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1990 Subaru Loyale gear oil/C-V joint confusion


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Neophyte
New User

Jan 11, 2016, 9:45 PM

Post #1 of 5 (1471 views)
1990 Subaru Loyale gear oil/C-V joint confusion Sign In

Hello folks, I have an oddball question. Please understand I'm pretty ignorant on car topics right from the start (though circumstances are making me learn...lol!). Also new to the forum, so if I have this in the wrong section, someone let me know.

I haven't driven a car for years but recently had reason to look for a cheap used car for daily trips under 10 miles. One of the cars I looked at was a 1990 Subaru Loyale sedan, body dinged and scratched with a couple light rust patches, interior fairly worn, but battery lights and signals good, engine clean, smooth on the test drive and with a few years of service records, and within my price range. I see other areas to post on things that turned out to be wrong with it, but here's first odd thing I'd like to run by y'all:

The seller told me the car has a "slight drip" C-V joint fluid leak that had not changed or increased in six months, that it only leaked when it was warm outside or the car was driven on a long trip, and that the leak was so small even then he had only had to top it off twice in six months. He showed me a short dipstick under the hood --right in the centerline of the car and almost back against the firewall-- that he told me was used to keep track of the C-V joint fluid level. He even had a small oval funnel tucked in between the side wall of the engine compartment and a hose, that he said was just the right side to top off the fluid when it needed it.

I looked at the car, read the service records, asked questions, and test drove the car, but as I know I am not knowledgeable enough to keep from being shilled, I then took it into the local automotive shop where I had previously inquired about buyer's checks and and asked if they had time to do one. I repeated what the seller had told me about a C-V joint leak and checking it with this short dipstick and topping it off to the mechanic, who then went to speak with the seller. After a few minutes the mechanic told me that the seller had done everything he would have expected be done on a car that old and that mileage, and it seemed like a good buy to him.

I'm sure y'all know I bought the car, and that the dipstick didn't measure C-V joint fluid already. The seller might have thought I might actually know enough to reject the car if he said anything pointing to the actual gear oil leak, since even ignoramuses often know to stay away from transmission/gear/gear oil problems due to the expense of getting them fixed, and substituted C-V joint. My question to your collective experience? How did a seasoned, experienced mechanic who works on all sorts of cars miss the red flag that something was hinky with the seller after that check the C-V joint fluid level with the dipstick and top it off as needed story came out? I need to know if it's more likely the mechanic isn't as experienced as I thought, or there's something more to this I don't know about, so I can evaluate if I need to stay away from that shop.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jan 12, 2016, 3:14 AM

Post #2 of 5 (1461 views)
Re: 1990 Subaru Loyale gear oil/C-V joint confusion Sign In

I guess you know by now that there is no such thing as C/V fluid and what you are seeing is likely a transmission leak that could be leaking at the C/V joint. There is a seal there that can be changed but that won't necessarily resolve the issue if the inside bushing is worn.

I don't know what you could have expected with w 25 year old car. It certainly won't be problem free.



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Neophyte
New User

Jan 12, 2016, 10:53 AM

Post #3 of 5 (1451 views)
Re: 1990 Subaru Loyale gear oil/C-V joint confusion Sign In

Hi Hammer Time. Yes, that's something I've learned --when someone tells you you can check the C-V joint fluid here using this dipstick, either they're more ignorant than you are or you're being taken for a ride ;) From you answer I guess I can take it that there is no way an experienced mechanic would have believed that one.

At any rate, the C-V joints are not leaking. The leak is actually gear oil leaking from a bad seal in the gear box, separate from the rest of the transmission, according to the shop mechanic who looked at the car after the brake fade (not the same mechanic as the one who talked to the seller).


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jan 12, 2016, 10:55 AM

Post #4 of 5 (1449 views)
Re: 1990 Subaru Loyale gear oil/C-V joint confusion Sign In

That makes more sense.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jan 12, 2016, 11:10 AM

Post #5 of 5 (1447 views)
Re: 1990 Subaru Loyale gear oil/C-V joint confusion Sign In

Neophyte: I'm with Hammer Time on this but would like to add in that he said fixing this leak may not work there's more worn or going on to waste too much on this car IMO. Keep it full and get what you can out of it. Safety item not put in compromise ever but just use it up for what it is and save towards a better car to start with even if similar.
Age alone isn't the whole game but sure part of it. For most people this is WAY to old to be practical to use daily if that's what you need,


T







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