1998 Subaru Outback from North America - Comments

2001 Forester S - We just had both head gaskets replaced under warranty by the dealer at 79k miles and 8+ years (purchased in May, 2000). The dealer also did the timing belt (due at 8+ years) and the clutch (because we had the engine out not because it was shot) for the cost of parts only, at my request.

All in all not the worst experience we've ever had, given that the dealer honored the extended warranty on the car with no questions asked, and was extremely responsive. I was given a brand new car to drive for the couple of days that they had it at no charge.

Subaru has an extended "campaign" on this issue for EJ251 (phase II) engines (not the older EJ25D phase I engine to my knowledge), which is well documented elsewhere, but curiously not so much on this site. If you have a car in this program, Subaru will pay for the repair.

All in all, we've been treated about as well as you could hope. While I'm not happy about the experience, it certainly could have been much worse. Our total out of pocket was a few hundred dollars, because we had credit through the Subaru Master Card program. Pricing for parts at the dealer was competitive, and they resurfaced the heads while they had them out.

For what it's worth, the new head gaskets are said to completely fix this issue in the EJ251. I can't speak to the older phase I engine.

Good luck to those who have been struggling with this issue. Needless to say, we'll be watching our coolant levels very closely going forward.

I have 98 Outback with 233k miles on it. It overheated and the mechanic diagnosed blown head gasket, but I wasn't convinced, since it didn't show the usual signs of a bad head gasket- no coolant in the exhaust or in the oil, although it did overheat in a few minutes and the radiator boiled over.

I tested for exhaust gases in the radiator and sure enough, they were present, tell take sign of a blown head gasket.

I bought this head gasket repair stuff called Thermagasket on the Web, which promised a 92 percent success rate. I poured it in the radiator, but the car boiled over. I called Thermagasket, and it turns out I didn't follow the directions to the letter, so they promised to send me a free batch of the stuff. To make a long story short, they said that Subies have problems with after market thermostats and that air can get trapped in the cooling system and lead to overheating or even head gasket failure. They told me to hollow out the thermostat, reinstall it and give it a go.

That was almost 1000 miles ago, and no problem. So I suggest that before you shell out $1500 to replace the head gaskets, you try Thermagasket. It's $100 and guaranteed. Install a new Subaru thermostat, or at least gut the one you have and have a mechanic who knows Subies drain the air out of the cooling system. My car runs great so far, and total cost was about $200. It's a great car and runs exceedingly well for such high mileage. Knock on wood.

I have a 2003 Subaru with 78000 miles. Now the dealer detected the head gasket failure and need to spend $1700-2000.

Why there is no recall with this problem like some car companies do?. From this web site I understand that gasket failure is a common problem in Subaru.

This 2001 Subaru Outback with the 2.5 engine was purchased used with 24,000 miles. The car was functioning great for several years, until about 6 months ago when it had racked up about 90,000 miles.

Temp. gauge started to fluctuate going up to about 3/4, then down to the usual mid-gauge position. Installed a new thermostat which seemed to help for several days. Fearing a head gasket problem, tried an expensive sealer which did no good. In fact, the sealer seemed to make the problem worse. The temp. gauge would now go nearly all the way to the upper end and quickly.

Called Subaru America and was told this Subaru was one of the VIN group with known head gasket problems. Trailered the Outback to the nearest Subaru dealer who disputed what Subaru America had said about this Outback being in the problem VIN group. The dealer checked the car and said the radiator was bad and that the radiator would have to be replaced before more tests could be done. I did not like the answer or the $600-$700 for a Subaru radiator, so trailered the car home (140 miles round trip) after paying for the service inspection.

The plugged radiator was confirmed with a simple flow test. I then bought a new radiator through an on-line radiator store that guaranteed the radiator to be the same as the factory radiator for well under $200. With the radiator out, it seemed wise to install a new timing belt, new idlers, and new water pump. Also, installed another new thermostat along with Subaru brand antifreeze and conditioner. The car performed fine for several months.

However, the radiator cooling fans run more than they formerly did, though the temperature gauge has not climbed beyond the normal center of the gauge. In a recent long trip, antifreeze could be smelled after driving when stopping for gas with a warm the engine. The smell seems to be from the left side of the engine. It appears that the left side head gasket is probably leaking to the outside, though not badly enough to drip on the ground. The engine coolant temperature gauge does not show overheating.

