Had my '95 legacy sedan (136,000 miles) to the dealer this morning for an alignment (my independent subie mechanic doesn't do them) and as part of their courtesy check they told me that my valve cover gaskets are leaking.

 

The problem is, I just had them replaced in October (11,000 miles ago) by my independent. How do I tactfully handle this situation?

 

If, indeed, they are leaking again, I do not feel that I should have to pay to get them fixed again.

 

Observations/questions:

 

They must not be leaking much if they are at all, because there's no drips under the car and i only get a whiff of burnt oil smell every now and then (from it dripping onto the heat shields/exhaust.

 

Subaru also says that my oil separator plate (rear main seal?) is also leaking, but they'd replace the valve cover gaskets and degrease the underside before determining whether to proceed with the rear seal. My independent has mentioned the oil separator before as well, but doesn't seem concerned, especially given the age/mileage of the vehicle.

 

I also don't think it must be very bad because I've never been low on oil even right before an oil change. Are either of these problems even a big deal?

 

I'm trying to balance out my repair bills (I'm getting the A/C recharged and my front brakes done later this month, and will have the timing belt/water pump done by fall), and determine which types of repairs are truly necessary with this old of a vehicle.

 

I appreciate any input.

 

Thanks,

Brian M.

subies often leak from their valve cover gaskets . . ."its what makes a subaru, a subaru"

assuming your independant used good gaskets, it's still not outside of the relm of possibility that they now leak . . . it's just a design/engineering issue, and until the leaking does get annoying (too much on the patio, somehow leaks onto exhaust and causes smell, etc.) you don't NEED to have anything done about it. (because it'll just start doing it again, in another 10k )

 

chris

That's what I figured. I took a good look at my engine and The gasket covers both look dry to me! There's definitely some leakage from the separator plate area but its not dripping onto the ground. I'll say something to my shop but doesn't seem like something to worry about at this point.

a 2 meter square piece of cardboard is a lot cheaper than getting gaskets replaced.

 

Personally i like to fix all my oil leaks, but thats because i like a clean engine (much more pleasant to work on). A set of gaskets doesnt cost much. Its the labour charge that kills ya.

 

Theres no risk of mechanical damage here unless a major seal is shot (rear main) or you let it run out of oil.

Perhaps the previous mech changed the gaskets but did not change the rubber grommets around the valve cover bolts. These play a major role in determining the clamping force applied to the valve cover gaskets.

 

Even if you're pretty green mechanically, this is an easy DIY job. It's about $30 in parts if memory serves. The hardest part is keeping everything clean as you're squeezing the valve covers back in place (it's a bit tight.)

 

Nathan

Did they actually see a leak? Or did they see evidence of a previous leak that wasn't cleaned up. If they just saw oil clinging to the crossmember and sterring rack, they could assume that the VC's are leaking since that is a common occurance.

also , next time you are back at your regular shop, ask him to check to make sure the bolts a tight. if loose , it leaks.

Thanks for all the replies. Horcrest, yes, it's very possible they just saw evidence of the past leak and made an assumption.

 

Makes me think of the time my friend's son took his '95 sedan in because his A/T was acting up and they told him he needed a new tranny. My shop discovered that he was simply 2 quarts low on fluid and had a slight leak that was easily repairable for a grand total of $100. Subaru didn't even check the fluid level... He drove the car another 30K and retired it at over 200K for another Subaru.

 

I will ask my shop to check the bolts. I know that the separator plate has a little drip, and have known that for a while now, and until there's a puddle of oil under the car I'm not going to worry about it.

 

Brian M.

Your shop may have used a after market gasket. I did and it started leaking 5K later. Your gasket would not happen to be blue would it?

I don't know what the gasket looked like. Yes, my shop does use aftermarket parts (mainly napa I think).

if your mechanic has always been trustworthy then best to give him the benefit of the doubt. if you've noticed no symptoms it's obviously not an actual problem yet. i'm with hocrest in thinking the residue from the old one leaking is still there and looks like it's a valve cover gasket leak, they have no way of knowing it was recently replaced.

I'm an independant shop, and I worry about this type of thing. That's why I use almost exclusively OEM parts from Subaru. I don't want to have a customer bring back a car leaking after my job.

 

I'm guessing here that they saw evidence of the leak from before, and assumed it was still leaking.

 

If it is leaking I would suspect it is the fault of the grommets. They start leaking before the actual gasket ussually.

 

It's too bad Subaru charges $4 bucks a piece for those little F*%rs. DOHC 2.5s have 12 of em, for a total of $48 bucks in grommets!

wipe it down on the bottom and maybe the sides and see if there is fresh oil. If it's not fresh it's not leaking. The bolt grommets are PROBABLY NOT leaking after only 11k - those might compress a bit but not quite that fast. From what I see of the grommets, I think they could be sealed with the permatex anaerobic sealant before installation and prevent any leakage.

They're charging up my A/C and doing my front brakes on the 23rd, I'll have them take a look then. The engine is pretty dirty so it would probably be hard to tell whether it's a fresh leak or not. In any case I'm not too concerned. If my shop says yes, they're leaking again, I'll ask them to correct in good faith. They're very good with that sort of thing.

 

Brian