August 16, 200322 yr Hi, Aloha from Hawaii. This is my first post. My Subaru is 86 XT GL. She got sick and overheat this week. Finally, huge white smoke came out and I found oil mixed with water in radiator. My mecanic told me to get rid of her... My friend is still trying to fix for me. He said he would work with gasket for now... Is there any hope that my Subaru can survive? Or engine have to be replaced? Please advise.
August 16, 200322 yr Sounds like all you did was blow a head gasket. This is a fairly common thing for Subarus, it seems. While not a trivial repair, it's not all that bad either. A set of gaskets typically runs $200 to $300 depending on wether or not it's a turbo. But that includes every gasket you will need, and then some. If it were me, I'd fix her and drive her another 100,000 miles...I can't imagine there are that many XT's over there. RedLance :-)
August 16, 200322 yr Tok: A couple of things to consider before doing anything on this car: #1: Why did it overheat? Whatever caused it to overheat must be dealt with BEFORE doing your teardown. Better to figure it out now than after you install a rebuilt motor. #2: How bad did it overheat? Head gaskets might only be the beginning if you really cooked it. You may have to recondition the heads (not a bad idea anyway) or even replace them. It is very possible (if you reacted appropriately when it overheated), that a cooling system overhaul, and head gaskets is all it'll take to put you back in business. But you won't know for certain until you tear it down. A straight edge will tell you immediately if the head is warped. If you are willing to invest that much time and effort to pull the old motor, you may as well be prepared to go all the way with it, even if it means rebuilding or replacing the old motor. good luck, John
August 20, 200322 yr Author Mahalo (thank you) for those replied to me! I am glad to know I still have a hope to keep her... I will show him your idea and hope my Subaru will run again near future. (Hopefully get repaired before the Bus on "strike" on Aug.27!) Aloha, Tokko
August 20, 200322 yr Ya... if you can take it on yourself you can get a pair of head gaskets pretty cheap from the dealer. I paid $25 each for them. While in there change cam seals, main seals, timing belts, oil and water pump seats and hoses. If it overheated... also like others said, why? Could be Stuck thermostat, bad radiator, or lack of coolant (maybe other things, but those are the common reasons)
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