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2019 3.6 head gasket failure

26K views 50 replies 32 participants last post by  Marine2131! 
#1 ·
Abridged version: Head gaskets are not leaking after all. Read below for the whole story. In effect, this was a mis-diagnosis by the dealer.

Dropped off my ‘19 OB Touring 3.6 for its first 6k mile service and within a couple of hours had a call from the service advisor informing me that my engine must be pulled from the car and rebuilt due to driver’s side HG failure. Apparently some cooling system components will be replaced also.

I chk the oil at every fill up and watched the oil level drop to about 1/2qt low. I bought the car new with 3 miles on it, so have watched it closely. I mentioned to the SA the oil level dropping and some oil pooling in one of the valleys in the head that is visible under the engine cover and just behind the dipstick. I also had some dried coolant on the underside of the hood and over the engine. Coolant was also reported low as a result of pressure buildup and release.

Oddly, the SA asked me to come pick up the car and scheduled the repairs for a couple weeks out due to their schedule. They topped off the oil and coolant and said keep driving it.

Anyway, I called SOA and started a case to see where this goes. I’ve been a Toyota guy for the most part and this is my first Subaru. I hope it gets worked out - I love the car.

Will update as we progress.


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#2 ·
bizzare that they would want you to drive the car.

wonder if they want it to degrade to the point that they can't fix it. or anything that will be ruined in the period is already scheduled to come out and get replaced.

but I would think SOA would be giving you a loaner. period.

the EZ36 is one of the best engines the company as ever made. ...sad you got a bad one.
 
#9 ·
I agree.. very odd that they disclosed that it was a head gasket AND let you drive away...

A leak down test would determine a definite failure of the head gasket, and if that is confirmed I think the dealer should be obligated to hold the vehicle for repairs..

I would think this is too much liability on the dealers end.. What if he decides to go on a cross country trip? They run the risk of the vehicle overheating or further engine damage and getting the repairs done at another dealership..

If I was that dealer, I would of held the car and get my $2-$4k of warranty money from Subaru.
 
#4 ·
It could be a bad gasket or a defect in the casting. Given the long term history of the EZ36 it is unlikely that this is some sort of new problem that everyone should be worried about.

Sometimes... things, just happen. Maybe the robot had a brain-fart.
 
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#5 ·
As soon as I read this post I ran outside to check my engine look dry on top but tomorrow I will check underneath. No drip on my driveway though. I'm crossing my finger that won't happen to mine. No problem on my 2012 OB as well.
 
#6 ·
2nd 2019 3.6 HG failure I’ve read about in short time on this forum. Hope it’s not a thing as fiancé really leaning towards new 3.6R Outback purchase. She keeps cars a long time and is coming from and still driving her 2006 Acura TL with 205k miles and needing only basic scheduled maintenance.
 
#8 ·
Dropped off my ‘19 OB Touring 3.6 for its first 6k mile service and within a couple of hours had a call from the service advisor informing me that my engine must be pulled from the car and rebuilt due to driver’s side HG failure.

Oddly, the SA asked me to come pick up the car and scheduled the repairs for a couple weeks out due to their schedule. They topped off the oil and coolant and said keep driving it.

Anyway, I called SOA and started a case to see where this goes.
Glad it got figured out without overheats or running low enough on fluids to be problematic.
Sounds like warranty process is doing what it was intended to do.
Hope you're back in it soon without any hiccups.

It is a little surprising they said run it. It is well known that factory installed Subaru gaskets on EZ's don't typically worsen very quickly so it's not a big deal. That being said, I wouldn't tempt such an early failure which likely points to a manufacturing or assembly error. I'd still be checking the oil and coolant on an appropriate level (once a week...etc) to be sure.

Ouch, Is there something we have yet to learn about?
Nah, this isn't anything surprising or telling at this point.

This:
You read about it here because this is where folks with problems are drawn. It's simply not logical to start worrying because you've read about something here, unless there are endless posts on the topic.
Sales have tripled in 10 years, so roughly one can expect a 3 times increase in any failure, anomaly, and outliers. So a couple incidents are all but meaningless by themselves.

Increasing sales, increasing web presence, and more new owners being drawn to forums like this - all create a highly escalated recent visibility. This is often, but should not be, interpreted as meaningful.

Parsing out actual increases in failure *rates* will require far more robust data than a handful of examples from a largely anecdotal online forum.
 
#10 ·
Just to update, I’ve had a couple of calls now from SoA. They’ve been empathetic and as apologetic as you would expect them to be. They are working with the dealer to try to get me in sooner than 2 weeks and have assured me that as long as the oil level doesn’t drop significantly, it should be OK to drive. In any event, I am taking the car to a 2nd dealer this afternoon for a 2nd opinion. I will update asap.

Thanks-


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#12 ·
Just to be clear, my point was, if it's 1000s of unique posts from folks experiencing the same issue, then you likely have cause for alarm. Of course, as was stated earlier, this forum undoubtedly draws a significant sampling bias, making it impossible to draw any statistically significant conclusion. Many fail to grasp, or flat out refuse to accept this fact, and choose to draw their own conclusions based on nothing but anecdotal evidence.
 
#33 ·
What???

