Looked at an 02 Ouback today!

[3Pin]

I was looking at a 02 Outback today with under 50K on the odometer. The car looked and drove nice, but after having two 96's with the HG issue, I checked the overflow tank and I'll be damned if I didn't see a few bubbles faint here and there. Could this be a HG failure at this early or is there any other reason that this could happen?

 

The car is not overheating and has no fliud leaks of any type.

 

I would appreciate your opinions as I am interested in this car.

[Suzam]

02 would tend have an external leak not an internal. If it did have a HG problem, coolant would leak out between the block and head.

 

If Subaru put in the coolant additive if should be covered for 100k, I can't remember if there is a time limit though.

[idosubaru]

there are 02's with HG problems. the headgaskets can go at any mileage....i've seen them at 30,000 - 50,000 - 80,000 and obviously more. the 02 model year should have external leaks though, not the same symptoms your 96 model had with internal failures. the 02's are required by Subaru to have a concoction added to the coolant in order to alleviate HG issues...sounds comforting doesn't it???? air bubbles in an 02 model aren't the norm so i would not expect those air bubbles to be an indication of HG problems. they typically leak externally, so look over the head/block mating surfaces carefully under the hood. if it's for sale at a dealer and you notice a leak they may replace it if you indicate you want to buy it. i know of a person that bought a Legacy this way. Noticed a headgasket leak and they replaced the headgaskets before he bought it at no additional charge, this was a Subaru dealer. Now that's a good score - new headgaskets are the way to go.

[idosubaru]

gah - excellent point, i'd ask specifically how long the headgaskets are warranted for. if it's not at a dealer, ask the owner/seller and also call subaru and ask their policy towards 02 HG leaks in case you get one down the road. they are replacing 00-02 under extended plans.

 

i'm not sure if the 02's have the same gasket from the factory as the pre 2000's, but if the headgasket has been replaced you can typically tell on the pre2000's just by looking under the hood. the tabs sticking out on top the engine will either be solid pieces or multi-layer pieces. the multi-layer design is the "new" updated headgaskets by Subaru to counteract this issue. i've bought two Legacy's that had new Subaru headgaskets already installed when i bought them, so they were replaced at some point.

[3Pin]

The warranty says it is 3/36 bumper to bumper and 6/60 for the powertrain. Seems like the engine should fall into the powertrain area wouldn't you think.....???

 

Anybody have experience with this?

 

It is a private party sale.

[idosubaru]

do some searching here or on the internet for Subaru's extended 100,000 mile headgasket warranty and if that's transferable or not. and call the local dealer, i wouldn't necessarily trust everything they tell you, but maybe you could get something in writing, it's a fairly common and well known extended warranty available to only select 00-02 models.

[3Pin]

It was not covered as the warranty was up in Feb of this year. I walked as the guy would not budge on price ...............and I found a much nicer 02 outback LL Bean yesterday and bought it.

 

Thanks for all the help.

 

Now I guess my 96 Ouback is up for grabs.