Looking at a 2007 subaru impreza wagon tonight

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,149
Location
Brickerville, PA
I'm going to look at the car mention above tonight. Its an 07 5spd car with 100,000 miles on it. Are there any known issues I should be looking for? Is the 2.5 in this car one of the engines that had head gasket issues? If so, was there an update to the head gasket design that fixed this? And I imagine these engines use a timing belt instead of chain, correct? What's the replacement interval for those?
 
Subaru "fixed" the issue around 2000/2001- but it continued to pop up until the end of the engine. I think most of it is internet amplification. If it's not leaking coolant or oil from the head gasket I think you are going to be okay.

Interval on the timing belt is 105000 miles - so you are definitely due. My guess is that is why they are getting rid of the car. It's an expense, for sure. With Subuaru, from what I have heard, it's not the belt that goes bad but an idler, tensioner or waterpump pulley. You will definitely want to change the t-belt.
 
Luckily doing the timing belt job on an EJ25 isn't that big of a deal. Everything's right up front and somewhat high. The Gates kit I used on mine was all OEM-branded idlers, tensioner and obviously a Gates-made belt, but skip the kit that comes with the Chinese-made water pump.

As mentioned above, head gaskets might be a problem. But valve cover gaskets WILL be a problem!
 
check radiator hoses and the drive belts, at 8 years they are definitely aged. along with the timing belt is a must-do right now, dont wait until 105k. use it as a neg. point of they havent ($800 off)
 
I knew about the valve cover gaskets leaking being an issue, but I think these require periodic valve adjustments anyways don't they? I'm a diesel mechanic for a living, so maintnance type issues aren't a big deal, I just didnt want to have to do something major like head gaskets right away. Going through a divorce, move, and bankruptcy all at the same time, so my plate is kinda full right now
frown.gif
. trying to take care of the car situation before the bankruptcy gets filed and it becomes [censored] near impossible to get anything
 
See if you can get a history of the transmission repair and look for any sign of fuel system problems, as surveys of a thousand Impreza 2007s were showing trans & fuel problems too high.
CtjogJO.jpg
 
I maintain my step-son's 2006 Saab 9-2x Linear, which is basically a Subaru Impreza wagon. The manual calls for timing belt replacement at 105k, but as others have suggested it's a good idea to do it sooner. It's an interference engine so obviously you don't want that belt to break. You can get a Gates kit that includes the belt, pulleys, tensioner, and water pump for $200 at Amazon. It also helps to have a special tool to remove the crank pulley: http://www.amazon.com/Subaru-Crank-Pulley-Tool-C23-503/dp/B009ZDCQX2

If you buy the car, the forums on this website are very helpful: http://forums.nasioc.com/
 
I have a '02 Forester with a similar 2.5L SOHC N/A engine (just a few years older of course) but with an automatic transmission. I've never had actual valve cover leaks but did have spark plug seals harden to the point that oil was getting in. I did not find that to be hard to replace. Did that something like 4 years ago at 100K miles or so.

I'd think of the need to replace head gaskets on EJ25 engines as a question of when not if. So worth preparing for financially (and mentally). To me, it was worth doing. To some it may be a reason not to buy the vehicle in the first place. One of the key things that Subaru of America recommends doing to prevent the HG problem is using only OEM long life coolant with OEM coolant conditioner whenever the service interval is reached.

As to timing belt, it is an expensive service if you choose to replace all idlers, water pump and thermostat. May as well use the best. If you choose not to use Subaru components, I'd recommend Gates for everything but the pump. (I bought Gates TCK304 which had belt, all idlers and the tensioner - might work for you too.) Aisin pump is perhaps the best aftermarket option for the 2.5L engine. It comes with the gasket.
 
The head gaskets can fail in several ways. In two Subarus that I've owned and maintained, they failed in such a way that oil was leaking externally, and coolant was leaking internally and being burned off in the cylinders. As long as the oil and coolant aren't mixing, you can drive the cars a long way like that. Just keep the coolant topped off.

Pulling the engine to do the head gaskets is not all that hard compared to other makes and models I've worked on. If you do go down that road, be sure to use Six Star brand head gaskets - according to the Subaru forums, those are the best for this application.

The timing belt/water pump job is easy, and the Gates kit has everything you will need, as others have indicated.
 
At some point Subaru used updated head gaskets but I believe after 2007. If TB is not done I would figure that cost. If they said it was done I would ask for documentation to know if the other components were also changed. Supposedly it isnt the TB that fails but the other components.

Edit: I might be wrong on this, I cant find a reference though later year models 2009 and later Foresters have almost no head gasket issues show up on the forums.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Nate1979
At some point Subaru used updated head gaskets but I believe after 2007. If TB is not done I would figure that cost. If they said it was done I would ask for documentation to know if the other components were also changed. Supposedly it isnt the TB that fails but the other components.

Edit: I might be wrong on this, I cant find a reference though later year models 2009 and later Foresters have almost no head gasket issues show up on the forums.


Makes sense, as lots of people must have been getting head gasket failures in 2006, leading to dragging down the survey, and then 2007+ its actually rare to have any major engine issues.
 
Originally Posted By: Mike242GT
The head gaskets can fail in several ways. In two Subarus that I've owned and maintained, they failed in such a way that oil was leaking externally, and coolant was leaking internally and being burned off in the cylinders. As long as the oil and coolant aren't mixing, you can drive the cars a long way like that. Just keep the coolant topped off..


That's been our experience as well. Several modes of HG failure. We've had it as simple as exhaust gasses bubbling in the cooling system, or external only leakage. We did have one burning coolant in the cylinders at a rather alarming rate. You don't want to burn coolant as the components in the coolant will eventually sour the catalyst in the catalytic converters.

FWIW, most of these vehicles were purchased by a family member on the cheap, knowing the HGs were shot. He got pretty good at DIY repairing these. At one point, he could have the whole engine out of the car in 45min. Not my cup of tea by any means.
 
Thank you guys. I might just avoid this car then, as I'm not gonna have the money to do any major repairs right away, and I'm sure with my luck, head gaskets will go a few months after purchase. I wondered if it would be easier to just yank the engine to do them.
 
On the non-turbo's it seems more common for the perimeter of the head gasket to leak oil down the on bottom of the engine, since there are two large oil passages on the bottom of the engine.

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/atta...gasket-head.jpg

On the turbo models, it seems more common for the head gasket to give out closer to the cylinder, and combustion chamber gasses will get into the cooling system, resulting in bubbles in the coolant overflow tank.

Other tips from what I've read over the years, if you get the car. Avoid gates water pumps, go oem for water pumps. Same with the timing belt tensioner, go oem.

*One more thing after re-reading your post. A lot of people do find that it is easier to pull the engine to do the head gaskets. Especially if you're also going to do the timing belt too, or the valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals. There is very, very little room to get the valve covers off with the engine in the car. Someone over at legacygt.com suggested unbolting one of the motor mounts and jacking up the engine very slightly, which should help, but I have not tried.
 
Originally Posted By: afoulk
Thank you guys. I might just avoid this car then, as I'm not gonna have the money to do any major repairs right away, and I'm sure with my luck, head gaskets will go a few months after purchase. I wondered if it would be easier to just yank the engine to do them.


No matter what you buy, the potential to have to throw some money into an ~8yr/old car is always going to be there.

I hear you though, you could soften the blow by getting a vehicle w/out a timing belt, low potential for HG issues and no AWD. Something basic and cheap like a Chevy Cobalt, Dodge Avenger, etc.. Used Hondas and Toyotas have to be REALLY used before they're a bargain.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top