2008 subaru forester head gasket problems

If you discover these in the radiator, it could mean your head gasket is leaking combustion gases into the cooling system. A radiator pressure test ensures you have no leaks in the cooling system. Unfortunately, Subaru never fixed the blown head gasket on either of the Forester’s engines. When Did The Subaru Head Gasket Problems Start? Today we’re tackling the dreaded Subaru head gasket problem. Below you’ll find the symptoms, causes, and price of a Subaru Forester head gasket. Look for oil seeping from between the heads and valve covers... Can all that be seen with the plastic underpin on the car, or must it be removed? The head tightening sequence is quite unusual and the torque specs are not the same across all models. Hey I’m Mike. By the time I got home there was black smoke coming from the hood. Yours may either be less or even more. Repair estimates commonly exceed $1,500, depending on the extent of the damage and what other maintenance is performed while the mechanic is in there. Remember, few mechanics will be happy if your car shows up on a flatbed with a bunch of parts strewn about the interior because you got yourself in over your head. A head gasket provides the sealing surface between the cylinder head and the block. I’’ve posted a set of polls regarding head gasket problems. 2008 Subaru Forester Repair Histories. On top of that, the repair is pretty expensive. Our list of 8 known complaints reported by owners can help you fix your 2008 Subaru Forester. This pricey problem can have the engine and the driver blowing a gasket. Really the best indicator of engine health and gasket condition is engine temperature and coolant dynamics. Do you know what caused it? There should be no air in the cooling system. combustion gases to coolant, coolant … We're shopping to replace our 2003, but ideally want to make an informed, better decision on this go 'round. Subaru Help! Hydrocarbons are produced when gases ignite in the combustion chamber. A head gasket job on a manual transmission car with the clutch runs between $2700 and $3100. Yours may either be less or even more. Crawl under the car and look for oil and/or coolant seeping out from between the block and heads. I looked through all our bills and have found some discrepancies already. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Subaru Forester based on all problems reported for the Forester. I assume the poor engine repair ratings are related to head gasket and similar issues. There’s no better time to replace them, and you may end up saving money in the long run with this strategy. The head gaskets have apparently been leaking oil on my 2008 Subaru Forester with 171,000 miles on it. To do the job right, you will need to send the heads off to a machine shop to be resurfaced. Head gasket failures are less common on the Subaru 3.0 and 3.6 L H6 models like the Tribeca. To fix the most severe Subaru Forester problems, issues include engine failure, head gasket leaks, excessive oil consumption, rod knocking, and the timing belt pulley failure. This test will tell you if any combustion gases are able to escape into the cooling system, or elsewhere in the vehicle while the combustion chamber is supposed to be sealed. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Do Subarus Still Have Head Gasket Issues? Coolant and oil don’t like to mix and often produce a milky foam when they come in contact. If your car is in the shop for a head gasket repair, consider having them change the timing belt, water pump, idler pulleys, cam seals, both main seals, and the front transmission seal if you’re not sure when they were last replaced. 2. My Subaru source said the new Forester has the “FB25” engine, which, in addition to a timing chain instead of a belt, should no longer suffer from coolant-related head gasket issues, because the coolant flows to the head through a separate passage, not through the head gasket. There is some debate about the exact reason for this problem, but they’re all deeply rooted in one key concept: bad design. These cars develop an external oil leak at the head gasket and coolant leak at the gasket’s left side. I am very suspicious of this whole thing, we went from a $2500-$3000 bill to a monitor for 6 months. In the meantime of to another mechanic to get a second opinion. My buddy John called me the other day and said his Subaru Forester had white exhaust coming from the tailpipe (a classic symptom of a failing head gasket).We ran the car over to the garage, let it cool down, pulled the dipstick and sure enough, the oil was a milky white color. These gaskets simply give up after about 100,000 kilometres, however well maintained the car might be. If you’ve never replaced a timing belt or this risk makes you uncomfortable, it’s best to leave this job to a professional. Some of my research showed that there has been a renewed headgasket problem with 2006-2009 Foresters. head gasket on 2008 Subaru Forester 2 Answers. One of the most common critical engine problems is the blown head gasket.If your Subaru Forester has blown its head gasket, you may find it running poorly or not at all. They did say if it does get worse and needs doing they will get Subaru Canada involved and will still cover parts (getting that in writing and signed by the owner). Our 03 Legacy wagon was in the middle of the head gasket years, and we had no issues. If Subaru Canada does not do this the dealer ha offered to do the work and they would pick up the parts but not labor...still $1800 bucks. Nam shows us what a typical head gasket failure look like on a single cam Subaru engine. So basically they are doing nothing!!!! Does the underside of your oil cap look like black coffee or a Starbucks Frappuccino? I was going to buy a Subaru Forester 2018 or 2019, now I’m very hesitant. