June 27, 201213 yr I have a 2001 Subaru Outback Sedan 4Cyl. 190,000 miles and love the car. About 40,000 miles ago we had head gaskets replaced because they were blown. Recently car has been overheating. So I changed thermostat (have gone through quite a few, now running OEM T-stat) problem continued. Normally runs just below half on temp gauge, would fluctuates then peg to top. We stop wait to cool add water and get it home. So far we have replaced radiator, and cap, ran a coolant conditioner through with intention of sealing any head leaks, replaced water pump, ran compression test on coolant system and holds pressure overnight. Back pressured tested each cylinder with no air through coolant system. No water visible in oil. Symptoms persist; I can drive at highway speeds in summer temps for up to 60-70 miles or so then it over heats, coolant back flows into reservoir. I am at a loss any ideas???
June 27, 201213 yr 1. what headgasket was used when they were replaced? 2. how badly was it overheated before they were replaced?
June 27, 201213 yr Author 1. what headgasket was used when they were replaced? 2. how badly was it overheated before they were replaced? Well I cant be sure what type of HG was used, I am assuming non-OEM (place is out of business) Prior to HG replacement never really overheated if it did stopped right away. HG repair was done over 2 years ago and had no problems till now. We added air pressure via each cylinder and produced no bubbles in coolant system wouldn't this confirm a HG leak??
June 27, 201213 yr Well I cant be sure what type of HG was used, I am assuming non-OEM (place is out of business) Prior to HG replacement never really overheated if it did stopped right away. HG repair was done over 2 years ago and had no problems till now. We added air pressure via each cylinder and produced no bubbles in coolant system wouldn't this confirm a HG leak?? as you have observed while driving it, it appears to require several minutes of operational heat before it begins having problems so, air-into-cyl test probably wouldn't show anything with cool engine.
June 27, 201213 yr Author Exhaust test in antifreeze?? If thats positive is it a dead ringer?? Bad HG????
June 27, 201213 yr Did you burp the coolant system well when the fluid was replaced? Maybe try it again, for kix.
June 27, 201213 yr Do the radiator fans come on when you turn the a/c on with it running? Check to make sure both are spinning.
June 28, 201213 yr previous post makes a good point - are the fans coming on when it's overheating? radiator could be clogged? Exhaust test in antifreeze?? If thats positive is it a dead ringer?? Bad HG????that's a good option - if it shows hydrocarbons in the coolant then your gaskets have failed. if it passes though i wouldn't rule out the headgaskets. it may be that it has inferior quality headgaskets and they didn't hold up. on engines prone to headgasket failure it is not a good idea to use anything, there are better choices than others. your 2001 was eligible for Subaru's 100,000 mile extended headgasket warranty campaign 5 years ago...you're a bit late to that party though.
June 28, 201213 yr Author Ha go figure yea first set of HG was replaced at about 140,000 miles. Both fans come on when AC is turned on. We have replaced the radiator So I don’t think its plugged. I have just put on probably 125 miles with no problems knock on wood… After about 45 minute drive to work/home I did notice very little bubbling in reservoir, but not flowing over .
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now