The Subaru shop where I got my trans fixed has two loaner cars. Each is a late 90's legacy wagon. The one I used had 232,000 miles on it, no head gasket work, and their other one had 320,000, with one head gasket change! :eek:

That is surprising, must have been the 2.2

That is surprising, must have been the 2.2

 

it is of course.

Why does it have to be a 2.2??? Not every single 2.5 has a head gasket issue.

Why does it have to be a 2.2??? Not every single 2.5 has a head gasket issue.

 

very true, but i havent found a 2.5 with 300,000miles on it. A 2.2l is still far more reliable no matter what. I have one and love it. 2.2l for life !

Gotta love that EJ22! In reality though, as long as the engine is designed well (i.e. NOT a phase I EJ25), nothing "bad" happens to an engine, such as getting overheated multiple times or severely, and the coolant is changed on time, the heads and head gaskets should last that long.

disagree, there are plenty of 2.5L on the road with their original HG doing fine.

 

nipper

disagree, there are plenty of 2.5L on the road with their original HG doing fine.

 

nipper

But there are far more EJ22's on the road with their original hg's doing just fine. And most of them have more miles

 

Although, if I recall correctly, the car leading the subaru highmileage club is a Canadian spec OBW with a 2.5. It has something close to 500k miles on it. I don't know if that's original HG....I'm sure it says on the site.

But there are far more EJ22's on the road with their original hg's doing just fine. And most of them have more miles

 

 

I'd have to beg to differ, production numbers alone dictate that there are far more EJ25's on the road, which through sheer attrition puts more EJ25 head gaskets on the road than the EJ22.

I have yet to see one there, fellow mainer, with high miles, and staying content. I could have several in my yard broken, as of now, just from acquaintances.Am I in the "newer Subaru Killer" county of Maine or what?

What is up with the exhaust systems, *never* content.. Maybe it needs an even bigger intake manifold and more moving valves in the heads to "fix it". Not to mention all the little rinky dink "little big" thoughts by engineers who forgot about places that need strong cars, like my area.

The loyales , body permitting, are still the greatest sube ever. Upon great enthusiasm to get a newer one, I have yet to even here a quiet one! The engine noises are absurd. To further satisfy my opinion unintentionally, My 2wd all oem 90hp Loyale was faster than a 2.2 AWD impreza automatic ! Go Figure! Am I just unlucky? or are you full of crap?

It is true that the 2.5s have had more head gasket failures than the 2.2 and it has taken several years for Subaru to get a pretty good fix.

They did sell a heck of a lot of 2.5s though because they were at the peak of thier popularity right then. Great advertising, rally success, and for a while Subaru offered the only car based 4WD sedan and wagon for folks who needed traction.

Nobody really knows what percentage of head gaskets failed on 2.5s but if enough had there would have been a forced recall.

In parts of the world where conditions are really tough Subaru has offered models that would just meet the standards a lot of us have.

My Kiwi relatives have dual range trannys and 2.2s in Legacies. Subaru thinks the North American market wants engine power and few care for the dual range. Unfortunately they are right, If nobody bought the 2.5 with no dual range they would sell us 2.0s and 2.2s with the option.

disagree, there are plenty of 2.5L on the road with their original HG doing fine.

 

nipper

 

Perhaps Dirty Harry said it best: "Are ya' feelin' lucky, Punk?"

 

(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

My Legacy has 280k+ on a 2.2 sounds like brand new

 

a dual range with the EJ22? that must have been only available down there... I wonder what shipping on that tranny would be

a dual range with the EJ22? that must have been only available down there... I wonder what shipping on that tranny would be

 

i inquired about that once and was quoted approx $300.not to mention that it'd take a couple months.$1,000. total w/trans

Perhaps Dirty Harry said it best: "Are ya' feelin' lucky, Punk?"

 

(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

"Bein' that this is a Phase I EJ25 - the most unreliable Subaru egine in the world, you gotta ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky?

 

...Well, do ya...PUNK?"

The point about EVERY EJ25 not having HG problems is a very valid one. There are tons of 2.5s rolling around with TONS of miles - doing just fine.

 

EXAMPLE: My friend has a '98 2.5GT with 198k - never had a problem of any sort. The dang thing barely even burns oil!

