 Non turbo 4 cylinder applications all have head gasket issues, you've heard this before, most of you know this, and yes its a result of a bad/faulty design with the gasket. The factory gaskets have a coating that deteriorates over time (typically between 80-120k miles. That range is dependent on if you've run the SOA mandatory coolant conditioner, which is designed to get you past that 100k mile hump). The symptom of leaking "head gaskets" is oil weeping between the head/block surfaces. This weep over time turns into a significant leak, which then turns into coolant leaking as well, after that symptom you often times will go into overheating, from there its a few mile slippery slope...which then has coolant and oil intermingling together. If you haven't guessed it yet, this is where bearings get trashed, you develop a rod knock and hopefully at this point you've realized its about to be over but recognize before the next critical stage. The sad thing is....it doesn't need to get to this point. If you work with a specialty shop its easy to point out early on when this is happening (at the weeping stage) and proactively fixing it. By doing so, you 1- secure your investment with your vehicle, 2- save yourself the headache of being broken down on the side of the road, and 3- you get to enjoy your car for another X amount of miles b/c you didn't let it catastrophically fail. Did you know when we do head gasket jobs here at LIC Motorsports we don't install the same gaskets that do the same thing? Would you be shocked to know that the dealer and most other independents still install these bad/faulty gaskets to this day when they perform this job (reason being is Subaru hasn't revised the gasket on the older SOHC vehicles). These vehicles all have cylinder head gasket related issues:
You can purchase revised/upgraded gaskets here: Non Turbo Upgraded MLS Head Gaskets More info about our Head Gasket Service here: Maintenance Service Page Here is images of when someone has let it go to far and more or less driven there car into the "ground" (that slurry leaking out is the "milkshake" of coolant/oil that has mixed).
44 Comments
NewOwner
6/13/2018 01:38:54 pm
Just bought 2009 Subaru Outback Special 2.5i with 98k miles for $9,900 in perfect condition. Only thing wrong slight leak from oil pan gasket and will have mechanic repair for $240. Last year previous owner at 83k miles replaced power steering pump, timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, head gaskets at Subaru Dealer. They installed gaskets part#11044AA633 single layered. I found from reading the old blog it is better to use the MLS or FelPro, etc but previous owner didn't request either. Question: How long do I have before the heads leak again? Was the original 83k a good estimate to hope for?
Noah
6/13/2018 02:00:04 pm
Really just depends on how they did the repair work. If they resurfaced the heads and did the job properly (which they don't all do), it'll last that 80-100k ish. If they didn't resurface the cylinder heads and just slapped it together (which is common for dealers to do), you'll be lucky to get 30k out of it.
NewOwner
6/13/2018 02:08:58 pm
Thanks for your quick reply! Would they list resurfacing the heads on the Dealer repair/work order (it's not listed on what they gave me)? Or do I have to call and quiz them on their procedure? Thanks Again!
Noah
6/13/2018 03:17:26 pm
NewOwner- yes it would be listed on your repair order/invoice if it was done.
Josh Isralowitz
7/7/2018 10:06:10 am
2012 Subaru Legacy 2.5i owner with 60k miles here.
LIC Motorsprots
7/9/2018 07:55:56 am
That year/make/model does not have the issues mentioned in this post. Subaru revised the gaskets in 2010 for the outback and legacy's. Although with that being said, we do still see a lot of HG issues on your model car, reason being is the cars tend to run hot, which warp the heads, which leads to HG repair as well....but its not due to a faulty gasket like the older models mentioned in this post.
John
7/7/2018 07:15:48 pm
I believe only the 2.5l engines had this issue. The 2.2l is generally fine. Mine has 270k on it and is only now barely starting to weep oil I think, but not enough to register on the dipstick
LIC Motorsports
7/9/2018 07:57:39 am
correct, as mentioned in this article, its for the SOHC 2.5L vehicles. The 2.2L is the best motor Subaru made and commonly get 300k+ miles. It's a shame they stopped producing these almost 20 years ago.
