By Justin Stobb on March 31st, 2010
Will Stop Leak, Fix My Subaru Head Gasket Leak?
One of the questions I get a lot is “can I add some stop leak”
I have never found anything in a bottle that will resolve what happens to a Subaru Head gasket. I took some pictures from a Subaru Outback in the shop today that had some stop leak put in, only to over heat the next day. The cooling system is just full of this stuff and it really did no good as seen in the pictures below.
I really have never found anything that will permanently resolve a head gasket leak on a Subaru. While I truly understand the displeasure there can be at the though t of a repair like head gaskets, I do also want to warn that adding stop leak can add to the cost of the repair.
Justin
Hi Justin,
About a month ago I bought a 2000 Subaru Forester S. It has 94,000 miles on it. It was sold to me “as is” from an Acura dealer–they got it in as a trade. For me it a hopeful deal & project. (all they told me was that a new clutch was needed)
My ‘check engine’ light has come on and the codes I’ve gotten are misfire codes for all 4 cylinders, fuel trim, and O2 sensor.
Sometimes the engine idles with a “cough” (revs up and down) and at other times it just doesn’t give me the power I expect when giving it gas.
I flushed the coolant and installed new plugs and wires. I drove it for a week and coolant seemed to blow out. A weird yellow substance is dried all over the right side of my engine (near the coolant reservoir). I had the radiator tested for exhaust fumes and they were found. The local shop told me its a head gasket leak. They said they’d repair it for 16-1700 dollars. They guessed that someone used ‘stop-leak’ to hide the issue. Maybe the previous owner.
At this point, my engine does not overheat. But I want to do something soon.
Do you agree that this is a head gasket issue, based on what I’ve said?
I’m considering having a Jasper remanufactured engine installed, so that I can do this all right up front. But is this too much? Should I just fix the head gasket instead?
I suppose I just feel more confident about the remanufactured engine. If I fix the head gasket, I may find more trouble and then spend more money. All the while I get closer to the cost of a remanufactured engine. So why not just do that from the get go?
Hi Aaron,
Most like the head gaskets have failed.
I try to stay a way from the after market re-manufactured products.
Most likely you don’t need an engine, but lets for argument sake say you do, you would be better off and spend less money buying a Factory Subaru “Hybrid” engine, Having your heads re worked and never looking back.
Having said that, repaired correctly there is no reason you should be able to get many miles out of what you have. Replacing the engine may be a waste if its truly not needed.
Hope that helps
Justin
hi Justin,
I appreciate the advice! Since your comment I have taken my Forester into a Subaru dealer for another diagnosis. They have quoted me for the head gasket repair. But they also mentioned that the stop leak effected my radiator, and they have prescribed replacing it. Does this seem like a good idea?
They have quoted me $460 for the radiator. I called Autozone and got a price of $250 for the radiator. I’m thinking maybe I can replace it myself. Is there anything to be leary of?
They also found that my alternator is going bad. I knew I was hearing a strange noise from my engine, so it seems this is that. Again this seems like something I could fix myself (replacing it with an alternator from Autozone) and save some money. Is there anything to be leary of in replacing an alternator?