some mystery, some happiness, and possibly some deception. issues with my latest buy (2000 legacy wagon)

[jasonbrianmerrill]

So....

 

If you check my first post in introductions you can see what I bought and how I came to buy it.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/140740-new-subaru-owner-a-little-bit-of-background/?do=findComment&comment=1184169

 

anyway,

 

as mentioned in that first post, I got him down a bit - and I was able to take it to a mechanic I trust and have used for quite a long time.

 

However, there is a subaru master who is a bit further away, and I took it to him to double check, even though I already bought it.

 

Apparently it's "pouring" oil even though I have checked the oil consistently and it hasn't seemed to move. He cites the head gasket - which I don't doubt it might need - this is something I kinda planned for. Sucks, but I almost expected it. Weird though.

 

Then, he brought me under the car and showed me some red fluid dripping off of some lines near the radiator. Obviously, tranny fluid. I don't understand, I have been checking this too.

 

I drove this car 600 miles round trip after getting the work done that I knew it needed, and checked the fluids the whole way.

 

I don't understand here, but someone is either an idiot (me included, apparently) or someone is being deceptive. Was the original owner lying about the state of the car? Did he overfill the fluids so that it always appeared a little above full or something? Is there a way to mask this? Stop leak? Was the guy I brought the car to lying to me or how could he not see a leaking tranny line? Is the guy I brought it to today lying to me? At this point, I'm fairly confused.

 

What do I do from this point on? What type of transmission fluid should I have on me? Should I cut and run now? I bought the car for 1700 and with tires/timing belt/water pump/other misc repairs I'm up to 2700.

 

I feel like I did the best I could by bringing it to a trusted mechanic and having him check it out before I purchased the car. I realize that a Subaru for under 2k isn't going to be a great car - but is this out of line? I am a musician, not a mechanic - a fact which the guy today felt a need to snarkily remind me of. Of course, that is why I brought it to a mechanic in the first place... sorry I didn't bring it to the guy today before buying it.

 

Made it to and around pittsburgh without a problem though...

 

any advice would be quite welcome.

 

[porcupine73]

There's lots of places these engines can leak oil. Basically unless it's gushing out oil it's usually cheaper to just make sure you keep it topped up than to fix up the leaks. The caveat would be the timing belt. When replacing the timing belt it makes sense to do all the accessible seals such as crankshaft seal, cam seals, any cam cap o-rings, plus, since you need to pull the valve covers to do the valve clearance check, there's bolt hole seals you can replace in there.

 

If it seems to be leaking from where the engine mates to the transmission, it could be the separator plate. The plastic ones can leak a lot.

[jasonbrianmerrill]

the timing belt was recently replaced, along with the water pump. That was before my trip to pittsburgh.

 

but it seems that oil AND tranny fluid is leaking (according to one of the mechanics)... I just... don't get it. And I don't know the best course of action at the moment. I am certainly going to stay on top of the fluids, however.

 

thanks for your reply

Edited September 13, 2013 by jasonbrianmerrill

[john in KY]

Leak at the radiator should be a simple fix. Tighten the hose clamps and/or replace the short sections of hose. Worse case, and I've never seen or heard of this, the transmission nipple is cracked. Been driving my 95 for almost 10 years that has consistently leaked a quart of oil around every 600 to 800 miles. I just live with it. Added some Lucas stop leak the last oil change and that product has reduced the oil lose and I recommend it. 

[Fairtax4me]

Trans uses Dexron III fluid. It's usually labeled as something like "Multi-vehicle ATF". I don't remember the last time I saw a bottle of plain Dexron III. Just be sure to read the back of the bottle and make sure it says it meets Dexron III specification.

 

The hoses for the transmission cooler are easy to replace. Most of the time the clamps can just be tightened a bit and it'll stop leaking. Clean that area with some engine cleaner or purple power and every few days just poke under there to see if its still dripping.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the engine oil leaks for now, but keep an eye on the fluid levels and see how long it takes for the level to get low enough that you have to add fluid.

[igammie]

One possibility is that the fluids you replaced (oil and ATF) were old; as they age they get thicker and more viscous.  When you put in new, slippery, fluids you can suddently see a bunch of small leaks you'd never notice before?

If you keep everything topped up and start servicing it regularly you should be fine IMO.

Any old hoses can be replaced over time either when you change coolant, or ATF.  They do not have to be done right now.

Any professional mechanic can test to see if the head gasket is blown.  If you can string or tune an instrument you can certainly replace hoses.  Check youtube for videos on replacing engine coolant.  They will help, if you'd like to do it yourself?

This is one of the kits you can use to see if head gasket is blown:

 

Oh and just for the record I am only an amateur, there are many many people who no way more than me and can run circles around me...

Edited September 14, 2013 by igammie

[NorthWet]

"DON'T PANIC"

 

Little leaks are just little leaks.  Fairtax4me gave you some good advice.  Neither leak sounds anything like "gushing", but more like very common nuisance leaks.  The ATF is the very common DEXRON III (originally used in General Motors cars but now nearly universal), and leakage around those transmission cooler lines is common on all makes of cars, and is usually just a fitting/clamp needing tightening.  Monitor the fluid levels and keep them topped-up.

 

I would NEVER consider using any stop-leak product without first doing a lot of research.  The "cure" almost always causes more problems than it temporarily masks.

 

Regarding the timing belt, did the other belt-related rotating parts with bearings (like idler wheels and tensioner pulley) get replaced along with the timing-belt and water pump?  They should have been, and this is important information to know.

 

Cheers!

Edited September 14, 2013 by NorthWet

[jasonbrianmerrill]

yes, they replaced the whole system for the timing.

 

I am sorry if I sound panicky - but the second mechanic was emphatic about it... maybe he is used to working on newer or more expensive cars - he said "pouring" not me, and it was a very dramatic adjective which doesn't seem to size up to what I've been seeing.

 

But of course, I'm NOT a mechanic, so I felt easy to defer to his understanding of it...

 

thanks for all of this. I am EXTREMELY skeptical about stop leak.

[NorthWet]

I am sorry if I sound panicky...

It was meant to be generally good advice, borrowed from Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".   I should have thought to put quotes around it.  Mea culpa.