Dr.Outback

Well, if a person is on their fourth set of headgaskets, that can only mean one thing. A poor mechanic. Either the gaskets were installed wrong, the head bolts torqued to the wrong ft/lb or in the wrong order. Or the head became warped and wasn't machined or machined properly. Plus other installation issues stemming from poor work. I have asked the guys that work with me in the parts department about the headgasket issues, and compared to the '90-'94 2.2L, the Phase 1 2.5's did have a higher amount of failure. But nothing severe. We seem to have more early '00-'02 Legacy's in for delayed engagement of the auto tranny's then headgaskets. (Due to an O-ring not holding pressure, it's been corrected) I have never said Subaru was the most reliable Japanese company. According to Consumer Reports they are third behind Toyota and Honda. But not by much. I also go through and throw out all the warrenty parts as a part of my job. In a 3mo time we might have about 3 headgasket kits under warrenty. A couple of pistons to fix a "cold knock problem". Most of the stuff are wiper blades, visors, trim pieces, window gussets, spark plugs, cup holders, catylitic convertors, a head from a head gasket job, cargo covers, light bulbs, clocks, sensors, wheel bearings. But for a dealership that sells 60 cars a month and services most of them, its not that many big expensive problems.

Every car company has it's issues. I've talked to a bunch mechanics about this issue including a mechanic from SOA, and yes the Phase 1's did seem to have a problem with blowing headgaskets, esspecially in winter. But even then it was only affecting a small percentage. But the Phase 2's are pretty solid. I think from what I see coming into the shop, that oil leaks from the crank and cam seals are far more common. But they aren't a big deal if you wait till you do the timing belt. You only here about the 1% that have problems with their Subaru's, not the 99% that don't. Very, very few Subaru's ever get towed into LCM's shop because of a no start condition.

Yes. Just tell me what you want, and I will order it for you. We can take credit over the phone, or PayPal.

I checked, they do sell just the mirror portion for the '00-'04. The '95-'99's are the whole assembly. If you can give me your VIN I'll be more then happy to get you a price. Matt

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Well it's not that we don't care. It's just that the accesrories aren't available anymore. I'm personally spending $3000 to paint my '93 Sport Sedan because I love the first gen Legacy.

It's not on the Blowout list. But I can get you one for $97.71 + shipping. The PN is M0010AS101.

