Coolant Leak

[taza]

Hi guys, well as I have mentioned my Foz seems to be dieing. First smoke from the exhaust and now this.

I have coolant leaking, there has been a small leak since I have owned the car. Usually just stains on the underside of the engine block.
Lately the past few days I have noticed its dripping small puddles on the ground.

I have checked all the hoses and everthing seems fine. Here are some pictures I took of where its coming from. Not sure if its a seal or crack in the engine block.

The pics are not perfect but you get the idea of where its coming from.

Thanks
Taza

 

[El_Freddo]

Water pump! No doubt about that.

Swap it out and a cam kit while you're at it Especially if you're looking at doing the valve stem seals at the same time!

Unfortunately I've been there with the water pump - right after I did the EJ conversion - I missed the shaft play in the water pump when I inspected it

Cheers

Bennie

 

[dirtyRU]

Are the water pumps on the boxers a pain to change out? Price-wise, they don't look bad at all. I wonder with the new water pump, you think that might fix any cooling problems there might be in getting coolant to other parts of the engine that might be burning that oil?

She ain't dead yet Taza! Long live the forry

 

[taza]

Are the water pumps on the boxers a pain to change out? Price-wise, they don't look bad at all. I wonder with the new water pump, you think that might fix any cooling problems there might be in getting coolant to other parts of the engine that might be burning that oil?

She ain't dead yet Taza! Long live the forry

Ill drink to that :ebiggrin:

I think I will try doing this myself and get a few of the boys from AuSubaru to help me do the valve seals. I can get the seals for $40 or so. So its pretty much just installing them that will be a PITA. But with help shouldn't take too long. I then should have a fully working EJ20 in like new condition. Other than a dodgy 1st gear

Im glad I wont have to replace her. Yes they are a very strong motor. if she lasts another 150,000km of my abuse then I will be very happy :biggrin:

 

[Rally]

If it is the water pump- change the timing belt while you are at it.

 

[Barry]

If it is the water pump- change the timing belt while you are at it.

Totally agree.

When I had my belts replaced at ~210,000km I had the water pump replaced.

The pump and belts are 2 things you really MUST replace before they die - ESPECIALLY the belt!

So, given they are are so closely linked, time consuming to do, it makes sense to do both at the same time.

 

[Greentreefrog]

genuine pump go for 110.00
gasket 3.00
bypass hose 21.00

get a cam belt kit with idlers and tensioners and do the lot at once if you can
dont lose faith in your Forrie, she just needs some preventative maintenance

 

[taza]

I think the timing belt was done 10,000km before I got the car but im not 100% sure on that.
So if I were to do the timing belt, water pump, valve seals, cam belt kit, plus a few other bits and pieces what would I be looking at cost wise for parts? A few hundred?

Thanks guys

Taza

 

[Greentreefrog]

can get gates kit starting at 200 plus the water pump bits I priced above and the 40? dollar seals you found
adds up slowly
add a couple of hoses and gaskets here and there - you will need valve cover and spark tube gaskets as well

throw me your vin again (I seem to have mislaid it) and I will quote you up genuine stuff on Monday and then you can look for a belt kit - ebay?

 

[Greentreefrog]

actually I think they do a kit now that includes a water pump!
I rang my supplier this morning but he was awol
Im sure I got a kit a while ago and was asked if wanted pump aswell
genuine valve stem seals are about $6 each for intake and $9 for exhaust - or the other way around front crank seal about $18 as are the cam seals each, from memory

 

[taza]

Well all of a sudden the coolant leaks stopped.
I cleaned a few of the sensors with CRC/WD-40 and there seems to be no smoke but I havent taken it for a drive since this and the engine was cold.
It is how ever burning 1l of oil in 500km. I changed the oil on thursday just gone and check it today and it barely read on the dipstick.
I have done about 300km highway driving and the rest around town. Shes running like crap, its like towing a trailer on the highway. Will barely even sits on 110km/hr in 5th.

I think im going to hold off on any maintenance although I have it booked in for the water pump to be replaced next wednesday. Just get someone to take a proper look who knows a few things about Subarus. Theres a guy at home who knows quite abit and my parents want it to go to him. Only issue is hes booked until late January and I can't do any offroading or even long distance until then.My usualy mechanic didn't really seem to give much of a sh1t when I went there today so I just mentioned the waterpump.

