|
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
11-13-2017, 04:20 PM | #1 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 477662
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: CT
Vehicle:2013 Impreza Burgundy |
Oil Leak Issues 2013 Impreza
Hey everyone!
Just wondering if anyone could help me out here. I have a 2013 Impreza with 82k miles on it with an oil leak and cracked timing cover. Brought it to my local Subaru for an oil change. Upon pick up they tell me that I have a leak since there is oil all over my engine. The service desk tells me that they may need to change to gaskets and even an engine overhaul since they don't know where the leak is coming from. I ask isn't there a way to find out (knowing you can clean the engine and if needed put dye in it to find said leak). But they tell me no and priced all of this at $2300 but when I mentioned that they might not have to do all of the possible work and that sounds like the high end they tell me "no, that's the price" seems a little crazy to me that a car with only 82K on it would need an engine overhaul without even trying the simplest of tasks to find the issue. I bring it to an other garage for a second option and he goes ahead and cleans my engine. Come to find out, I have a leak on the right side of my engine and a crack in the front timing cover. This mechanic tells me that with my miles and the year of my car that having a crack in that area seems crazy and suggests I contact Subaru for possible help as it seems like a defect. Does anyone have an ideas on what could possibly be wrong with my Impreza? Note: my car was part of the oil consumption issue before I purchased it as I am the 2nd owner
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Last edited by morgandelia; 11-13-2017 at 07:34 PM. Reason: Fixed Pictures |
11-13-2017, 04:44 PM | #2 |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
Timing belt cover is NOT an oil seal on older models, yours IS a metal cover with seals. So, yes it may be leaking. There are a few oil seals inside the cover, cams, crank, oil pump.
Common outside are valve covers. Not typical for them to be leaking at your age or miles. If it is the cover, no, it's not a reason to do a rebuild, just a PITA to clean old sealant and reassemble with new sealant. Depending on the leak, could be PS pump or lines, oil pressure switch. I can't see your pictures, could just be my Frikkin iPad. Last edited by Charlie-III; 12-19-2017 at 09:28 AM. Reason: Clarify, new engines are a sealed cover unlike older Subaru engines. |
11-13-2017, 07:37 PM | #3 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 477662
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: CT
Vehicle:2013 Impreza Burgundy |
It was actually the way I uploaded the pictures. My bad! They should be visible now.
Would all of those possible issues be considered an engine overhaul? Since it isn't typical with a car my age/mileage, any thoughts on why this could have happened? |
11-13-2017, 10:04 PM | #4 |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
OK, pictures work.
Frankly, I would keep an eye on fluids, add as needed and watch for more leaks. Right now, hard to tell since it was recently cleaned off. No, I see no current reason for a rebuild....wait and watch. |
11-14-2017, 10:32 AM | #5 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 477662
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: CT
Vehicle:2013 Impreza Burgundy |
Yea that makes sense, I'll def keep an eye on the fluids.
Any ideas on what would cause that crack? |
11-15-2017, 08:56 AM | #6 | |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
Quote:
Isn't the 2.0 a timing chain with a metal timing cover? If so, it may be an oil bath for the chain so yes, it could be leaking some oil from the cover. No clue on what caused the crack. |
|
12-14-2017, 07:38 PM | #7 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 471980
Join Date: Jul 2017
|
Oil Leak
Hi,
First off, I am still new on the forum and my car knowledge is not extensive but I have a question. I had my car in for maintenance about a month ago. Yesterday the check engine light went on and it turns out my car has an oil leak, oil dripped on a wire which corroded, broke and now some sensors are broken. I am wondering how long it would take for a minor leak to break a wire - are a a couple of weeks normal? Thanks! |
12-15-2017, 01:34 AM | #8 | |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
Quote:
|
|
12-16-2017, 07:29 AM | #9 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 283429
Join Date: May 2011
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Down yonder.
Vehicle:2016 Fuji Sunfire 03 Silver |
Quote:
|
|
12-18-2017, 12:59 PM | #10 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 471980
Join Date: Jul 2017
|
Quote:
thanks. |
|
12-19-2017, 09:25 AM | #11 |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
It's possible, the vent holes are small, wouldn't take much to get oil inside or clog the ports.
|
12-19-2017, 09:40 AM | #12 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 283429
Join Date: May 2011
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Down yonder.
