plaidfro Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I have been searching lots of threads about Subaru's as I am looking to pick up my first one. In almost every thread I have found a comment about "don't overheat it or run it low on oil", I can't help but think is this really a problem with Subaru owners? To me this should be commonsense like saying your tires will run much better if you have air in them, or the engine will start up nicely if you have gas in the gas tank. Anyways just an observation I have noted since joining up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 basically, any EJ25 with the 97-99 DOHC (dual overhead cam heads) will have at some point the inevitable failed headgasket issue. Stay away from the dohc ej25 of the Outback, Forester 97-99 and you will be fine. thats the easiest advice i can provide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plaidfro Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 basically, any EJ25 with the 97-99 DOHC (dual overhead cam heads) will have at some point the inevitable failed headgasket issue. Stay away from the dohc ej25 of the Outback, Forester 97-99 and you will be fine. thats the easiest advice i can provide. It's sage advice like that that helps keep me from making a poor choice on my first Subaru purchase. That's why I joined up here... Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Actually it's all DOHC 2.5's (96-99). Then the first SOHC 2.5's (2000-2003 or so?)had a different, and more tolerable head gasket problem. But, you gotta understand most of the time these cars have well over 100k on them. For me usually between 110 and 180k it seems. Some would almost consider HG's a maintenance item at that point. If they haven't been overheated often a HG job (and related idlers, timing belt, reseal, etc) is what's needed for another 100k of happy motoring. If it has been overheated (and especially if repeatedly) often the rod bearings give up. Which really sucks if you've just spent the money on a HG job and 3 months later this happens. Which is also why a lot of us do the 2.2 swap. But be aware of the HG issue. If they have been done you need to know what brand of HG's were used. HG's do give out first on a Subaru 2.5, but they get decent miles before this happens and will get many more if repaired correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 basically, any EJ25 with the 97-99 DOHC (dual overhead cam heads) will have at some point the inevitable failed headgasket issue. Stay away from the dohc ej25 of the Outback, Forester 97-99 and you will be fine. thats the easiest advice i can provide. fozzy switched from DOHC to SOHC in 99, before that it was the ej25D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quidam Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 In almost every thread I have found a comment about "don't overheat it or run it low on oil", I can't help but think is this really a problem with Subaru owners? Anyways just an observation I have noted since joining up here. I've thought Subaru owners are the most overheating group of car owners on the planet. Not only that, but once they over heat, they keep driving... This is even outside the, "overheat but still drive it home" type of folks. Which is bad enough. In the end, it's done because it can be? I don't know. If I have a problem with overheat I either fix it or park it. It's done for, in my mind, until one or the other happens. I've heard of Subie owners overheating a subaru till it locks up multiple times even. I wouldn't have said anything if you hadn't. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I've heard of Subie owners overheating a subaru till it locks up multiple times even. My car was victim to that from the previous owner. Locked it up two times, and the thing still started right up no problem! Amazing, no knocks or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 basically, any EJ25 with the 97-99 DOHC (dual overhead cam heads) will have at some point the inevitable failed headgasket issue. Stay away from the dohc ej25 of the Outback, Forester 97-99 and you will be fine. thats the easiest advice i can provide. NO. I know quite a few 2.5 that are just running fine with the original HG thank you. you do not pverheat aluminum engines as a rule. you may get away with it once, but if you cook the engine you will warp the heads and cook the oil. Running low on oil on modern engines is a bad idea as they do not have large pans anymore. SUbarus tend to get very unhappy if down more then 1 qt and even 1 qt is pushing it. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I've thought Subaru owners are the most overheating group of car owners on the planet. Not only that, but once they over heat, they keep driving... I wouldn't have said anything if you hadn't. Doug I think dodge Neons along with quite a few others are far more effecient at overheating then subarus are. You NEVER keep driving in an overheat unless you are in a dangerous place to pull over, then you keep going. A car is cheaper then a human...though i know a few who may not be worth that much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 One other mantra on awd ALL TIRES MUST MATCH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 a few post up i read you know of cars with the original headgaskets. Ej25 dohc cars? I would put money (on the dohc ej25) they are bubbling into the overflow jar after 150k.......good money that i don't have.. They may not be overheating, they may not be spitting the coolant out the overflow, but yes, i sayy they are blown and you will see bubbles after a 45 minute trip when you look on the overflow jar, that is blown headgasket. cheerrs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 (edited) I have been searching lots of threads about Subaru's as I am looking to pick up my first one. In almost every thread I have found a comment about "don't overheat it or run it low on oil",that's not in close to every thread. it might help to know what and why you're searching/looking. i say that comment often in reference to EJ22's and EJ18's, but that's in a certain context, not random like you're quoting it. folks are often trouble shooting a bad engine or trying to decide how to fix/replacement options. that's my way of saying EJ18/EJ22's have fewer issues than EJ25's and are a nice option for folks that have to go through the effort/costs of motor replacement. consider ebay or the JDM EJ25 options...that's a poor choice in some ways compared to other options. those used EJ25's have a fine chance of blowing headgaskets ($1,000 repair bill to the average non-mechanic) and even repairing an EJ25 isn't always tempting since they're known to loose rod bearings too, probably an artifact of previous overheating. sorry if it seems rudimentary, on it's own it does. in context it makes sense to me. Edited April 30, 2011 by grossgary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Faulting an engine for blowing a head gasket after 150K is sort of silly. The more mialege a car gets on *the more thermal cycles and possibly unheard pinging) the more possible it is to blow a head gasket. It is akin to saying at the funeral of a 95 yo man that he died because he did not take care of himself. if you buy a used engine, you should reseal it, including replacing the head gaskets. you never know what you are getting with a used engine, so may as well do it all while it is out of the car. And you are correct. If a sooby engine overheats and the oil is not changed while the cause is fixed it does increase the likelyhood of thrown rod. Also extended oil change intervals do not help either. The older the used car, the more likely it is that you will have put money in it in the first year fro maint and hidden repairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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