Floydicus

found the issue when i was refilling the radiator after replacing the thermostat..........there is a hole in the back side of the radiator. thanks for the advice montana tom

Hey everybody, new to the forum and a little lost with my current situation. So driving to work today my temp light started flashing (no clue why there is no temperature gauge, just a light that is blue when the engine is cold, off when its in operating temp, and blink/solid red when its too hot), pulled into the closest gas station and popped the hood, and was greeted by the sweet smell of burning antifreeze and steam whisps coming out under the hood and grille. look inside and the coolant return hose coming off of the water pump is soaked in coolant, along with the plastic skid plates and bottom of radiator. Found some how-to videos to self-diagnose a bad thermostat, supposedly the 2 hoses will be extremely different temperatures with the top hose being warm and the bottom hose being ice cold, but the bottom hose is as warm if not warmer than the top hose. so here are my questions: 1. what would cause coolant to be leaking an a rapid rate from around the thermostat/waterpump? 2. when i crawled under the car to get a look from below, i found that the catalytic converter and exhaust manifold are blocking any access to the elbow that holds the thermostat in place and connects to the hose. so is there a way to get the thermostat out without removing the exhaust? 3. is there possibly another culprit to the antifreeze leak/engine overheating that i am missing? and if so where should i look? thank you for your time, knowledge and patience in helping me fix my car issue. I can be a passable driveway mechanic, but this is the first subaru i have ever owned so i am a little lost at the moment.