remarcable

What does the RPM gauge say? If I recall it should be at 500rpm in neutral without the AC on.

Many tranny problems like this can be solved by a flush of the transmission system. Find a place that can do the flush either with a fancy machine (best choice) or by simply detaching the ATF return line from the radiator and pouring new fluid in while the old pumps out. You can drop the pan yourself and change the external filter (if your car has one) but that will still leave several quarts in the torque convertor. $100 for a flush is alot cheaper than a new transmission.

I love my subaru and have decided to stick with it until it falls apart. I came this close to buying a miata and selling the outback, but I got a Dodge GC van loaned to me while the outback gets worked on. The outback handles like a go cart compared to the horrible handling characteristics of a top heavy FWD american made minivan. On the list at 56K miles (99 outback) - front and rear brake pads - Struts+Springs all 4 corners - brake rotors front and rear - Water pump (weeping currently) - Thermostat - Timing Belt - LEAKY HEADGASKET -"funk" odor in cabin must be eliminated - bald tires need replacing but can wait All in all this will cost me around $2000 assuming I install everything myself and the dealer decides to not honor the 60k mile warranty. If the dealer repairs the headgasket under warranty I'll have a cool grand left to spend on bushings and swaybar mounts and stuff like that. I really should not have to drop 2 grand into a vehicle with only 56k miles on it. On the upside, my transmission is working great and my engine is squeaky clean (coolant tends to do that). I have stopped suggesting people buy Subarus with the 2.5 engine. I make sure to specify 2.2 liter turbo when making car suggestions.

I was the one who posted photos in the old thread and had the same thing happen to my 99 outback. My experience is in that thread and you can save the images there and use them at your discretion. I think I may still have the old broken part of the bar somewhere if you need it for a lawsuit or anything. I went to Dale Teague http://www.boxer4racing.com and he found me a front sway bar from a junked legacy outback for around $60 I think. I replaced the front swaybar without removing the exhaust, and it was a pain in the rump roast. Worse than those 50,000 piece 3d puzzles. It only took me about an hour to do it, even with my troubles getting the bar in place. You might want to look into getting an aftermarket swaybar in an upgraded size for better handling and turn-in performance. Get the urethane bushing and heavy duty endlinks/mounts for an even better (but slightly harsher) ride. I did not go to a Subaru Dealer because I despise the local one and would rather deal with it myself even if it means paying out of pocket. The outback has also seem some rough terrain and I'm sure I'd get the 'abuse' riot act read to me at the dealer.

If you suspect abuse, check the plastic swaybar mounts and the bushings on the front and rear bars. On my outback the plastic is stressed and the bushings have been ground into paste due to abrupt cornering and drifting. Take a look for corrosion too, a sign that it has seen offroad use or floods.

I still have a Primitive Racing 1/8" skid plate on my 99 outback and it has survived quite a beating. If you offroad your subie, you need something similar. It's actually pretty nice on the road too, because the engine bay stays cleaner. I've even encountered a hydroplane effect when hitting deep puddles instead of the bog-down-and-break-something-going-under-water that usually happens. Get a skid plate! For convenience I suggest one with a hole cut out near the oil pan drain bolt.

This is quite common. Nobody will pay as much attention to working on your car as yourself, and I now do all my oil changes that I can myself. I once found over 6 quarts of oil in my subie after a dealer visit, which is strange because I only gave them 5 quarts to put in, yet when I drained it all it overflowed out of my 6 quart catch pan. It also wasn't the Mobil 1 I had given them to put in. Something as simple as an oil change I suggest doing yourself. For warranty purposes you should keep the receipt for the oil & filter and mark the mileage on the receipt.

When I replaced my outback's stereo the wiring diagram in the haynes was completely wrong. I found an old SVX wiring diagram and that was spot-on for the speakers, but the power and other wires were guess and go, although a voltmeter did help. Nowadays I hear they have these things called wiring harness adaptors which was apparently non-existant in 1999 for a 1999 subaru.

I'll just take it to the dealer. ... with the following precautions: A) My tires are marked so I'll know when they put them on wrong. Last time they couldn't quite figure out which direction the directional tread went and put two on backwards. all my parts have my initials etched in them so I will know they used the parts I supplied, since I have had problems with this in the past. C) I'm supplying all my own parts and fluids, and will ask to have all old parts and empty fluid containers back. I always use Mobil 1 and always give them 6 quarts in case they spill some. Last time the car came back with dinosaur oil in it and no mobil 1 anywhere to be found. They claimed I never brought it in. Am I being an *******? I just want things done properly... I hope it isn't too much to ask.

