Seems like the 2.5s have the most trouble. The early WRX’s (2.0) seem to be more reliable. Mine keeps trucking along at 172k but it has had the headgaskets done.
Seems like the 2.5s have the most trouble. The early WRX’s (2.0) seem to be more reliable. Mine keeps trucking along at 172k but it has had the headgaskets done.
Well, timing on this thread is about perfect for me, as I was eyeing a used Forester for my daughter’s first car. The alternatives (Fit, Civic, Corolla, ... ) are looking better now.
Why does it seem to me that the anecdotal evidence regarding Subaru’s are that they’re either high-mileage superstars and just keep on going -OR- they’re complete junk and become ticking time-bombs after 100,000 miles?
Run_Away said:It fascinates me that they have such a large following and relatively good reputation when so many have major issues.
grover said:this is so odd, I've always hear they were reliable. Would have never guessed
Shows how powerful proper marketing can be.
I've heard of few reports of issues on the 2.0 WRX related to the motor blowing up that didn't involve people just going nuts with boost.
I've had two friends that I know of blow up STI motors while running them completely stock. The first has a 2004 that went around 55k miles. He is one of our elder statesmen autocrossers and maintained the car religiously running it in stock class. Granted the car was I think around 12 years old at the time.
My other friend used his 2008 STI as a daily and it blew up around 80k miles I think in 2015. Just started making rocks in a coffee can noises one day and that was that. He dumped it and got an Audi S4.
The naturally aspirated 2.5 has earned it's reputation for trouble overall, we're far past the anecdotal evidence point. The 2.2 never seems to have an issue, but it makes nothing for power. My cousin swapped a later 2.5 into a first gen Outback and I ended up buying it off him on the cheap. The thing drank a quart of oil every fill up, but it kept going until my wife put a tree mark on the side. Then it still kept going after I had the side pulled out. Still sold it for $900.
I had a 3.0 H6 Outback and that car just rusted out from under me. The engine was terrific and never gave me a problem though. If I was more inclined to futz with motors that one would have been a sweet one for a swap into a number of things.
Anyone have info on the newer 2.0? I think the f20 or something. Do they hold up okay? I’m 10k miles deep into ownership of a 2018 crosstrek. Anything to look out for?
In reply to spandak :
I haven't heard of much for issues on newer FA / FB motors in NA form. A friend had the turbo version in a newer WRX munch the rod bearings a little before 60k though (car was bone stock and properly maintained). No problems until one day it started knocking.
Harvey said:The 2.2 never seems to have an issue, but it makes nothing for power.
And the 2.5L does? I have one in my Baja, and it's an absolute dog.
My Subaru history:
2.5l DOHC - head gasket internal leak at 115k km, fixed
- rod knock at 145k km
- replace with junkyard motor with 80k km that immediately burned oil at 1l/500km. Traded car.
-2.2l NA - trouble free for 60k km, but rear main seal was leaking when engine swapped for JDM EJ20K.
2.0l V3 turbo - head gasket internal leak at 100k km, fixed
- timing belt jumped teeth after rolling backward about 6 ft on a slight incline, bent valves at 115k km, fixed
- rod knock within 500km due to failed rebuild, either gunk in an oil galley or issue with injector harness,
- rebuild with new pistons, no problems now at 145k km. (30k trouble free km, yippee!, oil gets changed every 5k km)
NickD said:Harvey said:The 2.2 never seems to have an issue, but it makes nothing for power.
And the 2.5L does? I have one in my Baja, and it's an absolute dog.
This is true. I think my cousin swapped in the 2.5 just for the heck of it. He would have been better off leaving the 2.2 in the car.
Wayslow said:I think you’re supposed to fix it then shut up about it and continue to tell everyone how trouble free and reliable it is. The same thing goes for Volvos.
And Hondas. I have a friend that has all sorts of problems with the axles in his Civic si with a JDM engine and transmission. He forgives the Honda and puts down most other cars. He also had a Legacy need an early rebuild.
If any of y'all want a 3.0 6 cylinder I have a friend that was going to put it in a Vans RV-10 home built airplane. One of the things in this life that I am most proud of is that I convinced him to install a Lycoming O-540 instead.
Appleseed said:I've never heard of the NA 2.2 having these problems. Or is that just a dirty little secret no one talks about?
