Buyers Guide // Newbie // 3.0 spec B

[FlyBoyHigh]

Hi there mates. My name is Zhan Gradev and i am currently looking to buy my own subbie and become a proud member of the club. I am looking at subaru legacy 3.0 spec B 2004-2009. I prefer the facelift but its not a priority.

I am creating this topic in order to get as much knowladge as possible from the more experienced. So my questions are:

1. What should i look for when buying one of those?

2.Any weak points that i should address?

3.Whats the first thing to do after getting it? (besides changing oil and filters)

4.What would you say about the engine? ( i heard that the 2.5 turbo engine has a big flaw, mainly headgasket failure.)

5. Is the suspension durable?

Well, thats about it. Any advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks in advance guys!

Zhan

[Judd]

The 3.0 litre is a flat 6 engine, very little in the way of head gasket issues, and best of all chain driven camshafts.

General rules of car buying apply, find the best cared for example you can, they need fresh engine oil every year and they do need fresh coolant now and again, make sure the service history and MOT history compliment each other, many Subaru owners self service their own cars once out of warranty so don't necessarily expect a full Subaru £££ SH, but a conversation with the owner will soon tell you if the owner was capable and bothered about proper maintenance.

The brakes, like all cars but particularly Japanese need to be serviced correctly at least every other year, that doesn't mean peering at them through the wheel and squirting brake cleaner in their general direction either, it means full strip clean inspect and lube up.

Corrosion weak spot is the rear subframe, check this carefully, cars that have spent their lives in Scotland or the far north will have seen more salt than those in the south, but given how the online MOT history no longer states the MOT station address this is difficult to pinpoint if vehicles are transported south for sale, SH if present should help here.

Suspension is reasonably robust but if abused and/or neglected will suffer like any other car.

Check the front inner driveshaft boots, these sit just above the Cats on H6's and can perish and split open, they can be seen from above if you look with a torch, luckily they are a doddle to replace, boots that is.

The engine is strong, on tickover it should purr smoothly and you should be able to balance a coin on top, if it shudders or rocks at all something is amiss, this applies especially to cars which have been LPG converted and owners haven't bothered to maintain the flashlube level and valve seats may have suffered.

What would i do upon purchase? same as i do all my cars go right through it, full normal service including changing all transmission oils, coolant change, full brake strip out and service and fluid change, remember the parking brake is of the drum inside disc design, so the rear disc/drums have to come off to inspect clean and lube up the parking brake mechanism, then wash the underbody fully once the winter is over and fully rustproof it.

If it needs spark plugs, well all i can say is enjoy the experience 🙂, any skin that once covered your knuckles wrists and lower arms will have been removed by the time you have got those in and out, and you will need all sorts of plug sockets drives and extensions as you try to get them in and out in the confined space between the engine and chassis rails.

[FlyBoyHigh]

Thank you so much for the detailed response! I have one more question. What if i am looking at a car that is LPG converted? What should i check for?

[Judd]

Any Japanese car that has an LPG conversion really needs a flashlube system, it a system whereby a light oil is fed into the inlet to 'lube' the valves which helps keep the combustion damage to the valves and seats at a minimum, LPG is a hotter burn than petrol and Japanese cars tend to have softer valve seats than say the typical German car.

I've had two converted, an H6 Outback (same engine as what you  are looking for but probably lower tune) and the present Forester XT, the H6 had an electronic lube system that injects into the inlet manifold close as possible to the valves, the Forester has something i haven't seen before and that is pressurised flashlube feed that injects straight into the flowing gas.

All good LPG installers will suggest an electronic flashlube system on Subarus, German cars can get away with a simple and cheaper vacuum feed, not the Scoobies, so make sure the system has a proper electronic or pressurised system not one that is vacuum feed, obvious with vacuum feed, its basically a bottle of oil with a single pipe leading away down to the engine, no wires no flashy light on it to tell you its working.

The big problem buying used LPG is that you don't know how its been cared for, ie we went and looked at an LPG converted Outback a few years ago, the flashlube bottle was empty when we arrived, now how long had that been the case, and the engine was definately missing so chances are valve seat recession was the problem which would cost serious money to put right, ie both heads off new valves and new valve seats at the very least, and that's if it hasn't started to burn a piston.

As i mentioned in the previous post, these 6 cyl boxer engines run silky smooth, any sign of lumpiness or hesitation summat is up.

So, try to find a car that has done as few miles as possible since conversion and preferably one where the original converter is still in business, because not all installers/converters will work on all systems, also you want one where the owner has a clue what they are doing and has kept the system serviced and the flashlube topped up, so be very careful who you buy from, a fastidious mature previous owner who had the car converted and used it themselves is the best bet.

They need top quality spark plugs, iridium or platinum not cheap, but once fitted they tend to last a very long time, 5 years or more, engine oil stays clean for ages because LPG is a very green fuel though the govt thieves only see fit to give you about a £15 a year discount for using one of the most environmentally efficient fuels out there, which goes to show their green policies are all hogwash.

Best to have a chat and spend a bit of time with someone who already has an LPG car, so you see how they start on petrol and switch over to gas when a pre set temperature has been reached, most of the tiny switch/level displays work the same but it's useful to see one working so you know that the car you are looking at the LPG system genuinely works and the car runs smoothly on both fuels.

Its also advisable to run on petrol only every now and then, to keep the two systems running well.

Some systems run on part gas part petrol depending on engine load, on our Forester under full power the system allows part petrol mix through, that wasn't necessary on the H6 but is on the Forester.

Make sure the car is registered on the LPG online system, which means its been converted by an approved installer and ideally you want the receipt for the system installation, most insurance companies are quite happy if your car features on the system, if not they will want to see the certificate of installation and if not registered online then it's probably an old system, and the gas tank is supposed to be recertified at 10 years anyway, though i doubt many are so done.

The tank will more than likely be a toroidal unit sitting in the spare wheel well, sometimes on saloons people have a larger cylinder tank in the boot, i have such on my old Merc coupe, with the toroidal tanks they don't have a massive capacity and 200/225 miles is about as much as you'll get out of a tankful, and make sure the car still has a spare wheel!

Presumably you have good lpg supplies in you area, if unsure then https://www.filllpg.co.uk/?page=home.php

is a brilliant little site for finding lpg suppliers and the approx cost at the time.

 

Be warned most people get an LPG conversion to cover miles cheaply so seldom do they sell early, check your potential purchase very carefully, any poor running walk away.

 

[shms]

i'd add ...check the droplinks are in good nick, they cause annoying rattles..also the bushes in the front lower arms...not expensive.

the spec b's are usually on bilsteins which do corrode over time, many might have been changed to alternative coilovers. again check for any knocking.

engines as stated ^^^ are pretty bulletproof if regularily treated to a decent 5-30 or 5-40 

you could do worse than read some threads on http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php?/forum/1-general/

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.

If you ever need any help with insurance at all for any model you're looking at then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.