Used Outback 3.0 H6 advice

B

BrritSki

I am thinking of replacing my 99 Outback with a 2002 Outback 3.0 H6 with
50K miles. Any advice on things I should be looking out for ?

TIA
 
BrritSki said:
I am thinking of replacing my 99 Outback with a 2002 Outback 3.0 H6 with
50K miles. Any advice on things I should be looking out for ?

TIA

Look for all 4 tires to be the same brand/model with equal wear. Make
sure the FWD fuse is NOT in the fuse block under the hood and the FWD
light is off on the instrument cluster. THEN, do some slow, tight turns
or figure eights in a dry parking lot somewhere and try to sense any
'jerkiness' while maneuvering.
Take it on some clear highway - try to cruise at 75mph. Then stomp the
gas as if to pass. Try to feel for a very hard downshift. Ours has done
this since we bought it. It is only annoying on cross-country trips and
no mechanic seems to be able to duplicate it. Setting the cruise on 75
or 80 and going up a grade in southern Colarado will make it downshift
VERY hard - 'most' times. If you will be using the car in this way a lot
- make sure it doesn't exhibit this behavior.
If you hear wind noise - likely the 'gussets' near the mirror on the
doors need squeezing together. Lowere the windows and squeeze the rubber
together. There is some kind of TSB I think for internal
adjustment/rubber replacement - but if you squeeze them together
occasionally and train yourself to avoid pushing the galls when closing
the doors, they stay OK for a very long time.
Make sure the A/C is working. I think some bad hoses have been found
around that year model on the compressors (had my wife's 03 a/c hoses
replaced barely under warranty).
Consider paying a good mechanic $100 or so to inspect it "as if he were
buying it for his wife/daughter" if you have the slightest concerns.
Also, be aware that car is probably gonna run best on hi or maybe
mid-grade gasoline.

Carl
 
Carl said:
Look for all 4 tires to be the same brand/model with equal wear. Make
sure the FWD fuse is NOT in the fuse block under the hood and the FWD
light is off on the instrument cluster. THEN, do some slow, tight turns
or figure eights in a dry parking lot somewhere and try to sense any
'jerkiness' while maneuvering.
Take it on some clear highway - try to cruise at 75mph. Then stomp the
gas as if to pass. Try to feel for a very hard downshift. Ours has done
this since we bought it. It is only annoying on cross-country trips and
no mechanic seems to be able to duplicate it. Setting the cruise on 75
or 80 and going up a grade in southern Colarado will make it downshift
VERY hard - 'most' times. If you will be using the car in this way a lot
- make sure it doesn't exhibit this behavior.
If you hear wind noise - likely the 'gussets' near the mirror on the
doors need squeezing together. Lowere the windows and squeeze the rubber
together. There is some kind of TSB I think for internal
adjustment/rubber replacement - but if you squeeze them together
occasionally and train yourself to avoid pushing the galls when closing
the doors, they stay OK for a very long time.
Make sure the A/C is working. I think some bad hoses have been found
around that year model on the compressors (had my wife's 03 a/c hoses
replaced barely under warranty).
Consider paying a good mechanic $100 or so to inspect it "as if he were
buying it for his wife/daughter" if you have the slightest concerns.
Also, be aware that car is probably gonna run best on hi or maybe
mid-grade gasoline.
Carl, thanks for some great tips.

Not sure what "the galls" are though - can't see an obvious typo, so
could you explain please ? Thanks again, Roger
 
Not sure what "the galls" are though - can't see an obvious typo, so could
you explain please ? Thanks again, Roger

Pushing the windows, perhaps, to close the door? You're not supposed to
push against the window when closing a frameless door as the window has no
support until closed, and may not close correctly because you can be forcing
the window out of alignment, along with trim / moulding pieces.

~Brian
 
BrritSki said:
Carl, thanks for some great tips.

Not sure what "the galls" are though - can't see an obvious typo, so
could you explain please ? Thanks again, Roger

HAH! yes - sorry that should be 'glass'! I really should learn to use
spell check I suppose!

Carl
 
Carl said:
HAH! yes - sorry that should be 'glass'! I really should learn to use
spell check I suppose!
Thanks for the clarification (and to Brian too). Fortunately I don't
ever do this, so shouldn't be a problem.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
13,889
Messages
67,365
Members
7,364
Latest member
Cimarron49

Latest Threads

Back
Top