Just because the same incident is not repeated a thousand times it doesn't rise to the level of a class-action lawsuit, NHSA recall and a "7 on your side" television expose? I want my money back! This is a critical emergency and we should all run around like our hair is on fire. :surprise:
 
#16 ·
Update:

First of all, this has been a crazy experience with both an extreme low followed by an extreme high mixed with disappointment and happiness.

As mentioned, I was referred by a local independent Subaru mechanic to a different dealership for a 2nd opinion on the dealer diagnosed head gasket leak. This ind mech is a Subaru Master Tech and trained at the dealer that he referred me too and suggested that I visit with a particular mechanic for the 2nd opinion. The mechanic is a 35-year Subaru Master Tech and is supposed to be “the guy” to use in Atlanta if your engine needs to be pulled by a dealer while under warranty. As you can imagine, explaining to dealer #2 the situation - 1. I want a 2nd opinion and, 2. I want a specific mechanic to do the inspection, took some wrangling. Ultimately they obliged and setup the appointment. Mind you I had not yet told SoA that I had scheduled an appointment for a 2nd opinion.

I dropped the car off with the Service Advisor and he suggested that it would be 1-1.5 hours and they might likely have to charge me a diagnostic fee. I was fine with that if needed. I settled into the waiting room with my iPad to watch the Motley Crue documentary, “Dirt”, on Netflix while waiting. Before I got through the credits and the shocking opening scene - at least shocking to see while watching in a waiting room full of people, I got a call from the SA telling me that the car was ready and there were no issues found.

“Huh? What about the oil leak?”

“There are no oil leaks.”

“But the head gaskets are leaking, right?”

“Nope. They’re dry as a bone. Car is perfect.”

“Huh? WTF?”

I walked down to the service area scratching my head and asked to speak with the mechanic, to which they obliged. The gray-haired, experienced old guy comes out wiping grease off his hands and proclaims that the car is in great shape and just needs to be... “driven”.

OK, but what about the oil leak? I popped the hood and showed him the location on the top of the engine, driver’s side, behind the water pump and dipstick.

“Oh that...? Oil collects there when you don’t have the dipstick snapped/engaged into place. It’s under pressure and with the short dipstick tube, oil will get pushed out and that’s where it collects.”

“Whose the dipstick now?” I’m thinking. Remember up above where I said I was religious about checking oil? Well, apparently I wasn’t so religious about making sure that the dipstick was firmly seated back into place.

The mechanic indicated that he sees this regularly but has never heard of another shop calling it a HG leak. I asked if it *could* be a HG leak and he said, “possibly, not likely,” but he would never yank an engine right away - especially with 6k miles on it. He suggested that since it is now clean, he wiped away the oil, that we monitor it for 500 miles or so and check it regularly - paying attention to keeping the dipstick firmly seated. As an added bonus, there was a Subaru engineer on site looking at another car who also checked mine out while on the lift. The Subaru guy proclaimed it also to be in perfect condition.

Got it. Brilliant. Elated. Holy **** am I glad I went for a 2nd opinion.

The diagnosis: drive the wheels off of it, don’t go to the other dealer for service and come see me in 1k miles and we’ll check it again.

As I mentioned above, disappointment turned to elation. I guess there could be a leak but for the past few days I’ve checked it, bone dry for this bone head.

Moral of the story... make sure your dipstick is fully engaged. And, get a 2nd opinion if something doesn’t quite add up.


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#21 ·
Glad it turned out to be nothing. I have replaced my own head gaskets and it's not much fun. If it weren't for Youtube and being able to take some time off of work at short notice, I would have paid out a LOT of money I didn't have at the time.

My only thing to add would be suggesting (respectfully as possible) editing the first post and/or title to explain that it wasn't truly a head gasket failure. You're probably going to get many more 'lazy readers' responding to you or propagating bad info......it is the internet after all.
 
#27 ·
I want to thank you for your detailed post. Many times people never come back with an update and then when others find the topic some time later (often years later) they are not aware of the cause or remedy.

This topic is as complete as it needs to be and others who follow will be thankful that it is.

Seagrass
 
#29 ·
This was very good information. As someone who religiously checks my oil at every fill up, not because it’s a Subaru, but something my Dad taught me to do years ago, I am glad to hear about making sure the dip stick is seated properly. Thanks.


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#34 ·
You had me worried there for a minute since I just bought a 2019 3.6R for it’s power, smoothness and “lack of issues” according to the service manager at my dealership so I was alarmed reading about a possible HG issue especially since this has been an issue for Subaru in the past. Glad to hear it wasnt that and that there was a simple resolution. And now I know to be careful when replacing the dipstick
 
#36 ·
For some reason I cannot update the original thread. However, as follow-up, this has been an ongoing ordeal with leaking engine oil. After 35+ days in the shop, Subaru deemed the vehicle a lemon and I am now in the final phase of the buyback process. The car is sitting in my garage and undriven and won’t be driven again til it gets turned in sometime next week. This has been such an ordeal and time suck that I have no further interest in owning a Subaru. I made the decision to go back to Toyota have since purchased a 4Runner to replace the OB.

I should note that SOA has been fantastic through this process and very empathetic and easy to deal with. I have nothing but good things to say about their customer service.

Good luck to everyone here. Mike
 
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