Hey everybody. Here is the current Accessory Blowout Specials from Subaru. I thought some of you might be interested in these special deals. There is limited availability of these parts. If you are interested in purchasing these parts please call Lancaster County Motors Subaru 1-800-215-5644. Please take down the PN so that we will be able to locate the parts in our system fast. Ask for Tom, Ron, Ross, or Matt (me). Thanks everybody. 1-800-215-5644 ACCESSORY BLOWOUT SPECIALS (Revised October 2004) 28111FC050 15" Aluminum Wheel Forester '98-'02 $96.92 35022FC000 Leather Gear Shift Lever Knob - M/T Forester '98-'02 $15.00 35126FC030 Leather Gear Shift Lever Knob - A/T Forester '98-'02 $26.00 65560FC000GA Luggage Compartment Cvr - Beige Forester '98-'00 $39.00 65560FC010GA Luggage Compartment Cvr - Beige Forester '01 $49.00 65560FC010ND Luggage Compartment Cover - Gray Forester '01-'02 $63.08 E3610FS910 Cross Bar Set Forester '98-'02 $87.69 E5110FS000 Side Step Rail Kit Forester '98-'02 $181.54 E7210FS200AG Spoiler - Acadia Green Forester '01 $69.00 E7210FS200AW Spoiler - Aspen White Forester '01-'02 $138.46 E7210FS200BD Spoiler - Black Diamond Pearl Forester '01-'02 $83.00 E7210FS200BR Spoiler - Blue Ridge Pearl Forester '01-'02 $83.00 E7210FS200GM Spoiler - Savannah Green Forester '02 $83.00 E7210FS200NN Spoiler - Primed Forester '01-'02 $120.00 E7210FS200PS Spoiler - Platinum Silver Forester '02 $83.00 E7210FS200SG Spoiler - Sierra Gold Forester '01-'02 $83.00 E7210FS200SM Spoiler - Silverthorn Metallic Forester '01 $77.00 E7210FS200SR Spoiler - Sedona Red Forester '01-'02 $83.00 E721SSA000PB Spoiler - Blue Forester '03-'04 $190.77 E721SSA000SG Spoiler - Gold Forester '03-'04 $190.77 E7710FC200MF Brush Guard (Grey) Forester S '01-'02 $99.00 E7710FC200VB Brush Guard (Black) Forester L, S+ '01-'02 $99.00 H0017FC910DC Gauge Pack Housing - Beige Forester '98-'02, Impreza '98-'01 $29.00 H5010FC001 Compass Gauge Pack Forester '98-'00, Impreza '98 $99.00 H5010FC015 Performance Gauge Pack Forester '98-'02 $139.30 H6300FS000 Speaker Kit Forester '98-'02 $37.00 H6300FS202 Tweeter Kit Forester '97-'02 $25.00 H6710FC000 Power Outlet Forester '98-'02 $36.92 H7110FS101 RKE System Forester '98-'00; Impreza '01 $121.54 H7110FS300 Keyless Entry System Forester '01-'02 $53.50 H7110FS400 Security System Upgrade Kit Forester '01-'02 $53.00 J1010FC000 Splash Guards Forester '98-'02 $35.38 J1010FC070AW Sport Grille - Aspen White Forester '01-'02 $69.00 J1010FC070BD Sport Grille - Black Diamond Forester '01-'02 $69.00 J1010FC070SM Sport Grille - Silverthorn Metallic Forester '01 $69.00 J1010SA000GH Splash Guards - Gold Forester '03-'04 $75.38 J1310FC001 Woodgrain Kit - A/T Forester '98-'02 $77.00 J1310FC010 Woodgrain Kit MT Forester '98-'00 - L, S $69.00 J1310FC011 Woodgrain Kit - M/T Forester '98-'02 $77.00 J5010FS300GA Carpet Floor Mats - Beige Forester '98-'02 $29.23 J5010FS331 Cargo Tray Forester '98-'01 $19.00 35126FE010 Leather Shift Knob - A/T Impreza '02-'03 $73.85 44370FA030 Tail Pipe Extension Impreza '93-95, 1.8L $3.00 E2410FE201PG Front Under Spoiler - WR Blue Pearl Impreza '02-'03 $351.67 E2410FE201TG Front Under Spoiler - Plat Silver Met Impreza '02-'03 $351. E2410FE201WG Front Under Spoiler - Aspen White Impreza '02-'03 $351.67 E5610FE200PG Rear Under Spoiler - WR Blue Pearl Impreza '02-'03 $350.00 E5610FE200TG Rear Under Spoiler - Plat Silver Met Impreza '02-'03 $350.00 E5610FE200WG Rear Under Spoiler - Aspen White Impreza '02-'03 $438.33 E7210FE501IT Spoiler-SD, Blue Impreza '02-'03 $181.00 E7210FE501UV Spoiler-SD, Red Impreza '02-'03 $181.00 E7210FE501VI Spoiler-SD, Black Impreza '02-'03 $348.44 E7210FE502IU Spoiler-SD, Blue Impreza '04 $301.54 E7210FE502VO Spoiler-SD, Black Impreza '04 $301.54 E7210FE600IT Spoiler-SW, Blue Impreza '02-'03 $130.00 E7210FE600UV Spoiler-SW, Red Impreza '02-'03 $130.00 E7210FE600VI Spoiler-SW, Black Impreza '02-'03 $210.00 E7210FE600QI Spoiler-SW, Green Impreza '02-'03 $210.00 F5510FS011 Cargo Net (SW) Impreza '97-'01 $9.00 H5010FA001 Gauge Pack-Comp, Temp, Alt Impreza '99-'01 $134.00 H6200SS000 ETR-AM/FM Cassette 6-Disc CD Impreza STi '04 $495.00 H6300FS300 Upgraded Speaker Kit - SD Impreza '98-'01 $44.62 H6300FS310 Upgraded Speaker Kit - SW Impreza '98-'01 $56.00 H6300SS000 Tweeter Kit Impreza '02-'03 $75.38 H6300SS100 Tweeter Kit Impreza '02-'04 $44.62 H6310FS300 Tweeter Kit Impreza '99-'01 $29.00 H7010FA200 Cruise Control Kit Impreza '93-'94, '95G 1.8 MT $70.00 H7010FA222 Cruise Control Kit Impreza '96 2.2 AT $70.00 H7010FA223 Cruise Control Kit Impreza '97 2.2 AT $70.00 H7010FA225 Cruise Control Kit - A/T Impreza '99 $128.00 H7010FA233 Cruise Control Kit Impreza '97 2.2 MT $70.00 H7010FA234 Cruise Control Kit Impreza '98 2.2 & 2.5 MT $70.00 H7110SS002 Keyless Entry System Impreza '02-'03 $76.92 H7110SS100 Security System Upgrade Impreza '02-04 $107.69 J1010FA200 Splash Guard Kit (SW) Impreza '93-'01 $19.00 J1310FA130 Carbon Fiber Trim Kit - A/T Impreza RS '98-'01 $149.00 J1310FA140 Carbon Fiber Trim Kit - M/T Impreza RS '98-'01 $149.00 J1310FE120 Carbon Fiber Trim Kit Impreza '02-'04 exc STi $205.00 J1310FE121 Carbon Fiber Trim Kit Impreza '04 STi $205.00 J5010FS001GA Carpeted Floor Mats - Beige Impreza '98-'01 $19.00 J5010FS202 Cargo Tray (SW) Impreza '97-'01 $19.00 J5010SS001NF Floor Mats - TS/OBK Impreza '02-'04 $33.85 M0010FS110 Front End Cover Hood Impreza '96 $23.08 35126AC071 Shift Knob - A/T Legacy '95-'99 $41.54 35126AE040 Shift Knob A/T Legacy '00-'04 $37.50 66511AC010MU Coin Pocket - Gray Legacy '95-'96 $3.00 66511AC010RA Coin Pocket - Taupe Legacy '95-'96 $3.00 66610AC000MU Ash Tray Assembly - Gray Legacy '95-'97 $2.30 91031AC491 Dr Mirror Ay RH Legacy '95 $46.15 E1017AC000 Side Sill Plate Legacy '95-'96 $77.00 E3610AS203 Roof Rack Legacy '96-'99 $68.00 E5618AC010 Rear Under Spoiler-SW Legacy '95-'99 - Brighton, L $35.00 E7210AS001BG Spoiler - Black Granite Pearl Legacy '97-'99 $155.38 E7210AS001RM Spoiler Mica Ruby Pearl Legacy '97-'98 $96.00 E7210AS001SB Spoiler-SW, Sydney Blue Legacy '97 $77.00 E7210AS020BI Spoiler-SD, Blue Iris Legacy '95 $77.00 E7210AS020RM Spoiler-SD, Ruby Mica Legacy '95-'98 $77.00 E7210LS000DS Spoiler-SW, Deep Sapphire Pearl Legacy '00-'02 $132.00 E7210LS000RG