05 LGT over heating

My 05 LGT Wagon with 5EAT started running hot a couple weeks ago. Up until now, the temperature gauge stayed in the middle at the usual spot, but the fan relay has been turning on almost constantly. This occurs even during short 5 minute drives when the outside temp is 65 deg or below.

 

Jump forward to last night (below 60 out and raining) and the temp gauge starts heading towards the red zone during a short 20 minute drive from Oceanside to San Marcos. While driving, the temp gauge fluctuates back and forth from the normal center position to approximately ¾ of the way to the red zone.

 

I pulled the engine cover today and inspected for leaks or any other obvious sign of problems and could not identify anything. Except, the upper and lower radiator hoses were both collapsed (as if being sucked in). I loosened the clamp on the upper hose, at the radiator, released a small burp of air and the hoses seemed to regain proper shape after running the car for a bit. However, the random temperature fluctuations are still present.

 

The overflow bottle is still completely full (past the full line, actually).

 

Is it possible for the coolant to not be circulating through the system?? Or would that cause catastrophic damage if that were the case??

 

Is it likely the thermostat is sticking??

 

Anyway, if anyone has any ideas on possible causes / solutions, I would really appreciate it.

 

Also, I live in Oceanside, so if there’s a recommended shop (other than Bob Baker Subaru, please), please let me know. Unfortunately, their service and parts dept. are closed on weekends, so I can’t run in and get the special Subaru coolant and additive until during the week.

 

Thanks in advance! Cheers,

 

Ryan

let the car cool down and remove the radiator cap. i bet your out of coolant. id suspect and test for a blown head gasket imediatly

oh and for now. dont worry about special subaru coolant. regular stuff will be just fine. heck just water will be fine till you fiigure out the root cause of your problems.

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Does the radiator not pull coolant from the overflow tank?? I was always under the impression that was a two way system. Like I said, the overflow tank is filled beyond the full line with coolant.

 

I will check the oil tomorrow for any signs of mixed fluids. Besides that, what other ways are there to determine if the head gasket is blown.

 

The car only has 58,500 miles on it. If it's a blown head gasket, hopefully that will be covered under the 5 year / 60k mile power train warranty.

 

Again, thanks!

I would check out your thermostat and have the dealer check out your headgaskets. They can test your coolant for signs of exhaust gases in it. Does your upper radiator hose feel hot when you touch it? It should feel hot. If it is not your coolant is not circulating.

I would check out your thermostat and have the dealer check out your headgaskets. They can test your coolant for signs of exhaust gases in it. Does your upper radiator hose feel hot when you touch it? It should feel hot. If it is not your coolant is not circulating.

 

Don't forget that the engine/coolant have to be hot before you check that hose! I know sounds stupid, but hey...

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Does the radiator not pull coolant from the overflow tank?? I was always under the impression that was a two way system. Like I said, the overflow tank is filled beyond the full line with coolant.

 

I will check the oil tomorrow for any signs of mixed fluids. Besides that, what other ways are there to determine if the head gasket is blown.

 

The car only has 58,500 miles on it. If it's a blown head gasket, hopefully that will be covered under the 5 year / 60k mile power train warranty.

 

Again, thanks!

 

 

it does... but a blown hc will put excess pressure in the cooling system and it pushes all the coolant out the resivour and then onto the ground. shut the car off and the over heated air cools fairly rapidly sucking all the hoses down as the gas cools the condensing air will pull the radiator cap shut, keeping the over flow coolant out of the system

I'd say its the thermostat.

Quick note, my old WRX had a very similar issue ( collapsing hoses, full overflow tank ).

Found that the hose between the tanks ( engine and radiator to OF ) was clogged. Once I cleared the blockage no more issue.

Does the OF tank level change when hot? And I mean fills by quite a bit and returns to the cold level in a few hours after parked? If not check and make sure those lines are clear. I blew low pressure compressed air into them.

I would not rule out the t-stat tho...

I vote for headgasket or T-stat as well.

Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions. I really appreciate it!!!

 

I checked the oil this morning and it looks perfect, i.e., no contamination from outside sources. There does not appear to be any other moisture in the oil.