What do you guys think?
The whole conversation with my parents is coming up about how they are AWD.... not 4WD and not design to go off road. blah blah blah all that kind of crap. They don't know anything about mechanics so ive given up explaining.

 

[taza]

Although it could be worth considering another engine I could come into plroblems with that down the track not knowing its history. If anything a full rebuilt could be worth putting on the cards. That way its still the same engine and would be like new.

 

[dirtyRU]

That's a bummer, man. I thought mine was starting to burn some oil from our last road trip to New Mexico. I ended up adding about a quart of oil to it by the time we got home. Since then, driving to Houston & back & everywhere in between it hasn't lost anymore. I suppose it may just have been at the strain of driving at nearly 9,000' of elevation, then all the steep/ rough forest roads we took.
When your parents start giving you the talk, just tell them "but mom! look at mr. turbo!" haha. But in all reality, they do have a good point. If you look at everyone on here who uses's theirs offroad frequently, they have all gone through expensive repairs. Granted, from your earlier talks on the forum, it sounds like you may have just inherited a lot of the problems from the previous owners too. From all the stories i've read, I believe Carl's "Blubaru" came just short of biting the dust before he got rid of it. Smash's forester i think he leaves to mostly pavement driving anymore because of the pounding it's taken. Subacool even mentioned something about the outback not doing more trips as of now. It's not that the Subarus aren't capable, the chances are just greater of getting crapped out, as you will have to pay more $$$$ to play. I think the old (80's models) Subarus seem to stand up better to the beating than the models made in the past 10-13yrs. Then again, those may be easier to modify, making them more off road savvy.

 

[taza]

Im just going to get her fixed properly. Give her the love and care she needs. then once fixed give her hell I haven't had a good offroad session in a few months, more just 30-60mins here and there when im bored.

If I had a real 4x4 I would still be braking things anyway by trying to do more hardcore stuff so it doesnt really matter what vehicle. Then if I have a purely road orientated car like aCommodore or something of the likes thats low to the ground i would probably loose my licence for hooning and recklessdriving aswell as rip the bumpers off the car and crash into something or someone.

Thanks for the support DirtyRU

 

[Barry]

That's a bummer, man. I thought mine was starting to burn some oil from our last road trip to New Mexico. I ended up adding about a quart of oil to it by the time we got home. Since then, driving to Houston & back & everywhere in between it hasn't lost anymore. I suppose it may just have been at the strain of driving at nearly 9,000' of elevation, then all the steep/ rough forest roads we took.
When your parents start giving you the talk, just tell them "but mom! look at mr. turbo!" haha. But in all reality, they do have a good point. If you look at everyone on here who uses's theirs offroad frequently, they have all gone through expensive repairs. Granted, from your earlier talks on the forum, it sounds like you may have just inherited a lot of the problems from the previous owners too. From all the stories i've read, I believe Carl's "Blubaru" came just short of biting the dust before he got rid of it. Smash's forester i think he leaves to mostly pavement driving anymore because of the pounding it's taken. Subacool even mentioned something about the outback not doing more trips as of now. It's not that the Subarus aren't capable, the chances are just greater of getting crapped out, as you will have to pay more $$$$ to play. I think the old (80's models) Subarus seem to stand up better to the beating than the models made in the past 10-13yrs. Then again, those may be easier to modify, making them more off road savvy.

The limited capacity of Subarus is one of the challenges for me. I have what I call the 'expedition' approach. The challenge is in getting to the destination and back with the vehicle intact.
I am happy to travel slowly, winch where necessary, etc to get me and the vehicle through unscathed.

Have to agree however, the 80s - early 90s Subis are probably more suited to off roading, and also more economical to modify / affordable to kill!

 

[mr turbo]

Sorry to hear about your Forry taza :sad:

The whole conversation with my parents is coming up about how they are AWD.... not 4WD and not design to go off road. blah blah blah all that kind of crap.

