Oil Leaking??

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by jimbobrand

The part numbers are as follows:
1x 11084AA070 Plate CYL Head
3x 808208810 Bolt 8x20x20

Thanks for the update!

Can anyone confirm that this part number for the plate is different than what initially come on the car?

[jimbobrand]

Well, the smell is worse now than it was before I took it in. I went out at lunch and wiped a clean paper napkin around the lower bolt on the plate and under the bottom of the plate itself and both had fresh oil dripping from them. Looks like it's going back to the dealership next Wednesday.

[Clipdat]

Dear god.. Incompetent dealership repairs!

Well, the smell is worse now than it was before I took it in. I went out at lunch and wiped a clean paper napkin around the lower bolt on the plate and under the bottom of the plate itself and both had fresh oil dripping from them. Looks like it's going back to the dealership next Wednesday.

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by jimbobrand

Well, the smell is worse now than it was before I took it in. I went out at lunch and wiped a clean paper napkin around the lower bolt on the plate and under the bottom of the plate itself and both had fresh oil dripping from them. Looks like it's going back to the dealership next Wednesday.

Man that sucks. This is costing you more in time and inconvenience than had you just done it yourself!

For anyone else who wants to do it yourself, mine's been on for several hundred miles now and it's still keeping the oil in place. No more burning oil smell whatsoever and I've been checking it daily for any leaks - so far so good.

Use the Permatex The Right Stuff that was linked earlier in this thread from Amazon. Take the old plate off, use a razor to strip the old gasket off the plate, clean off both plate and the head with IPA, apply the Permatex right on to the plate, following the old outline - I used around a quarter inch thick bead all the way around. Attach it back to the head being careful to line it up on the bolts then hand tighten them evenly all the way around so they get a nice even seal. Torque to 12 ft-lbs and you're done. I let mine sit for an hour before starting the engine, and then over night before driving it.

[jimbobrand]

I mostly just wanted Subaru of America to be aware of the problem and to try and work out a fix for both cars having the problem and for future cars. I'll give the dealership one more chance before I pull and reseal the plate myself.

[weedtank]

No leaks or smells here. Production date of January/13

[reeves]

Never any leaks from that plate.. but I noticed oil splatter all over my engine bay one morning.. Looking back, it could've happened on my way back from work the previous night and I just didn't notice it. The leak/splatter seemed to have orginated around the area of the oil filter, but no holes/leaks in the filter at all. I do all my own oil changes and I don't overfill or ovrtighten anything. Cap & dip stick weren't loose either.

Never did find the source of that oil splatter. Must've been a dam oil gnome. Never happened before or since either.. weird.

[Rayme]

I went for my first oil change and pointed at the oil leak. They said the oil didn't drop level (which is true) so it's basicly just a little oil sipping. - and it might not be covered by warrenty. I was in the quick lube lane so they didn't try anything. I'll wipe it off monitor it and if it really drips more, I'll DIY fix it...the car is a charm to work on anyway.

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by ottopilot

I went for my first oil change and pointed at the oil leak. They said the oil didn't drop level (which is true) so it's basicly just a little oil sipping. - and it might not be covered by warrenty. I was in the quick lube lane so they didn't try anything. I'll wipe it off monitor it and if it really drips more, I'll DIY fix it...the car is a charm to work on anyway.

Dealer's likely going to do a worse job than you'd do anyway. Let them know about it so they have a record of the issue, but then DIY is the way to go.

[Snoopy_TXR]

So far the the leak is gone as well as the smell. Attached is the link to view the part numbers on my invoice.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...1&d=1365230772

[WRM]

Originally Posted by jimbobrand

Well, the smell is worse now than it was before I took it in. I went out at lunch and wiped a clean paper napkin around the lower bolt on the plate and under the bottom of the plate itself and both had fresh oil dripping from them. Looks like it's going back to the dealership next Wednesday.

Sorry to hear that yours is still leaking. After cleaning the area with a paper napkin did you check it again after a few days? I’m just asking since when I got mine repaired I had to clean up the area of any residual oil left behind.

So far it has been at least 500 miles since the repair and the area is dry as a bone. My original dealer fix it post is on page 6, post #118. I wonder if Subaru’s sealant is much different than Toyota’s since on my repair invoice they said they used Toyota FIPG.

[jimbobrand]

Originally Posted by WRM

Sorry to hear that yours is still leaking. After cleaning the area with a paper napkin did you check it again after a few days? I’m just asking since when I got mine repaired I had to clean up the area of any residual oil left behind.

So far it has been at least 500 miles since the repair and the area is dry as a bone. My original dealer fix it post is on page 6, post #118. I wonder if Subaru’s sealant is much different than Toyota’s since on my repair invoice they said they used Toyota FIPG.

Thanks! Yeah, I've checked it a couple times already after cleaning the plate and area around the plate and I keep getting wet oil spots. It's going back to the dealership tomorrow for one more repair but if I'm still having issues after that I'll just try to repair it myself.

[strat61caster]

Did an oil change and the plate was dry, no residue, 12/12 build 7.8k miles.

[AndyB]

First post here. I have a FRS with 6500 miles (manual) 2000 of which are track day miles. (I'm a driving instructor) My car started with the burning oil smell after my first track day. I pulled the plate, cleaned and re-sealed it with Permatex RTV taking care to do the one hour set time with the bolts finger tight before torquing them properly and allowing a 24 hour cure. This works until the next track time.

My theory is 2-fold The steel plate expands and contracts at a different rate than the aluminum head it is attached to thus causing tiny stress crack in the silicone sealant. The very thin 0w20 oil when hot finds its way through and it only takes one drop on the hot exhaust to make a whole lot of smell.

Second problem is when tracking, I think hard left hand turns puts/holds more oil in the heads, essentially filling up the void behind the plate to dribble out on the hot exhaust over the next few hundred miles.

I finally got tired of the re-sealing thing so I picked up a sheet of FelPro cork 1/16" gasket material and made a custom gasket. The cork swells when oil is in contact with it and allows the plate to move ever so independently from the aluminum head.

I have flogged the car for around 500 miles and not been able to cause the leak again.

Hope this helps.