Santa Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 ok its time for me to get a new tome Subie for commuting to work. I have been driving a 1994 Legacy wagon2.2 4eat it has 201,000 and has been a great car, but i have a teenagerneeding a car so I am going to hand it down to him and get somethingnewer, this is what I have im looking at;1998 Legacy Outback Limited, it has the 2.5 4eat combo and is inoverall mint condition, it has 108,000 miles. I know the person who hasowned this car since 60,000 miles. so I reasonably know its servicehistory. It has had religious oil changes and all service needed. It hasjust had the cv axles done and water pump timing belt done. It has NOThad head gasket problems as of yet. I can pick it up for $4000thenext is a 2001 outback ll bean with 3.0 4eat combo 128,000 miles thislooks to be in great shape it has the h6 so no timing belt and as far asi know no head gasket issues with this motor,I do understand they can be leakers but its at a dealer soservice history I dont know its also $6500 the money I dont worry toomuch, I am leaning on the 01 3.0l. I am more concerned about best deal for the money the 2001 idassume will be less likely to have trouble but its 2500 more for moremiles s help me decide share opinions thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 avoid the 1998 - that has the worst engine Subaru has ever made in it. EJ25 - they blow headgaskets all the time. they're not a bad engine really - but they are Subaru's worst. H6's are awesome - i've got two for a reason and have helped friends get a bunch of them, including just last week a friend got one. great, reliable platforms. 2001: check for rear subframe rust - known issue drive it hard, get it to down shift, and check for timing chain noise - 2001's had some weak guide issues, rarely an issue but test. replace the two serpentine pulley bearings immediately when you get it - can be done for $10 and in 20 minutes, very easy. can also replace each pulley with a DAYCO part number as well. though it's not listed in the store, you'll have to ask here if you get the vehicle. or i've already posted it elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 2001 - the spark plugs are a bear to do and valve cover gasktes as well. but they're only done like every 100,000 miles. if there's no record of them being done maybe you could work them into the deal before buying it fromt he dealer? they were due at 100,000 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 if you want a reliable 1996-1999 Outback with the EJ25 the best option requires a little legwork but you end up with a far better end product: 1. buy one with a blown EJ25 - since they're such bad motors they're easily found all day, every day with blown engines and cheap. $300 - $1,000. 2. install an EJ22 - it so happens that's it's a direct, plug and play swap. excellent engine, one of Subaru's best engines they've ever made. don't overheat or run them low on oil and about as easy and inexpensive 300,000 miles as you can get. $500 vehicle, $300 engine, $500 install, $300 in preventative maitnenance (timing belt, seals, water pump) - and you're in $1,600 with a vehicle that easily makes 100,000+ inexpensive and reliable miles. it requires a bit of time to organize but well worth it if you like reliability and economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 so then is there more inherent reliability with the 2002 or 2003 H6 rather then the 2001 H6 ?, excellent information guys thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 ok I found a 01 ll bean h6 with 90k for $5000 so i def pulled the trigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 great, good job! change the serpentine pulley bearings NOW!! they fail all the time, suprisingly frequent. 1. remove belt (takes just a couple minutes - it's hydraulic not mechanical like every other Subaru, so just use a long wrench to loosen tension and remove belt) 2. remove two bolts holding pulleys (the top one has a capture nut in the rear, best to hold your finger on it so it doesn't fall out) 3. the bearings knock out super easy - tap them out with a hammer and socket - install new ones. 6203 bearings, sealed on both sides. 4. there is a DAYCO part number if you want to replace the entire pulley with new bearing with a part off the auto parts store shelves, i don't have it with me but i bet if you search this forum for DAYCO and "posts by my username" you'll find it. the store can't look them up though as they don't consider them a direct replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 i'd change the coolant if it's unknown and freshen up/clean up the batter terminals. it is said this helps mitigate headgasket concerns, though the H6 doesn't seem as likely to have headgasket issues. change transmission fluid and front diff oil would be wise too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Had a 3.0 ll bean came thru 385000kms never been apart see very few engine problems with h6 but do 97-99 outback engines all day at least 10 dead ones in two months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 i'd change the coolant if it's unknown and freshen up/clean up the batter terminals. it is said this helps mitigate headgasket concerns, though the H6 doesn't seem as likely to have headgasket issues. change transmission fluid and front diff oil would be wise too. There is a drain plug on the auto tranny, so it is just like draining and changing oil. If and when you change the A/T fluid, do so 3 times, to get a good swap out of fluids, as only about half of the ATF can be changed during a drain. There will also be an external filter on the automatic tranny, so change that out too. Hope you enjoy your new Subie!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 yeah this isnt first subie so familiar with the 4eat, already did tranny and front case and rear diff today ill do new serpentine pulleys probably throw a new belt on for good measure battery is new, I will wait until spring for the plugs. I did hook up my scan tool to it today and am getting a pre check engine code, its a p0420 which is for cat out of spec wondering if its down stream o2 sensor, anyone know how they should be check n voltages, my up streams run a pretty consistent 0.900 to0.950 volts, the down stream runs 0.100 to 0.600 volts, the upstream are pretty consistent down stream is kind of all over the place but at times will hold to a steady voltage for 20-30 seconds then go back to erratic fluctuations as i drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 0420 is a debacle of a code unfortunately. becuase it's tricky to diagnose and most shops just throw thousands of dollars of exhaust parts at it to get it to go away. which often just covers up the issues rather than fixes it. and you new converters can again be trash in a few years. anything cuasing the car to run innefficienty can trigger it. plugs, dirty intake, PCV, 02 sensors. i'd start by replacing the PCV valve and seafoaming the intake. cheap, easy, and probably not a bad idea to have them done. there's some threads on how to do both. PCV valve has probably never been replaced anyway - really easy to do. it is a benign code - you can drive the car for 100,000 miles with it on and have zero issues (i've done it before, happens all the time in WV where the check engine light is no requirement for any inspection). my 02 has had the 0420 code for 100,000 miles now and i just ignore it. ideally you don't ignore it because if the engine is running poorly that's not good for the engine. mine still gets great gas mileage so i'm assuming the engine is running well. if it was getting poor mileage i'd be more concerned. cardoc has a fantastic thread on how to properly diagnoses it on subaruoutback.org, it is the *only* legitiamte source i've ever seen for properly tracking and repairing this code. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 thank you for the info, got it taken care of now just getting all little stupid things done 100k maintenance ect. I will be changing the serpentine belt and pulleys, my question is will the dayco idler pulley fit as the tensioner pulley as well, from what i've read i'm assuming its the same so I would just order two of the dayco 89148 complete pulley and bearings ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subnz Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 With the cheap fuel in US (NZ $8.50 gallon) if it was me making the decision, the H6 would be the obvious choice, along with no cam belt changes necessary and the lack of head gasket issues inherent with the 2.5's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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