mtn
MegaDork
12/20/16 10:28 p.m.
I know next to nothing on turbos, and next to nothing on boxer engines. My experience with both has been brief and never together.
I went to test drive an 05 Legacy GT wagon, automatic with 97k miles. There was a fairly loud ticking when the revs got "up", and not that high either. See the video's (clunking is me changing gear, just the actual shifter not the transmission):
Video 1
Video 2
I don't know anything about its history other than what was on carfax--and there was significant service history on carfax, but its all "75k mile service" and other vague stuff.
Dollars to donuts the head gaskets are bad and leaking and the turbo is on it's way out. There's a funky oil line that has to replaced on those as well, there was even a recall. I'd run away.
mtn
MegaDork
12/20/16 11:20 p.m.
Javelin wrote:
Dollars to donuts the head gaskets are bad and leaking and the turbo is on it's way out. There's a funky oil line that has to replaced on those as well, there was even a recall. I'd run away.
Damn. Otherwise was a good car. Back to my search for a Mazda5.
paging dave estey.. He had one and IIRC calls it a huge mistake/letdown/disappointment
NGTD
UberDork
12/21/16 11:36 a.m.
That does not sound like what a Subaru boxer should. RUN AWAY!
The oil line issue is a screen in the banjo bolt in the turbo oil feed line. Remove it. The screen gets clogged and then no oil in the turbo. Turbo pukes and dumps the results into the engine. Not Purdy.
HG's don't often go on the turbo engines unless they have been overheated.
It's such a shame that these mid-00's Legacies have really poor reliability records, because IMO they are the prettiest sedan Subaru has ever made.
Shaun
HalfDork
12/21/16 2:24 p.m.
main bearing gone. Run away.
That year had a filter in the oil feed lines to the turbos that clogs, starving everything, and killing it.
Manifests early as a failed turbo, then people replace the turbo, only to have metal bits to bad things in other parts of the engine.
I intentionally bought one with that issue as I had a spare engine and turbo to throw at it. That was maybe 7 years ago, and paid $3400 for the car knowing it was bad, put another $3k in it and drove the hell out of it for several years. Sold it with 355k miles on it for $3900 last summer.
The chassis is good, the auto transmission is good. The VF40 turbo is horrid(and was changed in later models). The engine itself is fine, but the banjo bolt filters were the cause of a lot of strife.
mtn
MegaDork
12/21/16 3:02 p.m.
Ok, so if I were to look for a Legacy, figure 05 and up, which engine and year should I be looking at? Auto only.
In reply to mtn:
The turbo engine is the same, an ej255.
Your best bet is to fine one with an engine replaced by someone you know and trust OR, find one with documented proof that the banjo bolt filters were removed early per the subaru tsb. If its made it 20k miles past that, then it should be ok.
Any car reporting a fresh turbo, or engine, make sure it's had at least 20k miles on without issue, before you buy it.
Often people have the big repair then ditch it. So make sure you avoid those unless you know the person that did the work and they are familiar with the issues with this model. A good subaru tech can fix the issue with little issue, but they must be thorough.
The other option is to look for a non turbo car, if that is the case, confirm head gaskets are good before making the purchase.
mtn
MegaDork
12/21/16 3:25 p.m.
sachilles wrote:
In reply to mtn:
The turbo engine is the same, an ej255.
Your best bet is to fine one with an engine replaced by someone you know and trust OR, find one with documented proof that the banjo bolt filters were removed early per the subaru tsb. If its made it 20k miles past that, then it should be ok.
Any car reporting a fresh turbo, or engine, make sure it's had at least 20k miles on without issue, before you buy it.
Often people have the big repair then ditch it. So make sure you avoid those unless you know the person that did the work and they are familiar with the issues with this model. A good subaru tech can fix the issue with little issue, but they must be thorough.
The other option is to look for a non turbo car, if that is the case, confirm head gaskets are good before making the purchase.
So the easy button is non-turbo and head gaskets. Head gaskets are a kind of annoying job on this engine, aren't they?
Bah, I'm thinking about giving up on the Subaru plan. I just wish they didn't drive so well.
In reply to mtn:
No, the easy button is being a vulture and knowing where the problems are. They can be very good cars, but the smart money it to buy a dead one and revive it on the cheap. Most people don't have the time/energy to deal with it.
mtn
MegaDork
12/21/16 3:34 p.m.
sachilles wrote:
In reply to mtn:
No, the easy button is being a vulture and knowing where the problems are. They can be very good cars, but the smart money it to buy a dead one and revive it on the cheap. Most people don't have the time/energy to deal with it.
I don't have the time. Not the energy. How about that?
In reply to mtn:
Then I would skip them all together until at least 2008.
That noise is not normal at all. Most of these engines are dying silent deaths, that one is at least trying to warn you. Those engines don't really have many issues. It's just that the few they do have are all engine killers. Cracked ring lands, plugged banjo filters, cracked oil pick ups, fragile turbos. I love my Legacy GT wagon but I'll never forgive Subaru for the dumb E36 M3 that ruined it. Be very careful about being tempted by a fixer upper. Parts and machine work are expensive, factory replacements are just as flawed as the original parts. High failure rates on rebuilds. You can build a reliable one, but it will take a good mix of money, careful planning, and luck.
I know of someone with one, it died just out of warranty...
