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Overheating and Coolant Issues


LcDavin

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I have a 2000 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon. A few days ago we had a really cold day with a lot of ice falling. I noticed as I was driving my heater stopped working and was blasting cold air. I immediately looked at my temp gauge and saw it rising quickly into the red. I made it home and left the car alone for a couple days as it was raining to much to get out and look under the hood. When I finally got to take a look I noticed my coolant reservoir was near empty so the next day I went and bought some coolant hoping it was just a leak. I re-filled my reservoir and my radiator turned the heater all the way on blast and ran the car with the radiator cap off to allow the air to burp out. Everything seemed to work okay for a couple days but today my temp gauge started to climb and when I checked under the hood my coolant reservoir was overflowing. I checked my oil and there is no milky-ness or bubbles so I am really hoping it isn't a blown head gasket. I haven't had the chance yet to replace the radiator cap or thermostat. If nothing else I am looking for some ways to help diagnose what my problem is before I take it to a mechanic.
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Based on what I have read at http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/ it sounds like you may likely have a leaking head gasket between the cylinder and the coolant passage. The guy who wrote the above article does a good job of explaining the different kinds of gasket failures and why they occur. Depending on where you live this could be $1000 - $3000 repair.
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it's 1 of of the following

 

1. Head gasket common issue with these motors

2. stat stuck - is it oem? if so replace it with another OEM if you put it in a pot of boiling water and it does not open

3. rad cap, car is 15 years old and it may have failed.

4. cooling fan relay or fan failure

 

IMHO if you are going to do a head gasket, you might as take the engine out and reseal it and correct any issues...

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1) I am hoping it's not a head gasket as there is no oil residue in my coolant nor is there coolant in my oil. Also I understand there will be a sweet smell and white smoke coming from my exhaust which there is none. I also cannot see any coolant leaking anywhere.

2) I replaced the thermostat with a new OEM thermostat and I noticed a temp change in my Radiator hoses. Originally the top and bottom were both hot and now the top is hot and the bottom is cold.

3) Bought a new radiator cap but my car was still overheating with the cap off while I was burping the radiator. (Maybe still to much air circulating in the system?)

4) Once my car gets up to temp both fans kick on.

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This series of EJ engines when it has an HG issue generally leaks coolant. Subaru sells a "conditioner" (actually a stop leak to ameliorate the problem). The car will run many thousands of miles like this.

Clean the drivers side of the block and watch for new leaks.

Also check on top of the block for a leak in the bypass pipe.

Best to fill the block from the upper radiator hose first, to get as much fluid in it as possible. Then do your other procedures.

 

O.

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Sorry to hear that it is a blown head gasket. If you plan on keeping this car and having the repair done then don't skimp as a poorly done repair can be a worse problem than you had before (i.e. high oil consumption).

Use an OEM or Six Star gasket for the repair and make sure the head and block are surfaced correctly. Also have both head gaskets replaced because the other one is sure to fail as well. Good luck!

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