I have heard that some subarus have problems with head gasket leaks and piston slap. Is this true for the 1991 to 1993 2.2L engines? Also, sometimes my 1991 2.2L does not get oil pressure right away when started...cold or hot. Has anyone run into this before? Added some heavier weight oil and slick 50. Am waiting to see if that fixes the problem. Thanks!!

The 2.2 aren't prone to either problem you mention.

 

How do you know the oil pressure is low? Dashboard gauges aren't very reliable, the oil sending units that detect the oil pressure can start to give false readings. Make sure the wire is masking good contact to it.

 

How many miles are on the engine? Unless you hear a lot of noise on startup from lack of oil, it may not be bad pressure.

Sometimes, when I first start it up, it takes the engine longer than I would like to quiet down. I am very familiar with the sound of a dry engine or low oil pressure. Plus the oil light stays on longer than it used to. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. The car has 189,000 miles. I know that the Loyale had a lot of problems with low oil pressure, especially during cold start up. I don't know if the same is true for the Legacy.

Have you done any work on the oil pump? It's possible that the o-ring that seals between the block and engine is worn, or that the screws on the backing plate of the oil pump have come loose. This would cause it longer for the oil pressure to build up.

Drain the oil and replace the oil pump seals.

 

Slick50 is not a product I would recommend. So, plan on replacing your oil filter too. Twice. After the oil pump work, drive ca. 600miles and replace the filter again.

Well, maybe its time to find a new car. I've been thinking of selling it anyway. The oil pump job is a lot of work! I've only had the car 3 years so I don't know if the previous owner replaced the oil pump seals/o ring at that time. Guess I need to do that if I plan to keep it.

 

Why don't you recommend slick 50? Is there any other oil addative that would be a better choice? Thanks!

Mobil 1 has all the additives in it there already. No need to mess with it. Same goes for most oils.

Well, maybe its time to find a new car. I've been thinking of selling it anyway. The oil pump job is a lot of work! I've only had the car 3 years so I don't know if the previous owner replaced the oil pump seals/o ring at that time. Guess I need to do that if I plan to keep it.

IMHO, I think you might be "throwing the baby out with the bath water" if you sell it due to this maintenance issue. Fix it and it's fixed for many, many years. I would expect this type of issue on any vehicle that is 14 years old.

 

If you buy a different used car, you never really know what your getting in the form of "deferred" maintenance.