Canadianweasel

Before I go ahead and plan for an expensive repair not really necessary, I'd thought I'd bend an eye and see if I could get some advice on possible problems/solutions. If repair is needed, I'd also like to see some instructions on how to perform such repair where necessary. Forester - 98. It's an overheating problem which has manifested itself in a few ways. There was a possible small leak in the head gasket, which with some additives actually seems to have been rectified, so it was an apparent small leak. However, the overheating problem continues onwards. Currently, the overheating may or may not occur. Idling within the driveway, it reaches proper running temperature and doesn't venture from that point. When taken out on the road, it may run fine for hours without overheating, where at other times it could begin to overheat five minutes on the roads. Idling at a stoplight the engine temperature will drop a bit from the red zone, or if I put it into neutral and coast, though it rarely goes back down to proper temp in this situation. It has been a while since I've driven it, so I can't rightly remember if the overflow fills or not now but I know it was doing that in the past. If running without the thermostat, the engine temperature barely registers with an outside temperature near freezing, yet testing of the thermostat shows that it opens fully and properly. Could these behaviours point towards a faulty waterpump, or is there another direction in which I should focus my attention? Unfortunately, the local Subaru dealership seems to have caused me more problems then they ever solved, so I'm going this pretty much alone. Fortunately, my father is car knowledgable, so he's helping and I'm quickly learning. Thanks in advance. Any more information which I can provide to help me help you I will be happy to try and provide.