As long as its external..probably quite some time (years?). Clean it off and monitor it and also I assume you have Subaru coolant and "Conditioner in there?

But also realize that the 2002 HG will fail to the extent that it needs replacement.

 

I would also recommend...

Taking out the thermostat. When/if the HG fails and actually starts introducing air to your coolant...

You can go from "fine" to "holy crap it overheated" in a matter of seconds.

Basically, it isn't the HG that causes overheating. It is the air introduced to the coolant that causes overheating(basically the thermostat doesn't react to air temperature).

And of course, removing the thermostat introduces some other issues(all of them more of an annoyance you have to live with to outweigh the possibility of cooked/ruined engine)...

 

My forester still have an external leak for the past 4 or 5 years and its still going. Sadly its starting to deteriorate faster in the past few months.

 

My '03 has 190K and has been leaking externally on driver side for a few months with no symptoms other than exhaust smell, sluggish performance, and knocking. No overheating or loss of fluid other than a little oil. HG was replaced at 130K and am now wondering if I should do it again. What additional damage is being caused by not doing the repair?

 

If you are Knoxville area, I can help you fix it for way less than dealer price. Sooner or later they all go south so I would err to fixing it rather than seeing how long it will last.

 

My 2001 was a one owner car that went 236,247 with leaking gaskets and the original belt. Needless to say I had to do a complete overhaul. Not sure if it overheated as I decided not to drive it until I fixed it.

 

Mine was leaking when I bought it with 90 k miles. I finally replaced them at 150k. It still was doing okay, but I felt it was time.

 

My '07 was just diagnosed with head-gasket leaks, but I think it's been going on for about two years. 187K miles on it. Anybody know of a good Subaru repair shop in the Nashville/middle TN area? I could take it to a dealer, but I don't have much confidence in the two in my area.

 

mine was internal for several months. before I would leave work (76 mile commute) I would take a syringe and hose, empty the overflow back into the radiator.

 

my 2003 x started leaking about 5,000 miles ago. it doesnt leak all the time and it uses maybe 3-4oz of water every 1000 miles. the temperature has always been rock solid whether it's our 98 degree summers or this past winter where it actually went into the teens several times. I'm going to do a coolant drain/replacement and I will put the Subaru conditioner in when I do. Living on a tiny social security check, theres no way in hell I can afford the 1800-2100 it will cost to have it done. (no way I can do it myself) I've only put 11,000 miles on the car in the 30 months I've owned it, though I will be driving to Connecticut (2000 miles round trip) this June.

 

I posted it elsewhere but will repeat:

2005 Impreza 2.5i, left HG (driver's side) external leak. Not loosing much fluid and oil. Not overheating at all. 2 months later on my trip to NY, overheated several times. I was stopping on NJ turnpike, like an idiot. Almost gave me a hard attack, as I had to stop and cool of/add fluid.
The above replies are the saddest posts in the net. It almost made me cry. Really, you drive that long with a known issue? Guys, I really know that money is tight and lack of jobs, etc.
But driving a blown car is like knocking with hammer on an antitank mine: sooner or later it will BAH!!!
I guess, if you have nowhere to go and if your late without being *****ed at by your superior, you could take chances. In my case, if my car broke/overheated and I am late, I would be in horrible shape. Further, if you overheat a lot, you can warp you heads and risk a more expensive repair. Therefore, I fix the issue before it creates a huge problem.

Please don't shoot me, like I said, I know how life works and that you have to cut some corners. I find other ways to save and never gamble on my transportation. Sorry, if I hurt somebody.

 

I live on $750 a month disability, no way in hell can I afford 2 grand for a gasket replacement. Credit shot to hell after breaking my neck and back with no insurance. $300,000 or so in just hospital bills, student loan deeply in default = a sub 500 credit score, so no financing. The car doesn't leak ANY oil at all...the head gasket is an external leak only...excellent leakdown readings and NO exhaust or oil contamination in the coolant. Unless someone else is paying for it.....I drive the forester until it blows up. I'm going to re-torque the heads...that was suggested by a Subaru tech.

 

Like I said, I understand. I was in bad financial shape some time ago and had a broken Eurovan to rely on. So I gave myself a week to fix it and I did.

Re-torquing the heads is only a few steps away from replacing your HG.

Joe

 

They will last all the way until they don't. And then, you're stuck.

If it goes, it could introduce all sorts of lovely crap into the internals of the engine which are better left outside of the engine. If you do the repair on your time, then you decide when. If you wait, it will blow when you need it not to.

All that being said, the HG on my wife's Subaru went a long time with an external oil only leak. I would say it likely went several years though she doesn't drive a whole lot. Once I started seeing coolant, I took it out of service and started the repair. The HG wasn't far from giving up on an internal leak either.

Monitoring is good, but if you intend to keep the car, I would find some time in the near future to make the repair. If you don't intend to keep the car, all bets are off.

 

Is the external leak clear cut?

I have a bad oil leak on both sides of the engine. The oil is everywhere leading back to the transmission. Thought originally it was the valve covers but after a closer inspection it's not.

Looked at the coolant and my radiator is very low. Noticed some goo on the oil where the head gasket is. Typical for both sides to go at the same time?

Car
Forester 2003 xs
155,000

 

More common for the drivers side to go first and worse , because of the close proximity to the battery ground and associated electrolysis in the coolant( eats away at the head gasket faster).

 

2007 forester 173,000 mi.

Started leaking oil a at 120,000( there was some seepage when I bought it at 55,000, but it was basically just stains) .

Oil does not drip on the ground ,but rear of the engine the car is very oily on the left side, plus noticeable oil loss on dipstick, and the associated burning oil stink.

Just a small leak on the right side.

Just yesterday I checked the coolant and the overflow tank was empty and the radiator was low, but had coolant just covering the tops of the fins inside.

I had changed the oil and checked the coolant 500 miles ago. There are no other leaks in the cooling system. So I am pulling it off the road to do the head gaskets.

I have been annoyed by the head gasket problem , not with the car itself , but with Subaru for letting this problem go on and on.

Other than the head gaskets its been a great , very capable car with low maintenance costs.

Yes I would buy another one.

 

Awesome. Hard to tell on mine as both sides have a lot oil. I'm guessing I'm on borrowed time.

If the car had a complete timing belt job (new water pump and all seals ) at 105k think I should just do it over? At 155k now.

I didn't pay much for the car and have put 30k on it and this is will be the first repair I've had to do.

It's a solid car no rust etc, so I'm thinking of just doing it all.

Anyone have a list of where to get all the parts for this?

Anyone have a favorite online site they use?

I did an outback hg job and bought oem gaskets then just bought a gasket kit off amazon.

 

Thanks for this thread guys - I have the most lemony 2004 Forester X ever (Thanks Day Apollo Subaru of Moon Twp PA), and a slow leak of these head gaskets is the latest thing I've been coping with. This thread was the push I needed to go ahead and bite the bullet. Now I'm off to put a parts list together for getting this done. Assuming Six Star is still the way to go, right?

 

Do you have any suggestions on a parts list?

I did a hg on an outback 7 years ago and bought a kit from Amazon, tossed the hg for oem ones and just used the gaskets seals.

I'm doing a timing belt too, so I need a lot of parts. I read gates is a decent belt, but I'm not seeing a forester tb kit and water pump.

Subaru dealer quoted me 250$ just for hg parts which isn't too far off but that didn't included valve cover gaskets etc. wish Subaru would sell a kit for this job...