arracado

Total was $1366 and change. They did the HG (Subaru of course), timing belt, two tensioners, new thermo & gasket (which I didn't need since I had just put in a Subaru one the week before ), resurfacing of the head, oil/lube. Dropped it off on a Monday morning, had it back Thursday afternoon. This was at Dave's Import Service in Medford, Oregon. I highly recommend them to anyone in the area. Nice job Nipper...you win, uhhh...I'll buy you a beer if you're ever up this way!

Yes I was told between $1200 and $1500, with $1500 being in the event of something untoward in the engine, which I'm not expecting since the car's always run beautifully, especially for 140k miles. I'll post when it's all done what it cost me.

Dropped my 97 OBW off at the shop today to have the HG and timing belt done, along with any seals that may need replacing. I feel pretty good about it...the car runs beautifully and I'm sure we'll hang on to it for at least a couple more years.

It's looking like I'm in the same boat as you Big Blue. Got a quote from my mechanic of $1200-$1300 for the head gasket and timing belt, and he'd get it done in 4 or 5 days! So to avoid a catastrophic failure when we drive 1000 miles next month, I'm just gonnna bite the bullet and have it done.

Bummer dude.

I think I may finally be getting my head around this whole HG/overheating issue with these cars. HG failure can definitely cause overheating. But overheating can be caused by other factors, like air in the system. Something to be wary of especially after you've drained/refilled the system. I think overheating can also lead to a HG failure though, so it's never a good idea to keep driving once the car's overheated. This is what my wife unknowingly did the other day, and is why I'm still not certain if I'll be needing a HG job or not just yet. Another thing I found interesting is the whole airplane/HG thread, which implied that HG failure is somewhat intermittent, i.e. it only happens at high temps/RPMs. Again though, similar symptoms to the air pocket in the system. If you subscribe to this train of thought, your car may have a 'blown' head gasket but run normally, only showing symptoms after long or arduous trips. It's a tricky beast that's for sure. But the way I see it my 97 has 140k miles on it, so I wouldn't say I'm a victim of the dreaded 2.5DOHC head gasket curse. Hell, I had to have the head gasket done on my 91 Toyota 22RE at 120k miles earlier this year, although I'm almost positive that was caused by a "Power Flush" service I had done at Oilstop.

Been experiencing something similar with my 97 OBW as well. Before you jump to the head gasket conclusion though, be sure you've got ALL the air out of the system and replace your radiator cap. It's going to be a few days of burping the system for me before I decide whether it's time for a HG job.

So this thing seems to be taking A LOT of coolant. Guess there was much more air in there than I thought, which is probably why it was overheating. I won't know for sure until I get that bleeder screw replaced and can drive the car a bit. Couple of things I noticed that I'd like to ask if I should be concerned about: 1. The bubbling in the coolant, as shown in the video I posted above. I also detect an 'exhaust like' smell from the coolant in the expansion tank. The coolant still looks brand new, and there was never any kind of oil/sludge in the previous coolant, which hadn't been changed in quite some time. 2. As the car was warming up yesterday, I checked the tail pipe and there was a bit of water spurting out every now and then. Also a little bit pooled up at the bottom of the exhaust pipe. 3. When adding coolant, I followed the technique in the Haynes manual about squeezing the upper radiator hose to expel air. I can sit and squeeze that thing over and over and each time air will come out of the radiator cap and the coolant level will drop a little. I add more, squeeze, add more, repeat, etc. Can there really be that much air in the system? I'm not leaking coolant AT ALL. Anyway, any input on this is appreciated. Of course if I get that bleeder valve replaced, get all the air out, and it still overheats, it's going to the mechanic for what I'm sure will be a head gasket job. But if it goes back to being as reliable and well-running as it has been, should #1 and #2 really concern me all that much?

Well I thought that bubbles in the overflow tank=head gasket. Maybe not. Come to think of it, I recall seeing this almost two years ago when I first got the car and thinking the same thing. I would think after two years with a bad head gasket I'd be having a lot of problems. In all respects, other than the problems I've had of late, the car runs superbly. I did realize that there was a lot of air in the system. Basically, instead of capping the radiator after the fan came on and I topped off the coolant, I waited for the fan to come on again. Each time the fan would come on, the coolant level in the radiator would drop again. I did this a number of times until the level didn't drop much anymore. Just took it for a drive with the A/C cranked, and didn't have any problems. I'll let it cool down overnight, then check the levels in the morning again. Thanks for the help!

