Well it looks like it was a good thing I delayed my 90k service by a few weeks. Last week I noticed that there was a brief 'sweet' smell coming from the drivers side area under the hood. I noticed it once after driving the car and then it seemingly went away. Well I got down on my knees and noticed a few drips of oil and what looked like an oil slick covering my oil pan. After having driven it a few more days, I noticed a few more drips before the dripping stopped. In the end my dip stick levels dropped by 1/2. After I put 1/2 a quart of oil back into it, the engine seemed to run smoother, heck even my shifting was soft as a cloud.
Two days ago I took it in to the dealership for a regular $15 oil change, and told them to look it over. They said that I've got a leaky headgasket on the drivers side. Because of the increasing 'sweet' smell of radiator fluid I'm assuming, I'm inclinded to believe that they are right about it being a leaky headgasket. So now I'm glad I delayed the 90k & timing belt replacement because they'd have to pull the engine out once more. The quoted cost for the headgasket replacement by itself is $850. The 'standard' 90k service is $740, timing belt is $380, and now this would bring it close to $2000. Howevre I plan on buying the parts in advance and either getting a direct quote from them, or shopping 2 local indie mechanics who are competent. The one lady (YES, lady mechanic) said she's worked on Subies before, and has chilton reference manuals for anything she may run into she's not run into before. Neighbors have went to her for lesser stuff and come away happy. Her rate is only $35/hr.
What is the advice on running the vehicle till I get that taken care of next week? The heat guage has NOT increased, nor has anything else happened to indicate this outside of the sweet smell and oil leak. I do NOT plan on taxing the engine or driving it more than absolutely nessecary. Besides oil levels, what else should I be checking religiously until this is fixed??
Btw - Recommended headgasket to use? OEM or a higher performance one?
Brad