Checking the health on a 3.0 H6

1785 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by smeric, Oct 11, 2012

OBone

Discussion Starter · Oct 9, 2012

I am seriously thinking of moving to the 3.0 Outback for its fuel economy.

Have to say my current vehicle is a 4.0 Discovery2 V8 so anything would be cheaper

I know my way around an engine bay, I know how to DIY a couple of basic to moderate service items.

What are the specific things to look out for on these motors? Ignore the normal knocking the body to check for putty, frequent service intervals etc.

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OBone

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 10, 2012

grossgary said:
The H6 engine is absolutely awesome. I mean it's not a super power house beast or anything, you might hate it for being underpowered compared to that V8 - but it's just super reliable and cheap and easy to maintain. Don't over heat it or run it out of oil and 200,000 miles is a breeze with very little maintenance or costs. Two of my daily drivers are that motor for those reasons. I plan on 300,000 miles out of mine. Currently at 200,000 and 160,000.

One note: The serpentine idler and tensioner bearings fail *all the time*, like consider them maintenance items. Luckily you can replace the bearings for $5 or less each and it only takes a few minutes and a wrench, very easy to do. There's a sticky about it on this forum somewhere. You can also buy a DAYCO replacement pulley from any parts store for like $20 or less that has the bearing already in it.

Dont forget the V8 has 2 and a bit tonnes worth of body to drag around.

Serpentine idler is not a big deal.

This might sound stupid, but is the H6 turbo charged or not in standard form?

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