plane2sea

Well just wanted to post the outcome of this gasket problem. I bit the bullet and had the head gaskets done and timing belt tensioners and water pump. We finished our 4300 mile road trip one week after getting the car back. Running like a new car, even gained a few mpg's averaged 28 the whole way. i am glad i spent the money instead of trying to trade it in a screw someone over. thanks for the help

Just had a hydrocarbon test and looks like i am indeed up shiit creek. I am the newest member of the badly engineered DOHC HG club. Thanks alot Subaru! almost made it all the way to 100,000 miles

Yes, raging heat with the heater on. though at one point as i was pulling over to let it cool down, cold air came out while the heat was on. it was definetly not a subaru tstat it was carquest or some other cheepo company. thanks for the advice.

Im actually just leaving Alaska right now. We were just getting ready to leave on a 4000 mile road trip to New Mexico. Im glad this happened now rather than half way into canada. i changed my own tstat and coolant before our trip up here and followed all the advice on keeping air out of the system all was perfect. Just 2 weeks ago i had a mechanic change tstat for the trip and this happened on my first long drive since. i think he blew the job and probably filled it with air. i will check on things when the sun comes out. thanks

HI I have a 97 leg. outback with 92K miles on her. I just had my first overheating problem. Could anybody help diagnose this- the top radiator hose is roasting hot while the bottom one is very cool. the overflow goes up and down a little but is also very cool to the touch. The temp guage is a little jumpy-it will be normal then jump up a lot then start quickly falling back down. I am not losing any coolant ,but there does not seem to be alot of circulation in the system. would a gummed up tstat keep the bottom rad. hose cool? the manual says it is open if the top one is hot it does not mention the bottom hose. If this is obviously a HG problem just tell me to go search the forum if you can think of another culprit please i am all ears. thanks

thanks i will check out snowman. But what i could read about Subaru klub of Alaska is that it is in Alaska. There is about 1800 miles or so in Canada i get to go through. I will keep searching though. thanks again

Hello All I have some questions about the Alcan highway journey from Portland. I have read a few threads on the subject and have a few more questions. First i have a 97 OB with 73K on it and am really hoping to gather any info about Subaru shops along the drive or any mechanics with Subaru knowledge. If something happens that is beyond my scope-which wouldnt take alot- i would feel much better with a few numbers or cities to pull into. So really i guess i am calling all Canadians who live along the Alcan highway that maybe able to give some advice on mechanics. We are planning on leaving mid April- a little early but want to get up to Seward early this year. im originally from Palmer, but since moving away Seward has been the city that has called me back 6 of the last 10 summers. i always fly up and am excited to do the drive. thanks any advice on getting back up there in one peice would be greatly appreciated. Jeremy

Hi all Maybe unreliable was abit strong. 3 weeks after i got it the front seals all just went at once, the factory alarm kept going off when i was driving and not allowing me to start the car for long periods of time. Now a clutch , In between it drove great and i loved it. It was just the idea of scraping up money for a clutch late last night that got me stressed, especially since i naively overpaid for the car. Richie fixed the oil leaks and replaced the timing belt for a very resonable price and has not been an issue since and the alarm is out. Richie thanks alot thats great to hear., yea she's sitting right in your parking lot with the story.... which you have already read. I will call you from work tommorow. this board is pretty addictive. i cant seem to go online and not check the new questions everytime. I learn alot, but my paranoia is running overtime. Thank you all again Jeremy

Im going to drive it about 3 miles in the morning to RichieRich's shop and see what he can do. so far this has not been the reliable Subaru i was hoping for. thanks all

Thanks, can anyone think of any other possibilities? Not a good time for a 800$ clutch job. i will do some more research on dying clutch characteristics/ thanks again

im assuming its the original clutch. so 70K You think this sounds like a clutch going bad?

hello board I got a big problem going now. I have a 97 outback 2.5L 70K and today we were about an hour from home going up a pretty steep hill when the car slipped out of 5th going about 58mph uphill. i put it back into 5th being my speed was still good and once in gear, i knew something was wrong. the rpm's gunned up and my power was really really weak. so we pull over and decide to head back home. the drive home was ok but i could not really pick up speed very easy. it would jump up from 3 to 5K on the rpm's with no speed gain. So we get home and i went out for another short drive to see if i could figure something out? it went from bad to worse real quick and i barely made it up a small hill to get home. I cannot get above 30mpg and i can really feel and hear the car reving up but with no real action. the clutch and transmission feel the same as always so im not sure if the gear slippage was the cause of another problem? any ideas are appreciated. Jeremy

Wow I was looking forward to getting off work to see a little positive info.just what i needeed to hear- thanks all 5-10% failure rate is not as bad as one would of thought reading some of the posts on this site. it is nice to hear that if i does go it wont leave you stranded. About the coolant additive? has anybody heard anything negative or is it something that most of you are using? so it sounds like 100k+ is not that uncommon before the HGs give if they do. I Love this 97 Outback its the first car that i have owned that i find myself peeking out the window sometimes to just look at how pretty it is. i definetly like the shape better than many of the newer year outbacks. thanks again J in Portland

Hello all My 97 outback is about to hit 70K and has been running perfect. She has never overheated and coolant always looks very clean. I bought it at 57K and according to CARFAX it looks like the owner took good care, but the wife and I want to drive to Alaska this April and put alot of miles on her while up there working. The more i read the more worried i get about the ol' head gasket issue. So if any one can give a guy a little hope and share a few successes from their 2.5DOHC engines or if not just the mileage your HG went out. There has to be a few of you. I was always under the impression that Subaru was the car to get if you wanted years and years out of a car, now i am deciding if i want to trade or if there is hope in another 70K without worry. i did not research the car enough before i dove in. thanks to any replies. J

some people in other posts say that removing those 2 block plugs can be a problem and that removing the thermostat is the way to go. any opinions? Thanks Gnuman

I bought the type of 50/50 coolant that the manual recommended , are you talking about something from Subaru? I am still not sure of the tool i need to undo those two block plugs, i havent found it in my searches(yet). Does everybody agree that pouring coolant into the top hose is the best bet against air lock? i am going to try and do it in the next few days, but i want to definetly avoid the trapped air problem. in advice is great.

thanks, i will do another search.

I am planning on flushing my radiator and i need to know what kind of tool i need to drain the block. It is a hexhead of some size and i guess i need to buy one, if anyone knows what i should ask for. again it is a 97 outback. thanks for anyhelp.

Well thanks anyway. i have found them avaliable up to 96' as well. Good luck on the back i just went through a herniated disc surgery myself. J

Hello all this is my first time posting, but have been researching my car through this site for a couple of weeks-i love it. My 97 Outback has just hit 68K the last 10K i have enjoyed putting on there. So far no many problems factory alarm malfunctioned, rear trunk latch dying out, but mechanically it has been great. According to the posts ive read it sounds like it should have a long life ahead and I really hope so we are driving to Alaska in it this April. OK , to the question. Does anyone know if the 97 legacy have glowing gauges avaliable? thanks all J.