2001 Subaru Outback - backroads and camping trips away!

[Johnston Robare]

As the title may suggest, I just bought myself a shiny new (pretty old) 2001 Subaru Outback. (Pictures at the end of the post)

Since about 15 min after moving to Colorado (3.5 years ago) I've wanted an Outback. I know the Forester is the better off roader since it doesn't have the mile long front and rear overhangs, but my heart would not be denied. I just prefer the long wagon look, I suppose.

It comes into my care with 125,000 miles. If not "mint", I'd at least rate it as very very nice condition. I'm the third owner and it's a life time Colorado car. It has a fresh timing belt and all the normal stuff you replace with that. It's the Limited model with leather and seemingly every conceivable surface heated It's the ubiquitous seafoam green that everyone has. Fortunately, that's my favorite color for Subies! It also has a CD player, tape player, and 6 CD changer. A bit overkill since I only own 2 CDs and no tapes at the moment I'm fairly certain that it comes with the oh so expo-worthy viscous limited slip rear diff.

I know a lot of folks come to Subarus as a downsize from bigger manlier trucks, but I'm actually on my way up. I've spent the past twelve years driving a Saturn SL2 and now a Chevrolet HHR (both with clutches), so this as yet unnamed Soob with it's ground clearance, awd, and auto trans is about the largest (and thirstiest) ship I've regularly captained. Evidenced by the first time I tried to parallel park it :sombrero:

Since we're about build threads here, let me share the stunning list of mods I've completed in my one week of ownership:

-Got emissions done - kind of a relief to see it on the all wheel dyno and verify that they all spin.
-Got the classic CO green and white mountain license plates.
-Set the tire pressure
-Removed the center rear seat headrest - great improvement to rearward visibility.
-Cleaned the armor all fog of the inside windows.

That's about it for now.

I did order some Weathertech floor mats in tan, so I'll soon stop cringing every time I get in and set my feet on the floor

About the only other thing I desire at the moment is to tint the windows. Nothing limo dark, but just to match a modern SUV or wagon.

Future Dream Soob Mods:
-A couple more 12v points up front. Preferably full time, not keyed. The location of the ash tray seems a good spot.
-An aux audio input for phone/ipod without ditching the stock radio. I like stock radios.
-A 2" hitch for bike rack duty
-Primitive skid plates
-That cool center "diff lock" button a few people have wired into the 4EAT
-For all the struts and tires (perfect condition at the moment) to blow up at once and replace them with something a bit taller. :smiley_drive: Like Baja or King springs and 215/70R16 Geolanders.

Covered in frost and dirt the morning after I bought it:


Getting emissions done - the tech doing mine seemed to be having a much more boring time than the guy wailing on the modified WRX on the next dyno over:


One more for good measure:


Finally, my Fuelly account. I am sincerely hoping to achieve a 25mpg average. I know that's a tall order for such a hefty battle wagon turning an auto trans.
http://www.fuelly.com/driver/johnston/outback

Thank you for looking! - Johnston

 

[Ranchero]

Johnston-congrats on the new Subie! Looks great. I'm Subie-less at the moment but I'm sure I'll have another. What is the center diff-lock you speak of? I bet you can maintain 25mpg unless you're mostly city.

 

[Johnston Robare]

Hey Ranchero, thanks for the reply.

Here is the "diff lock" explained by smarter people than me: http://www.rs25.com/forums/f8/t99075-4eat-diff-lock-switch-handbrake-mod-torquemada-lite.html

My somewhat limited understanding is this: The auto trans controller usually sends most torque to the front wheels under no slip conditions. It uses voltage from wheel speed sensors. When the voltage from the rear wheel sensors is lower than the front, the tcm interprets that as front wheel spin and locks the clutch that engages the rear drive shaft. So the cool switch basically uses resistors to artificially lower the voltage showing up at the tcm from the rear wheel sensors so you can engage the clutch before slip occurs. I understand that the car will essentially act like a transfer case vehicle locked in 4 high. Eg. don't do it on dry pavement.

That all said I was up in the foothills last nigh playing in that snow storm and I pretty much never felt like I was waiting around for the tcm. Maybe it's more of a mod for the rally crowd and my driving style is best described as old lady

Still, it seems like a cool switch to have!

 

[MCObray]

Good looking 2nd Gen you've got there! I love my Primitive Skid plates. I've got them in the 3/16" flavor, and thanks to Craigslist, I only payed $80 for both front and rear.

 

[Johnston Robare]

MCObray - thanks! I've read your thread a few times and I have to agree with one commenter who said you've removed the factory dirt and scratches That is one clean Outback. I'm not sure I have the dedication, but I would like to give mine a nice wash and wax when the weather turns nice again here in Denver.

I'm with you on the skid plates. The front bumper is very low and about 10 feet in front of the front wheels. Plus, I'm not sure how much above that the radiator is, so a little protection would be a big improvement for my peace of mind.

 

[Johnston Robare]

Not exactly the Ritz

I was out admiring the Subaru (what, doesn't everyone do that for a while?) when I decided to checkout the overnight accommodations. The way the back seats fold is that you first tilt up the bottom cushion and then fold the seatback into the newly vacated space. It works fine and, according to cars101, gives you something like 5'8" of lay down room to the tailgate. Perfect for moving stuff, but not going to cut it for we of towering stature (5'10") :elkgrin:

Well that seat bottom turns out to be held on with just two bolts (12mm) so you can have it out in just a couple minutes. Without further chatter here are pictures and measurements!