Vehicle:2016 Fuji Sunfire 03 Silver |
Quote:
I have seen sensors with a 1/4" of dirt/oil on them which work fine until you try to clean them. |
|
12-20-2017, 09:50 AM | #13 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 471980
Join Date: Jul 2017
|
Quote:
|
|
12-22-2017, 03:18 AM | #14 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 3409
Join Date: Jan 2001
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Oly
Vehicle:98 My FMIC Is bigger than yours. |
That's a weird crack - looks like a bolt hole that was hydrolocked and the bolt driven home, or too long of a bolt bottomed out and blew out the back side. I'm not sure if there's even a bolt there, but I suppose something could have been protruding from the front of the engine when the cover was bolted down.
When you pull the timing cover, you'll find out though. edit: I cannot see that damage happening except during reassembly. When it was subject to oil consumption repairs, did it get a short block, or just new rings? How long ago? |
05-09-2018, 01:49 PM | #15 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 310672
Join Date: Feb 2012
Vehicle:2012 Impreza Ltd 5Dr Dark Gray Metallic |
OK, reviving a stale thread, but with the same issue and also an FB20. Info on my 2012 Impreza, also with a short block replacement under the oil consumption warranty:
Short block replacement: 42,178 miles, April 2015, Carlsen Subaru, Redwood City, CA Current mileage: 77,386 miles (35k miles, 3 years since short block replacement) Oil consumption rate since replacement: 11,500 miles/quart (essentially zero, since no oil needs to be added between oil changes) While doing an engine inspection before an upcoming trip, I found signs of an oil leak on both cylinder heads. This is the RH side: This sure looks like the valve cover gasket to me. LH side looks similar. I believe that the oil consumption warranty extends coverage to 8 years and 100K miles, so I think I could appeal to SOA and get the repairs covered, but it seems like a reasonable sized job, so I ordered the parts. (even the Three-Bond 1217G at $38/tube... this was before I discovered that Subaru allows "3M Ultrapro High Temp Silicone Gasket 08672 Black". which is $10/tube, as a substitute). I noticed that the FSM shows a limited area of RTV application on the valve covers: and it looks like there is Three Bond squeezing out all the way around the corners of my valve corner, which doesn't match what the FSM shows. Could this be the cause of the seepage? It does seem to be pretty slow; I cleaned it up and after a day's driving I can't feel any oil. It did collect enough on the right front camshaft position sensor and wiring to drip once in a while onto the exhaust manifold. The oxygen sensor right below that seems to be clean, and even after 35K miles there were not any drips on the plastic undercover. Any recommendations for this job are welcome; I ordered the spark plug pipe gaskets, and the camshaft position sensor O-rings just in case. Always hard to tell when the oil drips start blowing around. If it is the cam carrier or head gasket (i.e. engine removal is required), I'm calling SOA to get it covered under warranty. Last edited by Rymar; 05-09-2018 at 01:56 PM. |
05-09-2018, 01:55 PM | #16 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 89967
Join Date: Jun 2005
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: MA
Vehicle:2020 Volvo S60 Gray |
Quote:
The only way you would be covered is if you bought the extended warranty from Subaru at time of purchase. Sucks, I was quoted $2200 to fix my issue, which is insane when you can buy a new, used engine for $500. |
|
05-09-2018, 02:06 PM | #17 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 310672
Join Date: Feb 2012
Vehicle:2012 Impreza Ltd 5Dr Dark Gray Metallic |
I would appeal to Subaru directly for "warranty consideration". The dealership often gives a different answer than the corporate representatives.
If they reject it, look for a good local independent mechanic who knows Subarus. The dealership might also be wrong about which seal it is; the rocker cover seals are much less expensive to replace, since the engine doesn't need to be removed. I'm hoping someone with experience in these motors can look at my images and give an opinion on which seal it is... |
05-09-2018, 03:42 PM | #18 |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
Dude....really?!?!......11K miles/quart of oil?!.!
SHeesh, non issue in my book for any brand. 1.1K miles/quart, borderline for a flat engine like Subaru. Decimal points make a HUGE difference here. Yes, it's nice to keep the oil inside the engine. Last edited by Charlie-III; 05-10-2018 at 01:30 AM. Reason: Couple post fixes. |
05-09-2018, 04:21 PM | #19 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 310672
Join Date: Feb 2012
Vehicle:2012 Impreza Ltd 5Dr Dark Gray Metallic |
No, not an accountant. Engineer. Go figure.
