I've got a friend with a '02 Forester..leather, big sunroof, auto trans, 2.5 non turbo.  135,000 miles.  It's been maintained for the most part by a local mechanic, new timing belt (earlier this year).

 

One of the head gaskets is just starting to microscopically fail, which I understand is kinda expected.  The owner is debating whether or not to do the  repair, or sell as is and get another Forester.

 

 If I were to acquire this car and do the gasket job, will I expect to have another gasket failure in another 100K down the road?  I'm not a big fan of the 2.5, but I figure with new head gaskets and timing belt it should be reliable for many years.  It's actually a pretty nice car..interior is in very good shape, and a few scrapes and blemishes to the body.

 

Opinions, comments?

 

Thanks!

The head gaskets on that year group are known for external leaking (drips) of oil & antifreeze. There is an additive from subaru that i hear helps this . You can live for years with this kind of leaking as long as you watch & top your fluids up and don't mind the smell at idle. Chang the head gaskets out properly with OE parts and I would expect 100-150 thousand before it comes back. Having said that I should note that I mainly work on non turbo cars ... turbo engine may react differently.  Edit ) sorry, thought I saw yours was a turbo 

Edited January 12, 20179 yr by montana tom

For an external coolant leak - the Subaru Coolant conditioner works nearly 100% of the time on initial leaks of OEM installed headgaskets.  change the coolant and add a bottle of conditioner. 

 

otherwise - with good history there's an excellent chance of making 100,000 miles trouble free with a quality repair - resurface the heads and use only Subaru or highly touted headgaskets for that application.

I consider the HG's on the EJ-series, esp. the 2.5, as  a maintenance item. As noted every 100-150K. But I also 'think' (no proof) that 3-4K oil changes and  every two-year coolant/anti-freeze changes can help their longevity.

 

Don't forget about rear wheel bearings, CV axles, fuel-filler pipes issues (from rust), misfires, etc. ...yes, I'd still buy one....but I know how to fix most of that stuff, so it's not a big deal.

 

GL,

Td

^ oh my god. Agree so much. Take care of your car with regular maintenance and the big stuff will take a lot longer to need to be done.

OK, thanks for the feedback.  Owner still debating whether to get a newer car, or do the repairs.  

If you have Russ / Richie do the repair up here in Portland the odds of success are better, but it will still likely fail at some point in the future.  My Baja has 184K and has some major oil seep from the head gaskets.   I am hoping to nurse it to 210K, reseal the engine and then run it til it blows, then replace the engine and so on.

 

Personally I would do the timing belt, ALL oil seals, tensioners and water pump with the head gasket.  Even if they are a year old you know they were done right with quality parts and you should not need anything besides plugs and fluids for the next 105K

 

The wagon you have will likely be slightly more reliable, but either one is a good solid car.

Edited January 15, 20179 yr by Flowmastered87GL