Faults:

Overheating

General Comments:

Car overheats, changed everything just like everyone else, but seems that everyone thinks it's the head gasket, but I checked and it's not the head gasket.

My conclusion is that it's the design of the water pump and timing belt.

All the cars I've had, have the water pump pulley with teeth in it, and the timing belt can grab it to turn it.

This Subaru has a smooth pulley, and the back of the belt turns it. When the belt rubber starts to harden, it can't turn it at full speed and causes the car to overheat.

New timing belt has better grip and helps a lot, but soon the rubber isn't as good, like after 3 months, and then you need to replace the belt again.

I've been doing this over and over and over, and the only way I can stop the overheating is to replace the belt. Then I am good for 3 months.

Also replaced the timing belt tensioner, but that wasn't the problem. It's the belt slipping that is the overheating problem, at least for me.

I've tried belt dressing, and it doesn't help, only a new belt every 3 months. At least it's not too hard to replace the belts on this car.

Faults:

Car had blown head gaskets.

Leaking power steering pump.

Leaking oil pump.

Bad CV joint axle and bearing.

Leaking O-ring on transmission.

Leaking radiator.

Leaking valve cover gaskets.

General Comments:

I appears that I purchased possibly the worst model year of Subaru.

All the above problems were fixed by a shop while traveling across country... and it came with a warranty, the problem is I live 1400 miles away.

The shop stripped one of the head bolts, and now the right side head is blown again. Cost about $900, assuming the left side is OK.

Question, I have $8000 in this car and I own a 1995 Legacy Wagon... reportedly the best model year for Subaru (recently blown head gasket was my fault)... Should I cut my losses on the 98 and concentrate efforts on the 95?

Faults:

Bought car second hand from a lady who changed the oil every 3,000 mile. Always took it to the dealer to have work done. She even had all the receipts for me.

The car did have a shimmy. I had the front end worked on; they changed the CVs, they said the axle was a bit loose on driver side. It only does it between 20 and 30 miles an hour.

The car looks really good; all leather, moon roof and sun roof, rubber mat in the rear and retractable cover.

Not knowing any one that I could trust, I took it to Easy Lube, which I had taken all my cars to before, and my mother's also. They said I needed to have the radiator flushed - OK, I did, but the guy didn't know about the breather screw on the top side of the radiator, and it over heated after about 30 miles. That was Dec 3 2007.

Since then I have been driving with just water in the radiator, no thermostat, but I did try liquid glass, then tried K&W Nanotechnology on Oct 20 20, 08. It worked great until I tried to put antifreeze back in the radiator. I had to start putting more water everyday. The water always smells like exhaust.

It started missing. I took it to an AAA auto repair place, and they told me 3,500 to repair the blown head gasket. I have a code reader and it said it was no 1 cylinder was bad. I changed the spark plugs, which took forever because they are not easy to get to, but I did it and it runs much better. I'm going to put more nanotec in it and hope for the best.

I did also have a new timing belt put on at 164,000, and of course a new water, since that another sweet job.

Then on March 20, 2009 another mechanic told me that Subaru knew the whole time about head gaskets, and they put stop leak in the radiator as a conditioner, and I should just drive til it falls apart, it has been 15 months. I just check the water in morning before I leave; sometimes it even has pressure.

I've owned a 82 Subaru station wagon (new), put 160,000 miles before rolling it in southern Mexico, then an 84 Brat. I love Subaru.. It's the no. 1 car in Alaska where I lived 12 years. That's all.

General Comments:

I love my car, but the cup holder covers the radio. You can't see the stations.

I do love the way the seat goes up 2 inches and my seats heat up, sweet when it's cold.