My 2004 Subaru Outback 2.5i (and everything wrong with it)

"Jay, the practical enthusiast" (jay-m)
11/01/2018 at 10:10 • Filed to: None

A little over a year ago I asked Oppo to help me choose a car and you guys came up with some great suggestions. I didn’t listen to you though and I bought this instead. I was going to post about it, but the very same week I bought mine, 2 other oppos bought Outbacks as well. And theirs were much nicer.

Another reason I didn’t post about it is because I only found out about some of the common problems these cars have after I bought it. But I’m happy to say that after a year I haven’t had any issues with it at all. Of course, I’ve only put about 4,000 miles on it in that time. I bought it with 137,000 miles and now I’m up to 141,000. This is by far the highest mileage vehicle I’ve ever owned.

So here’s the good news:

No mechanical issues.

No leaks.

The timing belt was done at 98,000 miles.

The serpentine belts look brand new.

The alternator looks new.

The brakes and tires are good.

The A/C is ice cold!

The windows are tinted (important in Florida).

No rust.

And here’s everything currently wrong with it (and yes, I’m nitpicking because I like my cars to look and function like they did when they left the factory):

Lots of door dings on the driver’s side.

The hood is completely spiderweb cracked.

Needs an alignment.

Rear cup holder needs its spring reattached.

Left rear taillight has moisture inside.

L ight glaze on headlights.

Left fog light is cracked and has water inside.

Tailgate needs new supports.

I can’t shift directly into first (or it grinds). But if I shift from second to first there’s no sound.

Very slight vibration sound in 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd gears.

The carpets are stained (partially my fault).

The electric side mirrors, heated mirrors, heated seats, cigarette lighter, and vanity mirrors have a problem. I replaced their fuses (and everything worked) only to have those fuses blow again after just 3 days. How are these things related? I looked at wiring diagrams but I don’t see where these systems cross paths.

The light for the clock stopped working (but the clock still works, you just can’t see it at night).

The driver’s inside door handle is always dirty. I think something (maybe the glue they used) is leaching out from the inside.

Gum worn into the rear seat (my daughter’s fault).

She’s super slow (0-60 in 9 seconds).

And here’s what I have managed to fix:

The rear speakers produced no sound and the front speakers were blown. 4 new speakers ($100) later and it sounds better than factory.

Installed a cabin air cleaner (the base models didn’t get one) ($25).

Got rid of the check engine light (I bought a car with the CEL on). It showed PO420 (catalyst issue) so I replaced the O2 sensor ($25 plus $15 for a shop to do it) but the problem came back. Then I ran Seafoam through 3 tanks of Premium (93) gas and performed an Italian tune up. It’s only been about 2 months but so far the CEL hasn’t come back.

So there you have it. $3,100 for a car that has been dead on reliable for a year.

DISCUSSION (25)

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 11:15

The light out in the clock is a well known problem. There is a resistor that separates from it’s solder on the back of the clock. I fixed mine in my 2001 Forester myself twice. Really soldered the bastard the second time. Be careful not to melt to much of the plastic going this. Also I hope my Outback purchase last year wasn’t one of the two that caused you not to post about yours. You have an awesome Outback as well and it’s a 5 speed! My Forester also ground going into 1st gear sometimes. I accepted it and moved on. I even replaced the fluid in the trans and still did it. I used Mother’s Mag and Aluminum Polish to clean my headlights because I didn’t want to buy new ones. No clue why all those electrics don’t work. My seat didn’t work on the driver’s side. Turns out butts can wear and stress break the heating element wires.

vicali > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 11:15

Looks great, I’m waiting for our ej25 to headgasket but it seems to be doing alright.. Otherwise our Forester is rock solid.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
11/01/2018 at 11:18

Here’s a video on the clock, it’s in a Forester but still applies to overall fix.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 11:42

I just (within the past 3 days) patched up my ‘99 Legacy’s rust holes. It’s still slower than death, but somehow it’s still ticking, even after going full headgasket (thankfully in a failure state that didn’t need anything more than a complete flush and new gaskets .)

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
11/01/2018 at 11:54

Your Outback is awesome and I love that color.

I confirmed that everything works after I changed the fuses the first time, but they just blew out again all the same time. It has to be related I just can’t figure out how.

How hard is it to remove everything to get to the clock?

Jay, the practical enthusiast > vicali
11/01/2018 at 11:56

How many miles do you have on her? The more I looked into it, it seems like the headgasket issue is not as common as everyone says and affects the turbo engines more.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
11/01/2018 at 11:57

How many miles did you have when the headgasket went? How much did it cost?

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 12:14

About 200,000 - which is the approximate lifetime for a good head gasket job. This was the factory gasket though, which failed anywhere between 50,000 and 200,000 miles.

