Fatenarr Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Hi everyone I am brand new here so I'm hoping I'm doing this all right? I've got a 1996 Subaru Legacy L with 250,000 miles and it seems to be leaking oil from everywhere at this point.i know it's leaking oil from some of the cam seals as well as the valve cover gaskets. Not sure if HG are leaking as it's hard to tell with all the oil everywhere. I'm getting misfires and its running rough on occasion. i feel like I'm at a crossroads with this car. I'm not sure the best plan of attack for fixing it? Here's some ideas I had And your input would be appreciated. 1. Pull the motor and essentialy rebuild it and put new engine gaskets in. 2. Buy a used 2.2 with less mileage and drop it in (if I can find another decent 2.2 with low mileage around here). 3. Buy a different ej motor as long as it's plug and play and bolts in. 4. Find a ej25 and build a frankenmotor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 (edited) Welcome to the USMB, Fatenarr. How long since the car had a basic tune-up? Since the last timing belt? Is it an AT or MT? I wouldn't jump into headgasket replacement until you have proof they're needed--EJ22s rarely have HG problems. Is there excess air in the coolant system? Are there bubbles or oily bits in the coolant overflow tank? Start with new timing belt, idler pulleys, check the tensioner.. Check the oil pump, tighten the screws on the back of the impeller, re-seal with new O-ring and sealant (Ultra Grey or anaerobic). Do the crank & cam seals, camshaft O-rings and valve cover gaskets. New water pump with OEM gasket. Then give it a tune-up--new plugs (NGK) and wires (OEM or NGK), new air & fuel filters, check/replace vacuum hoses & PCV. Only other common oil leak culprit would be the oil separator plate on the back of the engine block--that would require pulling the engine or dropping the tranny to access. After that, clean the engine block and keep an eye on the headgasket seams for a period of time--see if they are actually leaking. Good luck & keep us up on your progress! Edited March 4, 2016 by Olnick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatenarr Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 Thanks for the reply. Great advice. It really is a smooth running car besides its occasional misfires. I'd rather go the route you've suggested and not pull the motor if I don't have to. But like you said that oil separator is probably leaking by now. Does it make any sense to pull the motor and h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatenarr Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 Sorry accidentally posted my last comment before I was finished. So does it make any sense to pull the heads in order to machine them and the cylinders and also do rings and bearings even if the HG aren't leaking? It is also losing coolant slowly somewhere but I did a block test and there were no gases in the coolant. I'm just trying to nip everything in the bud all in one shot as I don't have a lot of free time for stuff like this. And if the motor is out I can do the oil separator plate. Oh and my car is a manual and it is due for a basic tune up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 No. Unless you can confirm head gasket failure, leave them alone. They rarely fail on this motor. My advice is to get some engine/parts cleaner and clean up the motor and watch for where leaks are developing. That rear seperator plate is the hard one to replace because it involves pulling the motor. The rest are easy. Valve cover gaskets, cam seals, crank seal, o ring on the filler tube. May as well do timing belt kit in the process unless it's rather new. Misfires and rough running would be more spark/fuel related - if there's no check engine light I would follow this process Spark plugs and wires Fuel filter MAF sensor All 4 options you presented are overkill unless you get a rod knock or something. Replace gaskets and seals, chase where that misfire comes from and keep driving it. Even if the head gaskets are leaking, it's $50 in parts and a day of work to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 I agree with what AdventureSubaru said. Do your best to get her running smooth then keep an eye on the engine. Worst case, somewhere down the road, just source a used EJ22 and slap it in! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatenarr Posted March 5, 2016 Author Share Posted March 5, 2016 So if i don't pull the motor is there a certain way to determine if the separator plate is in fact leaking? Will I see evidence of it in a certain spot? Lets say it is leaking and I pull the motor to fix it, is there anything else worth doing while the engine is out? Thanks for all the advice. I will be degreasing the engine today to see where the oil is coming from exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 As you eliminate the likely sources of oil leakage (cam & crank seals and valve cover gaskets) and when the underside of the engine is cleaned up, you should be able to narrow down the location of remaining leaks. A separator plate leak would show up under the bell housing at the rear of the engine. Have fun and keep posting your progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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