Topic: Subaru Head Gasket Problem

[Blue01]

The other day I noticed some coolant on the ground under the '01 Legacy.  I also noticed a sweet smell after I shut the engine off as well as steam coming up from the engine.
A mechanic diagnosed it as the rear left side head gasket leaking.  Oh sh!t.
And the cost will be $2500 plus tax. I did a search on the net and found that this problem is common with the 2.5 engine, and the price quoted is in the ballpark.
A furthur search found a Subaru service bulletin #WWP-99 from 2004 that recommended adding Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner.  This can be added to prevent or correct existing leaks.


http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html

Reading this article leaves me with the impression that this is all that is required.
Those of you with Subaru experience, have you encountered this head gasket problem, and have any of you heard of the Subaru Service Bulletin fix?

One more thing: does this repair recommended by Subaru sound familiar to "Steel Seal"?

[rrocket]

Steel Seal is the shizzle!  I would have never believed this stuff works...but it does!

You have nothing to lose.....might as well get the Steel Seal now and see what happens...

[articsteve]

I've sealed head gasket leaks permanently with Irontite.  Steel Seal is probably similar.  Did the leak get into the engine oil?   

[articsteve]

And when you dump it in your cooling system block off the hoses running to your heater core first

[rrocket]

After reading up on the Subaru Coolant Conditioner, it I'm not sure it's the same as Steel Seal....since it's recommended use every time coolant is changed.  And it's the exact same formulation as Holt's RadWeld from what I read.

[rrocket]

I've sealed head gasket leaks permanently with Irontite.  Steel Seal is probably similar.  Did the leak get into the engine oil?   

Oh yea!!!  Irontite!!  Forgot about that one.  It works also.


As for the Steel Seal...nothing special to do.  Pour it in the rad, start car, turn heat to full and fan to full...let car run for ~30 minutes.  Done.

[johngenx]

I've used it in my 01 Forester forever now, and my head gasket is perfectly dry at 300K.  It's the only way on pre 2005 engines, and it works.

Have you been doing the service work yourself?  Anyone that routinely services Scoobs knows to add the "conditioner" to the coolant.  You can siphon off 250cc of the coolant and dump the bottle in, but I recommend refreshing the coolant and then add the Subaru stuff.

This is only if the gasket leak is external, which 99% of failures on the Phase II SOHC engine are.  The Phase I DOHC engine fails internally, grenading the engine.  If you have an internal leak, the Subaru conditioner won't solve it.

Don't have a dealer do the HG if you decide to have it done.  They overcharge by a LOT.  Like $1000-1500 too much.  A good indie shop will do as good, or better of a job, and charge much less.

[rrocket]

^^Did you add the Subaru stuff BEFORE you had a leak as a preventative?  Or after you had a leak?

[johngenx]

^^Did you add the Subaru stuff BEFORE you had a leak as a preventative?  Or after you had a leak?

The best way is to use it early as preventative maintenance.  I've been using it forever in this way, and no leak.  I know a couple guys that caught their leak early and used it to solve it.  The Subaru stuff works best used before the leak, but can work to fix it too.

[Trainman]

Everything that John said above.  No harm in trying the leak stop stuff but when you get it fixed make sure you use the conditioner.

As for a good Scoobi mechanic in Yak, that may be tough to find, good luck!

[articsteve]

If the Irontite (stop leak) works, then you need to flush the cooling system well because that stuff is hard on water pumps, thermostats.  Then use the conditioner.

[rrocket]

If the Irontite (stop leak) works, then you need to flush the cooling system well because that stuff is hard on water pumps, thermostats.  Then use the conditioner.

Really?  What's in it?  I know the Steel Easy is fine with them..

[articsteve]

Products make a slew of claims.  If you have a product that will fill a crack in a head gasket and then solidify and last years I doubt thats great for a water pump bearing.

