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99 Outback Sport coolant leak and bubbles


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just got my 99 outback sport today, after about a 75 mile drive home i pop the hood and notice some coolant on the plastic piece under the engine, then i notice little bubbles in the reservior. not enough to make it foam but a steady stream of bubbles. I checked the lower rad hose because that seems to be where its coming from and it looked alright, could it just be a bad clamp or hose or does my new car likely have a headgasket issue. Its a 2.2 with 74k, i didnt notice any sludge in the tank, and the res tank was almost completely full as well the temp guage was fine the whole ride, its just that leaking coolant on my "new" car thats making me scratch my head.

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the 2.2 seems to be a very tight engine with few reported (if any) head gasket problems. i'd be more inclined to check over the entire cooling system for a leak. you can have it pressure tested at a radiator shop and they can pin point the source. they can also check the coolant for hydrocarbons (exhaust gasses) to rule out a head gasket...

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But if it has plastic tanks on the radiator very low pressure. If you have it done at a radiator shop they should know how much to use.

A head gasket test kit would also be a good investment.

Do you have a warranty?

If so take it back to be checked.

I suspect you found out why they sold it.

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I say do a coolant flush. I looked at a 92 Ford Taurus for somebody once :banghead: (hey it was $500 and basic transporation!) That car was also well-known for head-gasket problems, and I noticed some foam/bubbles in the overflow tank. But I took off the radiator cap when it was cold and told them to start it up. Not one bubble ever emerged from the radiator itself, it behaved normally. And had plenty of power. So there was just some weird crap in the tank that made it do that...

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many problems won't turn up until the car has reached full operating temperature and the system is up to full pressure. many head gasket problems won't show up until the car is under heavy load, so you won't necessairally see bubbles in the radiator unless the car is very hot, when you typically can't remove the radiator cap. a pressure test is a good way to check out the system while the car is still cool.

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taking it for a pressure test and exhaust gas test monday, it has a 2 month\2500 mile warranty, but the dealer is 75 miles away so i could be in for some driving\begging\bus taking. At this point all i can do is hope. Also, does anyone know the full details of a lemon law? The state i purchased it in does have a lemon law, i just dont know the stipulations. how much do pressure\compression tests usually run?

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some places might do it for nothing if they get to sell you a radiator if you need it. Other place around here in SF area you would pay one shop hour.

For a couple of shop hour you can buy your own testing kit, which is how I would go if I had to pay.

I think I paid about $120 for the last one I had.

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As far away as it is, I'd be inclined to take the vehicle back to where you got it for warranty repair (tell them your symptoms and ask them to diagnose and fix it).

 

The last thing you want is to find out it is a head gasket, cracked heads, whatever, and then they say you voided the warranty by having other people work on the cooling system.

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