Hi there,
Thanks to 99obw and all the other contributors for their classic thread on head gaskets.
I'm going down the same road with my 97 Outback. I bought it a year ago in Maine from a used-car dealer who purchased it in Pennsylvania, drove it up, and "had the whole engine resealed." I knew almost nothing about engines at the time so I believed him with relief, thinking it would be a while before I ran into the dreaded HG problem. Pretty soon after purchase I noticed coolant levels in the overflow tank dropping all the time but could never find a leak in the system. No overheat, no problem, right? Until a couple of weeks ago, when a head gasket finally gasped its last dying breath. It seems obvious that this dealer's mechanic is either inept or the dealer is just a sleazeball (well, that's actually definitely true. He sold me the car with a key broken off in the driver's lock ). The really interesting part is the condition of the heads. Perhaps someone can shed some light on this for me:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0IRMm5ZN2PxyRGW3KF6r8g?authkey=Gv1sRgCN7mr8fWgoyQzwE&feat=directlink
The left side head has the same cutouts on the back! Should I be freaking out, or what?
Sean