Add to these symptoms, the check engine light is now almost always on, though will go off from time to time.

After all that I have read on this site, this is my third Subaru but will be my last 2.5 engine. My 1995 Legacy with the 2.2 engine has racked up 163,000 miles with only an alternator replacement. The cars are great in mud, snow, and ice, which is why my wife and I drive them. Subaru needs to remedy the head gasket problems, otherwise I will be an ex-Subaru owner!

Hello all,

I own a 1995 Legacy Wagon. I bought it for my son 5 years ago when he was in college. It had 184,000 miles on it and now has 239,000 miles on it. Paid 1500 for it. A bargain.

Replaced the radiator and clutch. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It still runs great, but because of the miles, I decided to buy a 1998 Legacy Outback with 147,000 on it. I haven't transfered the plates yet and now after reading this message board, I'm having second thoughts. I guess my question is whether or not the head gasket was already done? I should have done my homework. For some reason I thought the engines were the same. We'll see.

Thanks for this forum!!! I was about to buy a used 1998 Subaru Outback from the local Subaru dealer and came across all these comments.

Luckily, I tracked down the previous owner of the car. The car was serviced to the letter, it even has a brand new transmission. But, sure enough, the car overheated a few weeks ago and the coolant in the radiator was empty.

The local mechanic couldn't diagnose the problem after a pressure test. So, she traded the car on something else. I come along, I was just about to ink the deal and thought maybe I better Google this car and up came all these pages about the head gaskets.

Evidently, the head gaskets on the 1998 Subaru are prone to failure, but the new gaskets on the newer models are not because sometime a few years back Subaru redesigned the head gasket and they no longer fail according to several sources on the Internet including this one:

http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/

So, I took the car to a mechanic and had him test the coolant, and sure enough there is exhaust in the coolant. He said the repair would be about $3,000. Ouch!!!

I went back to the dealer and told them about the test. At first they wanted to show me some other Subaru Legacy cars of the same year. I said no-way, the engine will just fail.

So, they asked what I wanted them to do. I asked, "why don't you give me a deal on fixing the heads with the new type of gaskets since we caught the problem early." I added, "you can sell the car this way, but that wouldn't be very nice." I also said, "I'm not going to be the buyer and you'll get far less at auction than I will pay you for this car anyway."

They said OK it will be $1900.

I said no deal.

So, they finally agreed to do it for $1000.

So, tomorrow, I'm getting a Subaru that will have an almost new transmission and a nearly rebuilt engine once it goes into the dealership's shop probably next week sometime.

They have to not only do the head gaskets, but replace the timing belt, install new seals and basically reseal the entire engine down to the oil pan.

From these comments, it obvious the original head gaskets suck. If you're going to buy one of these cars, get the test done for hydrocarbons in the coolant before inking any deal.

Then if the head is blown, make it the dealership's problem. Make them fix it or don't buy the car. I'm pretty confident with the head gaskets replaced with newly engineered ones from Subaru that this car I'm getting is a pretty good deal for just over $5000.

ALL of the 2.5 Subaru engines, PRIOR TO 2004, need head gasket replacement before 130,000 miles. Minimum cost is $1400 if you have a friendly mechanic; dealer charge will be about $2000. EVERY dealership knows this, and any missed diagnosis by a dealer would have to be suspect.

The symptom is overheating and loss of coolant; unfortunately if your neighborhood mechanic misses the diagnosis, the common result is valve damage and loss of the engine.

Because the problem is so very prevalent, replacement motors cost a fortune. The 2.5 appeared first in the 1995 or 1996 Legacy LSi model. On the other hand, the 2.2 motor, used in most Legacies until 2000 was virtually bullet proof and commonly ran to mid 200's without head issues. Watch out for the 1999 2.2 however, as it was an experiment by Subaru to increase hp without relying on the 2.5, where they already saw the head gasket problem. The experiment was not successful.

Incidentally, the early 2.5's also experienced piston slap (noisy engine, particularly before it warms up in cold temperatures) as a result of a structural flaw. The piston will be replaced for free within the warranty period.

