surfweber Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Hi, My Dad's wagon was taken into the dealer for its regular oil change at 68k miles. Afterward we noticed a smell and some oil drops on the driveway. Gave it about 5 days but after it didn't stop, brought it back to the dealer. They say it's the oil separator cover leaking. My question is since there's only 68k miles on it and it's driven by a little old man (and his wife), should we just wait until something more major needs to be done maybe, say another 30k miles and have the works done on it? Can the leak be tolerable until then? Or is it anticipated to get worse and more of a problem? Thanks, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizs5150 Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 The only advice I can provide is that I had a similar issue with my 96 subaru outback. When I got it back with 54k it had (what sounds like) a similar leak. I am now at 118k and finally broke down and had the leak replaced (both CAM gaskets and a oil crank seal at a cost of 696.44 - - bills right in front of me!)...the only advice if you don't want to get it replaced is simply monitor the situation on a weekly basis....that is what I did .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 I'f your really good about checking the oil then it should be ok. If its a stick shift then i might get it done sooner, as you might get oil on the clutch, small chance, but its there. Be sure, either way, that when the install a new one, that the new one is metal, it won't end up cracking and leaking like this one did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koybern Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 just finished replacing the oil separator plate in my 97 legacy. to be honest if the leak is not steady, say a few drops when parked, i would not touch it. I did mine in one day, in and out. But there are so many areas prone to leaking on this vehicle that i would delay until its bad, then get all major oil seal prone areas replaced. Doing all the work in one shot will give you more leverage on pricing because the engine removal will be a once and done deal. By the way, the best deal i found on the improved separator plate made out of steel is on ebay. just google it. i just bought mine this week and he still has them as a kit with bolts included. This plate is an absolute must....do not reseal the plastic original one.....they either warp or crack and resealing is a waste of time...leaks will pervade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Low mileage can be just as bad or sometimes worse for causing oil leaks as high mileage. The seals dry out with time. The separator plate cover is sealed with some type of gasket maker material that hardens with age and eventually cracks and oil leaks through it. There are a few other O rings that are hard as a rock by now that will start to leak soon as well. If you can live with the smell, and keep tabs on the oil level, you can probably stretch it out for another year, two years, maybe even longer. Do yourself a favor though, crawl under the car and make sure it's not the drain plug or oil filter that's leaking. It never hurts to double check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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