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Having some issues with my H6


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So I made a post about damaging my exhaust off road however this is not related to that. Last Thursday before I left for the trip made, I noticed my oil was pretty low(about halfway from the end of the dipstick to the L). I have gone a couple thousand miles without an oil change so I figured maybe I have a small leak or I'm burning oil somewhere. Anyway, I go to check this morning and my oil is barely showing on the dipstick! Now I did go about 700 miles and a lot of that was pretty hard driving but that is a crazy amount of oil to lose. Not only that but my coolant has slowly been going down and is now just under the low mark.

 

I let my car run about 30 minutes and watched it sit for about 20 minutes when i parked it and it didn't leak a single drop of oil or coolant. I'm a little worried that possibly my head gaskets are failing but not entirely sure. My car does not overheat(according to my thermostat) but it does have a burning smell when I park it.

 

Now onto the other issue. I have a broken cv joint (boot or I think that's what it's called). It's the rubber piece right inside the back of the wheel that's connected to the axle. Do I replace the axle to fix this? It's making a really loud clanking noise when I turn and only when I turn. Sounds really bad... I appreciate any input you guys can give me.

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smell when parked possibly due to grease from split axle boot.

 

many people advise getting a used axle from car-part.com or LKQ, etc. and re/greasing-rebooting yourself. Or find friendly mechanic to do it - you will be MUCH more likely to have a good axle if you stay with Subaru. new are very expensive, but rebooting a good one from a wreck will give great service. MANY people have had aftermarket rebuilds axles cause vibration - plus a short life. (I got vibration from using one)

 

some people report excessive oil consumption from bad/gummy PCV valves. cheap/easy to replace or clean - clean/replace the hose too if it looks bad,

 

do not run that engine low on oil!

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I've heard of not running the h6 low on oil and that is what scared me the most. I put 1 and 1/4 quart of oil in today. I went about 700 miles and I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on it. I will definitely go with a subaru axle... how hard is it to reboot?

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eh - not hard, messy. Most folks only need to reboot the inner joints so, outers are trickier I think as they need to come off? maybe search here for a thread about it or watch a 3-4 youtube videos - most half axles follow similar construction. If your outer is making noise, probably time for a new axle anyway. Or, I think you can find Febest brand outer joints on Amazon. dunno if replacing just the outer would lead to vibration at idle or not.....

 

also, our H6es have valve cover leaks too. You might look for that. I GENTLY re-tightened all the VC bolts I could get too - one or 2 seemed only fingertight. Don't twist too hard though!

 

the oil cooler adapter is another 'fairly' common oil leak. ALL oil leaks 'could' be made worse by gummed-up PCV valve.

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Thanks for the advice! I have a similar noise coming from my left rear wheel area also so I think I'm going to look closely at it and see if I'll have to replace the axle there. I'll check the PCV valve when I can and see what it looks like. Hopefully I'll have my car in top shape in no time! :)

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reboot the axle - i'd lean towards Subaru boots, they last longer than the Beck Arnleys (traditionally a decent brand) I've used.

 

if it's making noise now - more than likely the noise will go away once you reboot and get some fresh grease in there.  the stuff in there now is watery and terrible condition before it failed...now it's all slung out, dried up and not even doing anything.  i've rebooted noisy inner joints and they quieted right down on my daily driver XT6, no noise now for a few years.

 

keep the coolant topped off and check for leaks. 

you can pressure test the cooling system.

i have seen H6's slowly loose coolant for years and not get worse and i have no clue why/where yet because i haven't seen them become symptomatic in anyway. it hasn't caused any issues and i'm very aware of and have diagnosed/repair multiple H6 headgaskets.

 

oil loss isn't uncommon.  replace the PCV and just keep topping it off.  mine consumers a quart every 2,000 miles or something.

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Thanks a lot guys. There's a bunch of other regular maintenance stuff I need to do and I'll do this while I'm doing all that. Hopefully before it gets too cold because it sucks working in the cold haha. I mentioned I had a similar noise coming from the rear driver side tire/axle area. The boots seemed perfectly fine last i checked and it usually only makes a noise going around a corner at lower speeds. It is the exact same noise I'm getting from the broken boot up front but to a lesser degree. Would this suggest the axle is starting to go bad? Or could this possibly be more related to the suspension? Its been like this for at least the last 5,000 miles or so and hasn't changed much at all in terms of frequency or severity. 

