1998 Subaru Outback cooling issue

1998 SUBARU OUTBACK
17,000 MILES • 4 CYL • AWD • MANUAL
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ELIZAG
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my cars cockpit gauge is redlineing . the cars not running funny. the oil is fine. the heater is blowing freezing cold air. there is a weird smell when you turn off the car. sometimes when you turn of the heat the temp will drop back into the normal range. this just started. please help me.
Jan 9, 2010 at 7:01 PM
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KNIGHT2448
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It is a blown head gasket. I just had the gasket replaced on my 199 subaru outback. Check the oil and look to see if it is a milky brownish color. If it is then stop driving the car. You can destroy the engine. If the oil is ok then look around the left side of the car underneath and see if there is a coolant leak. Also check the coolant reservoir while the ening is running you should see bubbles in the coolant tank. The problem is caused by exhaust getting into the coolant and it superheats the coolant to the point of boiling. The fans and radiator are not able to remove all of the heat because the exhaus tis really hot.

Subaru knows about this problem with the head gaskets and will not acknowledge it. I recommend getting the head gasket changed as soon as possible
Jan 12, 2010 at 12:19 AM