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Some answers to the Subaru head gasket problem . Removing the engine makes it much easier to extract the head bolts in particular, which are very long and won’t clear the body with the engine sitting normally inside the engine bay. I just saw the information regarding extension of the warranty on my model year, but I fear it's too late at 145,000 miles. Thanks for the feedback, Nicole! So took the Forester in for its 90000 today and the dealer says it has a leak from the valve cover gasket and head gasket. You may also get a false positive if you’ve used a petroleum based additive in the radiator. combustion gases to coolant, coolant to cylinder, and oil and coolant mixing). If your engine starts to overheat, pull over to let it cool down for a bit before you continue driving. We have a 2008 Subaru Forester with 102,000+ miles and at our last service were told we have a head gasketproblem. … After all research online, these are the numbers that appear most. If you’re not experiencing any problems, there’s probably no need to perform the test at this time. This car has always been maintained by the same dealer from 5km (not 5000km 5km) we bought it brand new. The longer the issue persists, the worse it gets. I have a 2012 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium 6-spd with ~76,000 miles that I plan to keep for the foreseeable future. Follow the factory service manual very closely. If your Subaru is a 2012 or newer, odds are really good that you won’t have any issues. Auto Repair Estimates - Get Honest Car Repair Costs, http://www.underhoodservice.com/subaru-outback-head-gasket-repair/, http://allmakesautorepairs.squarespace.com/, General Troubleshooting and Technical Help, VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 901, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. If you notice a thick cloud of white smoke out of the exhaust that persists after initial startup, you probably have a head gasket leak. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Subaru Forester based on all problems reported for the Forester. A damaged head gasket of a Subaru model. I checked the oil it was fine. Crawl under the car and look for oil and/or coolant seeping out from between the block and heads. To see how frequently 2008 Subaru Forester problems occur, check out our car reliability stats. If this is your daily driver and you don’t have a backup vehicle, you probably won’t want to do this job yourself. On first generation Outbacks and second generation Legacy models, the gaskets tend to leak externally. It is not for the faint-hearted, and not something you can tackle over a weekend. Problem with your 2008 Subaru Forester? Whether or not you can do this job yourself depends on a number of factors. Where did this reputation come from? The most recently reported issues are listed below. Aug 8, 2014. The head gaskets have apparently been leaking oil on my 2008 Subaru Forester with 171,000 miles on it. Only the four cylinder 2.5L was affected. CR says the 2001-2009 Subaru Forester, 2001-2009 Subaru Outback, 2006-2008 ... newer models using the EL25 2.5-liter engine should have far fewer head gasket problems because Subaru … Thanks. 2008 Subaru Forester Engine Problems. There are several ways you can test the integrity of your cooling system and combustion chamber. To some people, the peace of mind may be worth it. Continue with Facebook. The single overhead camshaft (SOHC) variant experiences failures much more frequently than the dual overhead camshaft design (DOHC). Per the article, 2012’s and newer should not have any issues, but a leak down test is the best way to diagnose a head gasket issue. 40+ members. You may notice a burnt oil or fuel smell coming from the radiator or coolant overflow reservoir. We are heading over to All Makes Subaru next week to get a wheel bearing done and I'm going to get them to do a once over on the whole head gasket thing! You will also need a socket set, plus several extensions and universal joint sockets to reach the bell housing fasteners. The Group 2 or second generation models are the Legacy and Outbreak from 2000, the Forrester from mid-1998, and the mid-1998 Impreza. The head gasket issue is a combination of a bad engine design (open block) and single layer head gaskets. I would find an independent shop and start to build a rapport with them. If it’s the latter, that’s a warning sign that coolant has leaked into the oil system. I use repair pal it gives a good range of what you should pay. Thanking you in advance for your reply. You may notice oil leaks between the head and the block of the engine. You should be able to purchase all of the necessary tools for less than the cost of taking the vehicle to a shop, if you know what you’re doing. Recommended Communities. Driving with a blown head gasket is not advisable. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Thanks for a great article…very detailed and super informative! The true cause is likely some combination of these reasons. Here are some theories: 1.

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