Joeh

Thanks that worked.

Yesterday we picked up an 05 Outback w/AT. I'm trying to verify what trans so i know what fluid to get. According to the pics in the owner's manual it has the 4-speed dip stick. Taking off from a stop I count 3 gear changes, also pointing to 4-speed. I checked the VIN position #11 which is a 7, all i could find for code 7 is "awdAT." Any other way to tell if I have a 4 or 5 speed auto? thanks

What I should have said was, are there any transmission concerns if an 01-up Outback/Legacy for sale has no service history on the AT? An example, vw fans would say if an 01-up vw auto trans had no fluid/filter change by 130,000 miles, impending trans failure is likely. Problem was compounded b/c vwoa said their fluid was "lifetime" so most owners never changed it until it was too late/out of warranty. So would an 01-up Outback or Legacy for sale with 150,000 (or 120,000 or 180,000) on the clock and no service history on the auto transmission be cause for upcoming transmission issues? Or can I as a new/used owner just change the fluid/filter and get 300,000 miles out of a previously unserviced subaru AT? (as long as the tires are kept uniform) thanks for the info it helps

When looking at used, what's the highest mileage worth considering if no service history is available?

Any reliability issues with the Legacy/Outback auto trannies 00-up? I searched here didn't see any major issues, trying to confirm if they're ok. What is the recommended fluid/filter change interval? What kind of fluid to use? How long do these trannies last? thanks for any help

Thanks that helped. Phillips head plastic Drain screw on bottom pass side, looked weird but it worked. Extracted overflow res with mitevac and flushed heater core. Not really into subarus wife's new car i was trying to save the head gaskets. '05 2.5 123k miles. Smelled coolant in the exhaust on cold starts. Studied up online, cleaned batt. terminals, changed coolant, added sub conditioner, head bolts tight, still smelled it, goes away when warm, everything else seems ok. Oil on bottom of motor but no coolant under motor or in oil. Extent of my abilities. She took it to her shop, they said gaskets & water pump leaking. P.O. had receipt in car for tb@ 100k but nothing else from another shop. Wife's shop has fixed her subarus before has a subaru mechanic. Quoted 500 for wp or 1100 for everything, she had everything done, wp/tb kit & hg's, still smells like coolant in exhaust when cold. I wonder why but can't do any more with it, disabled, was wondering if anybody else has a coolant smell exhaust when cold in the newer 2.5 cars? thanks again

I'm trying to drain the coolant in a 2005 Outback Legacy, the owner's manual isn't specific. 1. How does the radiator drain? I unscrewed one of the 2 lower nipples with a 19mm hex, nothing came out. Is this normal? 2. How to remove the plastic guards underneath the radiator corners? There are some round plastic pins holding the guards in place. Are these reusable 2-piece push pins like with interior panels, or do they break when you pop them out? 3. How does the overflow bottle drain? I didn't see a screw on the bottom. Does it have to come out? Does it come off the fan shroud or does the shroud have to come out? Looks like a rubik's cube of plastic tabs lock the bottle to the shroud. I removed the top screw but it didn't seem to do anything. What am i missing? thanks for any help

Joined the forum to search maybe ask some questions. Have a 2000 OS looking at a newer OB.