19 replies to this topic

[legacy2.5]

i want to know if some people have a 2.5 liter and have not had a headgasket problem. I have 90k and things are still good.

[powderhound]

My parent's 00 OBW has approx 60k no headgasket issues...yet. I've told them to sell it though.

Are you the owner of the black gt wagon I see over by Hiestand park all the time?

[subarubrat]

99 RS, turboed @ 300+Hp and currently at 135,000 miles, no problems.

[JaapH]

96 Outback 2,5 dohc 110k miles. No problems yet other then cranck/cam seals once. No rust. Perfect car for me.
However: I have the gaskets in stock (just in case).

JaapH

[simpreza2]

97 Outback 106k and no problems yet.

[BoxersOnly]

I drove my '99 RS for 4 years, I guess about 124,000 Kms, never had a problem. Didn't baby it either, occasional trackday and autox.

Rob.

[97subaruGT]

97 Legacy GT, Phase I, Around 135,000 miles...not head gasket problems, just lifter/piston slap, crank seal leak..

[Mark-O-Back]

97 Legacy Outback, 2.5L, 4 cam.
75K miles.
Been great.
I hear tapping until the engine is warm (piston I guess).
Front Oil seal Leak! About 1/3 quart for 3K miles, it is unfortunate that all of the oil is vaporized on the cat!
I smell antifreeze in traffic once in a while... could it be that beater in front of me? I monitor the coolant. Seems no loss at all.
Alternator took a dump in the middle of eastern WA (no where) on a Saturday. 105+° no shade. A bit of brake pulse is rearing it's head, oh well.
I'm optimistic that this rig will last. So far no other atypical problems.
~ Mark ~

[mtsmiths]

... whatsoever.

[Snowman]

My mom's 97 outback must be over 60 or 70 thousand miles, and it runs great, doesn't have any cooling issues, and never leaks a drop of oil.

[outback_97]

'97 Legacy OB, 102,xxx miles, no HG problems, no overheating.


Steve

[elwood91]

1999 2.5 gt wagon 90k miles no problems

[brus brother]

00 Legacy GT. 60K miles. Transmission replaced under warranty at 30K as it lagged going from reverse to drive. As far as the HG no problems yet... as the fellow who fell from a skyscraper yelled at each floor going by... so far so good. I did get the stop leak added last time at the dealer to get the extended 8 yr/100K warranty on the external HG leak.

[Rich in NEPA]

I recently traded in a '00 Outback Wagon Ltd., 2.5 H-4, 5MT with ~43K miles. No major problems or warranty issues whatsoever, except for a loose electrical connector that was giving false TPS failure codes and had an obvious hesitation during low-speed acceleration. Dealer's mechanic simply pulled the plugs apart, reconnected them, and everything it was fine since then. Excellent vehicle and with the rear LSD it was awesome in the snow. I hope my new '04 L.L. Bean performs at least as well. So far, so good (knock on wood!).

Cheers ...

[Chip Hedrick]

My '98 OBW has 103,300 mi. It exhibits no signs of headgasket problems. I've owned it 6 yrs and 3 mos and it has been extremely reliable. I routinely shift at high RPMs, and the engine has withstood it. The only significant problem was cam and crankshaft oil leaks that developed and were repaired back in Jan. at around 101,000 mi. Still has original battery and rear brake pads. Just did the front pads this weekend. I got 103,300 off the originals.

[charlierh2]

106,000 and still going.......

[LameRandomName]

2000 Forester with ~50,000 miles, and I just recently brought it in for the recall, where they apparently put some sort of sealing tablet in the coolant to head off the problem, and extend the warranty.


I'm not real worried though...

When I bought the car I also got an extended warranty, and I'm covered to 100,000 miles.

[rezmutt]

1998 OBW with 116,000 miles. No head gasket issues.

[REDVDC]

Just traded my 1998 (79450 mi) outback wagon for a new 2004 VDC wagon. The 1998 had no head gasket leaks. Replaced the timing belt at about 70000 and the lettering on the belt was not even worn off yet, the mechanic was impressed. I did have the crank shaft and cam shaft seals replaced at the same time as the timing belt, $20 for each seal at the dealer!

Only issues with this 1998; heated seat switchs illumination bulbs went out. The 1 ply sidewall Michelin tires origionally supplied by the dealer, discontinued by Michelin 6 mo. after buying the car, side walls could not take the AWD? I changed to a 2 ply side wall tire and they were fine.