Got a 98 Legacy

[etc]

1998 Legacy L, 147K miles, auto, 2.2L.

Fairly spartan vehicle, no power options at all, which is fine with me.

 

Currently doing the tune up - plugs, wires, and also brakes, et cetera.

 

 

 

[idosubaru]

thank you for buying something that won't flood that USMB with head gasket or overheating questions! woo hoo! be sure to thank yourself in a few years and 100,000 miles for your trouble free engine.....if the auto tranny makes it. \

 

i picked up a 97 manual for a buddy this summer, just a fantastic car. low miles, great deal...EJ22, manual...smoking deal for a car that's going to last a long time with minimal issues.

[lostinthe202]

That's a nice looking car! The '95-99 is my favorite body style of the "new gen" subies. I've got a '96 OBW that picked up 3 years ago with 120k on it. It's now got 193k on it and I've done nuthin' but routine maintenance.

 

Did the car come with any service history? Namely, do you have receipts or other proof of a timing belt change? If not you might consider doing the timing belt and assorted sundry items. Your 2.2 engine is an interference engine, meaning if the belt brakes it can do a lot of internal damage to the engine. The timing belt job is pretty easy to do for someone mechanically inclined and would run you between $200 - $300 depending on what you get from the dealer. I, and others on here that I've read about, get an ebay kit like this...

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1997-2001-SUBARU-LEGACY-2-2-TIMING-BELT-KIT_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33625QQihZ017QQitemZ270315446585QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

 

...for the idlers and tensioner, but I buy a belt from the dealer. Some of the online dealers have pretty good prices for parts, https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html

 

Here's a good source of instructions for the belt change,

http://endwrench.com/main.php?smPID=PHP::search_articles_action.php&

 

 

I'm not sure if they fixed this by '98, but on some 2.2L engines, the screws on the back of the oil pump can back out a bit and need to be removed and re-installed with some loctite. Also, while you're in there, replace the oil seal o-ring, then reseal the oil pump with an anaerobic gasket sealer (usually available at better auto parts stores like Napa)

 

Do a search for timing belt change, this has been covered LOTS, how do you think I know all this?

 

While you're picking up parts (if you decide to do this job) you might consider picking up the cam and crank seals. They are pretty cheap and if they are leaking a bit now, then they will probably be leaking like mad before your next belt change (in another 100k). If you don't need them, you can always return them later or save them for next time

Good Luck and nice score!

 

Will-

[etc]

thank you for buying something that won't flood that USMB with head gasket or overheating questions! woo hoo! be sure to thank yourself in a few years and 100,000 miles for your trouble free engine.....if the auto tranny makes it. \

 

i picked up a 97 manual for a buddy this summer, just a fantastic car. low miles, great deal...EJ22, manual...smoking deal for a car that's going to last a long time with minimal issues.

 

You know, I would love to get a 2.2L/manual combo, should be fairly bullet proof but it had to accomodate someone without a passion for 5 speeds.

 

On a different note, we also have a 99 OBW with the dreaded 2.5L and to my surprise, at 180K miles, it still exhibits NO symptoms of any head gasket issues.

[etc]

lostinthe202,

 

Thanks for the wealth of info.

 

I do not have any repair records at all, not even oil changes.

 

Short term projects include oil/coolant flush, alignment and misc stuff. I will throw some Mobil 1 in there (I have some extra laying around), just to increase the interval a bit if nothing else.

 

I plan to work on the timing belt issue sometime this spring, when the weather gets a bit nice, although it's not all that bad right now.

 

Is there any way to examine the condition of the timing belt without taking it apart? It doesn't make any strange sounds FWIW.

[idosubaru]

i'm in the same boat, like to have at least one - if not two automatics available for my wife. i don't think i want her driving a manual around where we live anyway. crazy mountain roads, switch backs, snow, etc...auto is probably a much better fit for her.

 

as for the HG on you 99, possible they were already replaced but then again not quite all of them fail!

[etc]

Scanning carsurvey.org, it looks like the head gasket problem is pretty common on 2.5L but seems that occasionally 2.2L is also affected. Looks like the key is to not overheat the engine.

I also had a 1.8L Loyale, and that too had headgasket issues. (No apparent issues when running, but when pulled the heads, saw cracks)

[dirtygst]

i keep hearing about this mystical headgasket problem with the 2.5 but i havent seen it yet. *knocks on wood* hopefully it can last till i get everything ready for my 3.0 swap, but anyways congrats on getting the leggy they are AWSOME!!

-dustin

[etc]

The official dealer fix (the last time I checked a few years ago) is to add some stuff to the cooling system.

 

Having said that, our family 99 OBW with 2.5L is doing fine at 180K miles.... with a very neglectful owner (who basically drives cars until they stop and don't move) So apparently 2.5L issues are a lottery.