Factory Subaru Baja Parts and Accessories

How Can I Tell if My Subaru Baja Has a Blown Head Gasket?

Your Baja is one of the most iconic Subaru vehicles of the early 2000s -- a cross between a compact SUV and a pickup that you couldn't mistake for anything else. It commonly had problems with its cooling system, though, and they often made the head gasket blow. If your coupe utility's overheating, and its engine's failing, most likely, that's what's going on.

Good thing you came to us for advice; we'll help you diagnose what the trouble is, exactly. Here's what to look out for -- and what to do about it.

First: Inspect the Cooling System

Cooling system faults were known issues on Baja models from 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. If yours has 100,000 miles or more on it these days, most likely, you'll run into them. Luckily, you'll know them by the signs:

See any, and you should run a cooling system inspection; start by checking the temperature gauge on your instrumentation to see if the engine's running too hot. If it is, find the bad parts and replace them as needed; don't let maintenance go any longer than it has to. If, say, the radiator goes bad, the heating and AC systems will malfunction, and that'll only cause other problems.

Subaru might've extended your warranty a few years or a few thousand miles, but that'll only go so far. There's a good chance you'll have to replace parts regularly anyway.

Second: Inspect the Head Gasket

If your engine's still overheating, it's likely because that gasket on the cylinder head's gone bad, too. You'll know that from signs like:

See any, and what you need to do then is turn the engine off and run a full inspection. (Note: don't try to release any pressure. It can be dangerous.) Find that the gasket's the problem, and you'll want to replace it ASAP. The job needs a special skillset, though, so if you're not sure what to do, contact a Subaru dealer; the pros will be glad to help.

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