Hi All,

 

I've run into another issue with my 98 OBW that I am hoping you might have some thoughts on.

 

About two years ago at 128K the car blew a HG. There were other issues with the engine so I had a shop install a remanufactured engine. I have had it back in the shop for a variety of oil leaks, but for the most part things have been going pretty well with the car. It runs fine and the engine is strong.

 

I noticed recently that it seems to be loosing coolant. It has lost about 1/2 gallon of coolant in the past month. I've checked all the hoses and I don't see any sign of leaks.

 

I do see steam coming out of the tailpipe even when the car is warm. It does appear to be steam and not white smoke as it disapates quickly. I suspect that is where my coolant is going. The car has is not over heating, I don't see any sign of water in the oil or under the filler cap, and I don't see the gunk in the coolant overflow that I found with the original headgasket leak.

 

So question is this...is it possible to have a headgasket leak where the only symptoms seem to be coolant loss through the tailpipe?

yes, but i would expect it to steam a good amount while it was warmin up but sound like it only does it for a second by what you are saying

Yes it's possible, seen it plenty of times. You won't find a "stock" EJ25 engine doing this though - it would be an artifact of the remanufactured engine. Either their process or gaskets were sub-par.

 

What are the details of the reman'ed engine? Complete rebuild or what? From who? No warranty?

 

That being said - having a remann'ed engine installed only to have oil leaks and coolant loss - sounds like you got hosed by the remanned engine company. I would suggest doing some more research next time...like you're doing right now...in the future.

 

Good luck and maybe you'll get lucky and it's something simple.

It has been steaming quite a bit and the coolant loss seems to be getting worse.

 

The engine came from Jasper. I believe it was a complete rebuild. It has a 3 year/100K warranty so all the previous repairs were covered...and I expect this to be covered as well if it is a head gasket. I just figured I would check with the brain trust before bringing it in again.

 

The shop that put it in has had success with these engines in the past. I guess I just didn't get so lucky.

 

Thanks!

Wow that sucks. Too late but there are better options than Jasper, but that's a nice warranty if they come through for you. Hope they do.

 

If you have any say in the matter - request Subaru headgaskets, I would be Jasper doesn't use those.