I was filing up the coolant in my EA71 when all of a sudden, foamy water/oil mix started coming out of the valve covers. I can only speculate that it is a blown head gasket or worse....... After checking the forum, I found that is a fairly common problem that this will happen when the freeze plugs blow out.

 

Are the freeze plugs under the valve covers? I checked the haynes manual, but I can't find their location.

 

Can this problem actually be freeze plugs, and if so, where are they and how do I get them back in?

Yep, sure sounds like the freeze plug(s) popped. They are located in the head, under the valve cover. You'll have to remove the one that popped and replace it with a new one.

 

Haven't had to do this on a Subaru, so can't tell how easy it is. But you'll have to pull both valve covers to find the bad one. Remove it and install new one.

 

You'll need to flush the oil system out after you get the repairs done. Rislone makes a good engine flush, but I just use a quart of fresh oil, new filter, and 2 quarts of kerosene, run engine until it gets warm, drain. Do proper oil/filter change.

Thanks. Man, I sure was afraid that it was the head gaskets....

If only one pops, would water come from both valve covers, or is it just the foaming action that is making it appear that it is coming from both?

 

Anyway thanks. I sure am relieved. I'll get to fixing that first thing tommorrow.