I bought a very cheap ‘98 Impreza in 2009 that had about a buck fifty on the odo , and no oil on the dipstick. It had an EJ22 in it that ran fine. I changed the oil and it had maybe 2 quarts in it. With 5 quarts of fresh stuff it ran like a clock.
I usually just take the heads off and for $170 the machine shop (that see's multiple sets of Subaru heads every week) hands them back to me looking brand new. I don't even bother cleaning them anymore... just let them sit upright for the night so they drain and hand them over.
I've owned about 50 Subie's in the last 10+ years so I'm partial to them. They've made mechanics, dealers and car flippers lots of $.
The highest mileage Subie I've owned was a 2.5L '02 Forester with 304,000 miles. My Dad is daily driving a '05 with 288,000 on it that he bought new. I did the HG's at about 170,000.
The 2.5RS Impreza's were the most fun to RallyX (had 2 of those).
Keep them runnin'!
In reply to fornetti14 :
What do you get for $170 at the machine shop? Is that just decking them or does that include a valve job? My estimate was about $350 for cleaning, testing, decking, and a complete valve job.
Appleseed said:I've never heard of the NA 2.2 having these problems. Or is that just a dirty little secret no one talks about?
Actually I thought this was a well known thing in the Subaru world. I seem to remember 15 or so years ago everybody talked about the closed deck 2.2s being the strongest engine to start a build with.
This seems to be a common thing. We have SO many leaky headgasket rust bucket Subaru's barely running but used as DD's around here.
Duke said:Appleseed said:I've never heard of the NA 2.2 having these problems. Or is that just a dirty little secret no one talks about?
I bought a very cheap ‘98 Impreza in 2009 that had about a buck fifty on the odo , and no oil on the dipstick. It had an EJ22 in it that ran fine. I changed the oil and it had maybe 2 quarts in it. With 5 quarts of fresh stuff it ran like a clock.
I had a 96 Legacy Brighton Wagon 5mt with the EJ22 in it. That motor liked to leak oil and I wasn't as good as I should've been checking it. At about 2 quarts low the hydraulic lifters would stop lifting so well and the knock sensor would kick in and pull timing with all the extra noise. I panicked the first time it happened but topped it up and 50km later all was normal, I'm not sure how many times that happened but the thing ran fine as the body finally rotted away around it.
I've done headgaskets on an EJ251 since (04 Legacy, just weeping, car ran fine when it rotted out) and I've spun a rod bearing in an EJ253 that also consumed oil (245,000km) in my current 07 Legacy which was replaced by a junkyard motor out of an 08 impreza (255,000km) which is just peachy. Still enjoy driving the car and I don't have a lot in it.
Adam
spandak said:Anyone have info on the newer 2.0? I think the f20 or something. Do they hold up okay? I’m 10k miles deep into ownership of a 2018 crosstrek. Anything to look out for?
So far, the aftermarket doesn't have a concise response on how "good" the F-series "world" engine is. I CAN say however, is that it's impressive the Subaru Ascent can get 300HP OEM out of the tiny thing, and some tuners for the F-RS and BRZ state the engine is weaker than the EJ20 it's meant to replace in the WRX.
I'm not too sure why everyone's worrying about single examples of cars failing; people here race, and some cars are just built 'better'. Nebulous, but my family has owned hordes of Subies with no issues- and 3 have saved our lives. I'm not a Pleadies man until I die, but I'd put my love for Subaru up there.
If you love the car you'll always find a way to keep it running. If you don't then it'll probably go to a scrapyard or to someone that treats it like scrap. I don't have the love for new Subarus but I definitely love my old Forester and plan on keeping it going indefinitely.
After 7 2.5 motored cars doing my first head gasket. Not exactly fun but not terrible either. As long as I can find rust free ones I will keep driving them. They have been pretty good to us, and its almost like an old air cooled VW. IMHO the motor is what VW should have developed for the beetle.
That's exactly why when i did the clutch and timing belt in my wife old forester we closed our eye to all the other E36 M3 wrong with it. It made it another 120,000 before the head gaskets let go... 240,000 on it.
pilotbraden said:If any of y'all want a 3.0 6 cylinder I have a friend that was going to put it in a Vans RV-10 home built airplane. One of the things in this life that I am most proud of is that I convinced him to install a Lycoming O-540 instead.
The Lycoming will be cheaper in tne long run.
Anecdotally, 8/9 of my Subarus have been great (including my current 220k Outback that I paid $550 for).
But, yeah, they do that...
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