2013 Subaru Outback changing the timing chain

Asked by GuruW7TYT May 30, 2018 at 10:45 AM about the 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have 157,000 miles on my Outback.  Everything is working real well.
The timing chain does not have an obvious way to determine wear and whether or not I should change it.  
When do the normally wear out or require changing?

2 Answers

86,995

Theoretically...it should last the life of the car...it's lubricated by the engine oil..so don't run low on oil and keep up with regular maintenance.... IF the chain gets noisy or starts rattling.. you might want to get it checked. Congratulations on 157,000 miles so far.... have you ever had any HEAD gaskets failure?

5 people found this helpful.
48,890

The modern DOHC's timing chain will momentarily rattle on cold starts. There's no evidence of wear on heavily-used first year (2013) specimens. Note the misleading info above: one cannot inspect the chain without VERY expensive removal of the bonded front engine cover; secondly, the 2013+ DOHC does NOT have frail head gaskets. (Stick to your Prius aid, Mark!) SOA specs 0w20 oil in North America to prevent customers from complaining about timing chain rattle on cold winter starts, whereas the better 5w30 is used elsewhere in the world (inc MY garage and my hundreds of clients).

19 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2013 Subaru Outback

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Mark Weiner
    Reputation
    33,590
  • #2
    TheSubaruGuruBoston
    Reputation
    28,780
  • #3
    Keith Cahalan
    Reputation
    3,390
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Subaru Forester
985 Great Deals out of 36,989 listings starting at $1,495
Used Subaru Crosstrek
718 Great Deals out of 36,351 listings starting at $2,550
Used Toyota RAV4
2,090 Great Deals out of 34,746 listings starting at $2,450
Used Honda CR-V
1,972 Great Deals out of 36,657 listings starting at $1,900
Used Toyota 4Runner
1,028 Great Deals out of 12,028 listings starting at $2,557
Used Subaru Legacy
293 Great Deals out of 7,379 listings starting at $1,150
Used Toyota Tacoma
2,005 Great Deals out of 52,360 listings starting at $4,995
Used Subaru Impreza
329 Great Deals out of 9,383 listings starting at $1,595
Used Toyota Highlander
1,440 Great Deals out of 16,126 listings starting at $1,550
Used Mazda CX-5
1,100 Great Deals out of 34,003 listings starting at $3,750
Used Toyota Camry
2,258 Great Deals out of 44,169 listings starting at $1,100
Used Honda Pilot
948 Great Deals out of 28,312 listings starting at $1,995
Used Honda Accord
1,526 Great Deals out of 24,456 listings starting at $1,895

Used Cars for Sale

2025 Subaru Outback For Sale
59 Great Deals out of 16,685 listings starting at $25,998
2024 Subaru Outback For Sale
123 Great Deals out of 2,041 listings starting at $21,890
2023 Subaru Outback For Sale
83 Great Deals out of 1,000 listings starting at $19,597
2022 Subaru Outback For Sale
168 Great Deals out of 2,049 listings starting at $16,995
2021 Subaru Outback For Sale
71 Great Deals out of 937 listings starting at $13,512

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.