For a whole job at a local shop, it cost me about $800 total. If you’ve got the tools (torque wrench is a must!) , a shop crane, an engine stand, and the repair manual, it’s far cheaper to do it yourself. Gaskets themselves are about $50 a piece, and you will need to tear down the engine to the short block, but having it on the stand will make it a million times easier than dealing with it inside the engine bay.

vicali > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 12:17

Other way around, the turbos got different headgaskets and the NA models got the crappy ones, apparently around 06/07 there was a revision that much lessened the risk - but it still happens. I wouldn’t buy a used one without either asking when the previous owner did it or putting away $2k as a when it happens fund.

Our 08 Forester has just over 100k km, so around 60k miles;

Kinja'd!!!

If I go looking for it I can find where ours leaks oil externally off the head underneath - but it isn’t a measurable amount - and never leaves a spot. If you take off all of the undertray and poke around you can see it weeping - and sometimes after driving it in haste and parking you get a whiff of oil.. but find a Subaru that doesn’t leak a bit of oil.

My wife wants an Outback next, I’m going to insist on the 3.6R..

Jay, the practical enthusiast > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
11/01/2018 at 12:19

I only plan on keeping this car for another 2 years / 8,000 miles so I'm hoping to avoid headgaskets. But if it did happen I was wondering if it would even be worth fixing.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 12:23

Depending on the state of the car and the state of the motor, it’s worth getting it fixed. If you have the money set aside for a new vehicle though, then upgrade. If you don’t, though, keep about $1000 handy for the head gasket job - if you’re curious, call up shops you trust and ask how much they’d charge for a head gasket job on an ‘04 Legacy.

Additionally, pay attention to the warning signs. Bubbling coolant is a big one. Oily coolant is another giveaway. If you see either, take it to a shop.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
11/01/2018 at 12:30

You found a shop who would do a full head gasket job for $800? That’s insane for having to tear down and rebuilt about 75% of the engine.

TorqueToYield > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 12:35

The head gaskets will probably go at some point. They’ll start dripping coolant. I had a 2004 Impreza with the NA 2.5 and mine started dripping at 85k. T hey almost all fail externally and it’s a slow drip. So keep the coolant topped up and you can ignore it for a long long time (years) . If you’re only planning on keeping it a couple years it’s not worth fixing.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
11/01/2018 at 12:35

That’s what happens when you have a local shop. They did good business... but they eventually moved on from my small town.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 12:38

No mechanical issues.

......

I can’t shift directly into first (or it grinds). But if I shift from second to first there’s no sound.

Very slight vibration sound in 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd gears.

The light for the clock stopped working (but the clock still works, you just can’t see it at night).

So does it have mechanical issues or not because this is conflicting information.......

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
11/01/2018 at 12:49

Well...electrical issues, sure.

M echanical? You mean it might not be normal to have to throw it into second before first? Metal on metal vibration from a gearbox is not usual? The transmission still works so I was thinking these were quirks.

Maybe I'll revise it to "minor transmission issues."

DasWauto > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 14:04

Flush the transmission fluid to help with the shifting issues. See if the old fluid resembles metallic paint.

Also , let the clutch up just a little as you try to shift into first to get the cogs to line up if you want to avoid having to put it in second before grabbing first.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 15:50

On the Forester it literally pops out with a screwdriver then undo like one or two connectors. I don't know where the clock is in your car even though my younger sister had the exact same car a you do but with the H6

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
11/01/2018 at 15:54

Mine is in the gauge cluster, under the tach. I really don’t want to take it apart unless I can be sure that I get it all back together the same day.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 16:09

I don’t consider those normal transmission actions.

Mind you, this is coming from a Mopar owner, so for me to say it’s not a good thing, it’s likely really not a good thing.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 16:26

That’s fair.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
11/01/2018 at 16:55

In all seriousness, I took it straight to my mechanic as soon as I noticed the sounds. The problem is intermittent and the sounds are very feint . After a test drive he suggested waiting to see if it gets worse. Over the past year it’s somehow gotten better, but it’s still there . Also, the grind into first problem only happens about 1 in 10 tries. It just annoys me so much that I’ve gotten into the habit of doing the 2 - 1 shift.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 16:57

Depending on mileage, it may just need the trans fluid changed out.

Manuals need that lovin too.

The last stock SC 5speed > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/01/2018 at 18:52

Change the transmission gear oil and use Redline MT, it boasts improved synchronizer function and smoother shifts because it has wizard piss in it or something like that.

On my 6mt Tacoma with a worn 3rd gear synchro the number of grinding episodes decreased dramatically after the oil change.

Walmart brand oil might have improved things too, I don’t know. If I recall I couldn’t find enough of the called for oil local shelves and the Redline wasn’t that expensive.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Jay, the practical enthusiast
11/02/2018 at 11:10

My 2002 Impreza 2.5L was at 110k when I sold it and still on the original head g askets. The valve adjustment was so bad tho that my mechanic said I would need a valve job sooner than later.