Cindy
8/10/2018 02:47:24 am
Still searching for my older model beloved Outback...kissed a lot of pigs this past year and been on my share of wild goose chases. Came across an 06 LL Bean 154,000 one owner, never wrecked. Clean
LIC Motorsports
8/10/2018 09:12:59 am
Those are great engines but typically have significant oil leaks at that mileage but that's normal for year/make/model.
Cindy
8/10/2018 10:13:05 am
Too many miles for your liking?
Cindy
8/10/2018 10:19:38 am
Can anything be done to correct this oil leak issue? Is it a big deal or a manageable thing if it's a good car.
LIC Motorsports
8/10/2018 10:22:07 am
Cindy- Its ok mileage for the year/model. Yes it can all be fixed, its just costly on the 6 cyl models but if you get the car for a decent price, well worth it and manageable
Cindy
8/10/2018 12:00:00 pm
It's being checked out now...but has a few places on it I'm not liking.👎
LIC Motorsports
8/10/2018 01:56:36 pm
I think you're likely best to stick with a 6 cyl model, although they have some issues at higher mileage, if well maintained, they outlast the 4 cyl by at min 50%
Cindy
8/11/2018 02:48:18 am
Many, many thanks❤️
Cindy
8/19/2018 10:47:29 am
Just had to let you know how it played out. Doesn't it feel nice to be right when you give advice!!
LIC Motorsports
8/20/2018 07:30:50 am
Always happy to speak honestly and to help ;-) 10/19/2018 11:15:07 am
What are your thoughts on the 2.5L turbo motor, i.e. 2005 Legacy GT.
LIC Motorsports
10/19/2018 11:31:16 am
Turbo models are fine, they do not suffer the same flaw as the NA gaskets - as they are MLS from the factory.
Thomas Schmoller
10/25/2018 04:47:06 am
Does the head gasket problem plague the n/a 2.0L 2011 Impreza's I've not seen anything online about there 2.0l engines, only 2.5/2.2
LIC Motorsports
10/25/2018 08:07:25 am
Although the FA/FB motors do NOT suffer from head gasket issues as mentioned in this article - do know that the 11-13's were part of a class action lawsuit due to massive motor oil consumption issues. https://jalopnik.com/subaru-settles-lawsuit-over-oil-burning-cars-1752805682
Zach
11/18/2018 07:53:24 pm
Have a 2011 Subaru Outback Prem 2.5 non turbo with 156k miles. Started to overheat the other night for the first time and spewed coolant out of the reservoir. Have had an issue with a leak from the bottom hose previously which threw the code. Got it fixed and it drove perfect for 3 days. No mayo on the stick or filler cap, no mysterious disappearance of coolant, no white smoke, no bubbles in the radiator or reservoir so I’m kind of stumped. Don’t want to go to a Subaru dealer and them say it’s HG but I’m kind of feeling like that’s what’s going to happen. Any advice?
LIC Motorsports
11/19/2018 07:43:17 am
Sounds like the car for sure overheated due lack of coolant in the system - likely from that lower hose connection you mentioned. Which has resulted in warped head(s) - when heads warp, exhaust gases will push the coolant out of the system and out the reservoir bottle....that's a blown head gaskets unfortunately.
Sabry Soliman
1/20/2019 10:57:37 am
I just bought a 2009 Subaru Outback in March 2018, 2 moth after I bought it the dealer confirmed a HG leaking in both sides, I read about the faulty engine and HG design, if I used a cooper racing and performance HG, would this will be better fix to overcome the faulty design?
LIC Motorsports
1/21/2019 09:03:18 am
There is upgraded gaskets now available. I wouldn't use a copper gasket and/or spray, as copper needs to be retorqued once installed and doing that on a Subaru is out of the question.
Cindy
2/9/2019 04:05:08 pm
Hi there...
LIC Motorsports
2/11/2019 08:21:28 am
Hello Cindy, we use Motul 8100 5w30 or 5w40 depending on mileage of the car and climate you're in.
Cindy
2/11/2019 08:36:49 am
145,000 Norfolk Va. East coast
LIC Motorsports
2/11/2019 08:38:36 am
stick with 5w30
Cindy
2/11/2019 08:41:13 am
Since I do not know the history of weather synthetic oil was used, should I start NOW using synthetic oil?
