illwill420

Okay guys. For you naysayers out there who told me to flat out avoid the HG sealant products out there because they simply will not work with Subies, allow my testament to mitigate your future responses to those in the same situation and not completely write off a solution that may indeed work. I bought Bars Leaks Head Gasket Seal (the one with 17 separate steps in the directions, not the 'pour n' go'), granted doing all the steps PROPERLY took well over 4 hours but, she is not overheating anyore. Took her from home to school and back today (17 mile drive both ways) with little sign of overheating...even on the highway running her at 65MPH. Now I understand this is only a band-aid but it definitely gets me through the end of the semster until I can afford replacement of the HG by a proper mechanic. Just wanted to post my results so when others come across similar issues they can give it a shot because it DOES work. Not as a permanent fix, but if you need your baby to get you through until you can afford to fix it, try it. At worst you are out 12 dollars and a few hours of your day.

Okay, and I know I am still clinging on to the hope that it's not an HG issue, but what about the heat going out once it starts creeping up past the normal operating temp? Furthermore, I drove it yesterday (gingerly I might add) and this morning before I was leaving for class I decided to top off the radiator and it only took a quart of 50/50 (I have a 2 quart plastic container I mix the coolant in, this is how I know the exact amount, mixed 2 and only ended up using 1), so if I am loosing coolant it is not much at all considering I made the 17 mile drive to school and back home yesterday (again, very gingerly...once it crept up to 3/4 I stopped immediately and let it cool down before limping the rest of the way). I plan on yanking out the thermostat this afternoon and checking it as that is the only thing I have yet to check. But yeah this is really starting to look like a bad gasket unfortunately....but I remain hopeful it's something, well a little cheaper. As my old man used to say, hope in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up first,lol.

Okay...and I'm still hoping it's something else but the prognosis is....grim. So what do yall think about the head gasket sealant products out there? Do they work as a temporary fix? I'll only really need to be using the car for about 2 more weeks, after that I just have work but that's close to home and I have a moped I can use to get there until I have the money to get a new head gasket.

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I really am hoping its not the HG, especially since I just bought this car in August. Yes yes I know the phrase caveat emptor applies here but I really diden't think I needed a mechanic to check it out considering I was buying it from one! Lesson learned. This may have actually been an issue when I bought it and the guy "neglected" to mention it. I'm planning on doing the old flush and fill tonight to see if that changes anything. I read on quite a few forums that sometimes does the trick and since it's relatively cheap I figure it certainly can't hurt anything. I do however find it odd that after 3 months of driving with absolutely no problems that this issue would suddenly show up. I'll ley yall know how it works out.

Okay this post may be sorta long so bear with me. I recently purchased a used 97 Subie Legacy Outback from a mechanic. As it was owned and maintained by this mechanic since he bought it new, I figured everything would be in good operating condition...and for the most part it was. I drove this car for 3 months no issues then a few weeks ago I started noticing an overheating problem. The gauge would go from the normal reading to all the way past the H mark. The car showed no signs of overheating, no steam, odd engine noises,etc. The coolant was low so I filled it up and would truck right along for another 2 weeks until the problem presented itself again. Last week it got to the point the car shut itself off (is this some sort of safety feature??). I let the car sit for about 45minutes and the temp went back down and the car started right up and I made my way home. I first thought it was a pinhole leak in the radiator but after extensive inspection while the car was running hot I saw no leaks anywhere. I looked on the forums here and many suggested it may be the radiator cap. I replaced that yesterday, topped off the system and thought the problem to be solved. Since then an even odder problem has started. The car still overheats but now the heater just blows out cold air. No really, the heat will work great until it begins to overheat then the vents only blow out cold air. Just this morning I was able to make it from my house into town (appx. 17 miles) before the issue reared its ugly head. Still, aside from the gauge showing extremely hot, there are no signs of overheating. No steam or smoke from engine, car still runs very smooth, and it doesnt have any of the odd noises associated with an overheated car. At this point I'm quite baffled. I've checked everything. I know for a fact from the burping process that coolant is definitely cycling through the system. I also know that this could be signs of a blown HG but there are also no signs of that either. No oil in coolant, no thick white smoke coming from exhaust...nada....and again the car runs smoothly when driving and fine when idling. I'd greatly appreciate any input on this as I won't have the means to take it to a mechanic until Janurary and this vehicle needs to get me back and forth to school and work until then. Thanks in advance.