scotte6

one more quick update. I let the car run for about 1.5 hours, never went above half way on the heat gauge. one time after about 30 mins I opened the resevoir and there might have been ~ 10 - 12 real small bubbles. they dissipated almost immediately. not sure if that means anything or not. the rest of the "movement" I think it is vibration from the car.

does the cap have to be genuine subaru, can I get one from napa? I understand the thermostat has to be from subaru but have not seen anyone say that about the cap. I am willing to try most anything to avoid replacing the HGs.

I was curious about the radiator cap. Are they that sensitive that it could cause such problems? Resevoir tank is about 1/2 full. Yes I have heat, very good heat. Like I said before I see movement in the tank but no bubbles. Will the bubbles be small like in a glass of soda? I don't have a compression tester nor have I ever done a hydrocarbon test. Is the hydrocarbon test something I can do myself? What are you looking for on a compression test? Do you crank it over and watch for the pressure to leak off, or just compare psi? Radiator is in good shape physically, not sure of internally. btw.....this board is amazing. I want to thank everyone for all of the good advice. I am very impressed with the amount of feedback and the details. Keep it up!

yes it is 2.5 DOHC motor. yes fans are working. with car parked, 1 fan comes on intermittently. Have seen both run. I did not see any "bubbles or movement" in the reservoir tank when car was off, only when running. replaced water pump about 2 months ago, no leaks. Why wouldn't it overheat sitting? I am afraid it is a head gasket, just want to make SURE it is before I go through all of the work to change it out. What is the best way to go about changing them? Pull the motor? Is there any place on-line to purchase oem gaskets? I have read some of the threads that say make sure you get "this" gasket, but don't recall seeing a part number or description.

I'm having problems with overheating. antifreeze looks good, can see some movment in the reservoir. changed t/s but had a leak. in the mean time tested old t/s, working fine so re-installed. filled rad while car on ramps, through the vent hole very slowly so as to minimize air in system. car ran great, started to work this morning got about 12-14 miles to a steep hill, by the time I got to the top heat gauge was 3/4 and rising fast. oil looks good, cannot smell anything in the exhaust. trailered home tonight, refilled rad and ran for ~ 30 mins, all good. ran for at least 10 mins @ >2000rpm, still good. afraid to take it back on the road as I havn't really done anything to correct the problem. any help would be appreciated.