Newbie Question: Oil leaks in 98 Subie Outback

[Agteleni]

Hello,

 

I was told by my Subie dealer (took my 98 Outback there for a recall repair) that I have oil leaks from the engine, at the oil pump and cam seals, the right side valve cover gasket, and at the rear oil separator cover. This explains why my car always smells like burned rubber after I've driven it; apparently the oil leaks onto the engine and it burns up.

 

Does anyone know how these leaks could have happened - especially all at once? Is this unusual? He said it would cost about $1600 to repair, since they practicially have to take out the engine to make the repairs. While I know dealerships tend to be very expensive (plus I live in San Francisco, where all costs are inflated), does this sound reasonable? The guy said that it's not dangerouis to drive as long as the oil level doesn't drop. Is this true? I can't afford a $1600 car repair bill, but if it's a matter of safety, or permanent damage to my car, then I would be compelled to fix it. Any advice on the matter would greatly be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

Eleni

[Smpol19]

Like many others on the board I like to think of it as automatic undercarige rust proofing. Now if my car were a 98 i might think about fixing it, Subarus leak oil just seems to be the way it is, you could probably have another shop do just as good a job for $1000 but wait till you need a timing belt and labor is almost free. Untill then, NO RUST!

[GLCraig]

Those are all common places for your engine to leak oil and yes as long as you keep the oil level between the add and full marks on the check stick it should be just fine. Just remember to check it and add more when needed.

 

As for the cost of all this, well a chunk of that bill is involved with changing the rear oil separator cover, you either have to pull the engine or lower the transmission to get to it. I'm pretty sure they would pull the engine to do this because it would make it a lot easier to fix the other leaks. Also did they mention anything about other work they would be doing? It would be a big waste if they did not replace the timing belt and water pump while changing the seals on the front of the engine. The timing belt would have to come off to get to those seals and not changing the water pump at this point is just asking for punishment. Murphy's law will come along 10k miles later and pump will cease up. See if that estimate included these items.

[Commuter]

I can't comment on the price, but seems a bit much.

 

The front seals (crank, cam) are known to leak. The cost to fix is a fair bit, unless you have it done as part of a timing belt change. Then the extra cost is minimal. It's a lot of labor to get in there.

 

The o-ring on the oil pump is known to leak. Again, small cost if part of the timing belt service.

 

Valve covers do leak from time to time. Again, the cost is a lot of labour. They are not the easiest to access.

 

The rear plate is the big one, because you have to separate the transmission from the engine in order to get to it. They use to use plastic, then they switched to metal. I think the 98 has a metal one, so I'm surprised that it is leaking. If you have a clutch, it could eventually get oil on the clutch. Other than being messy, I'm not sure that this leak can really damage anything on an auto.

 

You don't have to fix all the leaks at once. You can take them in stages.

 

I have a 97 OB. So far, no leaks (knock wood). I've always had the crank and cam seals replaced when the timing belt was done, which is about every 2 years for me. The engine was replaced 3 years ago, so valve cover and that rear plate were addressed then. So, not ALL late 90s 2.5L leak.

 

Commuter

[9098]

I had the same exact thing in my 98. I got it fixed just before the warrenty ran out. They had to drop the tranny. It would have cost about $1500 to pay for. This does happen to 98's. Just curious, is yours a 30th ann. Limited?

[Agteleni]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. ONe of you asked if my 98 Outback is a 30th Anniversary Edition -- the answer is no. It sounds like I should wait for until the timing belt needs replacement to make the oil leak repairs. Thanks SO much for the advice.

 

Eleni