[abacall]

Well, it's not brand new. But it's new to us!
2001 Outback H6 VDC, 81K on the clock.
Gorgeous car, black with black leather (great seats BTW), Mcintosh stereo (kicks donkey), MOMO steering wheel with wood, wood dash, dual sunroof, heated seats, heated mirrors and wipers, climate control, power everything.
I love this car. My GF was looking to get a Forester (almost got a 04 XT), but when we saw this thing it was perfect. I wanted to stay away from the 2.5 NA, so it was going to be either turbo or H6 (both for reliability and power reasons). It was dealer maintained with papers, no scratches, three dings (minor), and spotless interior. Amazing for a 2001.
The VDC is awesome. I wish I had it on the Forester. The car rides plush and has tons of space. It's going to be our road trip car since the Foz is getting a bit rough. The engine is perfect for it's purpose. Not as powerful as a stock Forester XT (though both claim 225 HP/Tq), but more than plenty for what we're looking for. It never hunts for a gear even when climbing our steep hills. Overall awesome car.

Onto the photos!

You can see a bit of the metallic flake in the paint. H6 baby!

Dual sunroof!

From the top. You can really see how the paint has great reddish metallic flakes in it.

Great interior with McIntosh stereo and MOMO wheel.

H6!

At home with the Forester in the garage. This is our new house, moved in about 2 months ago. The mountains are right in our backyard.

Is this the night sky? Nope, it's a close up of the paint!

 

[MudRunner]

Welcome to the Outback family! :biggrin: Nice looking H6. Toss a RalliTEK rear sway on and it will become a totally different-handling animal. :wink: Helps keep it from getting tossed around in the wind on long trips too. Still need to order mine.

 

[Duderotomy]

Damn... I'm seriously jealous.
I want to swap that H6 engine into my mom's Baja when it bites the dust, if ever.

The next Subaru I'll be buying will have an H6 also.
Nice ride!

 

[Patrikman]

Very very nice. I used to have a 2000 Limited but, I always wanted an H6!

 

[cosmiccharlie]

Very nice! I was looking for an outback when I came across my forester. I am jealous of your dual sunroofs. I jealous of all you fozzie owners with huge sunroofs too! :lol:

 

[abacall]

Thanks guys. This is the fifth Subie and the second Legacy. Since its the GFs I'll probably have to keep the mode to a minimum. The longer wheelbase really shines on longer trips, and the larger trunk is great for our two larger dogs.
I'm really happy with it, and it was a bargain at $9K. I have a feeling it will be around a long time.
The VDC system is awesome. Can't wait to play in the snow with it.

 

[rusty jake 11]

It would look good with the rear windows tinted. That's what my 2001 Outback had. It was a base/5 sp. man. I still miss that car(had the HG leak).

 

[Tuned200]

Looks nice. We looked at a 2000 outback H6 as well before we went with the 2010x. Congrads.

 

[abacall]

It would look good with the rear windows tinted. That's what my 2001 Outback had. It was a base/5 sp. man. I still miss that car(had the HG leak).

That's probably one of the only things she'll let me do (knowingly :icon_wink. With the dogs riding in the back it becomes a pretty necessary mod. Otherwise it gets super hot and the floor (rubber mat) gets too hot for them.

The HG leak is why we wanted the H6 or the 2.5T of the newer model. But with such a good price and great condition car we couldn't justify spending double on a newer model.

 

[MudRunner]

That's probably one of the only things she'll let me do (knowingly :icon_wink. With the dogs riding in the back it becomes a pretty necessary mod. Otherwise it gets super hot and the floor (rubber mat) gets too hot for them.

The HG leak is why we wanted the H6 or the 2.5T of the newer model. But with such a good price and great condition car we couldn't justify spending double on a newer model.

Tint... you want!

 

[abacall]

Yes, I want. No, I need!

Side question. There's a whooshing sound coming from the driver side mirror when the windows are closed. Sounds like the window is slightly open, but I've checked and the do go up all the way. Any other OB owners have this? Any idea what it is and how to fix it?

 

[MudRunner]

Yes, I want. No, I need!

Side question. There's a whooshing sound coming from the driver side mirror when the windows are closed. Sounds like the window is slightly open, but I've checked and the do go up all the way. Any other OB owners have this? Any idea what it is and how to fix it?

Ask and ye shall receive... I think this might be what you're looking for. My car doesn't have the problem but I've been in some that do.

