Bad Differential?

captin

My buddy brought his 2001 Outback by to see if I want it. The catch: 260,000 miles and no front wheel drive. The vehicle's rear wheels kick in and a clicking noise comes from the font differential. I thought it might be a bad CV but I saw diff fluid coming from both seals on the differential. Put it up on stands and put it in gear and the rear wheels spin with no problems. Nothing in front but the clicking noise. Also when I put it back in park the gears don't slow down so I have to put it in neutral first so it will catch gear. Fluid level is almost dry. I put a small magnet in and it was full of metal shavings. This all tells me the front differential is shot. Plus the head gaskets are leaking a little.

The guy I got this from didn't notice anything out of the ordinary before it went out. This looks like it may not be worth the time to fix.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks

ateixeira

2001 is tempting, but at 260k miles the head gaskets and the front diff are shot? If it was one or the other perhaps, but both?

Only if you want a project car you can learn from.