I was under the impression it was illegal for Subaru of America to refuse to honor warranty claims when you have your vehicle serviced at a third party mechanic. I just want to know the process involved in making that warranty claim. Anyone?

The subject line says it all. I'm trying to avoid having my subaru serviced by the local dealership due to bad previous experiences with them. 1999 Legacy 56k mi., w/ leaky headgaskets. My mechanic I usually go to says he needs someone to contact about the warranty, usually an 800 number or bundle of paperwork or something. Also... is it wise to have someone other than subaru do the headgaskets as long as I get them the correct revision subaru gasket? I'm also have the water pump, timing belt, and thermostat (and seals) done and the local mechanic's labor cost will end up being about $350 cheaper than the dealer's cost.

The outback is handicapped in the handling and performance department by the extra weight, tire/rim choice, and tall suspension. If you want to lower it you will need to go to a different size rim/tire to avoid hitting the struts. You should actually try and find a Legacy GT Wagon of similar model year. It will handle better and be more receptive to upgrades if you can find them. It seems like the aftermarket for our 2nd gen legacies has really died down a bit. If you want to go up a stage in performance but down a stage in comfort, try the impreza platform which includes the forester. There aren't huge performance gaps between the legacy/impreza of that model year but if I were to pick a 1996 model year to turn into a rally car I'd go with an impreza.

I heard awhile back on this board and others that a Rental place was running subarus in FWD during the summers to cut down on gas costs. No ill effects were reported on the cars. I can't confirm those reports, so it could be fiction. I think the owner's manual warns about impending doom regarding using the donut spare. I'm not sure it said anything about using the FWD fuse with 4 perfect tires. I also seem to remember a guy named Kevin who had a beefed up impreza sport which he drag raced and used FWD mode on the dyno to calculate horsepower. I'm not sure if that would even work since the rear axle is still attached to the front, just not receiving power.... correct? It is still dragging even when in FWD mode. In regards to draining the 4 quarts in the ATF pan, that doesn't do a whole lot if you are having serious fluid problems. The best thing to do is a flush which gets the 8 quarts left in the torque convertor. You should always do a flush when switching to synthetic or back to regular for best results. I personally would avoid mixing synth ATF and regular ATF.

I'm almost certain it is headgasket failure now. I've posted a previous thread about this trying to narrow the problem down because I hadn't seen any of the normal headgasket signs. Today I put in a new battery, new EGR valve, and new rear brakes (hey, why not?) and I am still having problems with the car almost stalling at idle and fluctuating/abnormal idle. I realized that I had been driving the car like grandma since it started having problems, and that I hadn't really beaten on it for a long time, so off I went. Overdrive is for weenies. Real men go 70 in 3rd. Well, real men with automatic transmissions anyway. The car drove as beautifully as a 99 Subaru Outback with bald summer tires and failing suspension can drive. I noticed no problems or hesitation, in fact the transmission was responding as good as it did when the car was brand new. I hadn't driven it like this since I had it flushed 3 months ago. After winding (bored push up/ push down would be more accurate than "winding") through all of the (3) gears and generally driving like I was at an autocross for an hour, I headed back home to the garage. I popped the hood and checked the overflow reservoir's volume - it had raised a half inch and was above the full mark. I opened it and couldn't see the fluid. I shined a light in and realized I couldn't see the fluid due to the cloud of vapor rising from within. I blew on it and cleared the air, so to speak, then I noticed many bubbles (1-2 per second) coming up through the coolant, which was no longer quite as green as it should be. More visible vapors were rising from the coolant. It looked like steam. I tried smelling for gas/oil but I have a cold and can't smell anything. I'd take it to the dealer tomorrow but I'm still waiting on a parts order from 1stsubaruparts.com with all the items they will need to do the repair and other important 60k things (water pump, thermo, timing belt, etc). I hope I can get it in before christmas, and I hope I get it back in running condition. The last two times it has been to the dealer it has come back with new gremlins and problems I've had to resolve myself. I don't like the local dealership one bit, but I'm still under 60k miles and it's ridiculous for a headgasket to fail so soon. I'd like to thank Alias### (forgot your numbers) and everyone else who helped me out with suggestions and tips in the other thread. This is a great forum and I'm honored to still be a moderator here after all these years. PS- New suspension goes on as soon as the engine is fixed! I'll post pics. :wave:

I had the same thing happen but higher up on the arm. The blade assembly fell off at 70MPH in a downpour. I am very glad I had applied Rain X to the windshield or I would not have been able to drive. The windshield got gouged from the wiper-less arm scraping. Now I replace the blade assembly every 3 months and check the integrity of the rest of the arm too, including tightening those bolts that like to work loose over time. They have to deal with alot of corrosion and movement, so it is no wonder they fail. Loctite anyone?