[vejesse]

Hi Guys. Here's some back round. I bought a 1998 Forester in mid January with 145,000 miles. In 2008 at 140,000 miles the head gaskets and timing belt had been replaced to the tune of $2300. Soon after that the owners got rid of the car as the catalytic converter quit. The guy I bought it from replaced the catalytic converter and related sensors, then drove the vehicle very rarely for a year. As mention, I bought it from him at that point.

So, yesterday I brought the vehicle in to a Subaru dealer for differential gear oil replacement plus oil change and a general checkover.

I'm given this estimate:

multiple oil leaks from valve cover gaskets,
cam seals leak,
oil pump o rings leak,
signs of coolant leak from water pump area.
Oil all over the bottom of the motor.

$1200 to fix oil leaks add $228 for coolant leaks. $600 just coolant leaks.

What gives? With the head gasket replacement this was all open up out 7000 miles ago. Would having the car sit around for a year dry out all these seals?

Questions: Is the timing belt/tensioner in jeopardy from these leaks? Is this estimate high? Can I keep on driving it safely until I decide what to do? Should I have the work done at a Subaru dealer or what it be safe to go with an independent garage?

I was planning on doing cv boots and half shafts myself but I need help with the motor.

Someone please chime in.

 

[pleiad7]

If the car sat for a year, it's entirely possible that those seals/gaskets dried out. Either that, or the shop that did the HG job cut as many corners as possible.

 

[flstffxe]

Sitting for a year as pleiad7 said could very well be the cause of the leaks. Cars don't do well sitting, in many cases it can cause more problems then being driven daily. I would price both independent shops and dealers, just pick a reputable one.

 

[westwind999]

I was planning on doing cv boots and half shafts myself but I need help with the motor.

Someone please chime in.

It's pretty cheap to do yourself. It isn't a lot tougher than changing the CV boots/half shafts.

The coolant leak would be the biggest concern to me. Maybe they didn't replace the water pump when they changed the belt?

You can probably fix it yourself for around $100.

 

[vejesse]

do my own motor work?

The guy at the dealership suggested that the timing belt might be ruined by exposure to oil. Is this possible? I admit I haven't even taken off the shroud under the motor yet to do my own assessment.

The dealership with saying that the book listed 7.5 hours of work for this. Does that sound reasonable? If it takes a pro mechanic (with access to all the tools and parts) a whole day to do all this I can't imagine how long it would take me.

 

[funkymonkey1002]

Sounds pretty expensive to me. I had all of those things replaced/fixed/resealed when I had my timing belt done, and the entire service only cost about that much. I'd bet -only- the headgaskets and timing belt were replaced.