Brave Pill 2004 Outback 3 point 0
Discussion
Having never owned a Japanese vehicle of any flavour, and after reading about how reliable they are, it seemed to be, for a few hundred quid, worth a go.
144k miles, a lot of paperwork with questionable service history, absolutely f
king reeks of dog, a power steering whine that is deafening to the point of needing ear plugs, a towbar that is barely hanging on, possible a knackered battery or alternator, feels like you are driving on gravel, and after getting it home, coolant bottle almost empty.
Had various coolant pipes etc replaced in 2022, alarm and airbag recalls done, various pulleys and belt replaced 18 months ago
Gearbox seems to be very smooth, and the engine is indeed, peachy.
Bought some genuine coolant and topped it up, checked the oil and isn't milky so hopefully not a head gasket but it's now currently sat at the local specialist for the once over and the now waiting for the list of disasters that need sorting.
God help me.
Will get some pics up when/if it makes it back to the driveway.
144k miles, a lot of paperwork with questionable service history, absolutely f
king reeks of dog, a power steering whine that is deafening to the point of needing ear plugs, a towbar that is barely hanging on, possible a knackered battery or alternator, feels like you are driving on gravel, and after getting it home, coolant bottle almost empty.Had various coolant pipes etc replaced in 2022, alarm and airbag recalls done, various pulleys and belt replaced 18 months ago
Gearbox seems to be very smooth, and the engine is indeed, peachy.
Bought some genuine coolant and topped it up, checked the oil and isn't milky so hopefully not a head gasket but it's now currently sat at the local specialist for the once over and the now waiting for the list of disasters that need sorting.
God help me.
Will get some pics up when/if it makes it back to the driveway.
Before you spend any money it, keep a keen eye on the coolant level.
Altough the 6 cilinder has a reputation of being very bombproof, more and more cars from this era suffer from HG failure.
The symptoms are:
- full overflow bottle after a 30 min drive
- after which the coolant will be sucked back into the rad and showing a low level
In many cases, the 'normal' HG-tests will not show any damage and people will start with replacing rad cap, thermostat, all sorts of hoses etc, but in the end, it's the HG...
Altough the 6 cilinder has a reputation of being very bombproof, more and more cars from this era suffer from HG failure.
The symptoms are:
- full overflow bottle after a 30 min drive
- after which the coolant will be sucked back into the rad and showing a low level
In many cases, the 'normal' HG-tests will not show any damage and people will start with replacing rad cap, thermostat, all sorts of hoses etc, but in the end, it's the HG...
The 3.0 will almost never mix coolant and oil, the coolant-system will get pressurised causing the tank to overfill/overflow and spilling coolant.
If it's a HG, the expansion tank will be completely filled.
If everything is ok, the coolant will rise, but nowhere near the top of the expansion tank.
If it's a HG, the expansion tank will be completely filled.
If everything is ok, the coolant will rise, but nowhere near the top of the expansion tank.
MDMA . said:
Saloon or Tourer? I have a few bits left over from my Legacy Tourer if you want them (genuine boot liner, retractable parcel shelf etc).
It s a tourer and it came with those already, along with a genuine dog guard!So I ll pass but thanks for the offer, that s very kind of you.
Heard back from the garage and they suggested replacing the steering pump for £300 rather than mess about with the seals etc and everything else seems to be in order which is all good!
The steering pump will be fine. It's the hose and O-ring on top of the pump that will need replacing.
Almost every Legacy/Outback from this gen suffers from this. The hose gets hard and so does the O-ring. There won't be a visible leak, but the system sucks in air causing the whine.
I've had 2 cars from this gen, both has suffered from the same problem, both at around 140 000K miles. Both were cured with a new OEM hose and ring.
Almost every Legacy/Outback from this gen suffers from this. The hose gets hard and so does the O-ring. There won't be a visible leak, but the system sucks in air causing the whine.
I've had 2 cars from this gen, both has suffered from the same problem, both at around 140 000K miles. Both were cured with a new OEM hose and ring.
119 said:
MDMA . said:
Saloon or Tourer? I have a few bits left over from my Legacy Tourer if you want them (genuine boot liner, retractable parcel shelf etc).
It s a tourer and it came with those already, along with a genuine dog guard!So I ll pass but thanks for the offer, that s very kind of you.
Heard back from the garage and they suggested replacing the steering pump for £300 rather than mess about with the seals etc and everything else seems to be in order which is all good!
Bushes and drop links are consumables, rear Y section rots, sunroofs jam sometimes, so keep that clean and greased, and make sure it has 4 decent matching tyres fitted.
Great cars, manically thirsty for the performance on offer - but there is little else like it.
I had a series of 2.5 and 3.0 Outbacks, all were brilliant.
They eat CV joints on the front though - but it's not too bad of a job to do.
As others have said, rust and neglect will be the biggest issues.
I had a series of 2.5 and 3.0 Outbacks, all were brilliant.
They eat CV joints on the front though - but it's not too bad of a job to do.
As others have said, rust and neglect will be the biggest issues.
Does anyone have any expertise of the tow bars on these?
It’s got a fixed Witter unit and I asked them to have a look at removing it and they have come back and said it’s part of the impact bar on the back end and would take about two hours to remove it?
I did have a look at it initially and it does seem to curl underneath and then seems to disappear behind the rear under guard?
It’s got a fixed Witter unit and I asked them to have a look at removing it and they have come back and said it’s part of the impact bar on the back end and would take about two hours to remove it?
I did have a look at it initially and it does seem to curl underneath and then seems to disappear behind the rear under guard?
119 said:
Does anyone have any expertise of the tow bars on these?
It s got a fixed Witter unit and I asked them to have a look at removing it and they have come back and said it s part of the impact bar on the back end and would take about two hours to remove it?
I did have a look at it initially and it does seem to curl underneath and then seems to disappear behind the rear under guard?
The last one I had did have a removeable tow bar IIRC, and it was a bit of a swine.It s got a fixed Witter unit and I asked them to have a look at removing it and they have come back and said it s part of the impact bar on the back end and would take about two hours to remove it?
I did have a look at it initially and it does seem to curl underneath and then seems to disappear behind the rear under guard?
Got any pics?
119 said:
Does anyone have any expertise of the tow bars on these?
It s got a fixed Witter unit and I asked them to have a look at removing it and they have come back and said it s part of the impact bar on the back end and would take about two hours to remove it?
I did have a look at it initially and it does seem to curl underneath and then seems to disappear behind the rear under guard?
ueah I had one,It s got a fixed Witter unit and I asked them to have a look at removing it and they have come back and said it s part of the impact bar on the back end and would take about two hours to remove it?
I did have a look at it initially and it does seem to curl underneath and then seems to disappear behind the rear under guard?
basically you remove the impact bar and the towbar comes built onto a replacement
if you just want it gone for good then just get them to angle grind if off so your left with effectively just the impact bar
will need bumper off though
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