 

Both the radiator and radiator filler tank have no visible coolant. The overflow tank has never runneth over, so I'm not sure where all the fluid would have gone. But for now I am thinking the thermostat is bad and is limiting the circulation of fluids throughout the system.

 

What pisses me off is that this car has had issues with overheating since it was new and all the dealer did was pressure test the system and replace the radiator cap. argh...

 

Anyway, I believe the thermostat is at the bottom of the system, so if I pull it out, I'll have to replace all the existing fluid. I'm not about to put any non-approved fluids in, just in case I have to pursue some type of power train warranty (i.e., I don't want to give them a reason to deny the claim...).

 

Thanks again! I am going to pump the coolant out of the OF tank and add it to the radiator and filling tank to at least get some fluids in the system. It's my only ride and I cant walk to work tomorrow, so I will keep my fingers crossed until I can get it fully checked. Hopefully the air temps stay cool and minimize heat on the engine.

 

Cheers!

update

 

Both the radiator and radiator filler tank have no visible coolant. The overflow tank has never runneth over, so I'm not sure where all the fluid would have gone. But for now I am thinking the thermostat is bad and is limiting the circulation of fluids throughout the system.

 

Cheers!

 

 

I vote for headgasket or T-stat as well.

 

I agree, tho I am leaning towards the headgasket due to coolant loss.

 

Please share an update with us.

Update:

 

So, I did end up pumping coolant from the overflow tank and adding it to the filler tank. It was not nearly enough, so I added distilled water in to the radiator, filler tank and OF tank to hold me over. Overheating decreased, but there was obvious signs of air trapped in the system, because upon cool down the upper and lower radiator hoses would collapse as if a vacuum had been created in the system. All the while, the OF tank was still at the Full level. Regardless, I just kept adding distilled water before every drive until I could get to the stealership for the Subaru coolant and conditioner.

 

Then, last weekend I did a complete flush and fill of the coolant. I also replaced the thermostat (with an OEM) while I was at it. It went smoothly, but that car is almost impossible to bleed the coolant system. The same trapped air was in the system for the whole week after completing the change - and yes, I took a vacation first and followed all the tips and tricks available. Anyway, I continued to add the 50/50 coolant mix to the system every morning before driving. After a week and a half of doing this, I think the air is finally out of the system. The temperature gauge has not gone above the normal operating level all week!

 

Also, at some point during my early overheating issues,the stealership replaced the cap on the filler tank (by turbo) with a higher pressure cap. Someone I talked to said that it could be causing too much pressure in the system, therefore creating the vacuum. So, I also bought another OEM cap (the original lower pressure cap) and replaced it. Coincidentally, it was after doing this that the air bubbles started to work themselves out..... Personally, I don't understand how the cap could have effected the air trapped in the system, but it seems to have helped.

 

As for the possibility of a blown HG, I am hopeful it's not that, but still concerned.

 

The other night while idling at In&Out, there was copious amounts of either white smoke or condensation coming from the exhaust. My car was the only one in the line doing it, so it seemed strange. I double checked the oil and still see no signs of moisture in the mix. I also went to an independent shop where they did a "sniff" test which apparently checked for hydrocarbons in the coolant. Apparently there was none, because the blue testing liquid did not change colors when fumes were passed through it.

 

So, that's where it stands right now. I still have about 1,000 miles before I pass the power train warranty, so I'm just going to keep an eye on it religiously and hope for the best.

 

If there are any other sure fire ways to test the HG, please feel free to share.

 

Ultimately, I am still completely confused as to how the coolant level became so low without going into and overflowing the OF tank. If it was going past the HG in sufficient quantity to meaningfully lower the fluid levels, I assume there'd be obvious signs in the oil.

 

Since I had overheating issues early in the cars life, I am assuming that there has been air trapped in the system since day one and the stealership was too obtuse to recognize it (despite 5 trips to the dealer during the initial 3/36 warranty period for overheating related concerns).

 

Also, an FYI for those of you in San Diego area.

B. Baker Subaru = $25 for a gallon of coolant

K. Mesa Subaru = $18 for same gallon of coolant

 

Needless to say, I won't go the BB again.

