Headgasket on 2 year old Outback

It was a fairly common problem on the DOHC 2.5 ltr motor. I have a 98OBW and had the problem, just a small leak but required the motor out so that head gasket could be replaced. Can't complain too much as it only cost me AUD$965 (US$650) for the repair and included about AUD$550 (US$400) of parts.

My 2001 Outback with 43,000 miles blew the headgasket. This is the first headgasket in over 30 years of owning many many cars. So, is this a common problem with Subaru? The dealer fixed it at no charge and said that it is "unusual".

Then, yesterday I ate breakfast with a guy who owns a large independant garage and he said that he does plenty of Subaru head gaskets, and he told me that at about 60,000 miles I should look for a bad oil seal near the timing belt, or something like that.

Is this all true? Can I not expect Honda/Toyota/Nissan like reliability from my first Subaru? My wife's Accord has almost 200,000 miles with no major repairs.

Thanks for any info,

Fred

I've had 5 new and 2 used Subaru's. Put 104k on the '91, 50k on the '96,

105k on the '98, 45k on the '02 and just started into the '04. NEVER HAD A HINT OF A HEAD GASKET LEAK. I did have three of the cars develop oil pump seal leaks (very common).

My 98 outback had the bad oil seal @ 76k miles. I've seen many threads on the oil leak but not on the headgaskets.

Fredisg wrote:

My head gasked started leaking at 14,000 miles. It took 6 weeks to get a new gasket set in, due to a shortage. The evenining after I got it repaired, a piston snapped in half, and I needed a new short block and one head.

'01 legacy, 2.5L

My right front wheel bearing makes a nice humming sound at 50 mph, but it's been doing that since new, so I'm not too worried. The dealer says it's the tires. Changing tires had no effect.

now my neutral inhibit switch is acting up again

Oil seal leaks can happen. I was told (had one go at about 80K on my '95) this is because of the flat configuration of the engine, which makes it easier to leak oil. The repair wasn't too expensive.

The head gasket is a new one. I just had them replaced on my wife's '01 Outback. The dealer replaced them at no charge. The story I was told is one of either bad gasket material or an installation problem at the factory. Cold weather (we just had a bad cold snap) is said to induce the leak.

While I was there, another customer had an '02 (30K miles) with the same problem. So the "factory" story makes some sense. I'm not worried for either of my cars. My dealership has been trustworthy in the past.

Compared to the American cars I've owned, my Subarus are still far and away the most reliable cars I've driven. This doesn't shake my confidence in Subaru. My experience is that Subaru will stand behind its cars.

Talk to your local dealer, who may be able to fix it at no charge or at a discount.

Erik