wanting to buy a 96 legacy outback for $2500 runs but the guy said it overheats in about ten minutes. he had it taken to a subaru shop and they said it would be best to replace the engine. but that they could do just head gaskets and see what happens. now i know that shops sugest the best possible way and the way that flags the most hours so what is my best route, is replacing the head gaskets and having the heads re-surfaced ok, or will they most likely blow again? the car has 170k on it. should i get a used junk yard or private party motor? i know the ea82 engines pretty well but not these ones, dont know what there prone to doing. please help casuse this deal is going to pass soon, and the car is in great shape. thank you.

Is it a 2.5? If you do gaskets, valve adjustment, and the usual belt and seals most of them are fine until the rings wear out. The new gaskets seem to work well, use the latest Subaru parts only, not after market. It could depend also on whether the person kept going on the freeway after the overheat.

ya he said he drove it for a little while, but i really dont know, and i dont know if he remebers, it was like 8 months ago. do the blocks warp easily? are milling the heads gonna do it? it is a 2.5 so will any non turbo 2.5 work in this car or are there different versions of the 2.5. if any one knew what engines from what cars would fit in here that would be very helpful.thanks.

New HGs and machining the heads should suffice unless the block deck is damaged, which you won't know until the heads are off. My advice would be to pull the engine, take the heads off, and check to make sure there is no burn-through at the top of the cylinder just above where the iron sleeve ends. The head gasket job is best done with the engine out of the car, so you might as well take it out and apart, inspect it, then make the decision to repair/replace.

also check other posts for the things you should do at the same time.

ya if i get it i will just pull the motor get it apart and then decide. any hwlp with what motors from what cars would fit in here would be helpful. and if there is anything i should look for when(known problem areas) i get the motor out and apart, besides what has already been said. thanks

I wouldn't waste your time machining the heads and putting in new gaskets. If the engine has been overheating your best bet is to replace the engine. Even if it is a 2.5 putting in a 2.2 is about as close to plug-and-play as it gets. I paid a little over a 1000 to do the same on my 96 outback. So far things have gone flawlessly and I really don't notice the loss in power.

 

My mechanic won't even sell cars with Phase I 2.5L engines in them and he told me he's had mixed results with gasket replacements.

 

--Damien

what does swapping the 2.5 for the 2.2 entail? is it difficult and am i going to have alot of wiring problems with, and codes stored in the computer?

if it is easy what cars can i take the enigine from?

Do a search here, a couple folks have done it recently.

i don't know your area. but i've seen 3 2.5's in the past month (talking to a lady now with a fantastic 99 legacy) all under $1000 with blown head gaskets. $500, $750 and $900.