M6_Broke_Me

Thanks for the info Gnuman. I have a good workspace and some time. Engine hoists are cheap at Harbor Freight Tools. I suppose it would be worth a try just to dump some stop leak in both the cooling system and the oil before. Should I give that at least a try before digging into this disaster?

I expect the dealer to call tomorrow with the bad news - the dreaded head gasket leak on my wife's '96 Outback. I have seen post stating that the going rate is about $ 1000 USD. Actually this seems pretty cheap if it includes both heads including machining etc. I suppose I may be able to jump in and do the work myself. It looks like the engine would need to come out or at least be severely moved downward. I haven't done a job like this on a car but I rebuilt my water cooled 4-stroke motorcycle engine from the crank up. It runs great. Any thoughts from someone who has BTDT would be greatly appreciated. Paul

'96 Outback. Larger engine (2.5L?) My temperature gauge fluctuates from medium to full hot and back down again while the engine shows no other signs of trouble: No steam boiling out, coolant level is normal, engine seems to operate normally. I suspect the sending unit has lost its mind. Where is it? How can I test it? Should I test the Gauge also? Maybe I should measure the actual operating temp of the engine. What should it be? Thanks, Paul

1996 Outback. Larger engine (2.5L?) Temperature gauge seems to wander to full hot and I,m not convinced that the engine is really overheating. That is, there is no steam bellowing from the radiator and the engine seems to be running just fine. The coolant level is normal too. The fans are operaational. Sometimes the gauge wanders back down to the middle of the temperature range. I really suspect the sensor. Where is it? How do I test it? Maybe I should just measure the actual temperature. What temperature is normal for an engine. Thanks Paul

With a hopelessly binding AWD system and an estimate of $ 1,400 to replace the duty © selenoid and the AWD clutch pack, now I am searching for alternatives. What if I just remove the driveshaft? (!) That's something I can do for free. Am I right? I live in Atlanta and we surely didn't get this Outback because it had AWD. Am I missing something? I suppose I will have to plug the driveshaft hole in the transfer case. That should be easy enough - I own a small machine shop. But am I missing something? Thanks for all replies Paul

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. I'm gonna install that fuse as a diagnostic test at least. Paul

The 4wd is totally binding up on my wife's '96 Automatic Outback and The dealer said it needed a "C-selenoid" and also recommended a clutch kit at $ 1,395 including parts and labor. They also quoted $ 396 for replacing (2) leaky valve covers which I think sounds rather high but I haven't looked into doing the job myself yet. It sounds to me like this C-selenoid has failed and they don't know if it also needs the clutch pack so they just threw that in as part of the estimate. Can I replace the C-selenoid myself? Or can I just electronically disconnect the 4 wd completely? I've heard of this and maybe it would eliminate the 4 xd binding problem we are experiencing. Thanks in advance for your help on this matter.