95 Legacy L Wagon coolant leak

[bdstack7]

I've got a small (so far...) coolant leak on my 95 Legacy. I first suspected the water pump, but it's dripping from behind the oil pan, on the passenger side.

The bottom of timing cover is oily, but no antifreeze.

 

The only part there (I think...) is the upper hose/pipe. That area looks dry. I checked the little hose going to the TB, that's area is dry.

 

Do Subarus have freeze plugs? I'm thinking now maybe a head gasket, but oil looks ok, don't hear any "sucking air" noises.

 

I was going to take off the timing cover, just to make sure the water pump wasn't leaking, and the leak was taking a weird path past the oil pan. (front of oil pan is dry...) I couldn't get the crank pulley loose. I looked for the hole in the bell housing to catch the flywheel, but couldn't find it.

I've read the posts about using the starter with a breaker bar/cheater pipe laying on the battery side of the frame. I will try that this weekend.

 

Haynes manual says my engine code (6) is a 2.5L. The stamp on the engine behind alternator says EJ22. Which is what I've been going by when getting parts.

 

Thanks,

 

Brian

[johnceggleston]

does it drip just when running or when sitting too?

 

the hoses to the heater are in that area, passenger side engine rear.

 

look under the intake manifold, there is a coolant crossover pipe that the upper rad hose connects to.

[bdstack7]

My heater hoses go on the drivers side. I checked those. The upper hose/pipe is dry.

 

Guess I can get some dye, and a blacklite.

 

It leaks when running sometimes. After I shut it off and go inside for a while, and the pressure builds up, it will leak.

 

In the morning, when it's all cooled down, it will leak after adding a certain amount of antifreeze, which made me think of a freeze plug.

 

It doesn't leak much yet. I have to add a pint or 2 about every 3 days.

[bdstack7]

The leak is getting worse now.

I cleaned up the bottom of the motor, to help try to find where it's coming from.

It now leaks even when the motor is not running.

 

It looks like the coolant is coming down the front of the engine, then trailing along the oil pan, and dripping down at the back of the oil pan.

 

The timing cover is dry, bottom and the back. I used a paper towel, it was dry.

 

Can it still be the water pump, but the coolant is flowing back from the timing belt area and coming down the front of the motor? Water sometimes can take a weird path.

 

The upper hose is dry, and no coolant around the intake area.

 

Oil still looks ok. I changed it a week ago, and didn't see any water come out first.

 

The car has 139K on the ODO.

 

It's my daughters car, and she didn't get any maintenance history on it, so I probably need to take the timing cover off and see what the belt looks like anyway.

[lmdew]

There is a little bypass hose off the water pump as well. Take a good look up at the pump and you can see the leak.

[avk]

There are also small hoses to circulate coolant through the throttle body and IAC valve, and the temperature sensor in the coolant crossover pipe.

I understand the pipe itself has been checked.

[EVOthis]

If you have the means I would do a cooling system pressure test....