subaru head gasket problems

hitoyou

If a car is leaking oil, is it time to replace the head gasket, etc. even though the mileage is only 65,800? The car is 9 1/2 years old.

Mr_Shiftright

That depends on the exact source of the leak. A trip on the lift could determine if you have a head gasket leak (sometimes the Subaru 2.5L engine will leak *externally* from the head) or if you just have a cam cover leak or some such. Head gasket failure at 65K is low, even for the 2.5L

hitoyou

Thank You! I will have it put on the lift tomorrow.

thecardoc3

A leak at the front of the engine from underneath the timing cover might be from the oil pump to block seal. Additional locations inside the timing cover are the crankshaft and camshaft seals. If the leak is at the rear of the engine, you may have a rear main seal leaking or the PCV vapor separator. These engines can develop external head gasket leaks. Depending on how much oil is hanging everywhere, cleaning to identify active leaks or the use of a fluorescent dye might be in order.