1997 Subaru Legacy

I AM SURE YOU HAVE RECEIVED OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE 2.5L ENGINE IN 1997 SUBARU LEGACY GT'S. THE HEAD GASKETS ARE VERY WEAK, WHICH WHEN THEY BLOW, CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF POWER DUE TO A RUSH OF COOLANT FLOWING INTO THE SYSTEM, WHICH KILLS THE ENGINE. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY WIDESPREAD, AND SUBARU DOES NOT ADMIT ANYTHING. HOWEVER, IN CANADA, SUBARU WAS SUED FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING ERRATIC FAILURE WITH THESE HEAD GASKETS, AND THERE ISN'T EVEN A TSB ON THEM. PLEASE, HELP US!

I WAS OUT DRIVING ON A SUNNY SUNDAY WITH A COUPLE OF FRIENDS TO SEE THE FALL COLOR, AND WITHOUT WARNING MY CAR OVERHEATED. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC TO HAVE FIND OUT WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM AND HE SAID IT WAS A "BLOWN HEAD GASKET". I HAVE NOT HAD THE REPAIRS DONE YET BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO PUT IN A NEW ENGINE OR JUST REPAIR THE OLD ONE. THE COST IS GOING TO BE IN EXCESS OF $1500 DOLLARS EITHER OPTION AND AFTER DOING A BIT OF RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE WEBSITES OUT THERE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFERING THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS PROBLEM ONLY SEEMS TO EFFECT A CERTAIN NUMBER OF YEAR MODELS AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SUBARU DO SOMETHING TO HELP ALERT THOSE WHO WILL POTENTIALLY BE BUYING THESE VEHICLES WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT THEY ARE BUYING INTO. *TR

SUDDEN OVERHEATING OCCURRING MOSTLY ABOVE 60 KM/H SYMPTOMS INCLUDED LARGE POCKETS OF AIR IN COOLING SYSTEM AS WELL AS SMALL BUBBLES. FIRST THOUGHT BY MECHANIC WAS HEAD GASKET, HOWEVER TESTS ON COOLANT SHOWED OTHERWISE. SMALL LEAK FOUND IN WATER PUMP GASKET, REPLACED ENTIRE PUMP AND GASKET, AS WELL AS THERMOSTAT, BELTS, HOSES, ETC. CURRENT RESEARCH HAS PROVEN THAT YEARS 1997 THROUGH 2002 ALL DO THIS AS A RESULT OF A DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSES THE HEAD GASKET TO FAIL. *JB

PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE BLOWING HEAD GASKETS.*MR WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THE TAIL PIPE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SUBARU DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. COOLANT AND OIL SPRAYED ALL OVER THE ENGINE AND IGNITED A SMALL FIRE ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, BUT IT EXTINGUISHED ITSELF. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO HER LOCAL DEALER. SHE OBTAINED TWO OPINIONS AND THEY BOTH SAID THE SAME THING. EXTREME COOLANT LOSS BUT NO EVIDENCE OF A LEAK. IT APPEARED WITHOUT TAKING THE ENGINE APART TO BE A FACTORY DEFECT. IT'S EITHER A DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET, CASTING FLAW IN THE METAL OR A HEAD THAT WASN'T TORQUED PROPERLY. CONSUMER WOULD LIKE SUBARU TO COVER THE ENTIRE COST A OF A ENGINE (INCLUDING LABOR), REIMBURSEMENT FOR AIR FLOW AND FILTER REPLACEMENT, REIMBURSEMENT FOR TOWING, COST OF A RENTAL CAR, AND MECHANIC'S VEHICLE CHECK FOR A TOTAL OF $1976.16 DOLLARS. *PH

THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING OIL FROM THE REAR SEPARATOR PLATE AND OIL PUMP SEAL. *AK THIS CAUSED COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SMOKE TO BILLOW OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND OUT THE FRONT WHEEL WELLS WHEN STOPPED AFTER DRIVING SEVERAL MILES. TOOK SEVERAL MINUTES FOR THE SMOKE TO SUBSIDE. CONSUMER QUESTIONED WHETHER THERE WERE ANY FINES FOR THIS FAILURE. HE HEARD SUBARU MADE CHANGES TO THE NEWER MODEL LEGACY. CONSUMER LEARNED OF TWO OTHER SUBARU OWNER'S THAT EXPERIENCE THE SAME DEFECT. *PH *NLM