Overheating

I just recently purchased a 96 legacy wagon 180k i drove it around for two days with no problems at all and then one cold night i go out and it starts to overheat but the overflow tank was full.

Im thinking thermostat or temp sending unit, when the gauge read all the way hot i could put my hand on the upper radiator hose and it wasnt so hot i couldnt leave it there. also there was virtually no heat coming off the engine or when i put my hand on top of the radiator.

And this morning when i went out to start it looked like it boiled over, coolant in the engine compartment and on the ground round where the radiator cap is.

So i need some more input on this b4 i spend any money what do ya all think

thermostat

thermistor

or just a cap

 

Thanks

I would replace the cap first as it is the easiest fix, and it sounds like that may be what it is (a blown headgasket will have these same signs). The thermostat is on the bottom of the car and would require you to drain the system, but also an easy fix. If you do replace the thermostat USE OEM SUBARU PART! The genuine subaru thermostat is alot beefier than any auto part store one!! And another thing to consider is a headgasket issue... From what I have seen, most subarus with this prolem where the over flow fills right up, have a blown head gasket. High psi of burning gas escapes into the cooling system. The system is designed to operate at around 14 psi. Presure higher than that will cause the cap to let some juice in the over flow tank. I would imagine if its leaking that bad there would be some fluid that leaks into the combustion chamber when its cooling. That would cause it to hesitate to start. Definately start with the cap though!!!!!

Thanks there is a little white smoke on start up but dissipates quickly and stops smoking after it gets warm i smelled the smoke and it did not smell sweet.... i know what a blow head gasket looks like and smells like on an inline engine but ive only ever built one flat engine should i expect the same huge white cloud of smoke and sweet smell that usually indicates a head gasket

Not necessarily, Subaru's are a bit less extreme when they blow head gaskets.. When mine started to go i only noticed the heater was not as hot, that was it. As it got worse it started over heating and eventually got to where your at.. I would strongly suggest you replace the cap first though...You might be lucky. 9 out of 10 Subaru's with over heating issues unfortunately. If the cap doesn't do it you got yourself a bit of work ahead of you. I have some good news however.. I have worked on many different types of cars and Subaru is the easiest to do that job on.

 

 

GOOD LUCK! I hope its the cap!!

so i put the new cap on topped off the tank and drove it like 60 miles no problems. when i came to a stop the neeedle went to all the way hot and the heater went cold. i got out and felt the lower radiator hose and it was not even warm. i stared driving again and the heater became hot and the needle dropped. there was no coolant consumption it actually overflowed so i dont think its a head gasket. im putting in a stock subaru thermostat tomorrow unless anyone thinks its somethin else

I'm sure it's a headgasket. What happens is the compression leaks into the cooling system and pushes the coolant out of the radiator and into the over flow bottle. I had this issue when I bought mine. If you drive it like a grandma it will hold the coolant longer. Floor it and it will push the coolant out fast. Stop leak won't help you for this kind off gasket leak. It's not the coolant that's leaking. It the cylinder compression.

ok this is the first subaru ive ever owned and your probably right just help me understand a few things. first how does the compression from the cylinder leak into the cooling system but coolant not leak into the cylinder from the vaccume on the intake stroke. also how is the engine over heating when the lower radiator hose is cool

Just pull the oil cap or dipstick. If either is milkly then you have a blown head gasket.

The coolant flows DOWN the radiator, rather than up like most cars..

coolant flows down in most cars. the upper radiator hose is hot coming off the top of the engine because heat rises. hot coolant goes to the top of the radiator and as gravity pulls it down it loses heat. so the lower radiator hose is cool is that not the way coolant flows in all cars? the only instance i have ever hear of coolant flowing up is in the heater core.

I have no idea what way the coolant flows. I know you have a bad head gasket. I just went though what your going through. Your temp gauge goes up when there is air around the temp sensor. It may not even be as hot as the gauge says. The compression creates so much pressure in the coolant system that your coolant doesn't flow properly. It may even put enough pressure against you t-stat that it can't open. You could get in your car right now with a cold engine go floor it a few times, pull back in. Your driveway. Take the cap off and smell inside your radiator and it will smell like exaust. The milky oil cap only works if the coolant is mixing with the oil. That doesn't happen with every failed head gasket. Sorry your having these issues. It cost me 1200. To fix mine.

Is that the price with you doing the labor yourself or paying a shop

I am sure that is for the shop job. You can do the head gasket repair with the engine out or in. If the engine is in, you have to jack it up a little. Beats disconnecting everything. Gaskets should cost about $100-150. You should replace seals and whatever else you can get to while you have the oppertunity. Looking to do mine after I port and polish my heads and rebuild the internals.

I paid someone to do it. It would be a little less for you. He pulled the motor out and changed my clutch fork and clutch too. The Complete gasket set was 250. Water pump was 45. And the timing belt was 25. I would have done myself but I work 50 hours a week and don't have time. If you never did a job like that don't try it. If your a couple teeth off on the timing you can bend valves.

What engine do you have the 2.2 or 2.5L?

Mine is a 2.5.

I have the 2.5L. ive rebuilt the ej25 engine once b4 but my rents do not want another broken car at their house so ill have to pay someone to ... damn it.

I've got the 2.2l. I've been having similar issues. I've been told the 2.2l doesn't have the head gasket issues that the 2.5l does. That being said, I've replaced the radiator cap and 2 new thermostats and still have overheating issues. But not all the time. I drove around for a while without the thermo and had no overheating issues? I've tried to bleed out all air but who knows?????

Frustrating!!

What thermostat did you use? If it isn't the genuine subi one then you will encounter problems.

2.5 ive rebuilt an ej25 once so im confident i could do it just finding the space is the hard part so looks like ill just have to pay someone to do it

What thermostat did you use? If it isn't the genuine subi one then you will encounter problems.

 

 

Both have been OEM

Ok one other question, did you install it the right way, yes I managed to put it in backwards. I believe the spring side goes in. I have that problem with mine, and the overheating only sometimes is because the little hole on the side will allow a little bit of fluid through because it is backwards, I think.

I've got the 2.2l. I've been having similar issues. I've been told the 2.2l doesn't have the head gasket issues that the 2.5l does. That being said, I've replaced the radiator cap and 2 new thermostats and still have overheating issues. But not all the time. I drove around for a while without the thermo and had no overheating issues? I've tried to bleed out all air but who knows?????

Frustrating!!

 

Have you flushed all the grit and rust out of the radiator? I am about to do this to mine soon. I never did it when I installed my thermostat and now having problems after I push her a little.

240dk, didn't mean to hi-jack your thread but maybe we can all get some useful info from this.

 

The thermo is installed correctly and I have flushed the radiator. I took the thermo out yesterday and no over heating issues. I don't get it? But, it's running fine so I think I'm gonna run it with out one. Hell it only cost me 1000 bucks and it's been troublre free since last July!

It's a head gasket my friend. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I had 97 and had the same exact problem unfortunately it apparently overheated one to many times and cooked the motor. Good luck