brus brother Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 (edited) My father-in-law arrived in his 2002 Legacy GT having just noticed temp gauge had hit the red zone. He turned on the heater (smart guy) and it came down and he drove the last mile or two here. I put in about a gallon of water and drove it around. There is a slow drip near the bottom, passenger side about an inch behind the timing cover at the area where I suppose the thermostat calls home. Is this how a faulty water pump rears its ugly little head? Edited March 29, 2011 by brus brother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 radiator hose pinhole? or headgasket let go. a gallon is a lot of water to add. The system doesn't hold much more than that to begin with total capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 HG gasket leak a small drip, like one every 5 seconds? I couldn't see a pinhole leak and it appears it was dripping at the interface and not from a hose. I am under the impression that this vintage external leak was usually behind #1, driver's side rear. It's really tight under there and I didn't have any ramps to get a better look. He drove the car home 60 mph for about an hour and didn't overheat... yet. He knows enough to keep an eye on the gauge and water level till it goes into the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 Right you were. Head gaskets were leaking. Dealer had the car torn down before I asked them about a bottle (or two) of conditioner. My father-in-law has been having an indie do maintenance and they likely never added the Holts conditioner stop leak goop. Was the conditioner factory installed by 02? HG, timing belt, water pump $2K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Right you were. Head gaskets were leaking. Dealer had the car torn down before I asked them about a bottle (or two) of conditioner. My father-in-law has been having an indie do maintenance and they likely never added the Holts conditioner stop leak goop. Was the conditioner factory installed by 02? HG, timing belt, water pump $2K. sweet. for me its cheaper to buy a 90-95 legacy ej22 and not have to pay 2g in headgasket known flaw, feature. I suggest more people do this. seeing more and more 05-09 headgasket failures as miles approcah the 100k mark. Never had a 2oo k ej22 let one go, not even past 200k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 HOw many miles on this car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) HOw many miles on this car? 82K miles 2002 Legacy GT Need to buy a car for my 17 year old new driver and I'm beginning to waver on my Subaru loyalty. This would have been #7 in the family... Edited March 29, 2011 by brus brother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Why waver just because people do not take care of thier cars. Sooby waterpumps never leak that early, more like 140 or more if not replaced with the timing belt. I would go on to the next car. The only other car as bullit proof for a 17yo is a volvo. There are affordable BMW and MB in that year but they can be pricey to repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 82K miles 2002 Legacy GTsome 2000-2002's were subject to the extended 100,000 mile headgasket warranty campaign. you're probably past the time limit but doesn't hurt to talk to the people there and even the regional folks - sometimes they at least cut a deal - pay for half, pay for parts, etc. it's happened before. $2,000 is really steep, but not out of line for dealers. but, it should be low maintenance for another 100k at least. i'd prefer to have an independent or someone from here to do the job actually. a dealer is going to reinstall all the old timing belt pulleys and tensioners as they're too expensive to replace from subaru. so you'll have a new timing belt with 10+ year old pulleys and tensioner (which is less reliable than the older style). non-dealers can use the ebay timing belt kits and get all new pulleys with it like tons of us do on here. i'd probably have it replaced again early, i wouldn't wait until 180,000 to replace it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) Good news, GG. While this wasn't part of the 100K/8year WWP99, SOA kicked in $1500 for the job. New tb/ wp/ heads resurfaced and parts on us but I'm OK with that. Not sure that they will automatically replace the cam seals tensioners etc. My faith in Sube head gaskets still wavers but not so their customer service! Nipper's suggestion for a Volvo for new driver is in line with Car Talk guys Click and Clack. "In the first six months, they can take that nice square car and turn it into an oval". Edited March 29, 2011 by brus brother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Good news, GG. While this wasn't part of the 100K/8year WWP99, SOA kicked in $1500 for the job. wow that's awesome. did they do that automatically or you checked? i'm assuming you asked since you mentioned it not being part of the campaign? nice $1,500 score, good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Tell them as long as they are in there to replace the tensioner idler seals water pump main seal reseal the oil pump etc and pay for them yourself. It really should only be a parts charge to you and maybe at the most another hour labor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 Thanks for the tips but I am at arms length from the shop. My dealings were strictly with SOA and my father-in-law was given the $2100 guestimate by the shop as a worse case scenario, replacing everything but the ashtray. He is 83 and I was glad to be able to negotiate with SOA for him. I did my research and was well informed going into discussions thanks to USMB and I think SOA dealt with us fairly as a family of long time customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Not to discredit the shop, but Id have to agree with grossgary. If I ever pick up a 25D and if I dont know how to do the timing belt/water pump/HG and seal job correctly, Ill take it to Rick rather than a dealer, I believe his prices are cheaper than the dealer and you get more quality for your buck. Just my .02, again, not to discredit the shop or the decision or anything. Glad it worked out though and I must say, although I love Subaru, I somehow manage to love them more and more everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quidam Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Just my .02, again, not to discredit the shop or the decision or anything. Yea, something a lot of people don't consider with a dealer: The cost of just opening the doors every morning. It could be 2K or 4K, or whatever. Someone might then say, "Well, they're not going to get that from me". I say, there's no one twisting your arm. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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