I fully understand where you are coming by that taza.
I have the same type of arguments (debates) with plenty of my work mates. The funny thing is, when I invite or dare them to come on a trip with me (with there real 4WD's) they all chicken out for some reason

When your parents start giving you the talk, just tell them "but mom! look at mr. turbo!" haha. But in all reality, they do have a good point.

Just drop me in it why don't you. Only kidding mate :lol: it's all good :ebiggrin:

But mind you, I have had times when something HAS happened & it's ended up costing me a pretty penny :iconwink:

Although it could be worth considering another engine I could come into plroblems with that down the track not knowing its history. If anything a full rebuilt could be worth putting on the cards. That way its still the same engine and would be like new.

That too does have it's pro's & con's.
Yes it will be like new, but on the other hand it does come at a cost.
It just depends on how much you want to spend v's how much you have/need to spend

If I had a real 4x4 I would still be braking things anyway by trying to do more hardcore stuff so it doesn't really matter what vehicle.

I'm in the same boat as you with this one. If I did get something bigger, I'd only end up modding that, then probably end up breaking that too
So where do you stop ??

The limited capacity of Subarus is one of the challenges for me.

I guess this is the main reason I really love my Forry. Firstly I enjoy the challenges the Forry gives me & secondly I really I realy enjoy it as my daily driver.
It gives me the best of both worlds

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[taza]

Sorry to hear about your Forry taza :sad:

That too does have it's pro's & con's.
Yes it will be like new, but on the other hand it does come at a cost.
It just depends on how much you want to spend v's how much you have/need to spend

I'm in the same boat as you with this one. If I did get something bigger, I'd only end up modding that, then probably end up breaking that too
So where do you stop ??

I guess this is the main reason I really love my Forry. Firstly I enjoy the challenges the Forry gives me & secondly I really I realy enjoy it as my daily driver.
It gives me the best of both worlds

Thanks.I know it could cost me 1500+ or so but if the engine has to come out and apart may aswell do a few extra things to save the time and money pulling it out later on and doing them. rather than spending abit less getting another EJ20 to throw in and seeing issues a month or so down the track.

Thats the reason I got a Subaru, they are the best soft-roader you can buy. The easiest and best to mod and you get the best of both worlds onroad and offroad

I find that i probably won't stop modding. Now i have the Subaru bug I don't think I ould ever go to a real 4x4. Sure they cant do all the real hardcore stuff where lockers are needed but all the easy to medium stuff its fun and watching the look on big 4x4 people faces is just the best :biggrin:

I don't want to engineer the car just yet so I won't be going with another/bigger engine. I may aswell fix mine so its good for atleast another 150k. By then the body will be wrecked and I will be starting with another car, probably Subaru.

And now since I am still working before going to uni early next year aswell as my parents help I will fix it and atleast have no engine/clutch issues all through my next few years of uni and hardcore offroading

Taza

 

[taza]

Well was talking to my father and he mentioned to his mechanic who knows a decent amount about Subies that I should start saving for a new enigne.,said its probably done too much offroad for and pushed too hard for a 2.0l. I have done almost 45,000km in her and heaps of offroad work.

A rough quote of $4500 for a another EJ20 N/A and installation. The engine would be reconditioned though.

So now to start looking ad ideas. Its not worth getting rid of the car as said by a number of people and my parents are willing to help pay so just thought I should let youse all know.

Taza

 

[NachaLuva]

I think you're right that Subies cant handle hardcore offroading as much as 'cruisers etc, but I think a lot of it is how gentle you are on the car. you can still do reasonably hard stuff without "flogging" the car. Someone somewhere mentioned "mechanical empathy"...knowing how hard to push the engine etc without causing damage. Sure engines can redline but every time it does it causes a little bit of damage. I'd like to see you not push the engine so hard yet still have fun...

 

[taza]

I don't really believe that 40,000km of well use would total a bulletproof EJ non turbo engine so im not giving up on this one. (while still considering options if so and on repairs).
She has been revved sure and gotten quite low due to burning oil but never starved of any fluids and only once gotten a few 100 rpm just over redline. Always had the oil changed every 5000-10,000km.

Do you guys think it could really be dead or dieing from all the beach and sand work in 40,000? Does it sound like it from my issues or more just abit of maintenance needs to be done other than the burning oil issue.