I have a 97 obw 5spd and i was wondering what the longevity is on average for these things, i am just about dropping 4 grand on a major overhaul on my ru from head gaskets to cluch to everthing inbetween and i was wondering what if anything could go next if anything? it has 117 k and is overall a clean car driven by a grandpa so i mean other than the head gasket subarus are known for being pretty relable all around with proper maintaince right?? fyi carlsen subaru redwood city ca is doing the head gaskets, water pump , some belts and or pullies( not to sure whats what) , all clutch related components, new plugs and a myrid of other small things

I have a 97 obw 5spd and i was wondering what the longevity is on average for these things, i am just about dropping 4 grand on a major overhaul on my ru from head gaskets to cluch to everthing inbetween and i was wondering what if anything could go next if anything? it has 117 k and is overall a clean car driven by a grandpa so i mean other than the head gasket subarus are known for being pretty relable all around with proper maintaince right?? fyi carlsen subaru redwood city ca is doing the head gaskets, water pump , some belts and or pullies( not to sure whats what) , all clutch related components, new plugs and a myrid of other small things

 

I've got a '97 Outback with 152k on it. The head gaskets blew at 130k causing it to overheat and subsequently sieze. The tranny is tired, but other than that, it's got no major problems. Hey...you've got a 5MT! Give me your tranny! Gimme! Gimme! Me needy you tranny!

should have the heads checked and machined and a valve job done as well and a good machine shop will pressure check the heads as well. have the oil pump seal/gasket, cam seals, rear main seal and crank seal replaced while it's all apart. all these seals and gaskets are inexpensive so there's no reason to leave the old ones in when the engine is torn down and they are right in front of you.

 

with that amount of investment into the car, i'd replace the timing belt pullies and tensioners to prevent premature timing belt failure and engine damage. this is very wise if it's an interference engine (which it is if it's 97 or greater 2.2 liter motor).

 

with all that work you might also consider having the fuel injectors professionally cleaned by some place like RC Engineering (cost about 100 bucks). (there are cheaper options than them though). not likely but injectors with severe leakage into the cylinder can wash oil off the walls causing premature wear. sounds like a good $100 preventative maintenance item to me for major engine work. they include all the before and after flow testing of the injectors and new orings for installation.

 

make sure the coolant and radiator, hoses and clamps are in excellent condition. overheating will quickly destroy a motor, no need in taking that chance when doing a thorough rebuild.

 

head gaskets at 117 and 130??? is this the 2.5 liter motor? i have an OBS with 65,000 miles and hate to see such major problems with low miles. i've had a couple XT6's with the original gaskets at 200,000+.

97 OB auto.

 

270k miles now. Head gaskets and a connecting rod bearing went at 160k miles 3 years ago. Virtually a new engine as a result of that.

 

Replaced rear struts last year and the center clutch pack.

 

Other than that, mostly routine maintenance. I've had a couple of rear wheel bearings go. One little sensor that was a lot of $. Alternator seems to be going right now (bearing). It was replaced about 5 years ago (recall).

 

Body is in good shape (Rust Check), transmission seems fine (knock wood), suspension seems reasonably tight still.

 

Few complaints really. Wish it had 20 more hp.

 

Commuter

outback alternator recall, what is that about?

outback alternator recall, what is that about?

There were a couple of years (96 and 97 I think) with a bad batch of alternators on the Legacies. That's all.

 

Commuter