'97 Legacy GT Wgn purchase hesitation continues???

[SubeeTed]

So I'm looking into this 97 Gt with a 2.5 that has had it's "Short Block" replaced by the dealer. One of the cyclinders cracked. It is a dealer maintaned Gt. It has 123K miles on it. The work was done in Sept. 2002, 38K miles ago. Does having the short block replaced remove the head gasket problem from this phase I 2.5? IS this what cause it, simply a bad gasket? Or IS it really the heads that make it blow!? Or does replacing the short block remove the problem??

 

If the head gasket goes,.... just how much $ are we looking at? Is the whole engine yanked? As in you might as well put a NEW clutch, oil pump, timing belt ETC.??

 

Any experienced answeres out there???

 

MANY, Many thanks, SubeeTEd

[mattocs]

Look for a 2.2l engine

 

 

From what I hear, the head gasket problem can cost over $1000. I assume they pull the engine if they are going to put new gaskets on the head...but i've never really looked into this...because both my Subes are 2.2l.

[99obw]

Does having the short block replaced remove the head gasket problem from this phase I 2.5?

Very unlikely that it would.

 

IS this what cause it, simply a bad gasket? Or IS it really the heads that make it blow!?

Failure of components contained in the short block is most likely due to neglect or a manufacturing defect. A well maintained short block should go 200k easy.

 

If the head gasket goes,.... just how much $ are we looking at? Is the whole engine yanked? As in you might as well put a NEW clutch, oil pump, timing belt ETC.??

$1000 is at the way low end, $1500 is probably average if you don't do much more than the gaskets, I have heard numbers upwards of $2500 for the whole enchilada.