This is my fourth Subie and I've been blessed that they haven't leaked until now, this latest one is like the exxon valdex. I have found that it drops a couple of tablespoons of oil out from the aft end of the pass side head gasket at start up when the engine is cold but this subsides to an occasional drip as it warms up. My question is, is it possible to re torque the head bolts by taking the cam cover off and would this help or at least give me temporary relief until I can do the head gasket.

Are you sure its the head gasket? Mine had a leak from the rear of the pan and drips along the crossmember so it looks like its coming from the head but it's not. It could be just accumulating and then at startup the fan blows the oil out.

 

Clean everything real good and keep checking it for the source of the leak.

Pretty sure thats where its coming from. Just did the pan gasket again but with the "right stuff" this time. When I started the car after the oil pan repair and a puddle of oil appeared under the car I thought I may have done something wrong but found it dripping from the lower aft end of the passenger side head gasket.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     So I just went out and started it up, stone cold. After a  dozen seconds a drip started to form from the location previously described and after about one minute it was making a large drip every few seconds. If I were to leave it the drip would slow down to hardly noticeable when it warmed up. I'm wondering if the head bolts are properly torqued up.and can they be re-torqued without removing the cam tower. The car has under 200k on it but I can see the heads must have been off by all the grey gasket maker on the cam tower

you cant re-torque head blots will cause gasket wrap out.

 also have to remover timing belt and camshaft tower when you re-toque but no.

 

i think camshaft tower leaky. it's not head gasket cuz this is not affect oil drip...

try oil pan gasket but have to pull out a little the engine... ive been hard time repair oil pan without pull the engine it's pain rump roast.

Gasket wrap out ?

You can re-torque the heads with a modified socket (sawed short to clear the cams), but the HG is not leaking as the ea82 and early ej22's use a composite HG and do not fail in the same manner as MLS gaskets in newer engins.

 

I place my bets on the cam tower leaking at the 0-ring. Remove the cam tower to service it. Then the option to re-torque the heads is wide open with normal tools.

I'll have another look tomorrow. It's quite a stream comes out when it's cold

You'd lose those bets Miles.Cam tower is clean as a whistle. Thanks for the tip on getting a socket in there. Head bolts were up to spec. Guess I'll be doing a H/G in the near future.

Please report back when you have done the HG. This may be my problem as well. Thanks.