Pgh_Scoob Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 so I am getting rid of my baja and getting trying to get back into the older 96-99 era subys... love their quirks and characteristics but I just looked at one earlier and it ran great and everything seems golden on it but there is a ton of oil leaking under the car. I know the 2.2's are bullet prof Ive beaten the hell out of quite a few of them but was trying to figure out what could be leaking so excessively. From looking under the car the heads do look wet but I know these dont have the hg issues that plague many "newer" subys out there but wasnt sure if after time they started to wear out for eternal oil leaks... If I do get it I am going to do the tbelt water pump ASAP and check to see if the front seals are leaking but wanted some insight to whether it could be a deeper problem... The car runs great no knocks auto tranny shifts fine and suspension felt tight and the A/C WORKS!!!!! so should I go for it... I have a guy waiting for me to find something so he can buy my baja which could potentially be tonight but I dont want to jump in it without a little insight and advice. Oh and while looking up book value there was the option of FWD or AWD ... I didnt notice any badges but didnt look either.. I just assumed it was AWD... so are the FWD ones commonly found around? Thanks, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 maybe the separator plate on the back of the engine? Some older engines had a plastic plate notorious for major leakage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 +1 to separator plate. Also, front seals (as you already listed) might have some issues. Valve cover gaskets and valve cover bolt seals are another likely spot. My 95 seals were definitely crispy crunchy and letting some weeping oil (although nothing like the steady seepage from the separator plate that caked the tranny crossmember, power steering rack, and everything in that area). Oil pan could be another spot (although hard to know for sure because of all the other seeping around it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 a gunked PCV valve/hose could increase oil leakage, but probably wouldn't create a leak. here's a nice video; and link; http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=965763#9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pgh_Scoob Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 I love the quick replies on here when you really need them.... but I thought that plate was on the 5 speeds... I remember reading up about that IIRC while researching my bajas oil leak/consumption and doing the clutch but when I had it done the guy said he saw nothing leaking and neither did I when swapping the tranny... so if it is that plate does the tranny or engine gotta come out and how much of an issue is it... I have access to top off oil and no charge... hehehe and could live with it for now if no other damage could occur... And yeah I have plans of doing the valve covers and associated bit but want to get an idea of when to look for. thanks Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pgh_Scoob Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 HAH I was writing my reply as you posted that... and I think I was just watching and reading about the 2.2 and 2.5 HG issues on their website I believe and talking about bad batteries being a usual suspect with HG failure.. But yet again thanks for the knowledge. If I cold potentially deal with it for the time being without causing any real harm just keeping an eye on the level I might just go for it.. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Almost all of the 90's subarus leak at the separator plate. You can't fix it unless you remove the motor or the transmission. The good news is that they don't leak a tremendous amount. The most I have had is 1 qt per 3000 mi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 EVERY EJ engine has a separator plate. Manual or automatic. 1.8, 2.2, 2.0, 2.5, from 1990 all the way to 2012/13 or when they phased them out. All of them have the potential to leak at the separator plate. The mid 90s models are especially prone to leak because the plates were made of plastic. Chances are it will need some things, hoses, belts, transmission cooler lines, basic tune-up stuff, in the near future. Buy it with the knowledge that in the next few months you should plan to pull the engine and replace the oil seals, possibly timing belt/idlers and water pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pgh_Scoob Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 hey sounds great... exactly what I wanted to hear as long as I keep an eye on it I will eventually get it fixed... and yes I am well aware that gaskets and seals are going to need replaced and I am already planning on doing the tbelt water pump ASAP... the upper rad hose felt ok and the lower one had oil and a little swollen and yes that is on the immediate to do list... but good news is that there are newer plug wires and potentially plugs and how it ran was pretty fantastic. seems like a potential one owner car that was taken care of. I have been test driving quite a few 99 legacy 2.5 that have been around the area and man when I got into this one with the 2.2 it just had so much more pep and really felt like it wanted to run... Thanks Again will update with what happens Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 You said it "looked like headgaskets" - separator plates generally aren't that far forward - though you don't say exactly what part of headgaskets but the "rear" headgasket leaks look like lots of things - valve covers, heads, separator - so i'm