Spoiler-SW, Deep Red Legacy '02-'04 $138.46 E7210LS000SS Spoiler-SW, Silver Legacy '02-'04 $138.46 E7210LS000TP Spoiler-SW, Titanium Legacy '00-'04 $138.46 E7210LS000WB Spoiler-SW, White Legacy '00-'04 $92.50 E7210LS000WF Spoiler-SW, White Frost Pearl Legacy '01-'04 $139.00 E7210LS000WG Spoiler-SW, Winter Green Legacy '00-'02 $132.00 E7210LS000WP Spoiler-SW, Winestone Pearl Legacy '00-'01 $69.00 E7210LS100BG Spoiler-SD, Black Legacy '00-'04 $181.54 E7210LS100NN Spoiler Sedan Primed Kit Legacy '00-'03 $170.77 E7250LS000TG Spoiler-SW, Green Legacy '00-'03 $132.31 F5500AE300 Dog Guard-Half Legacy '90-'94 $31.00 F5510AE210 Luggage Divider Legacy '95-'96 $16.00 H4510AC500 Fog Lamp Kit Legacy '98-'99 $175.38 H4610AC000EP Map Light - Taupe Legacy '96 $8.00 H4610AC000MS Map Light - Gray Legacy '96-'99 - Brighton $8.00 H6240AC520 CD Controller, Non-LTD Models Legacy '95-'99 $147.69 H6240AS200 CD Auto Changer, LTD Models Legacy '98-'99 $188.00 H6240FS021 CD Player Legacy '00-'02 $238.46 H6240LS001 CD Player Legacy '00-'02; Forester '01-'02 $276.92 H6250AC510 CD Auto Changer, Non-LTD Models Legacy '95-'99 $313.85 H6300AS010 Tweeter Kit Legacy '95-'99 $15.00 H6300AS030 Subwoofer Amplifier Kit Legacy '97-'99 $83.00 H6300AS040 Coaxial Speaker Kit Legacy '97-'99 $78.46 H6300LS000 Upgraded Speakers Legacy '00-'04 $75.00 H6710AC000 Dual Power Outlet Socket Legacy '97-'99 $8.00 H6710AE000 Power Outlet - A/T Models Legacy '00-'02 $30.77 H7010AC000 Cruise Control Kit Legacy ‘95 $70.00 H7010GA110 Cruise Control Kit - Air Bag Vehicle Legacy '92 L+, '93-'94 L $39.00 H7110AS900 Security System Upgrade Kit Legacy '99 $47.00 H7110LS000 RKE System Legacy '00-'01 $81.54 H7110LS001 RKE System Legacy '02 $80.00 H7110LS200 Security System Upgrade Kit Outback H6 '01 $89.23 J1010AC060 Splash Guard Kit (SD) Legacy '95-'99 - L $19.00 J1010AC070 Splash Guard Kit (SW) Legacy '95-'99 - Brighton, L $19.00 J1310AS000 Woodgrain Kit MT Legacy '96-'99 - L, OBK $29.00 J1310AS010 Woodgrain Kit AT Legacy '96-'99 - L, OBK $29.00 J1310LS000 Woodgrain Patterned Door Switch Trim Legacy '00-'02 - except Brighton $19.00 J2010AS000 Door Grip Kit Front, Taupe Legacy '95-'96 $8.00 J2010AS010 Door Grip Kit Rear, Taupe Legacy '96 $16.00 J5010AS020RA Carpeted Floor Mats - RHD Legacy Postal Vehicle $29.00 J5010LS110GG Carpeted Floor Mats - Beige Legacy '02-'04 $29.23 J5010LS130GG Carpeted Floor Mats -LL Bean Legacy '01-'04 $35.38 J5110LS000GF Illuminated Vanity Mirror/Visor-Beige Legacy '00 - OBK $49.00 J5110LS000OB Illuminated Vanity Mirror/Visor-Gray Legacy '00-'02 - Brighton, L, OBK $49.00 SOA520F100 Roof Rack Legacy '90-'94 $89.23 SOA8376300 Performance Muffler Legacy GT SD '96-'99 $262.00 SOA8376400 Performance Muffler Legacy GT SW '96-'99 $262.00 SOA8377400 Performance Muffler Legacy GT SW '00-'04 $262.00 T3010YS000 Wheel Lock Set (Wheel Covers) All Models $13.85 J1010LS200 Splash Guards, Silver Baja '03-'04 $85.50 J1010LS300 Splash Guards, Blue Baja '03-'04 $85.50 SOA441L142 Door Edge Guard - Black (SD/SW) Loyale $5.00 SOA441L134 Wheel Lip Trim - Black (XT) XT Coupe $5.00 F5410PS000 Moonroof Air Deflector SVX '92-'97 $24.62

