Oil leaks at 59,000 miles ??? !!!

It would be nice to know what you're replying to.

Reply to
Jim Stewart
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Before dropping the big bucks, take a look at your front drive shaft boots. Seeing the age of your car they could be failing. The inner one on the right side when it goes will sling grease on to the exhaust system. Talk about smoke.

Has happened to my 00 OBW while on a trip. Fortunately, I was a family's house and was able to make repairs myself. New boots, cleaned off the exhaust system, no smoke.

Mickey

Reply to
Mickey

Oh my gawd, Jiffy Lubes' are terrible!!!

I'm sitting there and I see 2 techs huddled over my engine tugging...so I go out and ask what the heck are they doing? They were trying to get the air filter cover back on..

They left me with a oil leak (I think it was just that the filter didn't seal or something) -- I did NOT want them to touch the car again, so I just had it changed by another place and it was fine after that.

Reply to
Bart

I'm replying to Joe. Joe Mama.

Reply to
j

Then read the previous posts.

Reply to
j

I am replying to the post prior to mine. Sorry for being so vague.

Reply to
j

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You were both right on target. It was just the front seals, but Subaru service also also replaced the water pump, timing belt and tensioner. It cost me about $860 (including tax). They said the rear seal did not appear to be leaking at all.

I should have asked them how much it would have cost me to additionally do the rear seals if it had been needed. The $2,600 figure the original mechanic at the Exxon station quoted for replacing both seals (and pump, timing belt ...) seems pretty high. The Exxon is really close by -- two blocks away -- and I often use them for the small stuff, but I'm thinking I should avoid them from now on for any "real" work.

Thank you! :)

I've decided to keep it after all for at least another year; it was paid off two years ago, and the thought of 3-5 years of big monthly payments dissuaded me. I must admit, though, the new 3.0 R sedans looked mighty tempting. :) OTOH, they were $28,000 for the remaining 2005s and $30,000 for the 2006s...

Interesting that they don't make a 4-cylinder sedan any more...

I got it done at the local Subaru dealer service in Alexandria, Virginia. Anyone from around here know of an excellent Subaru mechanic here they would recommend over the dealer's service, or should I just stick with the dealer?

Thanks to everyone who weighed in in this thread -- I learned a lot. Much appreciated.

Reply to
Donkey Agony

I had a similar diagnosis for my 1997 with the 2.2 liter engine at about 115K miles. Price quoted ranged from $1500-2000 to replace "all seals and gaskets" essentially. I just kept driving it and never needed to add oi between 3k changes. So I just put up with the smell after long drives and put cardboard under the engine in the garage.

Then this past summer the main crankshaft pulley failed and in the course of a total of about $900 in repairs an o-ring, a sealing belt(?) and oil seal were replaced. Voila, no oil leaks any more. So as others may have said, it would be best to start with a clean engine to find out exactly where the leak is.

Reply to
Jim

You should own a Ford Explorer for a few years to understand our happiness with Subaru.

Reply to
R Sweeney

;-) I understand! I recall a certain Dodge....

I very much appreciate the candor of the people here related to common flaws in Subies. I don't own one yet but am just investigating. *Every* car has defects, and it is all a matter of finding one with quirks I am prepared to live with.

My oldest son had an '82 Subaru sedan (I forget the model) as his first car. It was a horribly maintained thing he bought for $700 US. It was a beater in every sense of the word, perfect for a teenage boy's disposable first car. Sure enough, he ran wild with oil levels (filling it to the point of hydraulic lock once, letting it run dry and seizing the engine another time and then throwing a rod), ran it off the end of the service ramps, and ultimately let his girl friend drive it with bad results. The poor maintenance ensured it would be a repair hog. It was almost a relief when we had to replace the engine he blew up, and I was pleased by our ability to lift the old one out and place the "new" one in with our hands. The only misgiving I have about the model was that the oil guage always read 0 after warm-up, even with the old replacement engine. I was told it was just the nature of the beast.

No car is perfect, and I only worry when I'm told one is.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

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