Hey all,

 

  So my little '97 impreza has been a great car to own for the last year. One minor issue that I sef-dagnosed as a loose timing belt tensioner was causing a "ticking" mostly on cold starts but would be fine after the car warmed up. the car warmed up fine and ran steady temperature for the last year.

  Today coming home with my daughter in the car we both smelled a rather pungent smell at an intersection, my gauges were fine and I blamed my neighbor. Then a quarter mile later, just as we pull on to my street, the temp needle starts to climb rather dramatically. I stopped the car and rolled to my parking spot. I discovered coolant sprayed all over the firewall from the rear of the engine, driver side.

  Now I'm contemplating my choices. Do you think my "ticking" was something more serious? It appears as though I may have a blown head gasket, would that come on so suddenly?  Anyways, I will probably either attemot to "nurse it" a mile or two to my mechanic tomorrow or have it towed depending on my situation. Let me know what youguys think.

 

Thanks

 

B

What are the miles? I would put my money on a failed heater hose as those run behind the engine.

 

If that is the case in would not drive it as that may blow the gasket.

 150,000 miles. I only put 8,000 on it myself. Hmm, I could check where the heater hose connects.

I don't think a blown headgasket would be spraying antifreeze all over like that. Also, your EJ22 is not particularly prone to headgasket failures as the larger EJ25D engines of that vintage were.

 

My money would be on a heater hose (most likely never replaced)

What they said, but also if your timing belt is loose from a bad tensioner, then you might check your water pump.  I just did a timing belt kit and water pump in my new (free to me) '97 Impreza because the 2.2l engine allows the engine to run for a very long time while the water pump is going out (which is run by the timing belt).  The radiator fans and engine oil compensate for the reduced cooling system efficiency for quite a while.  When I pulled the water pump this weekend it was nearly seized.  The friend that gave it to me has been driving it that way for who knows how long.  I wouldn't be surprised if the heater hose went out partially due to a water pump failing or starting to fail.  It could also be the ticking you heard.  Not saying I'm dead certain, but it's worth a look in my opinion.  It sounds like it's time for a new timing belt kit as well, especially since the '97 is an interference engine.

 

[Also, it's widely regarded as a general rule to use only a genuine Subaru thermostat for replacement]

Edited July 21, 201510 yr by ferox

Thanks for the tips. I'll get a good look at these things in the daylight.

I fully second the recommendation to use the OEM subaru thermostat. 

Just in case you need a really good reason...

 

DO NOT drive the car anywhere, even just a mile. If it blew all the coolant out you will damage the engine, even in just a short distance. With no coolant flowing over the temperature sensor it won't even register an overheat condition at the heads, you'll think everything is fine but the engine can be destroyed.

Heater hose as mentioned before, or the small hose that runs from the bypass pipe to the throttle body on that side.

If you're in the rust belt, the bypass pipe itself could have rusted out and split or have a pinhole leak.

 

Refill the system with water and see if you can see any dripping from the hoses there to narrow down the source of the leak.

We found the source, a "pin-hole leak" in the pipe for the small heater hose. Can we get replacement parts from subaru? My mechanic said if not he would try to clamp a larger hose over the whole connection.

Still available from Subaru. Lists for about $50 though.

http://opposedforces.com/parts/impreza/us_g10/type_25/cooling_system/water_pump/

 

JB weld will seal it up if you can get it clean enough to adhere well.

 

A hose clamped over it may hold up for a while, but it will continue to rust and may become an issue again.

 

A used one is always an option, especially of you can get your hands on a rust free part. Might try the classifieds here if you can wait for someone to ship to you.

I would flush that system as well. You don't know if the hole started from the inside or out. If it started from inside the system it could be due to usage of non-distilled water or being way overdue for a coolant change. In either of those situations getting the possible cause out of the system can help slow or prevent problems with the rest of the system.

that crossover heater pipe would be a bear to get to.  Unless im mistaken you may have to remove the intake manifold.

 

I would be looking at JB weld.  or something like it.  I think they make a "Silicone Tape"

Just pull the intake. It's 12 bolts and up it goes. Intake gasket set is less than 15 dollars. That whole repair could be done in an hour at a shop.

 

I would replace both heater hoses as well though. And you will need new o-rings for the block mating surface.

Spot on. It looks like the coolant system had not been flushed in a very long time. We clamped the larger hose over for the time being but it is clear that even the radiator hoses will need to be changed soon, definitely before winter.

 

Anything else I should consider? Knowing that the cooling system was neglected for some time? 

Back flush the heater core.

New Subaru thermostat, or OE equivalent. Gates makes one, Stant has the Exact-stat line which is the large style thermostat. Don't use a regular $3 Stant cheapo.

New radiator and heater hoses.

 

Water pumps degrade as well. I've seen the impellers rusted and starting to fall apart. That's part of a timing belt job, which is a good idea if you don't know how many miles are on the belt or idlers.