My 2000 Outback had the problem this week. I was so pleased I had gotten 125,000 miles out of my clutch with minimal problems, and it rapidly went down hill and started to smoke.

The clutch is fine, however the driver's side head gasket is not and was pushing fluid into the clutch, and the leak got bigger and bigger until it smoked and the clutch was slippery. That's how it looks anyway, there is fluid all over on the driver's side. So it's a $1850 repair, the dealer wants $250 more. That's to fix the other seal since they have to pull the engine anyway. And a few other maintenance odds and ends.

I used the seal conditioner in there from the day I got the recall notice. If I didn't love my car and enjoy it so much, I would have walked away from it and moved on. It halls trailer loads of wood and other things around just great. I could use a new driver's seat and a tow hook cover.

I own a 98 Legacy GT Limited with about 150000 miles. It performs well, and I like how the car handles.

The only problem I have with it is how it overheats. I bought the car with about 100000 miles on it. I had no problems until about 130000 it started to overheat. I thought I was the only one with that problem; little did I know everyone has the same problem thanks to the head gasket. I should have done my homework.

Nice car, bad maintenance problems.

Yup, 1999 Outback 120,000 miles and head gasket is blown. I was a text book case, overheat, flush, thermostat, in other words, misdiagnosis causing more money for no reason. Amazing how I never heard about these problems until doing a quick Google search. My mistake. Subaru dealer was unsympathetic and offered me $200 for a trade in value. My tires were brand new (1 week), even they were worth $300. I hate Subaru.

I have a 2002 Subaru Legacy.

Head gaskets started leaking around 80k miles. I should say head gasket because only the left side was leaking. I replaced the right side just because I had the timing belt out and would only take an extra half hour.

Subaru knows of this problem and that's why they came up with the coolant conditioner, which to me is a big mistake. It leads to other problems such as plugged radiators. So if I were you, tell your mechanic or dealer not to add that stuff.

Other than the head gasket problems, Subarus are great cars and easy to work on. I would also replace the timing belt and driver belts when doing head gaskets. No extra labor because all these parts have to he removed when doing a head gasket job, and no, the engine does not have to be removed to do this.

Email me mohib_m@hotmail.com for Subaru repair advice to save you money from rip off mechanics. Take care...u

I've got a 2004 Outback dripping a little radiator fluid from the head gasket, apparently. It is not overheating. It is 3 months and 10,000 miles past the warranty. The local mechanic suggested calling the dealer, no go, sorry. Head gaskets start at $1,600, when can you come in? I gave Subaru a call and they've given me a reference number and will go into to get it diagnosed. I'll see what happens, I guess. Things much be a lot better in the car market than I thought. If this doesn't work out, I can't imagine using that dealer again.

'98 Subaru Outback with 135,000 miles has, since I've owned it (4 years and 106,000mi), needed $8,000+ in repairs including: Head gasket (and I think its blown again 6,000 miles later), clutch, valve seals, rear main seal, heat shield, two water pumps, two timing belts, timing belt bearings, cam seals, and various other seals and sensors. Never again will I purchase a Subaru! I could have purchased a new car for what I have had to put into this thing, and now I have to get it towed to the shop once again! What junk! Although it does drive great in the snow and ice.

Own 2 Subarus, a 2001 Outback Wagon with about 60,000 miles and a 2004 Outback Sedan with about 40,000 miles. The head gasket had to be replaced on the 2001 Outback in Feb 2008 and now the head gasket had to be replace in the 2004 Outback in Feb 2009. So, that's 2 Outbacks and a 100% failure rate. This problem must be extremely pervasive and extend well beyond 2002 listed in the Subaru warranty extension. Both cars have always been serviced by the dealer. Subaru did take care of both of these, just hoping that they last.

While driving in the mountains yesterday I blew my head gasket in my 1998 Subaru Outback (104k) and now with it in the shop two hours away I’m in a dilemma on what to do… Do I simply fix the gasket problem or replace with a used engine? Also my fear is that this will happen again fixing it with the two scenarios above. Do I simply get the gasket fixed and then look to dump my Subaru or take my chances with it? What are the chances of this happening again? Also typically how much would I spend on these two options? The shop I had my car towed to seems like a good shop but with it being in a remote shop in the mountains I want to make sure I’m not getting a much higher price than if I had the work done in Denver.