Soup

My 2000 OBW is causing me grief! I am getting a coolant odor intermittently, usually on cold days (-25 to -40c). I have pulled the lower engine cover off twice to look for the leak, thinking it was an external head gasket leak, However today I located it. It seems to be coming from the bottom of the Rad, where the lower tank mounts to the rad, It's leaking in two spots - where the rad sits on the body of the car, at this location the bent tabs that secure the lower tank to the rad do not bend over the tank. I also found brown goo in the rad overflow tank (oil residue I think). Any suggestions.. Is this a blown head gasket, overpressurizing the coolant system??

A question Which Legacy/outbacks were equiped with the 2.5 dohc/2.2 sohc engines the the 1996-1999 years. I have relatives looking for a used outback, I would hate to recommend a model, then have them blow the head gaskets. Thanks

Definately sounds like a c/v shaft on it's way out. The c/v wear becomes noticeable on turns, especially when excellerating in turns.

I put in a single din Panasonic, It fit like it was made for the car! Don't forget to get a wiring harness, If you buy a head unit from Crutchfield, they include it for free, Sure beats cutting away under the dash, plug & play!

My 2000 outback made the same sound, I wasn't sure if it was normal, so I took it to the dealer, at 75k, it's still under warranty. They replaced the timing belt and tensioner, they said the tensioner was leaking. Hope this helps

There are 2 screws above the ashtray. pull out the tray, and feel with your fingers for the screw heads. I used a very small phillips stubby, or a #2 phillips bit in a 1/4" ratchet would work as well.

I'd like to switch to larger brakes, however I bought 15" forrester rims, and they won't fit over the larger calipers.. Hopefully the stock brakes are better than the uap stuff. I had the car sprayed at krown, and will every year. The car I retired (gave to family) was a 1984 Toyota Cressida, with no rust. It had been treated at Ming, Then when I bought it 6 years ago, I Krowned it every year. Another thing to note, When I first bought the Outback, if you drove it fast, (120-140km) there was a nasty loud squeal from the front dash area on the right side. I found the rubber trim on the side of the windshield to be vibrating. I placed some tape temporarily on the trim and the noise went away. A couple of small dabs of silicone under the trim and problem is taken care of. I wonder if this is a regular occurance on the legacy, because there seemed to be nothing wrong with the trim, just bad design.

I bought 15" steel Forrester rims, with 205 70r15 Toyo winter tires, to replace my 16" summer tires. I tried it out in the snow, It's unbelievable, It will plow through wind driven snow above bumper height, with no problems... Just remember to clean that snow from the radiator....

I bought a 2000 outback in October, just thought I'd share my experiences so far. I purchased it from a auction in Montreal, (lease return). I gave it a good inspection, found that the dealer had removed a trailer hitch, (they butchered the removal, and cut off the harness), other than that, everything looked fine. I took it the garage for It's safety. The garage in their infinite wisdom thought the front rotors were worn, so decided to change them, without calling me! They installed UAP brake parts UH! I then drove it to florida and back, with no problems, though I did note a intermittent knock in the engine at idle, but I didn't know if it was lifter noise or not. Upon my return I purchased 4 steel forrester rims, and toyo winter tires, and a trailer hitch from my subaru dealer here in Ottawa, The trailer hitch was a snap to install. While at the dealer, I found it required 2 recalls, one for rustproofing, and one for the ECU replacement. No problem, when I returned the car for the recalls I told them to check the knock out in the Engine (75km, under warranty). When I picked it up they informed me that they had replaced the timing belt and tensioner, due to the tensioner leaking! What a bonus, not a penny out of my pocket! Oh and the UAP brakes on the front... They warped. I got a refund and bought subaru brakes!

I bought 4 toyo winter's on forrester rims from my subaru dealer, I'm very satisfied, quiet tires, and good in the snow!