My head gasket has had a light leak in it for the past 15 000 k's....and the drip (which is oil, not coolant) has not gotten worse. There does not appear to be any cooland in the oil, and the car is not getting too hot. Unfortunately I have not saved up the $800 CAN I need for the repair, so I've been using the car as is. Just recently, last 2 times in the car, the ENGINE LIGHT has come on.....but all the guages are reading ok. Does anyone know if it would have anything to do with the head gasket leak? I know it could mean a variety of things, but is it likely it is related? Thanks

My head gasket has had a light leak in it for the past 15 000 k's....and the drip (which is oil, not coolant) has not gotten worse. There does not appear to be any cooland in the oil, and the car is not getting too hot. Unfortunately I have not saved up the $800 CAN I need for the repair, so I've been using the car as is. Just recently, last 2 times in the car, the ENGINE LIGHT has come on.....but all the guages are reading ok. Does anyone know if it would have anything to do with the head gasket leak? I know it could mean a variety of things, but is it likely it is related? Thanks

 

And yes..the oil level is fine too!

What code does it give? (connect together the wires near the windshield wiper motor -- two black ones I think? or maybe white or green -- and there will be a blinking light under the steering column inside that gives the code) It could be the O2 sensor, which perhaps is being affected by some oil in the cylinder, but most likely is unrelated. If your oil pressure is still good and it's not overheating, the head gasket probably won't have any effect on the engine running, or the computer, in my experience. Mine was to the point of burning/leaking a half gallon of coolant every 20 miles, and still ran perfectly fine as long as I kept water in there so it didn't overheat.....

What code does it give? (connect together the wires near the windshield wiper motor -- two black ones I think? or maybe white or green -- and there will be a blinking light under the steering column inside that gives the code) It could be the O2 sensor, which perhaps is being affected by some oil in the cylinder, but most likely is unrelated. If your oil pressure is still good and it's not overheating, the head gasket probably won't have any effect on the engine running, or the computer, in my experience. Mine was to the point of burning/leaking a half gallon of coolant every 20 miles, and still ran perfectly fine as long as I kept water in there so it didn't overheat.....

 

So does the blinking light actually show a code / #?

your head gasket leak my just be a valve cover gasket..

 

what year is your car?

 

the engine light will be related to a component rather than any mechanical integrity, a blown head gasket will not trigger the lite

 

http://www.economysuperstar.com/milesfox/subaru/service/ecu.htm

You can call me through the day at 604-466-6860. I'll walk you through it so you can read your codes to sort out your problem.

Yeah. It'll flash in long and short flashes. The number of long flashes is the first digit of the code, and the number of short flashes is the second digit of the code. I think the USRM has a list of the codes. My Chilton's did too.

 

Z