So, umm, I noticed this happening: http://webpages.charter.net/ajizian/bubbles.AVI

Thanks nipper. I just succeeded in breaking off the bleeder valve head by overtightening.

Quick question-- Do the cooling fans for the radiator operate in tandem? I noticed just now that only the large one came on and not the smaller one.

So after doing this process twice in one week, I'm having the same problem that I first attributed to purchasing a non-OEM t-stat. The car will run fine for about 15 minutes or so, then all of a sudden the temp gauge will spike and the coolant reservoir fills up. Now, I know people are going to say "head gasket" but I'd like to explore some other possibilities first, as there was clearly no oil/contaminants in the coolant, nor air bubbles in the expansion tank, and the heater was blowing HOT when I slid the gauge over. I spoke with my mechanic briefly, and he said it sounds like an air pocket in the system. Is it possible, even after following this tutorial to a T, that there could be air in the system? And would that cause this sudden temp spike after normal operation?

I put Polk Audio speakers in all 4 doors a couple years ago when I got my 97 OBW, and they sound killer. These were the first Polks I have used, typically I go with Infinity.

Yes, lesson learned. I do have a Subaru thermo now though, I just wasn't sure if it needed to go in any other special way besides spring-side up.

While following cyberfire's coolant flush to a T, I went to get a new thermostat. Well, Subaru was closed, so I went to NAPA. When I pulled the old one out, I noticed that it was significantly different than the one NAPA sold me (much larger diameter and spring). Anyway, the coolant hadn't been changed in a while and was kind of old, and I was having this problem of the temp rising when the car would be stopped at a light after being on the highway, for example. I thought maybe the large one that was in the car was incorrect (from the last time it was replaced), so I went with the NAPA one. Today was the first day the wife took it around town to run errands, and with the air on the thing got real hot. She got it home, and it looks like about half the coolant shot out the expansion tank. Anyway, I'm putting in the OEM thermo now, but wasn't sure if there is a certain way it's supposed to be oriented. I know the spring side goes up toward the engine, but the ring is oddly set, and there's a hole with a dangling metal piece on the band. Does this need to face a certain way as well, or does that not matter?

Anyone have any tips on cleaning out the coolant reservoir other than a baby bottle brush? Don't have one handy and I'm in the middle of this job right now. Lots of gunk on the inside of the coolant tank.

I've noticed in my 97 OBW that on a nice cool day, if I set the temp all the way to the cool side, and open the fresh air vent, the air that comes through is noticeably warmer than the outside air. This is the only car I've ever had that does this. I've checked the heater valve, and when the lever is all the way to the cold side the valve is definitely closed all the way. Does everyone with an Outback have this problem?

Thanks for the help everyone! I'll give SOA a call Monday and see if I can get a free one from them. Hey thanks for the offer! I really want a hardcopy to keep in the glove box though.

I need an owner's manual for my 97OBW...I see lots on ebay for 1997 Legacy; did the Outbacks have a different manual?

I have a 97 OBW, 125k miles, runs beautifully. Unfortunately it gets most of its miles in town these days, and we average about 19mpg. However, on long trips on the freeway it jumps to about 27-28mpg.

Probably 3-4 months. I talked with a local Subaru mechanic who has a good reputation around here, and he quoted me $750 for the job, and that includes clutch packs, etc. He said he could do it cheaper and bypass the clutch packs, but that might invite future problems. So $750 doesn't sound too bad to me to keep the car running how it should. It's a bite in the wallet, but not as bad as I thought it might be, and it could end up being less depending on how it looks once he gets it taken apart. Thanks again for all the help!

Thanks for the help nipper! So I guess my next question then would be how much I should expect to pay for such a job. If anyone has had similar work done please let me know how much you paid so I can be sure not to get ripped off! This board rules!! Thanks to everyone.

Well I've seen it described as torque bind here. When making a hard left turn, like into a parking space for example, the car feels as if you're holding the brake down while pushing on the gas.

Just went out in the snow, put a 15A fuse in the FWD socket, and tested the AWD. With the fuse in or out, rear wheels spin if I gun it in the snow. Dead drive solenoid c? What am I looking at to get this thing replaced, and what are the consequences of continued driving with the car in this condition?