My only point in actually measuring the oil consumption is that everybody says "My engine burns zero oil", when that's never really true. So, WTF, I measured it. I really meant 11,000 miles per quart. When I do an oil change, it is typically less than 1/2 a quart down. I am perfectly happy with that oil consumption; it is really zero in my book, cause I never have to add any. Just wish all the oil were on the inside of the motor... |
05-10-2018, 03:46 AM | #20 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 3409
Join Date: Jan 2001
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Oly
Vehicle:98 My FMIC Is bigger than yours. |
Could be valve cover, could be the cam cap.
|
05-10-2018, 12:56 PM | #21 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 310672
Join Date: Feb 2012
Vehicle:2012 Impreza Ltd 5Dr Dark Gray Metallic |
Thanks. I was hoping you would comment. Correct me if I've got any of this wrong. So, just to make sure I have the parts defined correctly:
The FSM shows these slightly nightmarish drawings for how to apply liquid sealant between the cam carrier and the head: and this for the cam cap: I'm sure that in the factory there is a robot which applies this exactly as shown. Chances of any of us humans doing this "exactly" as specified seem kind of low. The specs are to the 10,000th of an inch! If this sealing is done correctly, it seems like the liquid sealant should be good for the life of the engine. In other words, an untouched factory-built engine should never leak oil around these areas. Or is that not true? I will go ahead and replace the rocker cover seal, and then post the results here once the work is done and the engine has been run for a while. This should help anyone who sees the same oil pattern figure out what the problem is. |
05-11-2018, 03:48 AM | #22 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 3409
Join Date: Jan 2001
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Oly
Vehicle:98 My FMIC Is bigger than yours. |
I'd say part #7 in the cam cap pic is the one.
In an ideal world, you're right - they'd never leak from the factory. But that's clearly not the case. There was a recall on sunroofs back in 2010 or 2011 because the machine at the factory didn't do it's job gluing the glass down. Anyway, if you're pulling the valve cover, I'd go ahead and pull those rear cam caps too. Clean them off and glue them back down. I guarantee there isn't a tech on the planet who looks at that bead spec and takes it seriously. There's literally no way. |
05-11-2018, 12:34 PM | #23 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 310672
Join Date: Feb 2012
Vehicle:2012 Impreza Ltd 5Dr Dark Gray Metallic |
Quote:
I am worried about unbolting the rear cam caps while the camshafts are under pressure from the valve springs; I know they can be brittle. I guess I can rotate the crankshaft until the rear valves are closed (but probably not all of them will be closed at the same time). The front cam caps also form part of the front surface for the timing cover, so it looks like it would not be possible to reseal those with the engine still in place. I have never seen a motor with so many different seams where oil can leak! (well, maybe air-cooled VW bug motors have just as many...) |
|
05-11-2018, 05:30 PM | #24 |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
OK, reality check here......
If oil usage is under 5000 miles/quart, frankly, leave it the frig alone. Period. If drips on the ground at this useage gives you fits, buy a 3' x 3' pan and dump in a layer of speedidry or similar. Then, get good at parking over it. Yes, I have customers that go ape crap on ANY leak.....I shrug this off, or, make a ton to fix a nonissue. Maybe buy a couple cans of Gunk FoamyBrite and shampoo he engine a time or two per year. Effort and cost to fix "weeps" may create new leaks. Basically, a never ending battle. Your car, your choice. I say, shampoo it, be glad for very low consumption. |
05-11-2018, 10:19 PM | #25 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 310672
Join Date: Feb 2012
Vehicle:2012 Impreza Ltd 5Dr Dark Gray Metallic |
Yeah, that does sound like a sane approach...
But then, I'm not sure that word applies to me. (My engine doesn't DARE leak oil!). I'm with you up to the point where I have a drip pan in the driveway. I'll see what the oil seepage looks like after a week of driving. If I didn't enjoy working on my car I wouldn't be doing this, though. The parts were $100, and a day's mucking about with tools. Plus there's always that thing of trying to figure out how to do something the right way. Engineer mindset at work... |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|