April 12, 201213 yr Well, my little 84 gl Hatch is blowing little bubbles with the radiator cap off. From what I have read, that means it is a bad HG....CRAP! Are these heads hard to get resurfaced? They are so small, youwould figure it would not cost as much as a regular head...
April 12, 201213 yr you would think huh. I don't know about your area, but my local machine shop simply charges per head, no matter what size they are. As far as it being the HG's, this is not necessarily true. Your cooling system "could" be sucking air somewhere that it is cavitated. What kind of bubbles are we talking here? A steady stream or it just burps ocassionally?
April 12, 201213 yr size is arbitrary - it's the set up and time that matters most. doubtful cost will vary, as said it's per heard usually. that being said, just do it yourself. GD just posted a fantastic write up on how to easily accomplish great results yourself. he even documents and EA82 head in the write up i think. it's easy and takes a matter of minutes once you get the simple materials. just look at the thread, no point in me re-explaining it.
April 12, 201213 yr Here ya go. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=126868&highlight=head+gaskets I did it on my EA82 and it worked great.
April 13, 201213 yr Author I read that thread today. I also thought it was a great write-up. I will be trying this. Wish he had a video of it... Originally the engine woiuld get hot, so i changed out the t-stat. Then the heater was not working, so i tried to burp the system. Lots of bubbles came out. It would sometimes spurt out coolant, so I would fill as it was running. After awhile, it looked like an alka-seltzer was doing its thing...the heater now works... There is no milky oil or white smoke. Just the car will get too hot....Any suggestions before I rip into the heads???
April 13, 201213 yr Does your cooling fan work? Does it always get hot or only under certain circumstances?
April 13, 201213 yr Author the previous owner set the fan to stay on permanently. It is always getting hot. If I just start it up and let it idle, it takes about 15 minutes til it gets close to the red.
April 13, 201213 yr Before you go tearing into the head gaskets, check a couple other things first. 1--Do you have coolant pooling or dripping anywhere from/onto/into places that are outside the motor? Can you see coolant where it isn't supposed to be? (Namely inside the motor). If you see puddling coolant, replace the hoses in the vicinity. Even if you don't see coolant puddling, fill the system to capacity and SQUEEZE (or get a pressure test) the heck out of the big hoses to see if anything leaks out anywhere around the motor. There are hoses at the back, too, on the intake manifold--check those as well. 2--As you stand facing the car, there are two big hoses that come off the radiator. The one on the right, near the filler cap, connects to a metal pipe that turns and runs under the alternator and a/c condensor. There is an O-ring on the end of this pipe that, when it fails, can (among other things) cause precisely the symptoms you are describing--alkaseltzer and occasional overheating. 3--If you don't see any coolant hanging out where it shouldn't be, undo the a/c condenser and alternator. Undo the hose to the pipe mentioned in number two. You will see the bolt holding the pipe mentioned in number two, take that out as well. Remove the pipe and replace the O-ring. Installation is the reverse of removal. If these two things don't work, you may have to do the head gaskets--but here's the good news: even if you DO end up doing the headgaskets, you already have new hoses and O-ring, all of which you would had to have replaced anyway! Ps--wouldn't hurt to replace the radiator cap while you're in there, but that is not the cause of your current problem. Just a useful afterthought. If
April 13, 201213 yr Author There is not any coolant leaking anywhere on or around the engine. I will look for the pipe you are talking about. Can I use an O-ring of a suitable size from a hardware store? What does this pipe do? Why sould it cause the problems that I am having? Thanks!! Shad
April 13, 201213 yr The pipe runs between the radiator and the water pump. Just a hair (ok, several hairs) past its seat in the motor is the impeller for the water pump. When it turns, it can suck air past the seal if that seal is poorly seated or is cracked/compromised. This can cause fizziness, trapped air, decreased pressure, etc that can lead to the symptoms you described. Not saying it IS the O-ring, but it's a way cheaper and easier repair than a head gasket, and one that should be done even if you DO do the head gasket. And if it fixes the problem, then you've saved yourself a headgasket job . The O-ring can be had at most any parts store. I'm uncertain about what would happen with one from a hardware store. The inside diameter is easy to figure out, but I'm not sure how to determine which ACE variety seal would have the proper outside diameter. While you're down there, there is a short (four inch) piece of hose that connects the a long pipe coming off the heater core to another pipe on the front of the motor (smaller diameter than the one previously mentioned). If you're taking the alt and a/c off anyway, it wouldn't hurt to replace that hose so you don't have to do it all again in two weeks.
April 13, 201213 yr Author I did a quick look this morning. The only hoses coming from the radiator are the two main hoses. One connecting the water pump, the other to the t-stat. There is another smaller hose from the water pump that goes under the alternator. I will chack that one out later this afternoon. Is that the hose that will connect to the pipe with the o ring? Shad
April 13, 201213 yr I did a quick look this morning. The only hoses coming from the radiator are the two main hoses. One connecting the water pump, the other to the t-stat. There is another smaller hose from the water pump that goes under the alternator. I will chack that one out later this afternoon. Is that the hose that will connect to the pipe with the o ring? Shad The hose that comes from the Radiator on the drivers side goes onto a steel pipe that goes into the water pump that is where that O ring is located..
April 13, 201213 yr Author Ahhh. At a glance, it looked like the hose went directly on the water pump, but I will verify that.
April 13, 201213 yr What desertsubaru said. The big radiator hose that connects to the pipe is the one that feeds the water pump. The o-ring that seats it in the water pump is what you need to check, as you noted. The other hose I mentioned is quite a bit narrow (maybe 1/2" diameter, I forget, but it's not big) and very short, only about four inches long. It makes the bend around the top of the motor, connecting the water jacket on the front of the motor to a long skinny pipe that runs under the intake manifold back to the heater core. This little hose is hard or impossible to see with the alt and a/c in place, which is why I recommended you check it while you have the accessories removed. From what it sounds like you are looking at the right thing, or at least in the right area, so keep going in this direction and you should come out ok.
April 13, 201213 yr Author Looks like the hose is connected directly to the water pump. No extra pipe that I can see...
April 13, 201213 yr Author I surface those heads take about 20 min and come out spanky Did you follow GD's write up? If so, what finishing paper did you use?
April 13, 201213 yr Looks like the hose is connected directly to the water pump. No extra pipe that I can see... It's an EA81...? Time for me to go eat some shame pie. I read your OP with a GL in it and jumped to EA82. I'm going to go put my face in my hands over there --> (Still wouldn't hurt to check the hoses, though)
April 13, 201213 yr It's an EA81...? Time for me to go eat some shame pie. I read your OP with a GL in it and jumped to EA82. I'm going to go put my face in my hands over there --> ME too:banghead:
April 13, 201213 yr Check the hoses feeding the water pump. It's a different seating mechanism, but the physics still applies. If air is getting sucked in and beat into a froth by the impeller, you'll get the same symptoms. Replacing hoses is way cheaper and easier than doing a head gasket, and has to be done even if you do end up doing the heads. And can be re-attached, unlike a gasket. If you replace the hoses and discover the problem still isn't solved, replace the water pump gasket. Then if it's not fixed, the head gaskets. With something as pita and expensive as heads, start with the cheap fixes first as you'll still have to do them either way--and they may end up fixing the problem!
April 27, 201213 yr Did you follow GD's write up? If so, what finishing paper did you use? i use my van norman head surfacer i bought speacial bitts for aluminum and set it just for subaru heads and blocks i get a mirior when im done
May 16, 201213 yr Author Fixed my overheating problem. Turns out, it was the radiator this whole time!!
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