Stelcom66

Holy smokes, 2 deer and 3 Foresters! Sorry to hear. When my sons lived here two of them had Subarus. Like one of mine, two had the 2.2L so no engine troubles. Great you've got the motor out. Yes the car and the engine are worth putting time, effort and money into. I'd think 3,0s will be desirable given there is no longer an H6 made. (I believe) I wonder how the 2.4L turbo will hold out. Speaking of radios... that McIntosh has got to be great. My '02 Outback had a CD player, and cassette player... and a weather band on the radio, 162.475 or 162.55 is what I'd use. Best of luck with the project. Having a 3.0 HG with new head gaskets will be sweet.

Sorry to post on your thread jonathan. I wish you luck in the project, and respect anyone who takes on the challenge of especially a headgasket replacement, especially on the H6. Worth doing IMO, I had a 2002 H4 Outback that I miss. Rare to find a vehicle with cloth heated seats.

I also think the dash is pretty weird. I guess being a non conventional vehicle (at this point) it is going to look at least somewhat different inside and out. On the NBC national news this evening there was store very much related to this discussion - how EV charging stations are going to become commonplace, and eventually gas and diesel fuel stations will not be so common. I think eventually will be a very long time though.

Interesting, so it sounds like a competent vehicle here in New England in the winter. A new vehicle isn't in my budget - but I like reading about the evolving technology of hybrid or electric only vehicles, It makes sense maintenance costs would be lower - no head gaskets or CVTs to worry about! Overall though, in many ways (not considering the computer intelligence) an EV is less complex than a conventionally powered vehicle. I would have assumed no coolant in an EV, but I guess it is necessary based on typical EV maintenance items you mentioned. Even a computer CPU has cooling fans. I've heard of liquid cooling in large data centers. Hopefully many other areas are moving toward renewable energy. I didn't see any interior photos in the ad I saw for the Solterra. IMO it's a good looking SUV. (is it an SUV?). Especially the way fuel prices are now, I can see how charging an EV at home will cost a lot less than a gasoline vehicle,

I didn't realize the news of the electric Solterra was released late last year. Interesting the promo indicates it'll have Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. I don't know a lot about all electric vehicles, but I thought each wheel typically has a motor. If the Solterra will have Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, I'm thinking maybe then a central motor driving the existing (and modified) AWD system?. We went hiking yesterday and saw a couple on a bench way out on the trail just chillin' reading books. In the parking lot was one other vehicle, a Nissan Leaf, probably theirs One photo in the Solterra promo made me think of the setting - it appears to be parked in a hiking trail lot. While we're starting to see charging stations in areas like shopping malls, parking lots on the college campus where I work - a sensible place would be a park/hiking trail lot. But that's likely very impractical for the electric provider. Being the old hippie that I am I like the back to nature, minimal environmental impact philosophy. EVs are part of that. It's just not very practical yet. Maybe it's coming - I saw a job posting by a solar company that's also getting into EV charging stations. Then again, there's studies that reveal the total environmental impact of electric vehicle charging. There is some of course - and concerns if EVs became commonplace what it would do to the electricity grid.

Saw this on the website Curbside Classics. i had a 1980 GL in 1985. Three speed automatic, no tachometer but I'd guess at highway speeds (I think it was 55 mph max in Conn. back then) the engine must have been close to 3000 rpm. I believe 1980 was a major redesign year.

I recall of friend of mine's family got a Toyota Corona back in I believe 1974. At that time of course, an unusual car to see in the driveway, especially next to their Oldsmobile 88.

The last time I bought something under 100k was my former 2002 Forester in 2011, with about 98k. Sure there's maintenance to be expected at 100k and above, but the last time I had a car payment was in 2009. Back in 1975 it was a huge deal watching my '67 Chevy Caprice hit 100k miles. Back then it wasn't all that common.

The round trip commute with my new job is around 72 miles. I'm thinking because about 98% of that is highway, I could expect to be adding oil often with a 2011-13 with an FB25. Probably not that much of a difference at highway speeds between an automatic or 5 speed manual. I had a 2002 5MT which was around 2750 rpm at 65 mph, looking at the specs of the gears and final drive ratio of the automatic it appears it would be maybe just slightly lower. I wouldn't want to be adding oil a couple times a month or worrying about it.

That is a concern around here. I had to have the brake and fuel lines replaced in my 1999 Honda a few years ago. Those are things I don't hear too much about in Subarus. As mentioned, some of these 2009-13 Foresters look great in the online dealership photos. My state doesn't have an inspection program at this time. As for the dealership that replaces the head gaskets and timing belts, if I was really considering one from there I'd ask what else along with the timing belts.

I was surprised to see a few 2009-10 Foresters with 90k miles or less for sale at dealerships other than the one I mentioned that reconditions the Subaru engines. With those I'd budget replacing the timing belt soon, maybe before 105k miles since age may be a factor as well. Also probably a head gasket job at some point. I've heard after those two repairs you can get another 100k miles from an EJ25 engine.

