Just stopping in for a sec to say hi. Got the link to the club from a Yahoo Subaru group....
My subby? a 2000 green Outback wagon, manual trans, with a triple bike rack on top. Outfitted with the wilderness package, its most comfy in the winter.. heated seats, heated wipers (on the front windshield) and transverse traction control.
The timing belt was changed around 60-70K.
Coming up to 120,000 miles. The biggest repair has been a blown head gasket. That was last spring..... and it recently happened again.. although this time Im sitting it our for a little more thinking.... possible an engine swap... Because Im not trusting another gasket job. Everything done to the car has been by the dealer.
I had an old VW Vanagon a while back and been thru this. The second head gasket job.. a repairman finally showed me the real damage. A groove you could lay a pencil in!!!!! (Piston chamber to water column!!!) So much for the VW van!!!!
Id like to know know more of the 'why' the gasket would blow because the engine hickupped one time and blows the gasket. A simple timing miss, misfire, choke, hiccup.. shouldn't do such damage.... or maybe the gasket is too narrow at some point and cant take the pressure!?
The symptom?? You can smell coolant when you step out of the car..... looking under the hood you don't see any coolant.... It leaks down the block and evaporates!. And as your driving you can feel the quick drop off in compression when you lift your foot off the gas. The engine doesnt sustain the as it should.
Still rides ok.... although I dont push it.... 2k-3k RPMs thats it.... and with gas the way it is... Im taking advantage of hills.... skipping gears and using neutral! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..... (hey dont laugh, it saves gas!)
Cant do that in an automatic trans!
Bye for now..... ANyone with ideas... I open to hearing any thoughts.
regards
Phil
