“It was a little below the half way mark so I added 2 quarts. Anybody see a problem with that?”
Yikes!
I didn’t fully focus on that detail until now.
So…all bets are off at this point as to the exact nature of the problem…or problems.
Ah yes, I assumed it was 2 quarts low, but it sounds like too much oil was added.
But too much oil should not cause an oil consumption issue, unless it whipped the oil intro a froth and caused oil starvation issues.
This is complicated.
Because the OP stated that she just recently started to check these things…because the husband has been sick…I think that we need to give her a break.
It was a little below the half way mark so I added 2 quarts.
- I really think that she thought that the this meant that 1/2 the oil was gone.
- She has no idea if her car holds 5 quarts, or 5 gasllons.
I think that we should be educating her…not berating her.
I think ourv best advice is for herv to sit down withvthe onwers manual andv read the chapter on “Routine Maitainence”. And find a friend to show her how to check the oil, tires, washer fluid and such.
Yosemite
I do believe this was an issue caused during the repair for the following reasons.
- OP and her husband maintained the car for 100k+ with no issues with oil consumption.
- Head gaskets are replaced in June and dealer asks for car back in 500 miles for inspection. This raises a red flag for me. I have done heavy line for 20+ years when I finish a job like this I have it driven for 20 to 30 miles, check everything over and don’t expect to see the car until its next service.
- 500 miles after service car is inspected and found to be in good condition, I assume this means not burning oil and no leaks and fluids at correct levels.
- August 17 engine fails from lack of oil.
- What the dealer is telling you now is somehow after the car was inspected and deemed ok it has lost all its oil in a 2 month period.
The wildcard in this is when the OP added the oil and if it was overfilled and that somehow caused a issue resulting in the oil loss.
If you have done all your service work at the dealer I would contact the service manager and Subaru customer assistance and see if they would be willing to help with repair costs. How many miles did you drive after the car was inspected? Did the dealer inform you why you lost all your oil?
Hope your husband makes a good recovery and this issue is resolved in your favor.
Steve
I really have to question your dealers motives here. I do think the issue stems from the head gasket replacement, but I don’t think the engine is a total loss right now, but since i don’t have eyes on it, I can’t say for sure.
If the oil light did not come on, then you had at least enough oil to maintain oil pressure. I am a little concerned about the adding 2 quarts part when the oil was at the halfway mark, that could have damaged a seal and caused a sudden loss of oil. I’d like an explanation as to why 2 quarts were added or who advised you to add that much. Did you check the oil level after you added it?
Since you are new to this, it could be a beginners mistake. As long as you learn from this. I recommend that you find the owners manual and read it cover to cover. There is a lot of good information in there.
There is a case where the head gasket failed again due to not following all the procedures and the oil loss was sudden, not gradual, but since you did not keep an eye on the oil level, that will be hard to prove.
It could be that the head gaskets failed because the bolts were reused when they shouldn’t have, they weren’t torqued properly or the head(s) were warped and they didn’t check that. The chuging could be due to the head gasket failure.
This situation could depend on several things. One is whether or not the head gaskets were replaced for external seepage only, whether there was coolant seepage into one or more cylinders, and whether or not any overheating was involved due to loss of coolant.
For what it’s worth, I’ve worked for 3 Subaru dealers and we always asked that a car which has gone through a head gasket job, engine rebuild or replacement, etc be brought back in 500 or 1000 miles for a checkover. The same policy was continued as an independent.
Another unknown is when the oil was last changed and checked before the head gasket job. Just my 2 cents but any head gasket job means an automatic oil change as part of the job. Some shops don’t see it that way.
Unless the head gaskets are leaking oil it’s difficult if not impossible to see how that job could be the cause of any oil consumption problem.
Install a used engine (inquire about used engines imported from Japan) or just walk away…Don’t pour more money into it that you will never recover…Rebuilding automotive engines in the field is not done much anymore and for good reason…The outcomes are seldom as good as was hoped, especially with problem-child engines like Subaru makes…