kh0432

After doing a routine oil change on my sons 96 Outback, I took it for a ride and noticed the transmission was very noisy. Checked the oil level which was at the low mark and topped it off but no change in the noise. There is alot of noise in all gears, most noticable when giving it gas or letting off of the gas. If I hold the shifter while giving it gas, you can feel the shifter move backwards and if you let off of the gas it moves forward. My guess is that there is alot of end play in the transmission. Also, it has 196000 miles. It's not noisey in neutral. I doubt that it's the throwout bearing because when you push in the clutch there is no noise or roughness. This has been a great car but I'm not putting any money into it. If it needs a transmission, I'll sell it as is. It's in Baltimore if anyone is interested. Keith

kh0432

This is a follow up to my own message. I decided to keep the subie and put a used transmission in it myself which only cost me $550.00. It runs like new again, no whine and no movement in the shifter. 196,000 miles and still counting. A word of caution when you have to pull the front axles, especially if the car is driven in snow. Pop off the bottom ball joint from the control arm instead of removing the pinch bolt. I've broken these twice. The first time it cost $250 for a new knuckle, bearing and seals. The second time I got one from a salvage yard for $35 and noticed that when they remove it, they leave in the ball joint and speed sensor. Thanks, Keith