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all taken into account on the check engine light. as far as the car using oil, it is leaking oil not burning as far as I can tell. With the head gaskets replaced, that might solve the issue as a few others would be replaced in the process. that isn't the issue, the issue is could there be a fuel delivery problem of some sort making this happen, in regards to running at almost no power at times? PS. as for the used engine, what am I looking at for one of those, I think it may be possible to be opening another can of worms with that avenue also. Thanks

Hi Guys and thanks for the input. check engine light is on and has been on ever since I owned the car, approx. 6 years. A lot of my friends with these cars have their check engine lights on as well. I understand it is for a reason but it has run fine for years like this. It briefly went off a year ago after I replaced the alternator/battery but was back on a day later. The shop said something about a hydrocarbons test in the exhaust and the figure 500 parts rings a bell but it was over a cell phone cutting out. I'll know more on monday. It hasn't had a tune up in a long time. plugs replaced 2 years ago. timing belt two years ago also. coolant it's been a very long time since it was changed. because It wasn't overheating and intermitantly running strange I was second guessing when he jumped straight to the head gasket issue. is there any way oil could be getting into the coolant reservoir otherwise? The car does leak oil. where from, who knows there is too much gunk built up to tell. Maybe a quart every 1,500-2,000 miles. the problem did persist after I filled the car up.

Hi, I have a 96 legacy outback. auto trans. 200,000 miles. Was on a trip and it really didn't get driven for a month and a half save for a couple times around the block. sat under a car port but it was raining hard. Upon returning, about .5mi into the drive around a left hand corner, almost all power cut out, IE 20 mph almost floored without high rpms that would make me think think transmission. filled up, (car was stored low on gas) put a bottle of heet in it (the yellow kind) thinking maybe I had gotten some water in the fuel. Next day same problem almost, around the corner. eventually came into it and If I got to 60 mph, it was fine to keep it there. two days later, tok an extra crank to start compared to usual, and same issue but worse. was fine after. Checked oil, trans. fluid. all fine. However, and a big however is there was a good amount of oil in the coolant reservoir. which makes me think head gasket possibly, esp. given the issues with these and subaus. Car has never over heated and there is no white smoke out of tail pipe. local mechanic seems sure it is the head gasket and wants a lot to fix, But I have some concerns given the driving issues, thinking it seems more along the lines of a fuel delivery issue, be it some bad fuel still in there possibly. Not exited to dump a ton of money into a high mileage car for the head gasket and still have an issue, esp. since I just put $1,000 into a abs unit, master cyl. and brakes this summer. any feedback would be appreciated.