I see this come up a lot, and its a pretty simple fix if anyone wants to get rid of that annoying air sound that only seems to come up at highway speeds.
(At least on mine)

Basically, with the frameless windows, when people shut the door with the window it eventually bends it out of shape, sure you can shut the door with the door, but most passengers (where my leak always is) tend to shut the door with the glass as its arm height. Whatever, like I said, simple fix.

Basically, roll down the window making the noise, and squeeze together the two sides of the gasket. Where the speaker is and where the mirror is (at least on my car) Squeeze it and hold it for a moment, go ahead and do it in a couple places, I've never overtightened this thing. When the window goes up it will push it back to the shape it needs to be if you overdid it.

That's it. If you roll the window open and you notice on either side the gasket isnt forming a 'seal' on the window, its definately your culprit. At this point I think I've over complicated the explanation because I've spent 4 paragraphs explaining what a picture could have done more easily, but my camera is broken.



I've found myself doing this twice a year and it fixes it fine. A super temporary fix for me is to roll the window all the way up, and just barely tap it down, this somehow pushes the window out some and forms the air seal to shut the window up.

If that doesn't fix it you could try the tubing/weatherstrip mod that some people have done here for the Foz.

How are you liking the OB leather seats? I've never sat in a leather one of the same generation as mine. My side bolsters are huge though... almost like WRX seats :smile: I'd thought about swapping a leather set in, but I like the grip of the cloth too much to do it.

 

[abacall]

^^Awesome, thanks! I just looked at it this afternoon and noticed that that was exactly the problem. The outside edge was not sitting flush with the window, making an air-eddy and causing the whooshing sound. Good to know I can just squeeze it back into shape.

The seats are great, firm and supportive. Haven't really flogged the OB yet so I can't speak to their support, but the bolsters are definitely good.

 

[4BangR]

What is the VDC system?

 

[Patrikman]

What is the VDC system?

 

[abacall]

Thanks for the tip mudrunner, fixed the window noise issue perfectly.
After 1k miles I have a few small gripes.
-Really rough upshifts; when it has to kick down a gear for a steep hill then go back to 4th, it a super fast and rough shift.
-It has a weird whine. Not sure where this is coming from, or of it's inherent to the H6 but it can get annoying.
Other than that, still very happy with the car. Very impressed with ride quality and mileage. With our two dogs and regular summer trips, it has replaced the Forester as the go-to car.

 

[abacall]

Found our first problem. There is a slow (a few drops a day) leak from the transmission. I think it's coming from the seal on the trans oil pan. Not sure if that's what it is called, but it looks like an oil pan for the trans.
Anyone know if I can just drop the pan and replace the gasket? Obviously I have to drain and replace fluid as well.

 

[MudRunner]

Sent you a PM.... also, is that whine vehicle speed, or RPM related?

As far as the the pan goes, you just need to drain the fluid, take the filter off (will have to buy a new one at a dealer for some $30), then remove the bolts. Use a putty knife or something similar to break the seal around the pan without nicking the aluminum, then gently pry the pan off (don't want to warp it). Clean both gasket surfaces thoroughly and remove any old gasket material. Wipe the surfaces with acetone or rubbing alcohol.

Then apply red RTV following the instructions on the tube (be sure to make circles around the bolt holes and link everything up), and re-mount the pan. Not sure of the torque specs, but I'd just make it 'snug' and not too tight. The RTV will fill any gaps.

Let it cure as per the instructions on the tube, then install the new filter, and fill back up with Subaru ATF-HP.

The fluid change may also help those harsh upshifts. In my PM I referenced another possible issue.

-Z

 

[MudRunner]

And just for the heck of it...

About that whine. Before we got the '05 FXS LLBean that my parents have now, we had an '03 Outback LLBean (4EAT). Around 50k miles it developed a vehicle speed related whine (didn't change with RPM, just mph) The car was traded in on the Foz before we investigated the issue, but I've heard that it can be some sort of internal trans problem. My car hasn't had THAT issue, but I've had plenty of other trans problems lately.

So, if it is RPM related, it may just be an H6 thing. Speed related... may not be good.

 

[abacall]

Thanks Zach. The whine coincides with RPMs. Otherwise I would have been more worried, or looked at the bearings.
I'm going to tackle this soon, no use in letting it slowly leak. Hope it won't be a PIA.