I have an 01 Outback with 110k miles. I’ve seen several posts on this topic, with several comments on how to repair a leaking head gasket. I have had regular scheduled maintanance at the dealership. Ideally, I’d like to have this repaired but probably won’t unless I have to because of the expense. My question is, if it’s just a slow exterior oil leak, is it ok to do nothing as long as I keep an eye on the fluid levels? The garage where I get my oil changed said not to worry, but I’m looking for other opinions.
My 1999 Ford Expedition has had a leaking head gasket for over 3 years.
You talking about a leaky head gasket or valve-cover gasket…BIG DIFFERENCE. Head gaskets usually don’t leak.
I was told by the Subaru dealer a year or so ago that I had a slight coolant leak from the head gasket, so they added gasket coditioner to the coolant. within the last 2 months, I’ve smelled oil every now and then from my heater vents. The place where I get my oil changed said that there is a slight exterior oil leak from the head gasket. They were the ones who told me not to worry about it if it doesn’t get worse, but to keep an eye on the fluid levels.
Weeping head gaskets are a common problem and short of replacing them there is only one option.
You could have someone try and retorque the head bolts as age along with numerous heating and cooling cycles could likely have caused the head bolts and head gaskets to relax; which in a nutshell means they’ve loosened.
This may or may not help as it depends on how long the problem has gone on, how corrosive the aged coolant is, etc. but it’s far, far cheaper than gasket replacement.
I’m also fully aware that you may hear some of this “torque to yield head bolts, they should be fine, “why”, yada, yada, yada”.