1998 Subaru Outback from North America - Comments

Here we go again with another head gasket issue with a 1998 Legacy GT Limited with 139000 miles. 6000 miles ago the car began overheating. It was very intermittent. I thought it might be the thermosat so I replaced it. Well, it happened again. Now I'm 300 miles away from home. I took it to a repair shop to have another thermostat put in, but as it turns out the mechanic tested the coolant and found evidence of exhaust in the coolant. This is my fourth subaru. First one had major oil problems and got traded off. Second one saved my life with its heavy undercarriage preventing the car behind me from making me into a pancake. Third car I ran 90,000 miles and still preforms well at 205,000 for my employee. And finally the fourth which was told to me to be a car that "lasts forever" has failed me. The worst part is that Subaru knows all about THEIR problem. This is not a minor cash flow fix. This is not acceptable. My confidence no longer exists with Subaru. I need all wheel drive. What is the best alternative to Subaru??? goathill@ridge-runner.com.

It looks like I am not the first to have problems with my Subaru head gasket. Mine is a 2002 Outback Wagon (2.5L) with 95K miles. The coolant is leaking from the drivers side head gasket (exterior leak). Since I have no problems with oil in coolant or coolant in oil (yet?), I was wondering if I might be able to stop the leak with one of those head gasket repair products, IE Steel Seal? Also, I am hearing different things on the gasket replacement. Some say the engine must be removed, other say not. Does anyone out there have advice on that.

Our 1998 Subaru Legacy station wagon, which has 91,000 miles on it, was overheating. I was alarmed at this, so we took it in for repairs. We learned that just about every gasket in the car had dry rot and needed to be replaced. Factor that in with a few other repairs, and the total cost: $1400. I was prepared to deal with this, however, as soon as I drove the car home and stepped out, I smelled the same familiar smell. This is very discouraging, as I am wondering how much more we are going to have to pay before we can drive the Subaru with confidence that nothing bad is going to happen out on the road.

Just got a 96 outback with 173000 miles, and it lasted about a week before gasket (s) blew. Supposing the guy I got it from wasn't lying about it never overheating, I guess the car was lucky to go this far! Too bad I picked it up when I did. But it's hard to believe that the 98's and 2000's would have the same problem as the 96, considering how widespread the problem apparently is. Stranded in Truckee, CA, watching all the outdoorsy, athletic, and stylish new-suby owners cruise through town on their way to the slopes, wondering if they're kidding themselves too.

My 2.5 Subaru horror story is the worst yet: I purchased my '98 Subaru Legacy wagon over a year ago. It LOOKED really good and passed a mechanic's inspection - so I bought it. Within two weeks it started with intermittent overheating. Mechanic said it was down on fluid and was fine now. My son started driving to Chicago and broke down in Indianapolis. We were at a disadvantage in a different state and city than we lived in. I was charged over $3500 for a rebuilt engine as they said the engine was warped. After picking it up and driving home to Cincinnati, it overheated again. The head gaskets self destructed. I was charged an additional $800 as the mechanic swore I probably did something wrong and he wouldn't honor his warranty. I'm out over $4200 and I'm now told by my local mechanic that the radiator is not a Subaru radiator and I should have IT replaced before I drive to California - just in case. Another $350. I take off for California alone anticipating babysitting my grandkids for the summer and it started overheating in Wyoming. Had the Thermostat changed for $100. A couple hundred miles down the road the alternator locked up. $250. Back on the road after a couple of days, I stopped in Reno for a couple of nights of visiting relatives and the thing starts overheating again! I had it towed to the Subaru dealership in Reno. My worst nightmare was realized: Head gaskets again! The dealership convinced me to not just replace the head gaskets, but to replace the entire short block engine as there again were signs of warping. They also stated that the radiator still wasn't the standard Subaru radiator and I'd best replace that too. This time I shelled out over $5500 as a totally stranded traveler. I thought I was done and shook in my boots on the last leg of my journey to Santa Cruz California, but a nasty whistle under the hood made me take it into the Santa Cruz Subaru dealership. The alternator again. Another $200 bucks and no way to have Wyoming honor the warranty.

I'm not a math genius, but along with the initial $5000 I paid for this nightmare and the over $12,000 of repairs plus new tires and breaks - I'm out over $18,000 on a disability income with no way to assure myself that this thing will make it back to Ohio. I'm still shell shocked as I drove my old '93 Subaru Impreza sedan over 160,000 miles with no hint of ANYTHING wrong. Had I only known what I was in for, I would have dumped the wretched thing at the nearest junk yard at the first sign of trouble and been out the initial $5000. -- There is no honor amongst thieves and the thief is Subaru...

