NJ B.S. Thread

Hook up the torque app or a scangauge to it..

 

Was gonna say the same thing and Eric beat me to it. So I’ll add this - the ultraguage will read temps too and are in b/s/t pretty regularly for $50-$60. And the slightly older EM units can now be updated to MX firmware which reads trans temp. Just have to send it in for the update and it’s $10.

 

My woman has her heart set on selling her element and picking up a forester. This is the second time this month I’ve heard questionable things about Subaru.

 

the subaru 2.5i n/a engines are notorious for head gaskets

for the most part as long as it gets repaired properly using only oem parts you get a solid 100k+ miles between gasket issues

my guess is that @JLink may have an aftermarket headgasket in there, and or a thermoststat and or water pump issue


@HuneyBear69 if you want a really reliable subaru look at their vehicles with the h6 motor

 

Yeah, it's a shame. I was going to buy a 2007 Legacy Wagon earlier this year. I was in love with it. 54,000 miles for 7700. Gorgeous car. But the 2.5 scared me away.

 

Buddy at work couldn't even sell his 2006 2.5L Forrester after a new engine installed. 3 weeks in after he bought it the engine blew up. Just one thing after another and he just had it with the money pit. He's got a used older Highlander and hasn't go back to Subies ever since.

Other people have better lucks with them than another.

 

@JLink

Hi Gents,
I have a 99 and a 09 Legacy, and have had the head gaskets replaced in both. The 99 had the coolant leak while the 09 was starting to seep oil, and after the stellar results with the 99, I bit the bullet and had the 09 done as well. I would recommend a shop that specializes in this this, and has the head machined in the process. There are quite a few around, as this problem really wasn't fully resolved in the 2.5 until 2011. Jasper makes a re-engineered version if you're going the boost route.
uurx is correct that the H6 has not had this issue, however, the engine is not as good a performer as one might hope, and the cost differential is not worth it IMO.
The 99 had the full monty of water pump, idlers, belts and all but the lower bearings, for $2300. After 60k since that time it is still extremely peppy.
They are tough as nails, however, and your loved ones will walk away from astonishingly brutal impacts.
Not my favorite, but I've had a lot of fun with them, and the value is undeniable.

 

Yup our bought new Legacy (early 2000s m/y) started leaking coolant not long after the warranty was up.

 

So you probably have a head gasket leak from the exhaust side or a stuck thermostat. You can use an exhaust gas detector to see if the combustion gasses are seeping into the cooling system. Or check the thermostat. I'd check for exhaust gasses first.

What kind of head gaskets were used? Did you replace the t/stat at the time? OE or aftermarket? We've replaced so many aftermarket t/stats. They just don't work properly.

 

+1 on loved ones walking away from severe accidents in subars
pretty sure I would be dead if I had not been in a subaru on two separate occasions...

the 2.5i head gasket thing is a real bitch, but if done properly I would not shy away from these cars solely based on this issue albeit a major problem capable of leaving one stranded

i worked for subaru in the mid 2000s as a tech and though there was always a 2.5i in for head gaskets there were ten fold as many with 100-250k miles

if you really really want reliable and dont care about "newer" find yourself a 2.2l subaru

 

Or just get an SVX and call it a day.

 

Or a EJ18 if you loooooovvvvveeee to be slow!

 

LOL! NO!

 

yea I had a scan gauge in it back before the head gaskets were replaced. My wife didn’t like it and god knows where it is now.

I’ll see if I can find her scan gauge.

We haven’t had any problems with it besides this.. but this has been an on going problem for a few years and 30-40k miles.

The work was done by world Subaru in Tinton falls. It was warranty work, so I would imagine they used oem parts. Who knows though..

hers is a 2011

when it first started I replaced the thermostat with an oem Subaru one and replaced the radiator cap. When it still didn’t fix the problem I had her bring it in for warranty work. They decided there must be a crack in the radiator (....) and replaced the radiator and the thermostat and rad cap. When this still didn’t fix it I had her bring it back in and they decided it just needed a coolant flush (....) we told them we needed to drive it to Vermont the following week and we needed the problem to be fixed 100%. They told us no problem this will fix it... a week later in Vermont we had the same problem so we limped it home and took it back in. They finally looked at the head gaskets and decided one looked a little iffy, so they “replaced them” (Who knows if they really did, or if they did both) and the problem seemed to go away for a little while. Most likely it was just not driven long enough distances to have the problem present itself. Now we’re out of warranty and have just topped off the coolant when it happens and just keep driving it.

is the exhaust gas detector like a ph test strip that you dip in the coolant and compare to the colors on the bottle or something? Pretty sure we did that and it looked fine.

 

I’ll put this out here incase anyone knows of any or sees any..

I’ve been looking for a 2006/2007 land cruiser. They are the more desirable years for the 100 series, so I don’t want one older than 2006.

I drove 2 hours to pa yesterday to look at one and it got sold half an hour before I got there. 1 owner, no accidents, purchased at and serviced every 5k miles at the same dealership selling it. It was perfect.

there are about 20 in the nation on autotrader right now. Pa was the closest.

 

the next closest one is in MA, and expensive AF

https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/JTEHT05J072103571/2007-toyota-land-cruiser/

 

Anyone have a needle bearing pull tool I can rent for the day?

 

Worth a shot trying to see if advanced or pep boys has it. They'll let you borrow tools for free. just have to put a deposit and when you return the tool you get your money back.

 

Try AutoTempest..

 

Hey guys, pretty new to the site and have started the modding. It is a slippery slope. I do not have any experience with automotive wiring and want to add a couple lights/switches/maybe more. I have researched a lot on here but I am looking for a reliable place around me, Monmouth County, that is reliable and trustworthy and maybe even caters to Tacomas. Thanks