jdc79b Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Hi I am new to the forum and have a question that may have been asked before. I have a 2005 subaru outback 4 cylinder that is leaking some oil. Me and a friend were looking at it and it looks like it is coming from 2 places. The drivers side valve cover is seeping a small amount and the bulk looks like it is coming from the oil pain gasket. I have read differant things that subaru's have an oil pan gasket or no they don't it is a silicone sealant. So did not know which it is. I also have a limited mechanical experience. Change brakes, some easy parts swaps but nothing big. Is this a fairly straight foward project? Thanks for the help John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 How many miles on this car? The oil pan is sealed with Silicone sealer by the factory. Aftermarket seals are available but Subaru never used a gasket on the pan, just grey RTV made by Threebond. I would be surprised if the pan seal is leaking. The Oil separator plate on the back of the engine is a much more common leak point. http://beergarage.com/Subaru.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 '05 has a metal seperator plate - as all '00 and later engines do. They don't leak. As stated there is no pan gasket and a leak there is just as unlikely as from a metal seperator. Your model year suffers from head gasket oil leaks. Primarily on the drivers side head. No easy fix for that. Either you spend the time and money to pull the engjne out and deal with them properly or just live with it. Valve covers are a common enough leak point. They are simple to replace. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Just had my 08 OB in to check a leak before my 60k warranty expired and was told by tech that it was the oil pan that was the source of the leak. I guess I will have to check this more closely myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc79b Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 '05 has a metal seperator plate - as all '00 and later engines do. They don't leak. As stated there is no pan gasket and a leak there is just as unlikely as from a metal seperator. Your model year suffers from head gasket oil leaks. Primarily on the drivers side head. No easy fix for that. Either you spend the time and money to pull the engjne out and deal with them properly or just live with it. Valve covers are a common enough leak point. They are simple to replace. GD The car has 94,000 miles I purchased it with 91,000 Every one thanks for the input. It sounds like I need take a better look under there. How would a head gasket oil leak differ from a valve cover oil leak. And that head gasket question brings up another question I had. I was going to get the timing belt replaced soon and my mechanic rec change head gaskets but another mechanic said do not change head gaskets out because they are not a problem in subaru '00 and newer. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Headgaskets HAVE and always will be a problem on ALL 2.5 N/A Subaru's. They never did fix or address the issue. You most likeley have headgasket leak on the bottom where the head mates to the block, oil seeping/leaking/dripping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 if you can get a picture, might help see exactly what's going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc79b Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 if you can get a picture, might help see exactly what's going on. I have some pictures taken but I cannot find a way to attach them. It may be because on the bottom of this page there is a little box that says posting rules "may not use attachments." How can that be changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 From FAQ: How do I attach a file to a post? To attach a file to your post, you need to be using the main 'New Post' or 'New Thread' page and not 'Quick Reply'. To use the main 'New Post' page, click the 'Post Reply' button in the relevant thread. On this page, below the message box, you will find a button labelled 'Manage Attachments'. Clicking this button will open a new window for uploading attachments. You can upload an attachment either from your computer or from another URL by using the appropriate box on this page. Alternatively you can click the Attachment Icon to open this page. To upload a file from your computer, click the 'Browse' button and locate the file. To upload a file from another URL, enter the full URL for the file in the second box on this page. Once you have completed one of the boxes, click 'Upload'. Once the upload is completed the file name will appear below the input boxes in this window. You can then close the window to return to the new post screen. What files types can I use? How large can attachments be? In the attachment window you will find a list of the allowed file types and their maximum sizes. Files that are larger than these sizes will be rejected. There may also be an overall quota limit to the number of attachments you can post to the board. How do I add an image to a post? If you have uploaded an image as an attachment, you can click the arrow next to the 'Attachment Icon' and select it from the list. This will be inserted into your post and can be located where you want it displayed. To include an image that is not uploaded as an attachment and is located on another website, you can do so by copying the full URL to the image, (not the page on which the image is located), and either pressing the 'Insert Image' icon or by typing after it, ensuring that you do not have any spaces before or after the URL of the image. You can insert pictures from your albums (?) in this way too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy6four Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Headgaskets can be changed with the engine in the car. The trick is to remove the lower nut from the motor mounts one side at a time and jack up whichever side you want to get at. Place a block of wood under the mount as a safety precaution to avoid the engine falling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 head gasket head gasket head gasket head gasket and mabe the headgasket two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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