LIC Motorsports
2/11/2019 08:48:26 am
Synthetic should be used in everything these days.
Cindy
2/11/2019 08:51:11 am
You are the Subaru GURU.....Thank you👍❤️
LIC Motorsports
2/11/2019 09:00:25 am
No problem...
Jaysan
3/1/2019 05:51:13 am
Hi, I’m currently shopping for a used Subaru Baja Turbo. If I’ve understood the previous comments correctly, I shouldn’t have to worry about the head gadget issues right? Is there anything I should be looking out for?
LIC Motorsports
3/1/2019 07:46:24 am
Although the turbo models do not suffer from the issues mentioned in this article, it doesn't mean it can't still have head gasket related issues - but it won't be due to the faulty design. As with any turbo model Subaru, you'd want records that someone has been diligently maintaining it.
Joad
3/9/2019 06:09:18 am
Hello,
LIC Motorsports
3/11/2019 10:02:19 am
Sounds like you did the right things and did the job complete - as it should be done. Hard to say ultimately what you got going on from a distance but I would question if you used an OEM/Genuine water pump. I see you listed mostly OEM stuff but did you happen to use an aftermarket water pump? If not, check out this article: https://www.licmotorsports.com/blog/why-we-use-oem-subaru-genuine-water-pumps
Bob
3/11/2019 12:31:05 pm
Hello, I have a 2003 Legacy Outback with 110,500 miles. Seven years ago, at 75,900 miles, I had to replace the cylinder head gasket because of an external oil leak. At that time, the dealer said that the catalyst was "below efficiency" and had to be replaced. Expensive! Now, only 34,600 miles later, it is developing an external oil leak again. My questions are: 1) Was the catalyst failure caused by a leak of the head gasket and contamination of the combustion gases? 2) Since there is evidence of an external leak at the head gasket, is it a certainty that fuel, coolant, and/or oil are mixing internally, too? 3) If I drive short distances (2 miles to work and store, occasionally 50 miles to the airport) how do I tell if I'm wrecking the engine? 4) Is there anything I can do besides replace the head gasket again? Thanks.
LIC Motorsports
3/11/2019 12:43:26 pm
If you had the same gaskets installed (meaning OEM ones), it would be expected within 10 years that they would leak again - as Subaru has never corrected the issue with the gaskets.
Joseph
3/15/2019 06:12:18 pm
HI, I am deliberating on whether to have a head gasket job done on my 2006 Subaru Tribeca with 150,000 miles. The cost is nearly eclipsing the value of the vehicle. My question is whether this is straightforward engine repair or is their a likelihood of additional hidden damage to internal parts, or cracks in the engine block, cylinder warping etc...
LIC Motorsports
3/18/2019 02:53:26 pm
Really hard to say not knowing what you will get into once it gets opened up. I will say its uncommon to have head gasket issues on a 6 cyl model and an indicator of a larger issue typically. Which is worrisome in regards with the need to keep adding coolant to the cooling system. I think you have the higher probability of getting into further work - albeit at time of repair or in near future (catalytic converts, etc.)
Joseph
3/18/2019 04:57:03 pm
First mechanic I took it to said I need a new waterpump and suggested the thermostat be changed as well. Interestingly I do not see coolant puddles on the floor of my garage. Second mechanic, that being the local Subaru dealer says leaking water pump, gasket covers and coolant in oil. I ran a block test siphoning suspect combustive gases from the radiator, using blue die and interestingly the die never changed to yellow suggesting no combustive gases. How accurate these tests are is beyond my knowledge. So I am in a quandary as to whether to junk the car or repair the vehicle....
LIC Motorsports
3/19/2019 07:41:01 am
Joseph- it's a tough predicament and understandable on the confusion of the "what should I do". The problem with scenarios like this is the have that unknown factor and added expense if things don't go as hoped. With that being said, the 6 cyl is one of the better motors Subaru made and tend to be a lot more robust then the 4 cyl variants. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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