Our Room mate scored on a 98 Legacy Outback

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:26 am

I was helping our room mate find new car as she has been with out for near two years and she loves our 90 Legacy L and she is a month out from paying off her house so i drove her out to a dealer ship to day in Sacramento and she found a 1998 Legacy Outback with just 86,903 miles on it dark green with silver and is very great shape with just few scratches and dings and we need to find her a cover screen for the back but it a very nice and she said she will get account on the the forum here and we'll post the pics with it..

She is 7th heaven and it is great to see her with car as our little wagon has been through some longer drives having to take her to work and do my mobile computer work...

Taking picture tomorrow and posting then

CC

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:41 am

... headgaskets ...

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:44 am

Please tell more.. She a full warranty for engine and tranny for 90 days

CC

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:48 am

I bet its a phase 1 dohc 2.5 engine. If not then disregard.

Be prepared to replace them, and possibly the crank bearings/rings/head etc when it overheats badly.

The people on RS25 hate me because of my opinion. Ask someone who works at a Subaru dealer or independent Subaru shop and you'd be surprised at how often they leak. I dare anyone to show me a Subaru engine with worse reliability. I think its worse than the EA82T by far!

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:54 am

I plan to have her take to the shop i go to as they are very good at working on Subarus and that is what they only work on mostly so if there is anything wrong i will have the dealer look at it and fix it under the warranty(as said 100% coverage) I look at the engine and there is no leaks and seem to run very even .
seem very clean but will get all checked

CC

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:20 am

The leak is usually between the cylinder and the coolant, not the outside. You won't know anything is wrong until you are broke down on the side of the road with a warped head and rod knock.

If the warranty is a third party (I bet you it is) they will deny the claim because it was a pre-existing condition. Isn't it great that they won't cover any preexisting problems, even though thats the implied purpose? You can probably still get your money back on the warranty if you push hard enough.

Don't take my word for it though. Look at how many pre-99 2.5 liter Subarus have died or ask the dealership how many times the headgasket has been superseded with a new part number. The 2.5dohc gasket is a really nice MLS unit now.

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:18 am

I done business with this dealer before and they are one of the biggest in the area and they cover everything them selfs on site and no third party and they backed all with carfax as well so they put it in writing that its 100 full engine and tranny and they don't do that unless they want to slammed and in this area out of ton of dealer ships Mata backs what say in writing.
Too many have fallen to the undercover news people area here. Some dealers have lost all his cars after a bad news day.

I have people at are going to go over the wagon and tell us what they see I know I can trust.
Its was nothing down and $276 a month so she did well I will get more detail when she get sign up and picture up too I think its the better engine as it seem to have been gone over and seen their shop they dig deep into the cars they get in trade in.

Thank you for your info I know a goo amount on keep a car running but I let the shop do the work and for what don't know i come here as if anyone would know it would be here in this forum. I 1990 wagon has had it share of problems but it was Crag's list buy and I did think i was getting a perfect wagon I knew i need to ask people that knew more.

Subaru's are said to be in the top 3 cars for reliability and saids something over all about how they are made so I not worried but i will take what you have to say and look at the wagon our room mate just got. It has low miles and if anything she can use it later for a trade in later as as we know these cars hold on to their value when taken good care of.
this one was taken care of I looked it over it been service new tires and the inside said it was weekend car not everyday.
she isn't got to be driving
and road races but she may be going to the hills for dog shows and mostly the flat lands no more than 60 to 150 miles at any long trip. If by chance she has the engine that has the problems whats the best way to handle keeping damage from happening? I know on Chevy BS-10 blazer i had a short head that left the gasket exposed we had to change more often than norm(that was an 83 the engine was badly designed )
the gave her the deal she wanted or i would have walked and review the car first but zero down and little more than $26 more a month than what she was looking to pay was good and she told no by the shady type car dealers.

I got one of my first cars a 98 Elantra from them in 99 and they did good for me and cover the tranny even after the factory said no. They one dealership that seem to understand its better to do right then wrong to you customers

Thanks for your input I will keep you post as we find more out.

