2003 H6 in an LL bean.

 

Has the standard H6 oil cooler under the oil filter plumbed into the coolant system... left front coolant pipe is just about rusted through (I was a-skeered to even poke it hard).

 

Anyone ever replace these pipes? Wondering if it's even possible with the engine in the car.

 

Anyone ever patch around the bad spots with hose, and therefore knows what size hose to use?

 

 

Longer-term but scarier question- one head-gasket seam has a greenish tinge to it, maybe with some scale, it was dry but definitely did not look like the other side. Is this what a very slow head gasket leak looks like?

 

Anyone ever have one that looked like that for a loooong time without an actual leak developing?

 

 

Dave

the pipe i'm thinking of is easily replaceable, just a 10mm bolt or two and the hoses on each end. it runs from the water pump to the cooler, right?

 

i would replace it quick if it's that bad. i'd avoid any hose repair as that will retain any contaminants in the oil supply if it does eventually rust through or starts to fragment for some other reason inside the hose.

 

One other person I recall had a headgasket issue on the H6 and had it repaired. He detailed that here I think, or possibly another forum. Might be worth a shot to find that and see what symptoms he had prior to?

 

Fingers crossed it's an optical illusion, corrosion....

The pipe is the one that goes from the cooler to up behind the engine on the drivers side, not an easy one to get to.

 

It is just a coolant pipe, no worries about oil contamination or such.

 

I know the H6 failure is rare, my question is more, has anyone ever seen what I'm talking about, and it stayed that way, well, ferever.

 

 

Dave

Clean it off and see if it comes back. Maybe add in a bottle of Subaru coolant conditioner.

I might add the conditioner (subaru may have when they did a full flush in the fall), no way I'm even touching it though!

 

 

Dave

I have seen what your talking about before. We sell and work on a bunch of 6's. But only one of them was like what your talking about. Looks exactly like a EJ25 head gasket failure, but more coolant residue than anything.

So do they seep a tiny bit forever, or is a head gasket job in the next few years (or sooner) inevitable?

 

No trace of coolant in the oil yet, of course I do 100miles a day, mostly highway, so I figure a good but of moisture could be getting in there and being 'driven out' effectively, but the oil does not come out cloudy or weirdly colored.

 

Dave

if you continue to get low feedback i'd call a dealer and ask or better yet stop in, if you have a good relationship with any.

 

or PM some of the folks here that work in or used to work at a dealer.

They may leak indefinitely. Eventually it will fail, but it's hard to say if it will be in a month or 10 years.

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