I had the privelage of talking to a mechanic from SOA the other day. And I asked him about the HG issues on the Phase 1 2.5's. He said that it really wasn't a very big deal. And really didn't affect even 1% of the cars.

I just bought both! Solved that problem. The SVX is a cool car. 15,000 were produced. The figures I've seen for the Turbo are about the same. 12,000 being autos and 3,000 being 5speeds. I would have to say that in some cases the Turbo feels faster, like in the mid range, then my SVX. And I prefer manual over auto. If you lived closer I'd let you drive both. The SVX has higher handling limits, but feels heavy.

From working in a Subaru parts shop, I can tell you that Subaru is constantly improving their parts. The headgaskets do seem to fail on Phase 1 2.5's more then 2.2 and Phase 2 2.5's engines, (yours is a Phase 1) but I wouldn't call it a common problem. Any open deck aluminum engine is prone to blowing a head gasket. At 140K I wouldn't worry to much about any design flaw causing you HG to fail, that's a lot of miles. The most common problem on Phase 1 2.5's seems to be oil leaks. Esspecially at the rear seperator plate, but Subaru recognized the problem and fixed the part. Ford or GM would just ramp up production on the defective part.

Well, my 2 cents is that Subaru really has to focus some ads on the Legacy. The last gen Legacy got so lost in the marketing between the Forester, WRX, and Outback. The only article about the Legacy GT in my Motor Trend was just a quick look. No comparison test between the last gen Accord and Camry, nothing but a quick look. Car and Driver did a more extensive test between family sedans and the Legacy took 4th out of 10. Not to bad considering it is a little smaller then other sedans. Getting vehicles into the hands of the testers is extremely important. Subaru has only so much they can spend on ads, so they have to count, and the current ads are unique and do this. GM and Ford just constantly run their annoying comercials. Sometimes the same ad every other commercial break. It almost makes me want to buy one just to get them to stop showing the ad. I have taped movies that are 12yrs old with Honda commercials that are the same basic ads that they have today, boring and uncreative. I like the current ads, maybe because I'm 20 and I like ads that stand apart and are entertaining. Not like the constant blathering of GM ads that, at least with their truck ads, usually have a shot where you can see the camera in the chrome of the bumper, or the rambling about sales events and take a good song and ruin it Ford ads. And about the wheel bearings and headgaskets. The wheel bearing installation procedures were changed to reduce the bearing preload or crush. It really was improperly made bearings at fault, was the way they installed them. And I work in the parts department at a big Subaru dealership and can say that the headgasket issues are no more of a problem then with any other company using aluminum engines. I also handle the warrenty return parts that are to be scraped and can say that in a 4 or 5mo period there were only about 6 HG kits claimed for warrenty. I've also grilled the techs about the problem and they say it really only affects probably less then 1% of Subies with the 2.5L. According to my manager, the '85-'89 1.8L used in the GL/DL were far worse in almost every respect of engine reliability.

well you could check on www.endwrench.com and see if the symptoms you describe match any of the ones they mention.

the other thing that could be causing some tapping noises are the valves. solid lifter Subaru engines are scheduled for shims at 100K. Now if you use synthetic oil the clearance (wear) might never get to the point that the valves will need shimmed.

did you ever look into the fact that it might be one of the pulleys? check out http://www.endwrench.com it talks quite a bit about cold start engine noises. i use Mobil 1 synthetic 15W-50 in all my engines and it greatly improves the engines longevity and smooths engine operation. but i have noticed the knock noise caused by the short piston skirts on our '00 Legacy w/173,000 mi., but after knowing it's normal i don't care. like i said the car has 173K on it.

Hey, as a mechanic you have to take in everything that could cause a drivability problem, including the driving style. All I know is that if I pay to much attention to how I let out my clutch, I don't let it out smoothly.

I found that with my '93 Legacy Turbo the clutch definetly takes a touch. I've had the car for a month and I'm a lot better then what I was. But I definetly get some driveline shudder when pushing it in 1st then shifting to 2nd and letting the revs drop. And I do sometimes get some bucking, could be described as a shudder, from the car when starting off wrong. I found that the best thing to do is not "think" about how I should let the clutch out, I just do it. Could it be that you are "trying" to get it to happen? One of those subconcious things?

Synthetic oil used at any point in the life of an engine will virtually stop wear as soon as you start to use it. Granted because of it's increased viscosity it might cause some oil seepage at valve cover gaskets etc. But I have never personally experimented to see if this was for sure.

Without driving the car I can't say if this info pertains to your problem. But I'll post it anyway. http://www.endwrench.com/pdf/summer2003/INSIDERI.PDF Go to 4EAT speed sensors.

i like the turbo sport sedan hood. nice touch.

Remember that 4WD vehicles even with low range, still have open diffs. That means that you loose traction at one wheel, no power can be shifted forward to help you. The best will always be AWD or 4WD with locking diffs.

That's a risk you always have to take when you buy used. You might get a car know one cared about. I wouldn't blame Subaru engineering.