hardtail_pride

Update, looks like the owner of the GL wants to keep it now. So the search goes on. So if the newer outbacks with the 2.5 dohc are out, what should i be looking for? Just a legacy wagon 2.2? Or keep looking for an older wagon in good shape? Bummer i wanted that GL.

I am leaning more towards the GL now after some feedback. I hate having car trouble and with the outbacks imminent head gasket failure issue and high repair costs, i think the GL would be better for my situation. Thanks for the Replies! If you have more to say keep throwing me advice!

OK here is an update to get you more informed on the decision. Car #1 The 98 OB limited. It has 130.000 2.5 DOHC 5spd. The dealer said if i buy it he will replace the timing belt, water pump if necessary, and the pulleys. I will have to ask about service history next time i go to the dealership. I posted here previously about this car and it has me worried about the HG just going out. Because yes it will cost around my spending limit. $4000 Car #2 The 87 GL 1.8? Dr 5 spd. The body is in amazing shape, the owner did the Chevy 6 bolt re drill swap, And a true dual exhaust with turbo mufflers. Dunno if that would help the motor or not. He says its fuel injected also. Has also 132.000 miles. Here is a link to his local ad for those interested. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=733005&tab=images/view&ad=1243814 It looks like he has replaced everything and possibly the pulleys but just not mentioned that in the listing. Its more expensive than the other gl's and loyales around here but i think its worth the price because of the shape and mechanical condition. Oh and i have a set of pugs already picked out for it. hope this helps you all with some info. Steer me in the right direction! And yes i know its hard to compare the two being ten years apart but the reason why i am comparing these two is because i had good luck with my old wagons and loved how versatile they were. But i would like to have something reliable and i guess cleaner/ up to date. But the old GL is pretty clean inside and out.

OK any input here would be appreciated! So i am debating between newer outback wagon 98 limited or a 88 GL wagon. I have had a GL and a loyale before and loved the wagons minus the underpowered motors. But i never quite felt confident enough to take long trips in them. So that's why i am thinking a newer outback. More power, updated parts etc etc. But there is a GL wagon with a DR 5spd in great shape with timing belt, oil pump etc done recently. Oh FYI this will be my Daily driver main source of transportation besides my motorcycle. So I cant decide on new school or accept the old school for its quirks and repair when needed and just get the GL. I dunno just want to be a happy buyer when the deal is said and done. Thanks!

Oh thanks! Good to know! Um random question also, any chance there would be a LSD in my package because its a LIMITED? I read on Wikipedia that there is but i believe it was a foreign model. Thanks

This is in regard to a 98 outback limited 2.5 DOHC So i have searched around a bit and heard the timing belt, tensioners, and water pump should be replaced between 60-100k. There is a wide range there because of so many different opinions i heard. So set me right if you know. Is this right? If my outback has 130k, should i get those all replaced? Is there anything else that should be replaced while in this process? Gaskets, oil pump etc? Any help is appreciated.

I hope so too! Thanks to everyone for the help and info. I will post later to let you know if i bought it.

ya this one is looking promising. It had the HG done 10k ago, the timing belt and water pump done 8k ago, says he has all documentation available so it may have had the pulleys etc done too. It has 130k so not too high mileage and has the service up to date. he is asking 5200 and its a manual. Clean title, clean body, new tires last year, only downside looks like a windshield crack. And scratches on bumper.

Ya im not too stressed on trim packages and heated seats. I have just had cheap cars for a while and want an upgrade that i can drive cross country if i wanted. So this OBS with the 2.2 is the Ej22 i am assuming? Oh and one other option i may look at tomorrow is this wagon. It looks like its had all the work done on the new HG and timing belt and water pump. Looks like it may be on a fresh start and worth considering. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=&tab=list/view&ad=1237564

shoot that just worry's me more. I'm looking to get a reliable means of transportation that fits my needs and the outback looks like the wagon. But these head gasket issues are just turning me away from them. Was there a year even earlier that had a reliable motor not susceptible to head gasket woes? I hear the 2.2 was a little more worry free. There is an Outback sport 97 that i was considering with this set up. Here is a link if interested: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=1251275 If i were to lift it this would be a better candidate imo because of the shorter wheelbase. Anyways. Any experience with these Outback sports? Are their motors notorious for head gasket problems also?

Thanks pooparu! That was something i didn't know about the newer 2.5 being better. I guess i will shy away from the H6 then cause i love the 5 spd. Anything i should look out for on a newer outback when buying?