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If the axle is clicking its likely beyond the point of rebootability. (Is that a word? It is now!)

 

 

Get a used one. Usually $40-50 from places on car-part.com.

 

700 Highway miles, high speed, a half quart of oil loss is entirely possible, especially if you're overdue for a change.

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New axles, most are made in China, and of inferior quality. Kind of a crap-shoot. Often cause more problems than they solve.

 

FWE rebuilds Subaru axles and they're good, but a bit pricey.

Used OE axles are inexpensive. Buy a set of boots and reboot them before installing and they'll last for years.

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So why not just reboot my axles? You guys said the clicking means I need to replace the entire axle, right? How would I know that an axle I buy wont click? Also am I just looking to buy an axle shaft and boots and reboot the axle and then install? 

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1.  I'm kind of the oddball here - i've never heard of anyone rebooting noisy/vibrating axles - but I've done it before with success. so you wont' here this anywhere else, but I've got first hand success doing it, so it's worth a shot.

 

i've rebooted inner joints that were noisy as crazy while going straight and turning and they're quiet as a whistle aftewards, i just drove that car today and it's been like 5 years since that happened.

 

I would do that again myself depending on the vehicle/history/situation - which I know nothing about on yours. 

I probably wouldnt' do it on an unknown vehicle.

the one i did i had driven it for years and knew the general condition and that the axles weren't terrible abused - they saw about 1,000 miles of vibration/noise/issues.

 

You could try and pack some fresh grease in the inner joint as a test - if the symptoms subside with fresh grease, that's a good indication they'll fair well if you clean and repack them.

but it's like american marriages - messy - working with all that old nasty grease (runny and watery if the boot is still intact - or dry and caked up if it's busted open)...and then all your fresh grease slings out if the boot is cracked in like 10 miles...

 

2.  it is generally the practice to get another axle if one is noisy.   an axle with good boots and grease is unlikely to be noisy.

i've seen them as cheap as $15

www.car-part.com

 

3.  do not get aftermarket axles - get a Subaru axle with a green inner cup.  they're 100X better and nearly a 100% success rate - definitely not the case with new axles.

Edited by grossgary
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well, axles will last a long time, even after they begin to click - but it's a gamble on how long.

 

re-booting some from a junkyard that probably haven't split yet, means no exposure to grit, water, etc. so, more likely to last a long time.

 

if you want to reboot your clickers - try swapping sides with them , MAYBE you'll get longer service using the wear surfaces previously pushed on just going in reverse.

Edited by 1 Lucky Texan
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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok so I found out today that my car is leaking a lot worse now. I left two decent sized puddles where I usually park the car. Checked the dipstick and its down close to the low line now but I'm not sure how much oil that is exactly. Also my coolant is incredibly low to the point that my overflow tank is almost empty. Probably have about an inch worth of fluid in the bottom but thats all I have. I was in some really bad traffic on Friday for about two hours and it never overheated one bit. I am pretty sure this is my headgasket going because of all the coolant lost but maybe I'm wrong. I appreciate any suggestions and if its bad enough, would I be better off just selling the car? Thanks.20151026_145822_zpspkhon5dl.jpg

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+1 valve covers, very commonly leak on any vehicle with age and Subaru's are particular prone to it and have two valve covers (twice the probability) instead of 1 like some vehicles.

no doesn't require lifting engine.

 

remove various hoses/wiring in the way

remove COP's

remove valve covers

R&R gaskets

 

need a 10mm ratcheting wrench.  generally best to replace spark plugs then too - they're $100 for a set but easily replaced with the valve covers off. annoying with them on.

 

as to the coolant loss - if there's no bubbles in the overflow and no overheating then you may just have a leak somewhere.  keep it topped off.

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I've read you must be very careful tightening the VC bolts back down, easily twisted off.

 

definitely get the double platinum NGK plugs - don't even think about another brand.

 

if the clips holding the coil connectors break, some folks have just used small zipties to retain them.

 

consider a new PCV valve too.

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