Info on buying 1993 legacy 4wd ?

[Bob Nieuwsma]

Ok so I am new to this as of yesterday, So as I have been looking for an engine for my car and learning how to do a swap from 2.5 to 2.2 ( Thanks to everyone that helped me) I found a 1993 legacy with 128,000 on it, in pretty good shape for $400.00 but the head gasket is leaking he says, it still runs fine but loses water and the heater stopped working. Easy fix? could it be the water pump? what engine would this car have? I think for the price it would be a good project car for me to really get my feet wet.  What do you think?   Thanks  God Bless

[MilesFox]

I would think the water pump is more likely than the HG. the engine is an ej22e with composite head gaskets, undoubtedly the most reliable subaru engine ever. Many go 300,000 mi on their original hg's , my 96 has 261,000 on its original hg's.

 

low coolant will cause poor heat.

 

You have to undo the vent plug on the radiator to add coolant. It is even better to fil the block via the upper hose first if it is too low.

[pocketxgirl]

I'm with Miles. I've never seen a 22e with an external head gasket leak. The very few gaskets that I've seen leaking on those motors have all been close to 250k miles and leaking internally.

[Bob Nieuwsma]

So would $400.00 be a good price for this car if it runs good? Any other issues to look for? and how can I tell if it is water pump or head gasket?  Thanks

[Rooster2]

I had a 91 Subie, that blew a head gasket, and would over heat. I don't know what exactly led up to this, as it was my wife's car. I was good on up keep, but never did know what led up to the HG failure The 2.2 motor had about 165K mile when it developed this problem. This was highly unusual for a 2.2, but it can happen.

 

To tell the difference between a water pump and head gasket, look for bubbles in the radiator catch reservoir, after motor is warmed up to operating speed. Also, check first to see if the radiator is full of coolant. If so, when motor is warm, look under the motor for coolant leaking from the water pump.

 

$400 is a decent price for a 93 Subie that is running well. If me, I would see if the buyer would take less because of the obvious coolant leaking problem.

 

There is also the concern that the motor may have been run over heated for who knows how many times. So, there could be other serious that could crop up soon. You are taking a gamble on the health of the motor.