Commuter

My head gaskets have held for 145,000 kms (~2.5 yr) now. However, I ended up changing the block at the same time due to a conrod bearing failure. Others have reported changing them more than once. I really don't know what the stats are on that. Despite the "problem", there is still about a 4 to 1 or 2 to 1 chance (depending on how long you keep the car) that you will never have to touch the head gaskets. Those "odds" are just my own feelings on the matter. I looked into copper gaskets briefly when I had my failure. I don't know much about them, but it seemed to me that one has to O-ring them if it is to be done properly. (I think that was the term used.) On top of that, one website highly recommended the use of some sort of "stop leak" product with them. I decided to stay with the OEM gaskets. Commuter

You should be under warranty for the cat. Take it to a dealer is my suggestion. Commuter

I don't know the differences in the trim levels. You would have to decide for yourself what the value of the "Limited" features are. At some point (supposedly), Subaru made a change to the Phase II head gasket to address the leaking problem. Again, I don't know what year that was done. But the newer, the better. I've read that the 2000's (only) have a smaller front rotor. They quickly found out that it was not enough for the Outbacks and upsized in 2001. One reason to go with the newer vehicle. Newer vehicle, less depreciation, even with the higher (per year) milage. It might mean something a few years from now if you are looking to deal it or sell it. 2000 was the first year of the model run. There are always some teething pains. (ie the front brakes) Unless there are features on the Limited that you really can't be without, I'd say go for the 2002. Commuter

You can: 1) Cut them off. I personally don't like this approach. They are there for a reason. 2) Use worm gear clamps. Wrap around them and tighten them down. I've done this successfully (on non-subaru cars) in the past. 3) Some have recommended stuffing (stainless) steel wool in between the sheild and the pipe. Can work. May not be too permanent though. 4) Turn up the radio. 5) Replace them. But I don't think this is an option for the ones you speak of. 6) ???? Some ideas for you. Commuter

There was a mention of gearing. That can have a "lot" to do with it. I don't know specifically between these two models, but I can give you a real life example. I have a 97 OB with the H4 2.5L 165 hp engine. I routinely get about 24 to 25 mpg with mostly highway driving. My wife has a 99 Honda Odyssey with a V6 3.5L 210 hp engine. While I haven't done extensive logging, I know that it gets about the same milage on the highway! hmmmm At 70 mph, my OB is turning over at 2700 rpm. At 70 mph, the Honda is turning over at 1900 rpm. Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. Commuter

Most likely spot is the driver's side, back of the engine for the external head gasket leak. Look there. Commuter

Some report just a few minutes of noise, others longer. The key point being that it should be "gone" once the engine has warmed up. If it is not, then you may have some longer term issues. It is not necessarily a worn piston, or anything really. It is a case of design (short piston skirts), material (aluminum, expansion clearances, etc) and possibly manufacturing (reports of clearance tolerances not being held to the levels required), etc. Subarus aren't the only ones to do this. It seems that 'cold' piston slap doesn't really do any damage to speak of. Just annoying, and as Subaru put it in some technical bulletin, "does not meet customer expectations...". Commuter

I think it would have to be really bad to cause flooding. I changed mine last year. It was not throwing a CEL, but I had the "carbon" issue returning and I couldn't get rid of it. They told me the O2 sensor was "slow", but ok. Given the age and miles and reports from others, I decided to change it. My carbon issue went (slowly) away and the milage (few percent) picked back up again. Commuter

I too have a 97 OB, 250k miles now. 1) No knock sensor troubles to date. No rattling heat shields either, but I have seen some "strategically placed" screws jammed into mine, probably before I got the car. 2) No hard starting. I can't comment. 3) Idle ok on mine. I know that my idle will jump up on start up if I have left the A/C on. 4) I'm on my second engine (head gaskets, then conrod bearing failure). The first had some piston slap noise (and it might have actually been bearing noise). I've never noticed too much tappet noise. Still, these are not exactly quiet engines. My second engine is noticably quieter than the first. Noises are difficult, especially to describe. To me, piston slap is duller, more hollow, more "wood" sounding. Tappet/lifter noise is more "metallic" sounding. 5) Keyless entry. I looked into this too, but as I recall, they only started pre-wiring the cars for it in 98. It was going to be $400 or $500 Canadian for the dealer to add it to my car. For similar money, I went and got a Viper alarm/remote start/keyless entry system. It works fine. One thing I wish it had was the "one click, unlock driver's door, 2 clicks, unlock all" feature. All doors lock or unlock with the key fob. I'm not even sure which way the factory ones work for this year. (I think the Limited models had keyless entry.) I had the electronics place install the Viper. 3 hours of their time, or probably 3 days of mine! Good luck. Commuter

I know someone that put a 2.0L turbo wrx engine into a 97 Legacy GT. And as SubieGal said... $5K plus to do it up right. Commuter

I've wondered too where s/he got to. Seemed to come out of nowhere. Very knowledgable, very helpful... then "poof". Commuter

Driver's side, right at the back corner, no. 4 cylinder area IIRC. Look for telltale seepage marks. You might try to dig up some of the posts from Alias20035 (I think was his name). He detailed this problem very well. Commuter

