tahoecush

Update to my original post. Took the car to Tom Tuhey’s Auto & Truck in Kings Beach, CA. He specializes in Smog & Repairs, and computer diagnostics. He reset the computer so the [check engine] light would be reset. He showed me the diagnostic screen that displays the different codes and whether they have reset or not. Four of the codes will not reset until the car has been cycled on and off a certain number of times etc. The car passed all tests except one. When a gas sensor was placed into the overflow bottle it indicated that hydrocarbon gasses where found in the cooling system. This indicates a HEAD GASKET leak from the exhaust side of the head. From all the threads I’ve read in this forum it seems I hit upon the most common problem with the 2.5L engine. I’ll post again when I decide what to do next.

Thanks for response ya'll. Update, as of 12/25/05 my daughter reports the problem has not reoccurred. I feel sure this was caused by a bad rad cap and then exacerbated by a cheep aftermarket cap. I did see leakage at the new cheep cap as I stated before, then had a new cap put on that did leak once but now seems to be holding. Nipper, a STANT cap sounds like good advise. Do you think that would be better than one from the dealer? The exaust is clear so I don't think the coolant is getting into the engine. Tex, I believe the overflow tank was dry because when the engine cooled after the coolant leaked around the top cap seal, all the coolent in the overflow reserviour was asperated back into the radiator. Since the radiator was now below it's normal level no fluid was pushed back into the reserviour when the engine warmed up again. A new STANT cap is on my shopping list. Thanks again all.

1998 Subaru Forester, problem with cooling system, Vehicle has been serviced by Mincemeat (not the real name) twice for the problem. Original problem was the cooling system would loose its fluid when the car had to climb a mountain. An elevation increase of 1500 feet or so would tax the engine enough to cause the radiator fluid to blow off and the temp gauge to read in the red. This leak would occur in the engine compartment and not into the radiator overflow reservoir. I took the car to Mincemeat and had it serviced. They replaced the thermostat and the radiator cap with one marked “Made in China”. They also flushed the radiator and performed a pressure test. The car did OK until it had to go up hill on its way home, across the summit of Mt Rose it blew off the fluid from the radiator as before. The engine compartment filled with steamy smoke that smelled of radiator fluid, but the source of the leak was not detectable. A week or so later when my daughter returned with the car I added at little over ½ gal of fluid to the radiator and let the engine run for about 10 min or maybe longer to get the temperature up. I noticed some fluid spilling on the ground and traced it back to the radiator cap. I then drove the car back to Mincemeat to have it looked at again. This time I insisted he use a quality radiator cap and he assured me he had installed one “made in the USA”. They also charged me again for servicing the radiator but not for the replacement cap. I drove the car back up the mountain myself and I had no problem whatsoever with the car. About a week later I talk with my daughter and she said the car had overheated again, and she thinks it blew off the radiator fluid. A few days later when she had the car at my house I added about ½ gal of fluid to the system again to top it off. The overflow reservoir was empty so I don’t thing the fluid expanded into the reservoir as it should have. Is a Genuine Subaru radiator cap in order here? Anybody have any experience with a similar problem? Other than this problem the vehicle is very reliable, especially the AWD in the snow and ice.

Hi all from Reno at the base of the Sierra Nevada. I bought my daughter a used 98' Forester last year and I joined to read up and learn what I can about these great cars. My brother, who lives up at Lake Tahoe has been a Subaru owner for years and is influencing the rest of the family. I'll be posting a thead in the New Generation forum about the overheating problem we've had with the Forester. Hoping to learn something from the experience collected here. Thanks in advance for any help recieved:banana: