2003 outback ll bean with a 6cly

[jp1985]

Hello A friend of mine is looking for an outback after hearing Mine and my wifes rants and raves about how much we love our 01 . She found an 03 with only 101k on it and its ll bean with all leather, and a 6cl with an an auto.

So i was wondering is there anything wrong or not good about the 6cly in the 03's? And do they really have that much more power and do the sacrifice Gas millage for it?


Mine is an 01 with the 4cly and manual and i have had no problems with it so that's why i recommended that she get an outback.

thanks for your input/advice guys.

JP1985

[1 Lucky Texan]

we like ours. The known common issues are not really show-stoppers. If a good mechanic signs off on it, it could be a good car if it was well maintained.

The xtra power is most noticeable at highway passing speeds - it's kinda doggy outta the hole.

[ferretzombie]

The extra power is pretty nice, and there really isn't a gas mileage difference, only one or two mpg lower than the 4cyl.

I have a 2003 LL Bean as well, with 175,000 miles on it, and the engine is still running great.

[fosterick]

I have a 2002 LL Bean and love it. The extra horsepower is handy also. I'm getting 24 miles to the gallon with it.

[Mihogan]

Man, not to change the subject, but I have the 4 cyl AND mine is stick, and I only get 21 mpg with 50/50 city and highway... wonder what I would get with the 6 haha

[jp1203]

I have an '04 LL Bean (virtually identical to the 03) and also love it. I average around 21-22 MPG year round (about half my drive is 45-50 MPH highway, the rest is stop and go--pure highway I can get about 26). We have two H4s (both '98s) and they do 1-2 MPG better than mine on average around town...maybe 3 MPG better on the highway.

As mentioned, off the line they are slow...not much different from the 4-cyls there. As a point of reference, mine is slower than a late 90s 4X4 Blazer until I hit 2nd gear. At highway speeds, though, they can move very well (for a 3700 lb AWD wagon anyway). The power is awesome for passing or merging. I've had friends drive sections on some longer highway trips and they're all pretty surprised by it...had more than one say they wished they had my car because of the power, options, the places it will go, and how well it drives (and none have even had the opportunity to see how it will walk up a road covered in snow and ice like it's on bare pavement!).

[FOX-]

I love my H6. I have the VDC trim line. It has plenty of power to go over Snoqualmie pass like it's nothing. I get about 24mpg highway when I'm not fighting through traffic.

I did have to get some major work done on my Outback. The timing chain was making noise, a clacking at idle, almost like valve noise. I ended up have the timing chains (2) replaced along with the tensioners and guides. While they were in there I also had them replace the water pump and reseal the oil pump so I wouldn't have any issues for at least another 100k. All said and done it was just under $3000, about half of that was labor. It was quite a job, one that I'm glad I didn't do myself. After inspecting the chains and guides I'm confident I could have gone another 75k-100k more miles with no issue but the engine sounds much better now and it was worth it for the piece of mind. I think what caused the issue was the previous owner not keeping up with the oil changes. I bought mine at 90k miles and the chain was done at ~105k.

As far as I know, the timing chain tensioners are the only common major issues with the EZ30D H6. The H6 does not have a timing belt that needs to be replaced. The chains are rated for at least 200k. Also, the H6 is magnitudes less likely to have a head gasket leak. So that's the trade off you take for the chance of a repair like mine.

If I had to make the choice again I would definitely take an H6 over an H4, every time.

ETA: The H6 also sits a bit higher than the H4, if ground clearance matters at all to them.

-Tim

[grossgary]

H6 - hands down one of the best motors Subaru has made. Fantastic motor with zero issues of any size.

Be sure to tell them to read the STICKY on this forum about replacing both serpentine belt pulleys - they are cheap and easy, no need to go to the dealer. 15 minutes (30 at the most for a first timer) and a couple dollars for bearings. They fail all the time but are easy to replace at least.

Other than that - awesome motors. My two main daily drivers (i have a few) are both H6's for this reason. 199,000 and 160,000, i plan on 300,000 out of them.

[subaruman49]

Yes The H6 is an awesome engine with few issues. I had the TPS and IAC valve replace because od idling and " rich" running feeling. Its been 1o days sinc e the dealer did the job and still idles a little rough. It has improved every day just slightly. Anyone else ever had these issues?
Car was extemely well maintained with documented oil changes every 3000 miles at dealer.
subaruman49