Seat bottom that acts as too short head board:


Seat bottom removed. 88" to the fully forward and upright driver seat and 74" to the passenger seat in a verrry comfortable riding position:


Other useful measurements are 31" floor to ceiling in the cargo space, 42.5" between wheel wells, 24.5" wide with the narrower seat back upright (though I guess the seat bottom is out so maybe it's not that usefull as a three seater :sombrero: )

Ok, let's go car camping!

 

[Johnston Robare]

Outback Update

It's been a few months since I've said anything about the Outback, but not for lack of fun adventures and great daily driving.



I got the windows tinted and it vastly improved the privacy and looks (my opinion) of the car. Those stock clear windows with a bright tan interior sure made the car seem see through!

Stumbled onto ice racing at Lake Georgetown while on our way in to the mountains and had to try it. They would only allow AWD vehicles onto the ice so that made me feel like part of the club. Had a total blast sliding around the two courses! And no, Soob was in no way competitive with that buggy. They are amazingly fast even on their practice tires!



Also saw Roman Mica of youtube fame sliding around the ice, but I'm pretty sure his car doesn't have a bedroom like mine :bike_rider:



I've left the back seat in it's folded/removed state and been enjoying having a bed back there. I call it the club house. We're using a double bed memory foam with flannel sheets. The sleeping space is good for two and would probably be luxurious for one. A dark navy blue comforter combines with the tinted windows to make the back of the car very hard to see into. The dual sunroofs make for decent enough ventilation on non rainy nights. We've enjoyed a few overnighters after skiing, hot springs, and breweries :elkgrin:



I ordered some weather tech floor mats and realized almost immediately that they were "universal fit," meaning that they don't fit a wide variety of vehicles :sombrero: I took them out immediately due to the bad fit but then forgot about them for months. So I suppose it's now too late to return them. Might give them another shot since I have them anyway... For anyone reading in the future, the Husky mats look to actually be molded to the front footwells. I'd love to give them a try some time.

I ordered a hitch for the car to hopefully mount up a bike rack this summer. Only a 1.25" hitch is available for this gen OB but I think it will still work nicely even if it doesn't look quite as expo as a 2"

The hitch is as yet uninstalled while we take on the task of head gaskets and clutch for my girlfriend's 2002 Forrester. That car has 280,000 miles and I'm pretty sure the (slightly leaky) headgaskets we're removing are original! A call to the dealer confirms that the engine is the original at least. I know they're an issue in these cars, but that actually seems like a good long life to me I'm hoping it means I have another 150,000 miles of fun in the Outback before worrying about it. We are a little handy but not master mechanics like some on expo, so the project is dragging on and resulting in frequent trips to google, youtube, and the parts store. I'll be glad to have that done soon!



And here's what I did just this morning

 

[Allof75]

Looks really nice, I have a soft spot for subarus myself, and am thinking of picking one up.

 

[otis24]

My girlfriends 03 LL Bean Outback is pretty sweet. We frequently get above 25mpg on the highway. It's amazing where that car will go. Like you said the approach and departure angles aren't the best but it's still impressive. But that's why I bought a 4x4 Tacoma. I love my taco but I can see why people live the subies too.

 

[Johnston Robare]

Allof75 -
Thanks for the compliment. I frequently gush about how Subarus are so amazing on anything that looks like a road :wings: I know it's contra-expo, but my current dream car(/rig) is the new 2015 Outback with the awesome X-mode. A big complaint about these cars has always been the open (or nearly open) diffs at both ends that would leave you stuck in a cross axle situation; well it seems to be in the past now. The first time I saw X-mode demonstrated, my jaw just about hit the floor. See This Forester lifting wheels all over the place for example:


Otis24-
Thanks for the comment! No doubt about the angles. Although they do get incrementally better every generation, the Outback will never exactly be a Rubicon
Sometimes though, when I should be doing something more productive like eating/breathing/sleeping, I find myself thinking about a lift kit like so:



Anyways, aside from being a cheerleader for the brand, I actually drive one. Mine has been doing commuting-type expos lately :smiley_drive:

Here it is expo-parked under a willow tree:


I ordered and installed a hitch and am now in search of a bike rack! Once I removed the thousand bright shiny stickers, it disappeared rather nicely from normal view points.


Last note of business, I slowly became aware that I was unhappy with the way the car drove. I assumed it would be something very expensive from how loose and wandering the car began to feel. I searched out a very highly rated Subaru shop in town and asked them to extra closely check the suspension, steering, alignment, and tire balance. I fully expected to need something fairly $erious, but they found that the allignment was just in serious need of help and said the rest of the components looked to be in very good condition.

I am now again happy with driving my big squishy wagon! "Handling" is still not in its repertoire, but it is driving straight and steering well again :ylsmoke:

 

[otis24]

Glad to hear it wasn't a major repair. Lately I've been Craig something more nimble for the drive to work and road trips where the truck isn't the most comfortable. It corners really poorly. I plan on doing some suspension upgrades but what I really need is a car for a daily driver. Perhaps a Subie...BRZ.