So i am car shopping and looking to upgrade from a loyale to a newer outback. I have some questions before i make a decision on which kind of outback if anyone would kindly help me with any info, that would be great! I did a search already and answered many questions but still have some so here they are. 1) So i am interested in dong a lift down the road whether by means of forester struts or a kit by AA. And my question is, with a lift i have taken into consideration which transmission would handle the larger tire size better. Automatic or Manual? 2) It seems the 2.5 motors have head gasket issues more than the alternatives, so i have somewhat decided on a H6 3.0 but i couldn't find too much info on those. Reliability? Power? And was it offered with a manual tranny? 3) Oh and i am assuming the forester strut lift option would work with the H6 version correct? That's all the questions i couldn't figure out. Any help would be great!

hey i tried searchng and no real leads, so is there a 2 inch suspension lift for this model? And also im assuming its a ea81 right? And i realize these are a bit underpowered so im tring to stick to a 27 inch tire. Would i be able to drive freeway speeds with a lift an tires? Anyways any help would be great!

ya no kidding i feel like im the only proud wagon driver out here except the soccer moms. There is a guy with a yellow lifted turbo hatch but that hasn't moved in a while.

I didn't think i would ever find a set of Peugeot wheels in Orem Utah but i found some at a local yard! I already did the Chevy 6lug swap but if anyone else is looking European Auto wrecking has multiple Peugeot cars with wheels (slotted 505's etc) Crappy thing is thought that the service attendant quoted me 300 for all of them. :-\ But im cheap like that! Anyways Someone should go get them!

I knew i wouldnt be able to dial it in my shear guess work, i was trying to get an idea on how badly my situation was. After driving the car for a year I didnt know if it could drive better or worse. Checking my timing was one solution to a shaky motor problem and hesitation that someone suggested, and short of buying a light i tried some backyard wrenching. It helped me realize 2 things. My disty wasnt installed correctly by someone, and that yes my car is not timed right. I did research in the archives on how to do timing but it apparently didnt register clearly with me.

people downing me like that makes me want to get rid of my loyale. Or wreck it:grin: anyways i will look more into it.

No i did not use a light. My car runs like crap so short of taking it somewhere i tried to do something by myself. And i dont know what Jhonson was talking about. Tdc and 0 degrees?

Ok i toyed around with my timing and it seems to run best with distributor turned all the way clockwise? I thought it would be more in the middle of the range of adjustment? Is something wrong with this? And #2 my ongoing 4wd engaging battle i have checked all the hoses for vacuum leaks and nothing. My 4wd light flickers etc. I got under the Loyale and checked the linkage going into the tranny, i could move it with quite a bit of effort one handed back and forth. I had a buddy engage disengage etc multiple times while I watched the linkage and it would shift a little but not enough to engage. My best diagnosis is that the actuator (not sure what to call it) that is mounted on the drivers side of the tranny is worn out. The chamber that has both vacuum hoses connected to it. Or the cable from that actuator is sticky? Any help or experience here? Thanks much appreciated!

Hey i just wanna thank everyone on this site and those that created it and maintained it. I don't know how i could of ever started fixing my Loyale with out you guys. I recently replaced the rear struts personally, Did the 6 bolt Mazda rim swap, and even learned a little bit about adjusting the timing on the motor. My wagon is running about half par, but its lot better than it could be!

I am not a professional but i would say get an alignment. And there are some pretty cheap struts on Ebay i got a pair of rear ones for 35 shipped!

OH and G loyale i don't have a vacuum pump hand held device, im actually not even sure what that is or where you connect it to. any links to a product anyone?

Ok this is to SKIP my heater does only work in the higher 2 speeds, so sounds like you know whats going on. It isnt stuck switching from vent to heat etc but it is very slow. So i might just get another one of those plastic cylinders. I will check the shift linkage on the outside of the tranny also.

Ok i will check, I was more worried about crushing what the hose was connecting to than i was about tearing hose.

Ok here is a rundown of past events with the 4wd system. I replaced the sensor/solenoid from another Subaru that actuates the 4wd pressure system on or off. The sensor under the hood by drivers strut tower. That got it half way working. Now the 4wd light just flickered on the dash, even thought the system was engaged. so i wanted to be sure i wouldn't get stuck and not have the 4wd (and it happened) so i replaced all the hoses coming off the solenoid that looked important to making the magic happen. That helped a little more but the light was still flickering, so i decided to try and make a more solid connection from the hoses by installing clamps. Thats where the problem is now. No 4wd, even after i removed all the clamps. And my afore mentioned rough idle shaky motor problem. (could be something else though) I had not had the idea to try out the lever its self on the side of the tranny like GLOYALE stated so i will give that a try Monday. That may very well be the problem. While im looking at it maybe there is a way to make it engage independent of the vacuum system by a cable? Just a thought. Anyone else tried it. Hope this info helps in helping you help me haha :-p