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?

The heater core gets coolant flow no matter what the temperature setting is. I think this is why the vent air is never truly the same temperature as the outside air.

 

On sunny days, I run the AC for a little bit to cool off the vents. Then I turn it off and it usually works fine.