H6 ENGINE RELIABILITY ?

[ivantruckman]

Hi Guys , Im an old gen guy ,  was looking at a  2002 out back with a h6 engine , Are these engines reliable.  any quirks I should be aware of ,  Thanks  .

[golucky66]

Imo, they are very reliable. Usually don't have HG issue. At least not as common as the 2.5.

 

It's such a big engine for the engine bay.

Edited November 1, 2016 by golucky66

[1 Lucky Texan]

starting to see more complaints about headgaskets on the Forums, but, maybe that's to be expected as the cars are aging and are passing thru the hands of more owners (that may also be getting abused cars or, themselves are not familiar with a coupla quirks about Subaru cooling systems ?)

 

timing chain, no belt to swap

 

still, I think most of us would say the H6es are reliable over-all. Spark plug (DEF use NGK double platinum plugs) and maybe valve cover gasket replacement is a challenge - most other stuff as easy as the H4 to work on. Ours is an awesome 'medium highway cruiser'. I love to drive it.

 

 

as for quirks, you can check the 'sticky' threads here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/

 

(FYI - our 03 H6 OBW has been reliable, but it does have low miles and it has experienced some of the issues mentioned in those threads mentioned above)

Edited November 1, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan

[idosubaru]

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/151429-whats-everyones-view-on-the-h6-30/?hl=%2Bez30+%2Breliability

 

 

Excellent engines - they run forever and their ability to make 300,000 miles is solid.

 

A few simple quirks.  Very low maintenance - they can make 300k easily one set of spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, and oil cooler gaskets, and oil/coolant changes.

 

That said - they have one ominous issue:  headgaskets.  It's not common but it's also a much worse repair than 4 cylinder engines. 

 

The bigger problem is that the ones being traded in/sold are have a higher incidence of headgasket issues because people dump them.  We're past the sweet spot where lots of cars get traded in just to upgrade for novelty, warranty, newer car buyer types.  A higher percentage of vehicles at this age get moved because they have issues. 

So the used market is notably higher percentage than real world issues.

They're also hard to diagnose, inspect, and determine at early onset. 

 

The best way to purchase an H6 is to buy a for sale by owner with a very good indication of why they're selling it (not headgaskets).  I've seen H6's from dealers/on lots with headgasket issues, i've seen friends buy H6's off a lot and have headgasket issues within months...no doubt already extant.  The for sale by owner purchases i've been involved with - that hasn't happened yet. Pretty signifcant comparison from my view. 

 

I prefer by owner all the way in general and particularly for a case like this.

[CNY_Dave]

My '03 H6 had a long-standing complete non-issue external weep that the subaru coolant goo controlled for right up to about 270,000 miles.

 

Mine developed an exhaust-to-coolant leak shortly before 270,000 miles, no symptoms if you didn't drive it hard, but needed too much other work to try to live with it or to swap in a boneyard engine.

[Numbchux]

+1

 

Generally speaking, excellent engines. Head gasket problems are not unheard-of, but don't seem common to me. Worth taking on a longer test drive though. Make sure you get the car up to temperature and speed.

 

 

 

I think it boils down to this, they don't fail as often, but working on them is harder and generally more expensive. I think it's worth it, I love our '04 VDC.

[wtdash]

 

I think it boils down to this

Pun intended?

 

 

:-)