Hello there fellow Subaru owners.

 

I have a 2001 Sedan Legacy GL the JDM one.

 

I encountered a rather mindbogling situation the other day.

I left my car idling while I ran inside the house to get some stuff, it idled maybe for about 20 minutes, when I came back out the temperature gauge showed that the car was at the very edge of overheating, unlike most people I drove off, as soon as the car was on the move the temp gauge came tumbling down to a normal heat, the check engine signal had been turned on.. I drove to the nearest gas station to check the engine coolant, and as it turned out I could pour 1.5-2 liters of mixed coolant.. The day after I went to my mechanic to have the car checked out.. There it was.. Radiator fan rationality check had failed, he erased the error from the cars computer and told me to keep an eye on the temp gauge and if the fan was running at all.. It went smooth for few days but it occured again when I stopped on a traffic light for maybe 20-30 seconds, I havent had it checked out yet but everything seems to be normal..

 

The radiator fan runs, the engine coolant is topped of, I havent noticed any leakage from under the car, the temp gauge shows normal heat, and the car has new air filters..

 

Has anyone had anything like this?

 

Advices would me much appreciated!

Im not sure what the troubleshooting is for this code but i can tell you this, and your not going to like it, I got the same code when my head gaskets were on the way out. And the symptoms you describe sound alot like head gasket issues. Check your coolant overflow tank, is it greasy and black? Is it full or overflowing when hot? Any bubbles in it or strong scent of exhaust? I hope im wrong.

Hi GudjonUnnar, welcome to USMB! I hope folks here can offer helpful suggestions for solving your problem.

 

You might want to add "Iceland" after your city name in the ID info--it often helps us make input when we know where you are located.

 

Good luck!

I have a 2001 Sedan Legacy GL the JDM one.

 

had it checked out yet but everything seems to be normal..

 

The radiator fan runs, the engine coolant is topped of, I havent noticed any leakage from under the car, the temp gauge shows normal heat, and the car has new air filters..

Agree with it pointing to possible head gasket failure, (didnt GG say that later ones tended to leak externally rather than 96-99 inwardly?) That said, include the car mileage, Plz. And when it was pointed out it is Iceland and you mentioned new air filter, wondered if there is any issue of volcanic ash :Flame:that is a persistant clog factor, either for air filters or radiator/ A/C condenser(if so equiped)? At that age, radiators can easliy have internal deposits restricting cooling ability.. I'll mention thermostats and water pumps as well to save someone else the effort.

Edited November 20, 201114 yr by propane

Hello again.

 

The car has been driven 160.000 kilometers (a mere 100.000 miles)

It has new oil and new filters (both oil and air filters) I've driven like 800km since I had the oil changed and the filters as well.

The vehicle is not equipped with A/C so that wouldn't be bugging out.

 

I've been wondering about this, does anyone think it would help if I flush the radiator completely? Was thinking about maybe shoot water into it with a pressure washer, and then restore the cooling liquid with brand new one?

 

I'll check the existing cooling liquid and see if it is greasy or smells like exhaust.

 

My mechanic told me that it is possible that the head gasket is on it's last song, but he said that it was only on rare occasions since this is a boxer motor, it's much more common in V and I type engines that the head gasket goes kaput..

Edited November 21, 201114 yr by GudjonUnnar

*bump*

Volcanic ash? Anyway.....I assume you are still looking for answers as you bumped this thread. There was a problem with the headgasket design. I think the problem ran thru the mid 2000s before it was fixed. You may very well have a failing headgasket/s. Take it for a long drive, then park with the engine still running. See if she overheats, if she does, check the overflow bottle. Is it spilling over? Rev the engine, do you see bubbles in the overflow tank? If you are getting bubbles, take off the overflow cap and sniff. Do you get the strong smell of exhaust? Hopefully you get none of these symptoms, but if you do, chances are tje headgasket has failed.