The point about EVERY EJ25 not having HG problems is a very valid one. There are tons of 2.5s rolling around with TONS of miles - doing just fine.

 

EXAMPLE: My friend has a '98 2.5GT with 198k - never had a problem of any sort. The dang thing barely even burns oil!

 

Our 2000 Legaback with 185,000 miles burns less than 1/2 qt between 5,000 mile interval changes. We've never had even an inkling of a HG proble, and don't expect we ever will.

I had 170,000 on my phase 1 2.5 before the HG went, it never burned a drop of oil and still had great power.

Not sure why all the postive news about the 2.5. Its not if the HG will blow its when is it going to happen (on the way to the camping trip, work, family, frinds) When mine went and I put a 2.2 in since EVERYONE knows its like putting a nuclear reactor in your car

Not sure why all the postive news about the 2.5. Its not if the HG will blow its when is it going to happen (on the way to the camping trip, work, family, frinds) When mine went and I put a 2.2 in since EVERYONE knows its like putting a nuclear reactor in your car

 

Easy because there are a large percentage of people here with 2.5 with high mileage on them that have not blown HGs.

SO you always drive with something that is going to make a huge pile of waste no one wants after 20 years?

Just because some people have had HG issues (and yes 15% qualifies as some) doesnt mean they are bad engines.

Any engine will blow a HG if it is not maintaned right, allowed to have air bubbles in the coling system, or gets old enough.

Over 140,000 miles the odds of blowing one increases on all engines. THe aluminum block and head with a metal alloy gasket with differnt expansion rates determine this. In reality as subarus age, they are less likely to blow HG as opposed to hindas, toyotas or american engines (and at that point the american cars arent worth owning anyway).

 

If we apply the same theopry to the subaru TB and awd units, then that is crap to since they do wear out for a number of reason, and this board shouldnt exist for such a poorly made car.

ill take a dohc 2.5L anyday.

 

i'm going to bow out of this thread since its pointless, and go back to beating blu up on dirt roads of wyoming

 

nipper

Easy because there are a large percentage of people here with 2.5 with high mileage on them that have not blown HGs.

SO you always drive with something that is going to make a huge pile of waste no one wants after 20 years?

Just because some people have had HG issues (and yes 15% qualifies as some) doesnt mean they are bad engines.

Any engine will blow a HG if it is not maintaned right, allowed to have air bubbles in the coling system, or gets old enough.

Over 140,000 miles the odds of blowing one increases on all engines. THe aluminum block and head with a metal alloy gasket with differnt expansion rates determine this. In reality as subarus age, they are less likely to blow HG as opposed to hindas, toyotas or american engines (and at that point the american cars arent worth owning anyway).

 

If we apply the same theopry to the subaru TB and awd units, then that is crap to since they do wear out for a number of reason, and this board shouldnt exist for such a poorly made car.

ill take a dohc 2.5L anyday.

 

i'm going to bow out of this thread since its pointless, and go back to beating blu up on dirt roads of wyoming

 

nipper

 

Hey, man. The invite still holds -- you come thru Colorado, feel free to stop by.

My 97 Legacy GT got to 190K plus without any issues. I treated that thing like garbage too...it would still be running if not for the pesky tree that fell on her.

Not sure why all the postive news about the 2.5. Its not if the HG will blow its when is it going to happen (on the way to the camping trip, work, family, frinds) When mine went and I put a 2.2 in since EVERYONE knows its like putting a nuclear reactor in your car

 

When? As you can see not everyone has had a HG issue. If the HG might be a weak link then swapping in the new style gaskets makes the 2.5 DOHC as reliable as any other Subaru engine.

 

I agree Nipper the arguement is useless, a well maintained Subaru will outlast most cars on the road period.

what about the 1.8 what can i get out of it and who has the highest recorded mialige on a 1.8 i have 133,000 with new timing belt water pump etc from a subaru dealer.

what about the 1.8 what can i get out of it and who has the highest recorded mialige on a 1.8 i have 133,000 with new timing belt water pump etc from a subaru dealer.

 

Im sure the 1.8 will last as long as a 2.2l. I have never heard of a issue with the 1.8 so it should be fine.