foxgap Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I value your opinions here a lot, everyone has helped me a ton with the 1990's Legacys, but I came across a newer car and since I have never had one this new I need your opinions again. Car is a 2004 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5H4, 5 speed, 137K miles. Body is in good shape. The 2.5 is a bit noisier than my 2.2's, is this normal? The 5 speed clutch is a hydraulic instead of the cable clutch in my 90's car. It releases almost to the top and is kinda hard to get used to. When going into 1st gear if you don't have the pedal all the way down it will grind a tiny bit, is this normal? Car has had the head gaskets and timing belt kit done by a Subaru mechanic that is a member of his congregation ( the seller is a Minister ). It has a slight oil burning smell so I think one of the valve cover gaskets is leaking some, not a big deal. It also has a slight bump sound when letting out the clutch to pull into traffic, I'm thinking one of the mounts is getting tired. The check engine lite is on, he says that his mechanic turns it off and says that it is not a big deal, but it is for me, we have emission inspection in my part of PA. I asked him to find out what the code is. Asking price $3600.00 Thanks to everyone in advance, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Having owned a 2004 OBW LTD in the past, I can say that it was a great car. Mine, however, was an automatic. You'll like that the rear seats fold down flat, without having to flip the seat bottoms forward first. Of course, the head rests have to be pulled out to do that, which was fixed in the next generation. As for the slight grind going into first, I would think that its related to your high clutch misadjustment. I would wonder if there is an adjustment to make the clutch engagement correct. If not, a new clutch sounds in order. Hopefully the 5 speed owners here can give you more accurate info. As for the noisy engine, they still had the piston slap issue on some of those engines during that period. While its an annoyance, particularly when cold, it doesn't hurt the engine or its longevity. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 No clutch adjustment on a hydraulic clutch, it sounds like it may need a clutch. Noisey 2.5, describe the noise, and are you hearing it hot cold or both. the CEL is most likely an O2 sensor. I have a clutch test but you may burn out what is left of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxgap Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I have not got to hear the car cold yet, but am thinking that the noisy motor is just that, noisy. I have a friend that has one a few years newer and has the piston slap. We started his up today and warmed it, it sounded similar to the 04 after it was warmed. The CEL still has me worried, could be an O2 sensor and that point I have to determine which one is bad or maybe it could be as bad as something in the EVAP system. Just got to get the codes first. The clutch is the other big one. It does feel the same as when a hydraulic clutch is going bad on an american car. The owner did not mention when it was changed last, but that project could become expensive. I imagine when you do a clutch on this type of system you replace everything, clutch kit, slave and master. Thanks for the ideas guys, keep them coming. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 My gut says walk away. Too many unknowns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadsubiedog Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I would walk away also. mechanic saying code "no big deal" sends up a huge red flag. a car that cant pass smog without expensive repairs is not worth it. a clutch on top of that.........ouch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I would walk away also. mechanic saying code "no big deal" sends up a huge red flag. a car that cant pass smog without expensive repairs is not worth it. a clutch on top of that.........ouch. Wonder why the mechanic didn't pull the code, and fix the problem?? Don't think I would purchase a car with a probable clutch rebuild in the near future. Add unusual engine noise to the mix..........not a desirable car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxgap Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Thanks for the great advice everyone. This is a car we are going to walk away from. We don't need a car at the moment, it would have been nice to move up from the 96, but I don't want to buy a car and start throwing cash at it right away. Heck for the cost of buying the car I could have quarter panels put on the 96 and old reliable would look like it came out of the showroom. Maybe..... Thanks again everyone, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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