This is one piece that would probably be just as rusty, or more so out of a junkyard. I'm assuming that the piece changed with the 2000 model, so what you will find will be at least 4 or 5 years old. Com'on people... the part cost me $18 Canadian from the dealer. I don't think I even asked for my usual 15% discount, it was so little. The big saving is the labour. A dealer would charge you an hour I'm sure. Commuter

Some have had troubles with aftermarket t-stats. I don't think the post is still on this board (it was ezboard), but one guy kept trying to track down a problem... finally resolved it by putting in an OEM t-stat. Another post... a heated pot of water test was done. The aftermarket t-stat acted quite differently from the OEM unit in it's "opening curve". I know with my EJ25 Phase I engine, the "guts" of the t-stat are offset. That is, it has to go in in a certain position. (There is a notch for alignment.) Some aftermarket t-stats end up hitting the casting in the passageway and not opening fully. Just one of the Subaru quirks. I would still to OEM on this one. Commuter

1stsubaruparts (I think) or places like that. But, considering the small cost of the part, I think you'll more than eat up any savings in shipping. Just go to a dealer and buy / order it. Commuter

Look here for instructions in my post. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2513&highlight=hatch+latch Commuter

Change the AFT, but personally, I would NOT do one of those flushes. Just drain what you can, then top it back up. If it helps, do it again to get rid of more of the old fluid. Three times if you really want to. Spring for synthetic if you like. It sounds like torque bind symptoms. You may get away for quite some time with just a fluid change, or you may not. About $800 or so to change out the clutch pack. My clutch pack is slowly failing on my 97 OB, but I'm at 250k miles. Commuter

That little arrowhead is just to tell you what side the gas cap is on. Other makes do this too. No light. Commuter

97 OB. Head gaskets at 160k miles. Block at 160.2k miles (long story... con-rod bearing failure, rare, and "not" related to the head gasket failure). Right rear wheel bearing has gone twice. I don't recall exactly, but the last one was around 200k miles. I think the left one is starting to go. I'm at 250k miles now. For all the miles I've put on, I'm fairly pleased with the level of maintenance. One sensor that cost me a stupid amount. Rear struts recently. Some EGR bits that went bad. But I have a big one looming - Center clutch pack is going (4EAT). Still, there have been reports of these usually failing at half my milage. Commuter

I put Hairpin Racing endlinks on my 97 OB. I don't know if these fit your generation vehicle or not. The look of the ones posted by SubieGal appear to be very similar, but I don't know if they are the same. Mine have been absolutely silent. They use a ball socket, not a bushing. No squeaks out of them. I replaced the sway bar at the same time, but it initially was on the same 'setting' as the OEM bar. There was very little difference noted, just a hint better turn in. With the sway bar set to a stiffer setting now, it has reduced roll nicely. Check that your sway bar isn't shifting side to side. Look for polished marks to the sides of the bushings which hold the sway bar. The Hairpin site talks of this, and what you can do. This 'shifting' of the sway bar can cause noise as well. Commuter

It's not downtown, but I've been very pleased with the service at Subaru of Mississauga. They have nice new facilities now too. Mavis Rd, just south of the 401. See my post in this thread for things to watch out for on a 99. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16588&highlight=OUTBACK Some of the comments would apply to the 2000, even though it is the next generation. This model change was relatively minor by most standards. External coolant leak on the driver's side at the back of the engine from the head gasket would be one thing. Commuter

If you do have a carbon problem, the over the counter stuff is probably not good enough to clean things out. I had tried that and it didn't do much of anything. The MotorVac however, did. After that, the over the counter stuff was able to keep it in check, until the O2 sensor caused the problem to get worse. Commuter

(Note - The following assumes this is happening all the time. Not just when switching from Reverse. See last comment in that case.) I had this problem twice on my 97 OB. Low rpms only... like 600 rpm to 1000. It got worse as time went on to where I was feeling it while driving with the engine running at about 1500 rpm (almost like a misfire). You can probably find posts if you search. My problem... carbon. A MotorVac fixed it the first time. Gas cleaners kept it in check for about 3 years. Then it came back and I couldn't get rid of it. However, I suspected my O2 sensor by this point. I had it changed. The hesitation cleared up considerably right away, then slowly disappeared over the next several weeks of driving. No return of the problem since then. One other point. I find my transmission takes half a second to engage (R to D). I don't hit the gas immediately. I wait to feel it "catch" and then accelerate. Commuter

It's too bad you didn't find a 2.2L vehicle. A bit less hp, but (as time is proving), a much more reliable engine. You are closing in on 100k miles, right? There is nothing scientific about this prediction, but I would say that you have a 1 in 4 chance of the head gaskets going before 150k and 1 in 2 chance that they will fail before 200k. Just my own gut feeling on the matter, that's all. Take it for what it is worth. It is worth fixing if it happens? You'll have to look at the whole picture to decide. I can't tell you on that point. Other than the Achilles heel of the HG, I'm not aware of too much else that is a weakness on your year and model. Perhaps others with more knowledge will voice themselves. Is it manual or auto? Commuter

I don't have time to find my post right now, but this question comes up on the Outbacks a lot (96-99). I've listed the things in the past to watch out for. It will apply to the GT as well for the most part. Commuter Here it is... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16588&highlight=outback