Folksiegrl Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Hi all. I'm new to this community....I am sure glad I stumbled upon it as there is so much for me to learn. About a year ago, I purchased a 96 Legacy Outback, 2.5L. Things have been well w/ the car (other than some "normal" repairs). Then, last weekend, I overheated and took it to my mechanic. Based on the fact that there was oil in the coolant tank, he told me that I had probably blown a head gasket. However, after flushing and cleaning everything out and replacing the fluids, there was no mixture of oil and water. I've driven the car all day today and I keep checking the coolant. Is it still possible that there might be a problem w/ the head gasket or head itself? My mechanic thinks that the place that did my oil change a week earlier may have accidentally put the oil in the coolant tank....do people really make huge mistakes like that? I also had the front axles replaced b/c the front left was shot. However, I am still experiencing problems when I make very sharp turns (the car seems to skip). I've read here that this might be related to the differential. Any thoughts on that? Lastly, b/c my mechanic doesn't seem to be as knowledgeable as I thought, I was wondering if anyone here knows of someone that will know how to work on my car in the Los Angeles/Long Beach, CA area? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I love my car and hope to get these issues resolved but I also don't want to put more money into it than it's worth.....I'd rather sell it and move on to a better Outback if necessary (although that's not my first choice). Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 If the oil in the coolant tank was black and dirty, it was not new oil added by mistake. HG are a funny thing. Sometimes total failure (over heats every time) and some times as long as the car is not driven hard (high speed for long periods) they show no signs of leaks. For the Trans, is the AT light on the dash blinking 16 times when the car is started? If so there is a code stored. Ball park figure is these are both straight fixes, I'd say you are looking at $3000+ in repairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Hop & skip in a tight turn is classic 'torque bind'. Not necessarily a major problem (but it may be). Do a search and read up on the fixes to try first, before sinking a K note into it. Ditto, the HG, search, read and learn. And, find an indie mechanic that knows Subarus ... not the stealership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Folksiegrl Posted June 5, 2005 Author Share Posted June 5, 2005 If the oil in the coolant tank was black and dirty, it was not new oil added by mistake. HG are a funny thing. Sometimes total failure (over heats every time) and some times as long as the car is not driven hard (high speed for long periods) they show no signs of leaks.QUOTE] I've only overheated once and yes the oil coolant mixture was black. Am I going to be doing additional damage if I take it easy when I drive or should I not drive it all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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