vtwinjunkie Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) 2005 outback 2.5 SOHC. 98k miles, This weekend I decided to get under it for a closer look at what I thought was a very small leak in the power steering system. When I got a closer look I saw a little bit of oily residue on the lines and I followed it forward to the source which luckily was not the power steering system (rack and pinion was replaced by previous owner 10k miles ago). (Although I will get some pictures later today) It looked to be coming from the drivers side head gasket surface in the front most part of the engine and seeping back. After I get home this afternoon I am going to take pictures and clean it off to see how fast the leak is happening. The leak has not yet hit the ground and at this point seems to be a seep but it was still cause for concern.. I checked the passenger side and it was fine. How long do I have before this gets out of control? I just bought this car and was hoping to get at least 50k miles out of it before having to do anything major! Just posted 2 pictures. Both drivers side of car. Edited March 21, 2016 by vtwinjunkie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt167 Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Just keep a check on it every oil change. it could be valve cover gaskets too.. Make sure it's got fresh coolant in it with Subaru coolant conditioner and run it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim in the north Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Does anyone know if Subaru has acknowleged the head gasket oil leakage as a design problem in the mid 2000's 2.5l engine? I understand that this is a common problem and expensive to repair. Has there been any offer by the company to share costs? Would be great PR and incentive to return to a Subaru on the next purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo F Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I've read where the coolant conditioner was recommended for early 2000's EJ251 engines. Your 2005 should be an EJ253, which I believe are more known for external oil leaks. Maybe wouldn't hurt to use it however. I also have a 2005 (Impreza Outback Sport) and I did notice a small amount of oil residue on the bottom service of the driver's side head, but not drips, after 129K miles when we bought it. It now has 148K and I still start checking it at each oil change also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golucky66 Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Theres a 2006 Outback that comes into my shop, and typically I'm the one to work on it. His head gaskets have been seeping(externally) since around 160k. He currently has 230k on the clock and the seep is only slightly worse. We told him to keep driving it until he notices an overheating issue (or obvious issue when brought in the shop) because to do a HG job is a lot of money, at least for a good shop to do it right. A small seep isn't a concern. Just keep an eye on things and look at the leak to see if it's gotten worse every oil change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Yep, probably head gaskets. That's super common on those. Good news, is they don't almost ever fail catastrophically. They leak oil externally for quite awhile, and then they'll start to burn coolant. Keep an eye on the fluids. Obviously if you run out of either, that's very bad news. Also be mindful of any evidence that they start to mix. Coolant in the oil can cause serious damage, even without running out of oil. My wife's '03 Outback had signs of head gasket leakage when we got it at 105k. It now has closer to 150k. Yes, both leaks have gotten worse, but it still runs great, and I've noticed no signs of oil contamination. I will probably replace the head gaskets very soon, as I plan to sell the car. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Our 2005 2.5 forester had the head gaskets replaced under warranty by the dealer for the oil leak. New ones just kept on doing it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwinjunkie Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Posting 2 pictures to the original post. Both on drivers side of car. I see oil at the valve cover seeping, the head gasket surface as well as the motor mount on that side of the car. I feel like it would run down and back so perhaps both the valve cover and the head gasket? After taking the picture I sprayed everything down to monitor the leak. The passenger side also has a small leak around the oil filter it seems. I am not worried about that. The car has also had the oil pan re sealed (its seeping again) as I see evidence of grey rtv coming out. not worried about this either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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