I've owned many Subarus over the years, but not currently. Since 2007 I've had a company vehicle, so I had the option of buying older vehicles for personal use. I have a pending job change that won't provide a company vehicle and involve driving at least 70+ miles each work day, so I need to replace my car that wasn't even built in this century. I'd consider a 2009-2013 Forester as that's what's in my budgets, and I like them. I've done extensive research and have learned a lot from this and other forums. I'm aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the EJ25 and FB 25 engines. In my state there's a dealership that specializes in used Subarus and claims to replace the head gaskets and timing chains on every Subaru they sell. I haven't asked what they actually do with the FB25's chain and if they still replace the head gaskets. Ideally, I'd find a 2009 or 2010 Premium from that dealership. I always liked and missed the heated cloth seats. This dealership also warranties their Subarus 6 months bumper to bumper, and one year on the engine. The prices are in fact higher than usual, but reasonably so considering the work done and the warranty. The other concern is a thrown rod, but I believe that's somewhat rare, but more common on H engines than V or inline. I realize there are so many variables and not all FB25s have the oil consumption issue. I'm also hoping by buying one with around 100k miles or so the short block was replaced by now? Probably not an easy way to tell. I looked on CarFax's site and not one mentioned a short block replacement. I've learned on this forum that the FB25 can have other leaks, such as the cam seal and timing chain cover. Subarus still have an appeal to me that I just can't ignore. I've experienced their advantages in these New England winters. Just looking for opinions of what you would decide given a similar budget and situation, thanks.

Makes sense - thanks for the explanation. Nice to know it's now better than new! Or at least when it was new to you.

Great! So it was the lever with the spring (and drawn red circle) that needed to be adjusted or bent? Or the blue lever on the right? Now you should at least get 275k miles out of that Forester. I do like the length and capacity of Legacy/Outback wagons, nice for picking up firewood if the truck is off the road. The Outback wagons I had were actually a bit longer than the Honda Pilot that I had for a little while. I do like the height though of the Forester, easier to enter/exit - especially the 2009+ gen.

Years ago I had a Ford Aeostar, one of the worst vehicles I ever drove in snow. It was rear wheel drive, with a very light back end. I had to have it since it had a rare manual transmission with the 3.0 V6 engine. The heat was always weak, warm not hot. I did the same on the top of the dash because for some reason the blend door never fully opened to the full heat position unless I moved them manually. forester2002s - I wish I still had my 2002 Forester S.

Take about a great find! 28,000 miles?

Glad you found the part - or at least one that's compatible. Sounds like a good idea for some lubrication every so often on older models. Something like that, I would have never thought of doing until there was a need for it.

Ok will do, thanks for the clarification.

I know this is an old thread - but reading another Subaru forum today made me remember the post above. From the other forum: 'My Cam Carrier seal replacement was covered under my extended warranty. Otherwise, the work would have cost me about $2300.' Is this what you were referring to GD?

I can't believe I wrote that lol! Thanks for the catch and pun. I thought it was amusing recently when someone said their old house is listed with the Hysterial Society - that in itself was.. you know... Yea age is a factor with our cars too, dealing with rust especially with snow. Not saying it's guaranteed to work, but I always have PB Blaster on hand.

If I get a full time job and a Subaru again (would like to on both counts) I will donate. Unfortunately we've been furloughed/part time since last year due to the pandemic. Everything in my state has opened up, pretty much back to normal so I don't expect anything positive with the company I'm with. I realize sites like this are very beneficial. I wish I had more automotive mechanical abilities and experience so I could contribute more in the way of beneficial posts.

I had an '86 GL 4WD wagon - as typical no trouble with that manual transmission. Sorry but have to ask, what is VC? Vicious Coupling?

Sorry about posting this here. didn't see a site related forum. Since this morning (5/22) I tried getting on the website a few times, kept getting a message the site refused to connect.

Best of luck on the project. I know it won't be easy but between the both of you hopefully you'll get it done. I'm really re-thinking my manual transmission preference. If that's the only thing that goes on a 4EAT with 266k miles that's not bad at all. If that was a manual transmission I'd guess by now you'd be on the second clutch. I forgot how much it was to replace it in my 2002 Forester, guessing at least $600.

Hello, Good suggestion re: the 'carcomplaints.com' site. I forgot about that one. Several other sites, such as Edmunds, Cars, Vehiclehistory, Surecritic (all .com) and others have a notable amount of positive reviews for the 2011 and newer Foresters with the FB25. Those sites as it's probably known will have general comments, positive or negative. The term 'Reliable', 'Love the car', 'Will stick with Subaru' are somewhat common. So there must be some FB25s that don't consume excessive oil? My theory (or hope) is a 2011 or so Forester with mileage within my budget (~90-120k miles) would have had the shortblock replaced or maybe wasn't prone to excessive oil consumption. The key word is 'maybe' - it's taking a chance. Then again, that's generally the case for any 10 year old or so vehicle. Except for the dealership mentioned in my original post, any 2009-2010 with the EJ25 will very likely be at or over the mileage for the timing belt replacement. I believe due to the design of the FB25 reports of head gasket trouble are far less than the EJ25. My thought is I may need to put oil in it but the cost over time will still be significantly less than a head gasket replacement. Same for the timing chain as long as it holds out, but I've heard they can be prone to a leak around a plastic cover. Thanks for the information and luck. I know there's other choices out there, but Subarus still have an appeal that I can't ignore.