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So on a a 2001 H6 Outback Wagon Auto, the driveshaft to the rear diff snapped at its front U joint.. This caused it to smack the auto tranny gear selector and broke some white plastic bits inside of it. This made the gear selector all wonky and looks like it was unable to shift into park. I was not driving the car when this happened and have no feedback from the driver. ,I took out the driveshaft without any problems but the yoke is stuck in the tranny. Wont come out, I banged and pryed on it. I removed the entire gear selector assembly and now its just the gear selector cable hanging. The car is on 4 jackstands with all 4 tires in the air. The front tires spin no matter what gear I select with the cable. I have crawled under the tranny and tried moving the lever by hand and it makes no difference. I'm not really sure what is happening? Has me confused. I thought it would be an easy fix. Any ideas?. Oh yeah also if I finally manage to get the yoke out and fix the gear selector problem, does anyone happen to know if the sedan and wagon driveshaft are the same for the 2001 H6 Outbacks? . I have received conflicting info on this. I will be going to my local pick and pull for all parts. Again thanks for taking the time to read this, and any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for the all the help. It does look like the problem is slop in the linkage, so I'll try to deal with that first and see how it goes. If not then I'll look for a dual range 5MT transmission out of a 85 to 89 GL wagon like GD says. I'll keep you all posted.

thanx - I may never dive into ours that deeply, but this could help some folks in the future.

Excellent description, thanks.

I have also done a 4WD conversion. You'll need the transmission, driveshaft, and basically the entire rear suspension. driveshaft carrier bearing has nowhere to mount. Several ways to do it, I had a one-piece shaft made.... Rear diff hanger will have nowhere to bolt. I drilled and tapped, which worked great for something like 7 years and 60k miles (car was killed last summer when the last owner drove drunk and crashed it.....rear diff still attached). RWD....depends how you want to do it. Do a 4WD swap with a true 4WD Subaru transmission, lock it in 4WD, disassemble the front axle shafts, beat on it until it breaks. Transmission output will probably be the weak link. That's about the only way with the stock engine. there are several options for beefier RWD transmission that will bolt to an EJ/EG/EZ/FA/FB Subaru engine, but not for an EA. It is possible to make a custom adapter plate/flywheel/clutch to use something else...but it would be a one-off.