brus brother

Thanks Ido... I do have the FSM, but "rocker cover" gasket nomenclature wasn't what I expected. They don't mention any sealant but then again, they don't mention that you need to be a circus oddity to get your hands down into those spaces. Instructions: "remove" and "replace". Thanks Captain Fuji Obvious. I may end up tweaking the engine up a bit. I am in the rust belt but am blessed with an oil soaked undercarriage due to mild drivers side HG leak and passenger side top rear HG leak. Lucky me! I will borrow up a 6 point socket before customizing the engine mount nut with my 12 point junk. The left "rocker cover" gasket is a serious leaker now so stand by for a full report on the adventure. @Moosens, yes I retired! I am finding crossover usage of my old tools. If you stop by we can experiment with channel locks and oil filter wrenches for all your dental needs ;-)

sir toke what model and year?

one video I watched suggested using gasket maker sealant when placing the gasket in the valve cover. is this factory spec or just belts and suspenders and to make sure the gasket doesn't get dislodged when reinserting the valve cover? I bought the FelPro gasket set.

Friendly subie tech said loosen the passenger motor mount remove the driver motor mount and tilt the motor. My plan is to remove the oil soaked shield below the engine bay and see if I can access the rear lower vc bolt and wiggle the cover out without disassembling too much else. As a retired dentist, I am used to working in tight spaces and never considered the option to remove the ear to work on a back tooth. ;-)

spoke too soon still leaking. gasket is probably smushed and no longer sealing. hold onto my ankles, I'm going in!

05 outback 200K miles puddling oil. Yes I have had external HG leaks for quite some time but all of a sudden, there was a lot of oil leaking. Watched a number of videos on replacing the valve cover gasket and plug seals. Today I investigated how tight the quarters are for my fat hands and to my amazement, the lower front bolt on the drivers side was so loose I could turn more than one full turn by hand! Checked other bolts and they seem OK (alright, I didn't get to the lower rear bolt). Will check that another day. Fingers crossed that fixes the leak... for now.

teach an old dog new tricks! never thought of the PB Blaster trick. also, is it better to try removing plugs while engine is warm?

Well for $5.33 for the part that you linked, it seems you should upgrade from the penny/gorilla tape as you might want a more permanent fix. Check with local Subie dealers in Tucson if any are close to you to avoid shipping charges? E BAY listing HERE with free shipping for $5.27 Otherwise for the link you posted, shipping may be more than the part cost! Looks like about $10 shipping!! Good work on noodling through the problem.

subarupartsforyou.com

Same issue on 96 Imprezza Outback click HERE In the link above, Sea#3 mentions another possible location of problem, but after brake switch replaced (twice incorrectly) and finally using correct part matched by VIN # all is well in Subieland. 305,000 miles is impressive. Welcome to the Board.

Doris. You might not want to tackle the switch but the above video will give you an idea of what is involved.

While they could be two separate issues, I'm liking Rampage's idea above. If the rear brake lights are on due to the brake light switch being stuck, this would also deactivate cruise control I don't really cruise much but I recall that when you step on the brake, the car will disengage cruise. Poor lil Subie thinks ya got your foot on the brake pedal. Switch broken = rear brake lights on + no cruise Mathematicological problem solved ;-)

not a subaru but I think you are heading in the right direction.

first thing to check is the rocker switch on top of the steering column. If it is in the on position, the marker lights will stay on. It's a European thing. Here it is just used to kill your battery if you hit it by mistake. Try throwing the switch and see if the lights go out.

do you want metric or standard value?

try spraying a little water around the wires with the engine running esp. at night and see if there are any sparkly lights had the same issue a few months ago on my 08 when it was exceptionally damp in my cold garage ran rough and code issued it hasn't recurred.

Thanks all and thanks Mitchy for the tip on using the screwdriver wedged into the tubing to keep it on the straight and narrow when inserting spark plugs into the abyss. Great trick.

Again, what year, and model???? There are excellent youtube videos on how to completely tear down and reassemble SOHC and DOHC Subaru engines. Click on either SOHC or DOHC links above and have at it. Here's another LINK to a great one for SOHC

major issues?? I prefer no issues. Were there any? That drivers side looks like a real pain and I'd rather not have to revisit it.

anyone try the felpro gaskets with success??

thanks for posting what did you use to clean the engine? mine too is a mess.

Is there adequate clearance to remove and replace the valve cover gaskets without raising the engine on a 2005 Outback AT?

Other than genuine Subaru can we please start and continually update a sticky that promotes acceptable kits or combination of genuine SOA (i.e. belt) with other kit components. It can also contain warnings of bad experiences. I recall Gates had good ratings until made in China appeared stamped on parts marketed as made in Japan. I am also old enough to recall when "made In Japan" was a mark of junk! If the consensus is to go genuine Subaru all the way, then will start hunting down least expensive vendors, while taking care to somehow avoid the knock-offs as have surfaced with NGK plugs.

dang the troll got me! good catch h