 

Thanks again to everyone for your help and guidance!! Cheers,

 

Ryan

Update:

 

So, I did end up pumping coolant from the overflow tank and adding it to the filler tank. It was not nearly enough, so I added distilled water in to the radiator, filler tank and OF tank to hold me over. Overheating decreased, but there was obvious signs of air trapped in the system, because upon cool down the upper and lower radiator hoses would collapse as if a vacuum had been created in the system. All the while, the OF tank was still at the Full level. Regardless, I just kept adding distilled water before every drive until I could get to the stealership for the Subaru coolant and conditioner.

 

Then, last weekend I did a complete flush and fill of the coolant. I also replaced the thermostat (with an OEM) while I was at it. It went smoothly, but that car is almost impossible to bleed the coolant system. The same trapped air was in the system for the whole week after completing the change - and yes, I took a vacation first and followed all the tips and tricks available. Anyway, I continued to add the 50/50 coolant mix to the system every morning before driving. After a week and a half of doing this, I think the air is finally out of the system. The temperature gauge has not gone above the normal operating level all week!

 

Also, at some point during my early overheating issues,the stealership replaced the cap on the filler tank (by turbo) with a higher pressure cap. Someone I talked to said that it could be causing too much pressure in the system, therefore creating the vacuum. So, I also bought another OEM cap (the original lower pressure cap) and replaced it. Coincidentally, it was after doing this that the air bubbles started to work themselves out..... Personally, I don't understand how the cap could have effected the air trapped in the system, but it seems to have helped.

 

As for the possibility of a blown HG, I am hopeful it's not that, but still concerned.

 

The other night while idling at In&Out, there was copious amounts of either white smoke or condensation coming from the exhaust. My car was the only one in the line doing it, so it seemed strange. I double checked the oil and still see no signs of moisture in the mix.

I also went to an independent shop where they did a "sniff" test which apparently checked for hydrocarbons in the coolant. Apparently there was none, because the blue testing liquid did not change colors when fumes were passed through it.

 

Ryan

 

Did you have the shop do a sniff test for coolant in your exhaust? You were losing it somewhere.

Unfortunately, no. They did not check the exhaust. Is that test as easy as using the same liquid filled squeeze bottle and passing fumes through it?? If so, I should probably head back there and have them check the exhaust too.

 

It doesn't emit the white smoke / condensation all the time, which is what makes me think it's not the HG. I assume that would be a constant problem, if it were the case.

 

That's what bothers me the most!! Where the f$%k did the coolant go?????

I believe that the earlier HG issues leaked internally after 03 or 04 it became an external issue

pull ur spark plugs out and check to see if they r wet...

I will try that, but probably won't be able to until next weekend.

I'd get it to the dealer before you turn the last 1k miles on your warranty. That way it is logged under warranty if something pops up in another say 2k miles.

I am having a similar issue with my 2005 LGT. My main radiator is low on fluid, but the overflow tank is above full. I have seen some fluid on the ground under my car and when I inspect it, it looks like it is overflowing the turbo tank. So I have to keep adding fluid to my main tank. I dont understand why it does not get pulled from the overflow tank. Or why when it does overflow it does not go into the overflow tank?

 

I have not cleaned out the tubes in the overflow tank yet. Has anyone had the issue with that line getting clogged?

I have checked my oil and it is very clean.

Good info I'm having same issue ..I got tranny slipping cause of POS IpT Valvebody but I'll check my lines and also may replace turbo reservoir tank because the bottom lower nipple broke off and I tapped in a barb fitting for now ..

I found the source of my problem. Turns out I had two problems.

 

1. The radiator has aluminum fingers that clasp onto the plastic parts. These fingers were opening up and letting it leak "Only when it was cold" When it got hot pressure would force it to seal. New radiator fixed that.

 

2. The overflow tank was not working properly because the hose was cut square and not at an angle and it got stuck to the bottom of the tank and would not suck the fluid out. Cutting the hose at a 45 degree angle fixed that one.

thats weird of the hose being cut wrong. but hey as long as it works now.

The hose issue is in a service bulletin.