assuming it's fruther forward. if it's at all wet under the timing covers - it's the crank or cam seals, easily replaced wtih timing belt job. they can leak a lot and be worrisome if oil level gets too low. the Ej25 headgasket and battery connection is silly in my book: 1. EJ25's have had headgasket issues right off the dealer lot when brand new - they were being replaced under warranty with brand new batteries and cables. people just getting into the Subaru game in the past 10 years don't know this about 15+ year old vehicles, making it easy to propagate something like that. 2. EJ18's, EG33's, EJ22's also have batteries, cables, and poor connections - they don't have headgasket issues. Sure - multiple things exacerbate a weakness, but I'd call it a very low percentage avenue to explore as a "root cause" - there's massive quantifiable amounts of evidence to the contrary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 it's almost certainly AWD, but check first. most FWD's are 1995 and earlier, by 1996 they were very uncommon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pgh_Scoob Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 Yes I was scratching my head when reading the article about it but how it was presented it seemed to have some legitimacy. As far as looking like the heads were leaking is strictly because of me looking under the car and seeing a lot of oil all over the place and was putting together a worse case scenario... Once I get it I am going to clean underneath and then watch as it starts to build to see where it is coming from. And yes it is AWD I went back down to take a look and make sure. Right on the hatch has the AWD badge.. So thats good to go. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 hatches can be changed - dont go by the badge on the hatch. get down and look underneath for the rear diff and axles. generally speaking, the 2.2s dont have headgasket problems. they do leak oil from other areas that can allow oil to drip/spread all over the place - cam cover gaskets can make it look like the headgaskets are leaking, so yeah, a good cleaning and keeping an eye on things is a good idea. another potential leak spot is the oil pressure switch on the top, front - just below the alternator - when those go bad they will pump out crazy amounts of oil in a short time - makes a heck of a mess, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pgh_Scoob Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 yes true hatches can be switched and yes I guess I should have just crouched down and taken a look but I will definitely make sure it is before purchasing. As for the Oil pressure switch yeah those things can get pretty messy... Ive seen quite a few oil pressure switch/sensors go bad on customers cars and puke oil everywhere. I am picking it up tomorrow ( As long as its AWD ) got rid of the baja earlier today to a really cool kid who is gonna love it and will keep an update as to how it goes. Greg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 A front seal or valve cover gaskets are most likely. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 95 was the last year for any FWD Subaru. Everything after that is gonna be AWD unless someone swapped it or removed the rear drive parts. Still easy to check just to be sure. Just look under for the rear diff. Easy to see from the rear of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pgh_Scoob Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 Welp I picked it up today....... After driving and getting to my girlfriends while pulling out of my parking spot with full cut...... Felt like TORQUE BIND!!!!!!! I cant believe I didnt notice it on the test drive. I also didnt do lock to lock turns to test or even think about that. Also after driving a little while longer the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on!!!!! Ive never owned a suby with that light on unintentionally. SO now I have to wait until tomorrow so I can scan it at my shop. Now I am trying to not pull my hair out and figure out what to do.... I have driven customers car with sever torque bind and this one doesnt seem that bad... yet. So is there anything I can do to try and fix this issue without having to go into the rear end or is it too late and Im gonna be screwed???? I will probably start a new thread with my woes about this thing. If it is a serious issue Once I scan it I cant at least get pointed in some direction instead of just stressing. I will keep you guys updated and will probably be asking LOTS of questions... The one Im asking myself is why did I get rid of the baja. He ran fantastic but oh well. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Change the trans fluid. Do 3 drain and fills. Drive it a couple times around the block in between. CEL is probably something simple. Knock sensor codes are very common. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pgh_Scoob Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 Cool sounds good also I have been reading about using trans-x... Gotta do more research... but would appreciate any input. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 TransX is used on these mostly for a specific issue that affects only 99-00 transmissions. It may help shift feel in yours, but won't do anything about the torque bind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pgh_Scoob Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 ok... the transmission does shift really smooth and it only seems to be on tight turns is where it binds up but will post what I find today later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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