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2002 legacy head gasket problem>?


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Hi guys i'm looking at purchasing a legacy to upgrade from my 88 GL. Now i know that the ej25 is plagued with head gasket problems, my question is when did they fix that>? I'm looking at a 2002 legacy with 127k miles. WOuld you think they have already had the head gaskets replaced if it is at 127k? i figure if it was a problem it would have been replaced already. Or does the ej25 from 2002 not have that problem? Anything else i should look at besides headgaskets and timing belts? I'm looking for an automatic too. Thanks guys 

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yes - they have headgasket issues.

no - they were never fixed. 

well - by like 2010 or something...nowhere near the years you're looking at.

there is no way to tell if they were fixed or not by mileage.  they could leak at 50,000 miles or never. those 00-02's had quite a few failures so it wouldn't be surprising but i wouldn't bet money on it either.

 

if you ever get them replaced, use EJ25 Turbo headgaskets, they don't fail.

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The timing belt has either been replaced, or is well overdue. If it's original, it'll be pretty obvious looking at it if you pull the driver's side timing belt cover.

In 2002 they fixed the delayed engagement issue, but even so, when the car is cold shift it from D to R a few times. It should make the transition quickly, if it lags for a few second or two, walk away.

 

Are there any service records with the car? Does the owner know if the work has been done? Timing belt and head gaskets are fairly expensive, I'd think they'd remember if that work was done.

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