1997 Subaru Legacy Engine cooling Problems

“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. …”

“I have now replaced my Subaru 97 engine 5 times, and each time the new/used engine failed. Each engine had between 60 and 80,000 miles on it. In most of these cases, the engine blew a headgasket.”

“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.”

“1997 Subaru Legacy 2.5 l engine. 118,000 miles. Chronic overheating. Many dollars spent only to find that these cars are notorious for blowing head gaskets. Sure enough, that's the trouble.”

“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!”