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Well, in a last ditch effort to fully confirm the fate of the engine my mechanic did end up checking the thermostat, cooling fans, and pressure tested the cooling system. All those items checked out OK but then those tests may not be reliable (Thanks for the heads up, Rooster2.) In addition, they tested for hydrocarbons in the radiator and overflow tank (Thanks The Dude) and found them in both places in varying concentrations before and after test driving. Bummer. I am currently considering my options: new (used/rebuilt) engine, insert a EJ22 SOHC engine, fix the HG and do any work on the heads, etc., or upgrading to a more recent Subaru. If we go with any sort of rebuilt or new engine I will insist on Subaru Original equipment parts. Luckily we still have my wife's 02 Outback sedan to get around in. Upgrading to newer model has the distinct advantage of more comfortable seats, more and more appropriate cupholders (and other reasons) but it is hard to let go of a car you've known for 13+ years.

bstone, 2 years ago my mechanic put BG Super Cool Conditioner (universal) in when they flushed out the coolant and replaced it. What sort of cost should I expect to replace the head gaskets, assuming no damage was done from the overheating? (This sort of repair work is well beyond me.) Does it need to be done by a person experienced with Subarus?

Thanks to all for your thoughts-I know there is a lot of head gasket discussion on the USMB but this seemed a little atypical. This car has been in our family since 11K miles and it has served us very well--never overheated until recently and I don't believe ever had any HG issues. It is at the mechanic getting checked out right now, diagnosing stuff like this is beyond my ability. I did see bubbles in the overflow tank when I dropped it off though...

I recently took my ~170k mile 97 Legacy Outback wagon (automatic transmission) for a weekend road trip and experienced some puzzling overheating of the engine. (Not sure if this should be posted in the repair forum?) While driving a mostly gentle but sometimes rolling descent for about 25 miles I used 3rd gear sporadically to control speed (which fluctuated between 25-50 mph). I had the a/c running on low. The outside temp was in the mid to high 80s. I encountered a 5-mile-long, ~5-6 % grade where I sometimes used the engine as a brake and proceeded at about 20-30 mph. At the bottom of the grade, I noticed my temperature gauge was redlining and I immediately turned on the heater full blast and pulled over. (I realized that I was so focused on the descent and traffic that I had not been vigilant about monitoring the gauges for the past 30 minutes.) The radiator overflow tank was full and bubbling mildly over. Only one of the two radiator fans was spinning (the right-hand one). I let the car idle on level ground with the heater on full blast and in 15 or so minutes the temperature gauge read normal. The radiator overflow tank was now empty because presumably the coolant had been drawn back into the radiator as it cooled. I turned the car off and then back on again and observed that the other radiator fan (the left hand one) was now spinning and the right hand one was now idle. I added about 8 oz of coolant I happened to have in the car. I then drove the remaining 130 flat highway miles back home with the a/c off in temps of 75-80 degrees and had no overheating. I have since driven the car around town with no issues and observed that both radiator fans spin. Before I left for the trip I had the valve cover gaskets and covers, spark plugs and wires, and belts replaced. It seems odd to me that the car would overheat while descending in warm (not hot) weather, even if the a/c were on and the engine was serving as a brake. Any thoughts?

Has anyone ever heard of an subaru (or other car, for that matter) catching fire because oil leaking from the valve covers was ignited by the hot exhaust manifold? My mechanic warned me about this, saying it wasn't too likely--he's only heard about it a few times, but he was obligated to alert me to the possibility since my valve covers appear to be leaking more and he smelled burning oil during a test drive. Obviously, this it not a good situation and I intend to replace the covers--but can it wait until after I drive ~600 miles this weekend or am I already on borrowed time? Thanks.

Thanks. I was losing sleep over it, thinking the airbags wouldn't work if I needed them. I think I'll save my money for other things like tranny fluid changes and major maintenance items.

Hello! I have a 97 legacy outback with >125k miles, been a great car for me. It is now well past the 10 year mark when I am supposed to let the dealer look at the airbags. Why do I need to do this? Is it a real safety issue? (No one I know with the same car has ever had it done.) Can anyone advise what the dealer is going to do and how much it will cost? Do I need to take it to the dealer or can my other mechanic handle it? Also, how easy is it to change the cabin air filter myself? Is there any reason to pay for that? Thanks!