Any BH Outback owners here?

"area man" (hurrburgring)
11/23/2016 at 12:32 • Filed to: None

I’m thinking of checking out this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! this weekend. I was planning on getting a newer car but I can finance this through good ol’ Pen Fed on the cheap. It ticks all the boxes I wanted - wagon, manual, leather, sunroof, awd. It’s super clean but I’m wary about the condition of the head gasket of course - what else should I look out for?

DISCUSSION (14)

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > area man
11/23/2016 at 12:43

I owned a 2001 H6 and I think it was my favorite car ever. It’s weird that this one doesn’t have auto climate control, but whatever.

Head gaskets and weirdo electrical issues are what to watch out for (nothing major with electronics, but dumb stuff like cluster lights going out and sometimes the radio freezes up). For some reason mine ate brakes and couldn’t stay in alignment, but no other Subie I’ve owned had that issue (though a mechanic did say he saw a lot of BH OBW that couldn’t keep an alignment). A/c lines are prone to leaking.

And of course headgaskets. They’ll need to be replaced if they haven’t already. Remember that the timing belt service is at 105k miles and plugs are at 90k.

lone_liberal > area man
11/23/2016 at 12:44

My wife had a 2002 Outback sedan. The head gaskets went at 65k but other than that minor **cough** issue she loved it. I never much cared for it simply because I always felt like I was sitting on it instead of in it. Like it was built for someone much shorter than I am.

Takuro Spirit > area man
11/23/2016 at 12:46

Wheel bearings (PITA to replace so people tend to put them off). Stiff clutch action (snout wear on the input shaft where the release bearing rides). Rust in the rear wheel arches.

These SOHC motors tend to leak oil externally when the HG’s go bad, so at least its easier to see.

If let go for too long the rearmost rod bearing gets oil starved, and a new headgasket will increase the oil pressure to it causing it to fail. I’ve seen it happen twice and its pretty well documented.

RallyWrench > area man
11/23/2016 at 12:54

I have an ‘01. This is its engine, right now.

Kinja'd!!!

For obvious reasons. Great car otherwise though, I use it offroad too, it’s a great all arounder. I got 23-25mpg in normal driving.

area man > lone_liberal
11/23/2016 at 12:56

That’s an interesting observation, I felt similarly about my mom’s 2006 Forester. Like the front seats weren’t high enough off the floor. I’ll have to consider that.

area man > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
11/23/2016 at 12:56

That’s very helpful, thanks!

area man > Takuro Spirit
11/23/2016 at 12:57

Thanks for the tips!

area man > RallyWrench
11/23/2016 at 12:58

Ha, I’ve already been poking around for the best way to lift it a bit.

RallyWrench > area man
11/23/2016 at 13:01

Here:

http://get-primitive.com/spacers/89-lift-spacers-00-04-legoutback.html

These guys are great. Spacers plus shocks do wonders, I want to do it to mine.

jkm7680 > area man
11/23/2016 at 13:02

Rust.

My friend had one. Rusty as hell with 100,000 miles on it, literally giant rust holes in the door jambs. They ended up scrapping it because of mechanical issues.

OPPOsaurus WRX > area man
11/23/2016 at 13:53

my buddy just got rid of his cuz his trans was going

Dusty Ventures > area man
11/23/2016 at 17:35

Rust. At some point it WILL develop rust in the rear fender wells where the plastic cladding meets the metal body. It’s caused by crap building up on the inside, and looking from the outside you usually don’t see any signs until it’s already getting pretty ugly. Look for bubbles in the paint.

area man > Dusty Ventures
11/23/2016 at 17:44

Thanks man!

Wagon, semi manual, not brown, turbo because volvo > area man
11/24/2016 at 00:28

The end for mine was the transmission main bearing. Keep an eye on the wheel bearings too.