
early '02 OBW. I think it was built in 8/01. It has 33K miles on it. And
it's a 6 cyl. Should I watch out for head gasket problems? What symptoms
should I look for?

 

[Jeff]

I checked there no date. Not sure if it involves the 6 cyl.

 

[Verbs Under My Gel]

I think it's on the driver door jamb. But I don't remember exactly. I have an
early '02 OBW. I think it was built in 8/01. It has 33K miles on it. And
it's a 6 cyl. Should I watch out for head gasket problems? What symptoms
should I look for?

Any of the following can be symtomatic of head gasket failure
(probably not an exhaustive list):

1.) White, steamy exhaust, even after warm-up (coolant entering
combustion chamber)
2.) Coolant mixing with oil, making a milky oil-water emulsion of the
oil (check your oil, and check the underside of the oil filler cap)
3.) Oil mixing with coolant (have a look at your coolant expansion
tank)
4.) External leaks (the coolant will boil off, leaving a chalky
residue, or drip on something hot...you'll smell it)

Having said that, I haven't heard of any H6 head gasket failures yet.
If you're really curious, give an indy Subaru mechanic a call and ask
if she's seen any (I don't think a dealer's service department will be
honest about this).

One last thing that cannot be stressed enough: _never_ allow a Subaru
engine to overheat. If you see the needle start to climb toward the
upper limit, pull off and stop the engine at once. Subaru engines
(and all-aluminum engines in general) don't tolerate overheating.