Sounds like there may be an exhaust leak somewhere, if I’m understanding “running wide open” correctly. Is the vehicle louder than it was before?

I have no idea. Are you saying the first startup after replacing the intake created a hole?

Hassan

Mechanics have a right to refuse work if the vehicle is unsafe or they think it will cause them a lot of problems. However, they should try to do the job right the first time. If they make a mistake, they should make it right. Most good mechanics do, in my experience.

A Subaru with 160k on the clock and engine problems still has plenty of life left in the right hands. I’ve saved a Subaru with 260k on the clock and blown head gaskets. It’s still out there on the road somewhere on its way to 300k miles.

Yes. He screwed you. That intake gasket should’ve been replaced when it was out. Period. Full stop. Especially at 160k on the dash! He should’ve known better.

Your failure to accelerate at low speeds is almost certainly due to extra air being pulled in through your leaky intake manifold. The engine is probably running super lean, and therefore can’t make the power it needs to get you off the line. Fight this. Go get an opinion from a licensed mechanic you trust, ask him if he’d mind signing an affidavit, and sue that pos.

Keep in mind, however, that I’m flying blind here and can’t be 100% certain that this is the exact cause of your problem. That being said, if all the information you’ve provided here is accurate to the letter, that man screwed you, and the dealership is just grabbing at straws because they don’t want to invest the time in properly diagnosing your car. I’ve seen it a hundred times. They’re often very lazy.

Look on the internet for the repair manual pdf for your car and read the complete instructions for changing the head gasket on the engine you have in your car. It will tell you exactly what should have been done, gaskets replaced and cleaning of parts. In my opinion they should have asked you if you wanted the timing chains replaced as a precaution while they had it all apart. Repair manuals can be a handy read anyway as it will give you more knowledge about your car and possibly prevent you being ripped off by unscrupulous mechanics

That’s a tough one. As a disclaimer, I am not a professional mechanic and have never been in this situation, but I will do my best to help.

Was the engine pulled as part of the head gasket job? You can do the head gaskets on these cars by jacking up the motor so the heads clear the body instead of removing it, but many people find it easier to just pull the whole thing out of the car.

If the leaking seal was easily accessible during the head gasket job and the customer was not informed that it should be replaced, this seems like a mistake on the shop’s part. The front crank seal is accessible regardless of whether or not the engine is in the car. If the motor was pulled, I would expect the shop to replace the rear main seal or at least run it by the customer, and have them sign off on it if they opted not to have the shop replace the seal.

I feel the same about the intake manifold gaskets, which should have been replaced.

I am almost certain these Outbacks do not have TGVs. However, if the code was thrown very soon after the crank seal was replaced, I am inclined to believe it was caused by the work that was done (despite being seemingly unrelated). I would be pleased with a shop that performed the diag at no cost to the customer as a goodwill gesture. If the root cause is determined to be unrelated to prior work, the customer should pay for the actual repair.