89 Subaru GL sedan leaking oil
Erica Miller
a great car, but my last trip to the mechanic suggests I might have some
very big repair
costs. I took it in to get the oil changed and check for leaks. The mechanic
said it was leaking oil from many places - The recommendation was, "Needs
head gaskets
(quote $1,200 includes head gasket set, timing belts, oil pump seal,
thermostat, radiator. Plus any head work that needs to be done)." I'm very
ignorant when it comes
to repair costs, so I'm hoping someone can give me some advice. The main
question is whether I should get it fixed or start looking for a new car.
Is this a car that can usually last for many more miles if repaired?
Do these repair costs seem high? Does anyone have recommendations for
another type of repair?
I'm pretty poor, but I would consider financing a new car instead of
continuing to pay for repairs if my Subaru is probably on its way out. :(
Thank you!
Ed Rachner
GL wagon--essentially the same car you have--with 210,000 miles on it and I
plan to keep it for a long time yet. The oil you see in your model
generally is coming out the valve covers--a relatively minor repair. If you
haven't replaced the timing belts, you are one lucky dude--should be done
every 60,000 miles BEFORE they break and leave you stranded. When the
timing belts are done, seals and such should be inspected and replaced as
needed; replace the oil pump seal then because it needs it. Unless you're
having overheating problems I don't understand why you would need a new
radiator or thermostat. Head gasket set! No reason to replace them since
they typically last over 200K miles unless you overheat the engine. The
last time I had the timing belts replaced on my car, it included all seals,
a new oil pump, and whatever else needed to be done while it was that far
apart and the bill came to less than $650 (done by an independent Subaru
shop with three mechanics with a total of 50 years experience on only
Subaru's--if you live near Seattle I'll give you their location; they do
excellent work at fair prices. You might try the Subaru message board for
more opinions from Subaru owners. Look for
http://server2.ezboard.com/bultimatesubarumessageboards.
Good luck and definitely shop around some more. Your car is good for many
more miles with the proper care.
"Erica Miller" <ericaj...@home.com> wrote in message
news:FfKG6.73919$xN4.5...@news1.sttls1.wa.home.com...
Bill Putney
the oil typically leaks out of - front and rear main seals for two). Ed's right
also about timing belts - they're not something you ignore until they break -
they're done as part of routine maintenance (I wish they'd figure out a way to
use timing chains or, even better timing gears - the gears would last the life
of the car. I resent the car makers designing something in that is guaranteed
to cause moderately significant expense and downtime every 60k miles - but
almost all cars these days have timing belts. But we consumers are partly at
fault, because we would buy the competitor's car rather than pay a few hundred
dolllars of initial cost for a more expensive engine.) rant off
CHECK YOUR PCV VALVE - a non operating one can cause oil to leak in an otherwise
good engine (not saying that that is the problem, but it should be ruled out or
in before going to possibly unnecessary expense).
I have an '86 GL10 wagon with original engine and original turbo at 260k miles.
I will say that Subarus are more prone to oil leaks than all other cars that
I've owned.
Did the mechanic give you any reason he suspects that you need a radiator?
Radiators *do* get clogged on Subarus, but you don't spend $150-200 just for the
heck of it. What does your engine temperature gauge say? If it's not
approaching the red under worst-case conditions (i..e., hot day, a.c. going full
blast), then it would be a waste of money. Head gaskets? Unless he can show
you some evidence that they need replacing, don't do it.
Not saying your mechanic is giving you a line, but he at least owes you some
plausible evidence of these conclusions he's come to, and you owe him the
opportunity to give you those explanations by asking him to. It is possible
that your radiator clogged, overheated your engine, and warped the heads (if he
is familiar with Subarus, he might also suspect cracked heads under that
scenario) and that he's being upfront with you but doesn't think you want to be
bothered with an explanation. Again, I agree with Ed - get a second opinion -
unless he can show you some good evidence of his conclusions.
BTW, if you do end up having to replace the radiator and heads, after your
wallet has gotten lighter, post back and we'll tell you how to make your new
radiator (and therefore your heads) last forever with very little effort.
This is why I work on my own cars as long as I'm able too. I'll never have to
wonder if I'm getting ripped off, and I can anticipate problems early and fix
things before they ripple into major expenses. (Although I did have to repalce
my radiator and heads before I became so smart.) 8^)
Ed Rachner wrote:
> I think at the very least you need to get a second opinion...
Ed Rachner
shouldn't be leaking at 89,000 miles. Good luck with your car; it's
certainly too early to "put it down."
"Bill Putney" <bpu...@hovac.com> wrote in message
news:3AEC17CC...@hovac.com...
Jonathan
Like the others have said... there's a good chance the oil is coming from
the cam and main seals and oil pump o-rings, easy to replace when you have
the timng belts replaced. The oil leaks down and back and can look like
head, oilpan, or valvecover gasket leaks. I just had my timing belt break
and found a garage two blocks down the road that offered to do the belts for
$180 and the seals for another $50.
They didn't specialize in subarus so I decided to get towed home and do the
job myself.
I'm right in the middle of that project now and it's going good.
So, how do I make my new radiator last forever? Distilled water and
silicate and phosphate-free coolent?
Bill Putney
Jonathan wrote:
> ...So, how do I make my new radiator last forever? Distilled water and
> silicate and phosphate-free coolent?