Coolant conditioners lubricate water pumps and keep the ph level in the system in check so they are totally safe.  However they are not stop leak products.  Bars Leak is probably the only stop leak product that can stop a rad leak and still not damage a water pump.  It's pretty greasy.  However, it can stick a thermostat.  It can clog an old calcified heater core.

I see Irontite now comes in two forms.  One you can't even mix with anti freeze and the second might be the original stuff.  The original stuff which sells for half the new ceramic stuff doesn't work on rads.  It's too "fine" for the lack of and better word just like Bars Leak will never fill a crack in a head gasket because it's to "thick".

Once the leak is fixed, if it works that is, I dump the crap out and refill.  You win a major victory and then 2 days later your heater core clogs up and you're owned.

   

[Blue01]

Well I just got home from work, stopped at the Subaru dealer and picked up their conditioner, $10.15+, stopped by the indie garage that had the car and took it home.  The conditioner goes in tomorrow.
The dealer said that they put it in my car in 2007, 40,000 km ago!  It's definitely time to do it again if it's not too late.  He also said that they put this in every Subaru that comes through the garage.  Does that mean that Subaru is still not confident about their head gaskets?
Hopefully this little trick works, 'cause there's no way I'm ready to part with close to $3,000.

Thanks for all the responses.  It looks like we were all thinking along the same lines.

[articsteve]

It looks like we were all thinking along the same lines

Not me.  Subaru conditioner for 10 bucks is just that, a coolant conditioner.  You need a Gasket SEALER.  If the Subaru conditioner doesn't work, don't despair.  Get yourself a bottle of Irontite "All Weather Seal" which I think is what the original was.  Expect to pay $25.  You need quite a bit of room in the cooling system to get the whole bottle in.  Nothing worse than thinking there is room and then finding out you can only get 2/3 of the bottle in. 
You can't just add it to the coolant tank.  It's got to go right into the system and then drive for 30 minutes, but don't go to far.


http://www.irontite.com/

[Blue01]

If the Subaru conditioner doesn't work, I will try a gasket sealer.
But something that has not been mentioned is what if it's only the gasket?  Could the gasket be replaced and solve the problem?  There does not appear to be any coolant in the oil, so I would assume that the leak is only external.  If that's the case, should I consider just the gasket, or do Subarus require the bigger job?

[rrocket]

If the Subaru conditioner doesn't work, I will try a gasket sealer.
But something that has not been mentioned is what if it's only the gasket?  Could the gasket be replaced and solve the problem?  There does not appear to be any coolant in the oil, so I would assume that the leak is only external.  If that's the case, should I consider just the gasket, or do Subarus require the bigger job?

But you'd still have to pull the head off to get to the gasket.  Or am I not understanding your question?

[jamie1]

If the Subaru conditioner doesn't work, I will try a gasket sealer.
But something that has not been mentioned is what if it's only the gasket?  Could the gasket be replaced and solve the problem?  There does not appear to be any coolant in the oil, so I would assume that the leak is only external.  If that's the case, should I consider just the gasket, or do Subarus require the bigger job?

Not familiar with Subaru's , but that is what was diagnosed was the head GASKET. And on Subaru's it is a fairly big job because the engine is a boxer. I'm sure you would want to have BOTH head gaskets done. I've never tried the irontite before, but if articsteve says it works, I would trust him. Really, you have nothing to lose.

[articsteve]

Ya, the Irontite is a HAIL MARY.  I've moved away from the "Irontite" flavour of vehicles  , so I'm not up to date with the actual Irontite bottles currently on the market as there used to be the only one which was easy to use; just like dumping in Bars Leak (which will not fix a head gasket).

Good luck.  Keep the revs up or drive around the block for 20 minutes.  Make sure you have plenty of room in the cooling system.  It's probably 16 ounces which is a lot if you are pouring it directly into the upper rad hose and then reconnecting.  Easiest is the rad cap directly on the rad, but many motors don't have that setup.