quikveedb2

Thanks for the replies. I do have an OEM thermostat ready to install so I'll try that, though I don't understand how a thermostat would create the bubbling?. I'm surprised that the hydrocarbon test is coming back negative, considering the amount of gas I'm seeing in the overflow. New radiator cap already installed. I've been watching closely for leaks & haven't seen any, I think in the 6 months of ownership I think I'd have noticed something by now, or at least the overflow level changing? Excuse me, I did mean leak-down. Can you be more specific about what you mean by pressure? The system pressurizes slowly as the car warms up, as far as I've noticed, the hose is firm & warm to the touch after running for a while. Do you mean that the hose will get hard really quickly from the pressure of the gasses filling the cooling passages before the thermostat opens?

'92 Legacy L, manual, wagon, 199,xxx miles. New timing belt/water pump done around 196k according to PO. Bought back in October of last year, driven all winter relatively problem free with one exception when about a month after purchase when the car started to run warm on my commute to work, never getting past 3/4 on the temp gauge before I pulled over since I know how sensitive head gaskets can be. I found no coolant in the overflow so I filled it, and once home without issue followed the procedure to burp the motor & remove any remaining air. I watched the level religiously all winter and saw hardly any change either up or down until a recent trip down to Denver that involves a pretty serious mountain pass and a couple hours on the highway. When I reached my destination I checked the overflow and the level had risen 1.5-2 inches and there were bubbles coming out pretty consistently. A few hours later when I checked the level cold it was back where it has stayed since late last year. I decided to err on the side of caution, call AAA, and have them tow the car back up since the drive involves 6000-plus feet of climbing to get back to my home in the mountains. Now during none of this did the cluster indicate that anything was awry with the motor, the gauge sits just below the 1/2 way point, including sitting at idle, in traffic, on the highway, and even on the drive down to Denver on said mountain pass. If anything I felt like it ran on the cold side all winter, taking some time to get up to temp & cooling down pretty quickly driving downhill. Here's a link to video of the overflow with the car up to temp after driving for a while; http://vimeo.com/95927224 I borrowed a "Block Check" tool from a friend & pick up some test fluid from NAPA to see what I could find. I tested when the motor was idling cold, again at running temp according to the gauge after idling for a while, and again after a 20-30 minute drive at normal speeds & load and all cases I was not able to get a positive test result. I've swapped the radiator cap to a new unit and I can still visibly see bubbles in the overflow. I'm kind of stumped. I guess the next steps would be to do some compression tests, and I've heard that there are test strips to check the coolant to see if maybe I'm just getting bad results from the sniffer. Any ideas?

When I checked the system after the car started running too warm yesterday the radiator was full on both the cap side & at the bleed port just forward of the upper hose, would that indicate that the block is also full, or does removing the top hose give air an easier escape route? I assume the front of the car needs to be elevated regardless?

So here we are almost 3 weeks later & here's what I've learned and observed, I'll try & keep it concise. I refilled the system & followed the burping proceedures I've found. The car ran fine & did not overheat from that point until today, and in most cases ran at about 1/2 way between full cold & the middle of the gauge. I checked the coolant level in the radiator & overflow religiously, and didn't see any changes. I also looked for any external leaks & didn't see anything beyond the usual oil drips. Today I warmed the car up to drive to work, checked the overflow when the motor was warm according to the gauge, & it showed the same level it has since I filled & burped previously. Heat was cold when I first got in but it started blowing warm as soon as I started driving. It was right around 0 degrees fahrenheight when I got moving this morning. About 2 miles into my commute the gauge started creeping past the 1/2 way point, making it up to about 3/4 where I would normally pull over in any overheat situation, but I was at work already & as soon as I got off the gas the temp started dropping, so I park and off to work I go. Out of curiosity I checked the overflow again when I got off, and again it's at the same level. I also looked for bubbles in the resevoir after driving home (without any issues) & found none regardless of engine rpm. So I'm confused. 1. I figured that with the previous overheat & low coolant in the resevoir/radiator that caused it, I'd be able to see some evidence of leaking, but I see none. I also expected to see a change in the level in the resevoir if a blown HG was pushing coolant out of the system, but have not. Where did the coolant go previously? When the PO had the timing belt & water pump replaced did the tech possibly not bleed the system properly? 2. The first time the car started getting warm I had no heat due to air in the system, but this time the heat blew consistently while the motor was getting warmer than I'd like, and the resevoir & radiator levels haven't changed. Why the relapse? Is there still air in the system somewhere? How the heck did I go nearly 3 weeks before this reared it's ugly head again?

I'm not sure, I'll have to check next time I'm under the hood.

Thanks again guys. I guess I'll be keeping a very close eye on the coolant until I'm able to make time for the HG job, and in the mean time researching what brands are best for the gasket kit, and purchasing a repair manual. I glad I'm comforatble turning my own wrenches...

As I mentioned in the original post the timing belt & water pump were replaced less than 1000 miles ago. I know in the case of BMW's timing belt motors like my M20B25 it isn't advisable to reuse the timing belt even after a short period of driving, and it's cheap anyway so why skimp, but are rollers & the water pump really nessecary after such a short interval? For example, in the case of my 325is the water pump is replaced at every 2nd timing belt service, or at roughly every 100k miles. Thanks so much for the quick replys & useful info, it's great to find an online resource with such a helpful member-base.

So the leaky HG is pushing fluid out the coolant overflow, hence the overheating. Makes sense, also quite a bummer. Guess I'll be keeping a close eye on the coolant & limping it along for a bit until I can get the parts & time to replace the gaskets. Fortunately I have a short commute & a 2nd car, albeit not ideal for winter driving conditions. I'll plan on doing valve cover & spark plug gaskets while I'm in there, anything else on th "while you're in there" list?

Damn, not what I was hoping to hear! It's strange that it just manifested itself today suddenly. What is the preferred repair manual for Subaru? I've used Bentley previously for my BMW & Audi's. Any good HG replacement write-ups available online?

Hi all, I'm new to this forum, but not to cars or the online car community. I'm active on r3vlimited.com and have been since '07 & to a lesser degree vwvortex.com since about '03. I currently have an '87 325is as a project and recently picked up a '97 Legacy L m/t wagon with 198k miles as a daily. The vehicle had the radiator, timing belt, water pump, and accessory belts replaced within the last 1000 miles by the PO. The car has been driving fine for the last month around town & on the highway, but this morning was particaularly cold and suddenly things started going wrong. I let the car warm up while I was getting ready for work and it was up to opertaing temp according to the gauge when I hopped in, but strangely the heat was still blowing cold and not defrosting the windshield. Scraped windshield, started driving to work. While driving the 3-ish mile commute the temp gauge started creeping higher than I'd like, about 3/4 of the way to "H" mark on the gauge. I pulled over immedaitely & the temperature started dropping pretty quickly, but I noticed a coolant leak when i checked under the car so I parked & took a peak under the hood. The resevoir was nearly empty, and the coolant seemed to be leaking from somewhere behind it, or between it & the radiator. There was also no pressure in the system as far as I can tell, the top hose was completely soft. Can anyone point me in a direction to start looking? Thanks in advance! I love the car thus far, it's my first Subaru, & am looking forward to becoming more active in the community.