Happy New Year to me (not!!!). Same story, Outback 2001, 83,000 km, blown head gaskets fixed to the tune of $3200 CN. Or should I say, not quite fixed. Picked up the car after 1.5 weeks in the shop. As soon as I left the auto mall the engine light went on and the car sounded like it was going to stall. Now the car is back in the shop. After I left it I went over to do some test drives to guess where: Honda, Toyota and Mazda. I had hoped to drive my Sub to about 200,000 km. Now I have to dump it asap as I cannot trust it anymore and they will not guarantee the whole block won’t go. So much for Subaru reliability.

Has anyone gotten any extension of warranty out of Subaru Canada? I read warranty extensions were only offered to Subaru America customers who had the engine conditioner added (I had it added when I got the letter from Subaru).

Continuing Subaru nightmare! I own two 97 Legacy Outback’s. One has 206000 miles, but had that engine replaced at 120k because of a warped block and head gaskets. The head were planed and head gaskets replaced at 200k along with the timing belt and idler pulleys, water pump, thermostat and all seals and gaskets. At 205K it received its second

Automatic transmission and now I have just replaced the radiator at 206k. In addition the engine has the dreaded piston slap problem and sounds like a diesel when it is cold.

Subaru # 2 has 189k and just started leaking antifreeze. It had a cracked radiator, which I replaced the radiator for $150.00, It now overheats after you drive about 150 miles. It appears to be the thermostat and not the head gaskets (I hope). I am replacing the thermostat tomorrow. Happy New Year!! This is just what I wanted to do on my day off. Oh yes, this one also has the piston slap, which Subaru says is acceptable.

I also own a 95 Mazda MX 6 with 150k on it and as strange as it may seem, it has no overheating problems or piston slap and gets 40 + MPG on a trip. I have run GMs up to 275k with no problems.

I will never own another Subaru as long as I live. It sure would be great to see Subaru get hit with a class action suit. Perhaps for the New Year all of us disgruntle Subaru owners should start sending Subaru latrine-o-grams (you know, the kind of paper that you use to wipe with) they would get the message.

We smelled an unusual smell on our 2003 Legacy and immediately brought it to our usual mechanic this Friday. He diagnosed leaky head gaskets and suggested we bring it to a dealer since the job was so extensive. We brought it in Saturday (December 30) and they confirmed that the head gaskets are leaking and put in the special sealer, but they want #2600. to fix the car. Since it was a holiday weekend we took the car home, but we would appreciate any advice on dealing with Subaru since obviously others have had this difficulty.

I was amazed that there are entire web sites devoted to leaky head gaskets on Subarus, and we purchased this car new because of the excellent reputation. We have also had to had the seals on the moon roof fixed for leaking, and the air conditioner also needs to be repaired for a leaking part.

Has anyone experienced positive results from the sealer that the dealer is putting in? I would hate to have to buy a new car, and this one has only 83,000 miles on it.

Please email me at Rhonda21043@yahoo.com if you can provide any advice. Thank you.

Somewhat comforting that we're all in this mess together, but mostly just irritating that a car with such a good spoken reputation has such a widespread problem. My story is '98 Outback with 146,000 - I've put about 120,000 of those miles on without anything other than scheduled maintenance and brakes. Driving from PA to MI with my family, car starts overheating, but levels out when I'm on the highway so I finish the trip. Mechanic in MI only charges me $45 to tell me I've got big troubles... put 'er on a U-Haul trailer home to my mechanic who says "head gasket" about 15 seconds into my description. Now I'm waiting to see what his estimate is and, after reading this, to talk to my wife about another brand. Anyone know if '05 or '06 Subies are running better? I love the functionality of the car, but can't stomach unreliability. drop me a line if you have any insight - crazyhorse_47@yahoo.com.

Çouldn,t help, but add my thoughts to this overwhelming information. Just bought my first 98 forester with the 2.5. 2 miles off the lot the check engine light was on. Bad sign. Dealer gave routine excuses, but I bought as is. I took it in to Subaru and had them to some preventative maintenance as well as the timing belt, and cam seals. 660 dollars later I embark on a Christmas trip to the mountains, only to end of stranded on the side of the road with steam billowing out the hood. Filled the radiator, let the engine cool, start over. Next pass, same thing. After the pass the car drove fine. No signs of heat. Took the car in to the shop to find oil in the coolant. 1400 dollars more and the car is in the shop for a head gasket replacement. I have had this car for less than a week! I bought it for reliability. But in one week I had to dish out the 4k for the car and 2200 in repairs. How long will it last? After reading all the posts I think if its running good I will just sell it and buy a Toyota. That's my 2200 dollar lesson on why not to buy a Subaru and never to buy with out a warranty.

Any info on suits thomklus@yahoo.com.

For those with 1999-2002 2.5L engines, check the dealers. There is a recall on the heads for those years.

Unfortunately, I've got a 1997 that is having the same 'mysterious' overheating problems many have mentioned before. It's already cost me a new radiator, cap, hoses, and thermostat.

In a nutshell, the car start up & runs fine for the first few minutes. Once it gets to 'normal' engine temperature, the engine overheats when driving. It's been in the shop 3 times for the above repairs. The last time it idled for almost an hour with no problems, only to spit out coolant when they tried to back it out of the bay. Apparently the engine design has disguised the problem, just as it has for many of the previous posters.

I purchased this car for my wife to give her a reliable vehicle. This is anything, but.

Another question - have any of you tried one of the head gasket fixers that are out there? Specifically, I'm looking at Thermagasket and Thermalweld. They seem to at least be worth a shot, considering it's only a couple hundred dollars of refundable money if it fails. I don't have any personal experience or references on either of these products, but maybe some of you do?

I have a 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon that recently blew a head gasket. It has your typical symptoms mentioned in previous strings. I bought the vehicle with 90k miles and it now has 168k miles.

It's my understanding that the head gasket problem primarily exist with the 2.5L engine. Something to think about is that a blown head gasket can lead too many other problems, including warped heads. Rather then replacing the gasket on a 2.5L engine (my local sub guy quoted me $2,600), I've decided to replace the engine with a rebuilt 2.2L engine ($2,500). The 2.2L engine is supposed to be more reliable and doesn't have the head gasket issues of a 2.5L. Also, if a timing belt breaks on a 2.5L, the engine is trash. This isn’t the case with a 2.2L.

Nonetheless, switching to a rebuilt 2.2L engine is a possible solution that some should think about.

Greg

Fort Collins, CO.

Reading these posts have comforted me, but pissed me off at the same time.

I bought a 1999 Subaru Legacy early last spring. It wasn't from a dealer, but I had it checked out by two different mechanics and she had papers documenting having gotten it serviced regularly.

I had the car for less than a week when it started having problems shifting (car is automatic). Subaru had this great idea it was the engine harness??!! Obviously that didn't work. They decided it must need a new transmission altogether and quoted me about 3000 to do it. I decided to get a second opinion, and ended up taking it to transmission specialist who told me it wasn't the transmission, but the cars computer that had failed.

Fast forward to this past thanksgiving, my car out of nowhere overheated. My father found no coolant in it and refilled it. Two weeks later car overheats again. Barely any oil in the car. I put oil in it and make sure to keep both oil and coolant with me always. A few days later while driving it started to overheat, the car had both coolant and oil. Now I wasn't sure what to do, talked to mechanic and he guessed head gasket. Which is fabulous because from everything I hear its not cheap and I had already dropped 2000 when I first got it on a new computer for it.

I've read in a lot of places that Subaru extends warranties and stuff. I can't find a lot of information on it.

Also I've read about a class action suit being done about it, but can't find anything on line.

I've held off replacing the head gasket after reading about others experiences, I'm planning on calling them at least and seeing what they offer to do.

If you've got any info and you can share, please do and e-mail me at isabella1598@gmail.com.

I have a 97 Subaru Outback legacy (limited) with 160,000 miles sitting in my driveway needing a new engine. I was very pleased with the vehicle, until 120,000 miles I blew a valve, cost $1300 (head gasket issue?). At 160000 the idler arm pulley sheared of the block and the engine is now salvage material. I was pleased with the vehicle untill these problems. After further investigation I have found subaru 2.5 litter engines to have notorious head gasket problems. My 97 was not covered by the recall. Beware...

Subaru Legacy 2.5 engine, 145000 miles, I first got check engine light turned on, on about 110000 miles, several subaru guru's had changed everything, O2 sensors, catalytic converters... but light kept coming back, light was actually on off/on mode for 35000 miles, and then...o it was bad, felt funny smell, like burned coolant, after half a mile it was the end of road for my subaru... head gaskets 2000-2600 to fix... I don't know... i'll go with toyota

I'm sure this car's are overrated

pad2000@hotmail.com.