Turgidson

I wanted to thank everyone who responded to my query. We would never have found the dipstick if not for you... It is no longer "Yellow." As a result, we changed the transmission oil at the instant oil change place for $30, and can now cancel our $90 appointment with the dealer. As for the truck-transmission-like whine while rolling ... the transmission plug showed only the usual amount of junk on it, nothing shiny, chunky, or fresh. We still have no idea, except that we did establish that the whine doesn't skip a beat when you shift into neutral and coast. Clutch in, clutch out, no difference. Thanks again. Turgidson

Nope. The whine occurs whenever the wheels are in motion, whether under power, or coasting with the clutch in. We don't hear it when the car is stationary. I think it must also be occurring when coasting out of gear, since I never heard it drop off while shifting. Turgidson

Any clues about the gear noise? Last time I heard noise like that (an old SAAB 99 and the noise was louder), it was prudent to get rid of the car. Thanks again Turgidson

Thanks. I'll look for the dipstick when I get home. From your description, it sounds like the the air-box conceals it. Is it easier to see if you remove the air-box? That would facilitate taking it back to the instant oil-change place, making life easier and cheaper. Thanks Turgidson

We have 145,000 miles on our 99 outback, and have been hearing a hum/whine like truck gears coming from the tranny. I desparately want to see what kind of metal is stuck to the plug. We don't like our dealers, so we took the car to one of those oil-change in a box places. The guy had said he could change the transmission oil, but when he got down to it, he said he couldn't identify a place to fill the case, so there was no way he would drain it. The service manual indicated a location where there should have been a dip-stick. Looking with a flashlight, we could see some sort of electronic sending unit plugged into a hole that looked suspisciously like a fill hole. Can anyone tell us what we are looking at? Is this something that just unscrews easily, or does it casue great problems if you don't have a box full of replacements nearby? Thanks Turgidson