CC

BXSS · Post by **BXSS** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:03 pm

+1 with ciper - beware of headgaskets on 2.5 DOHC's.

100% of the people I know with 2.5l Outbacks (just 2 people - 1x1997 & 1x1998) have had multiple headgasket problems.

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:14 pm

BXSS wrote:+1 with ciper - beware of headgaskets on 2.5 DOHC's.

100% of the people I know with 2.5l Outbacks (just 2 people - 1x1997 & 1x1998) have had multiple headgasket problems.

Well i should have listen you you two as this is what has happen the wagon is parked and sitting ow as the heads start to warp(the shop said they not fulling dead yet) and yes the fix is 2K some thing our room mate does not have. If this a well not flaw in the engine has any one push Subaru into fixing it right? What would be the better fix? replace engine or have the heads all worked on.. the other thing is the Shop at the dealer ship post to car fax it just did a ton of work and replace things so they should have seen or known that there was going to be an issues . I don't know if this is 2.5 engine but with the leak happening in the same way you say.. it most likely is.. She is not happy as am I I was trying to h3lp her find a good car and the dealers ship I thought i could trust screwed her. The drive shat bolt came out and she tow it in not knowing and the shop would not look at it unless she paid them $100 the shop manager was a friend and he look and found the bolt unscrewed not striped jut not put in right meaning the car was towed like with and(maybe the reason it had only 86K mile on it )Ether was she stuck with a dead car the dealership knew was bad.. and still owes on it.

Thank for the warning sorry i did not listen .. should have list on her of what Subaru have the bad engines so people know.. BTW if and when she get this one fixed will it still have hie issue ? what can be done to make sure it does not keep this from blowing out again?

Thanks again.

CC

Post by **DLC** » Sun Feb 12, 2012 7:17 pm

I've had three EJ25s now, two Phase IIs and one Phase I.

The first Phase II has the headgaskets replaced three times and the second once.

The Phase I was refreshed before I got it, so I'm confident of getting many miles on it before problems.

I've heard horror stories about any EJ25, any year, any trim, from 96 to 2011, and I'm pleased to see that the Impreza might finally be moving away from this faulted design with the new 2.0L engine.

I knew what I was getting into in every occasion, so I budgeted accordingly. Subaru did cover 2/3 the cost of one of the jobs, but that took a bit of arm-twisting. I'd have purchased a 5MT-swapped Touring Wagon if my S/O hadn't objected to getting such an old car. No better Subaru engine than the EJ22T.

kimokalihi · Post by **kimokalihi** » Sun Feb 12, 2012 8:34 pm

It would be better to replace it with an EJ22. No head gasket issues and they're cheap. Cheaper than rebuilding heads and replacing gaskets and labor costs.

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:09 am

kimokalihi wrote:It would be better to replace it with an EJ22. No head gasket issues and they're cheap. Cheaper than rebuilding heads and replacing gaskets and labor costs.

So should I check around in some of the Engine (the EJ22) whats the over all cost ? We did price on engine but I'm not one who would be installing it.. show we push the dealer or Subaru on this for some of the cost?

Thanks we had an out too a day or so after I posted my first message the dealer too back the no money down deal if I had listen to the post she have different wagon and maybe not a dead one but I as I always say this forum is the top place to find any issue out and I should have listen.. will start shopping out the EJ22.

kimokalihi · Post by **kimokalihi** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:40 am

I've never done the swap but its a very common solution to the dohc head gasket problems. I don't know what years of engines will be compatible and the details but I'm sure there's people on this forum that know these things. Google ej22 subaru outback swap and I bet you'll dig up some good info on it. I doubt the dealership will do a swap though.

Binford · Post by **Binford** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:30 am

I've done the EJ22 swap that is being described, only difference being it was a '98 Forester. Exact same swap though.

Any EJ22 with the EGR setup on the intake manifold with a pipe going to the drivers' side head will swap easily. I believe all '95+ have this. The only thing you might need to swap out is the electrical harness running on the bottom side of the intake manifold, just depends if the harness on the 2.2 is the same or not as your 2.5. If it's the same, just plug it in. If it's different you need to swap the harness. Not that big of a deal to do really.

