Schnayke Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Ok so I have a 1996 subaru legacy awd L sedan. It has this issue where the heat blows great while driving but basically cold when at idle. It also has a temp going up randomly. Sometimes it is while I drive, sometimes it is when I slow down or come to an idle. It never over heats. Do you all think this is my HG, my thermostat, or maybe the temp sensor? I'm kinda' lost and have done a ton of searching on this site, but maybe I am just not searching the correct thing. The fans run sometimes when the temp is normal. I am kinda' leaning towards the temp sensor, but am not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subikid90 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Sound like you might have a thermostat that is sticking. Pull your dipstick and look at the oil, if it is milky then headgasket, also look at your coolant overflow jug, if that has black oil floating then headgaskets. A hydrocarbon test will give you the best answer. -Subikid90 1997 Legacy GT 5spd & EJ251 w/EJ25D heads ~10.5CR 1998 Legacy GT Limited waiting for EJ22T hybrid swap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick.cfrancis Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 It sounds like the thermostat... hopefully. The symptoms for the headgasket and thermostat are really similar. The only way to tell is to either do a hydrocarbon test or replace the thermostat first. What is your mileage? The headgaskets usually go at about 150k. Try replacing the thermostat first. It's only like $10. Make sure to fill and burp the coolant following the instructions in the owners manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnayke Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 I'm at about 170,000, but I have the ej22, I heard those don't have the same HG problem as the Gt's do. I have no oil in the radiator fluid, that I can see it all looks and smells normal. Also done a few oil changes also normal. Sweet well I will change out that thermostat and hope for the best. An HG replacement is one heck of a job. my car would be down and out for some time. Oh also saw it could be the water pump? been reading a bit more. how do you check if those are good? The reason I ask that is because it only heats up on lower speed/rpms. when I am on the freeway/highway it never heats up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1055 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Could also be a flow issue with your water pump.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Hopefully it isn't the head gaskets. I just bought an SS and the head gasket went. It was an EJ22 as well, but its an EJ22T, not an EJ22E. EJ22Es aren't totally immune to headgasket issue. A hydrocarbon test showed a bad head gasket immediately which I did on subikid's advice. It could be the water pump, but usually they make a horrible noise when they go out. To test if it is the water pump, you can take out the thermostat and run the car and see if it still overheats. If the hyrdocarbon comes back negative, and it doesn't overheat without the thermostat then it is probably the water pump. Good luck, and I feel you, bro! However, I am looking forward to replacing my HGs since I will know that they will be fixed and I will be good to go for a long time. Plus I got to buy the sexiest torque wrench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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