Post by **DLC** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 7:04 pm

I just moved from an EJ22E in the 98 L to an EJ25D in the 97 Outback, and I would miss the extra oomph if I had to go back. The later Phase II engines are interference, unlike the lower-power Phase I EJ22Es, but have a little more power.

Grayguy · Post by **Grayguy** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:21 pm

I did the 2.2 - to - 2.5 swap in my 97' L and you couldn't pay me to go back to an NA 2.2. The car was almost dangerously slow with a 2.2, could barely merge in traffic, and down shifting all the time for ANY slight incline was annoying too.

kimokalihi · Post by **kimokalihi** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 1:21 am

That's odd, I don't remember my old legacy wagon being slow with the stock EJ22E. I got it up to 115 and I regularly passed people pretty much every day.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:26 am

I saw 133 on the speedometer in mine, ran 0-60 in 8 flat, a 16.3 1/4 mile time, smoked rice Hondas without trying, and even held about even with a supercharged Pontiac on a 0-60 pull. Not fast, but nowhere near dangerously slow and more than a few people commented in surprise by the power off the line. One even asked if it had a V6. Sounds like there was something wrong with yours.

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:16 am

The wagon started out with lot zip to it and was and is hard to keep at the speed limit it just loves to creep up to .. . I have noted in her it just started get less zippy and the gas millage is bad.. I can get 120 mile quarter tank she can barely get 50 to 60 and I done mostly city right now with the damage on my car she was doing city and highway..

thanks for the info here on the engine will have to talk to the one part yard we have here for Subaru which is part of Part plant they seem to have near anything at a good price for our car and I just check to see if the have the engine..

Thanks

CC

Grayguy · Post by **Grayguy** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:48 am

Hmm, idk, every 2nd gen I've ever driven with a 2.2 was painfully slow.

kimokalihi · Post by **kimokalihi** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:03 am

C'mon 130 raw powers of horse!

Alphius · Post by **Alphius** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 8:24 am

My 5-speed 1996 EJ22 Legacy wagon participated in stoplight races against a 1998 Outback EJ25D 4EAT and I had quite a lead on the Outback every time.

My other friend then got a '97 Legacy GT sedan 5-speed and it would just barely get ahead of me on the top half of every gear.

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:27 pm

This wagon has all the clues that it was some two car for their RV . its an AT but drive fast an zippy then started have some drag down then the the it didn't over hear just died but it re-started right away and drove.. It was just few blocks from the house so we drove back and shut down.. it seem ok after we eve drove to the shop with no problems. the show us the leak and told us $2K to fix.. we towed it home .. its been parked since so start it to charge the battery. Oh just before the one and only time it over heated there was some problems with her battery. The car was having starting issues with starting and seem to be ok after the battery was replace but it then had time is didn't start right up figure the starter was at issue too that or her alternator as after replacing mine a ton of issues have clear up strangely . Any way I'll have to draw up a list of thing from what you posted and make shopping list up .

Thanks

CC

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 2:20 pm

What do you mean they showed you the leak? The headgasket leak I referred to is not visible externally.

If the headgasket is the problem and the engine is rebuilt properly with the new multi layer steel gasket (block and heads shaved) it should be just fine.

CCorsair · Post by **CCorsair** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:07 pm

ciper wrote:What do you mean they showed you the leak? The headgasket leak I referred to is not visible externally.

If the headgasket is the problem and the engine is rebuilt properly with the new multi layer steel gasket (block and heads shaved) it should be just fine.

The guy at the shop ran the car with the radiator cap off and show the air leaking back on the piston compression saying it was the headgasket . I looked up what showed me and other have had the same thing So I was taking them at their word it was the headgasket.
the said $2K to fix... It's on hold till she get some better work right now as she working part time (she's a LVN home care Nurse) so it going to take a wile a and we need to fix my car as well. Ok thanks.

cc

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