So, I nursed this 90 Legacy wagon home yesterday. Former owner was an elderly lady that only went to the grocery store, dr & church. It turned over 114K on the way home. Over a 90 mile mostly highway drive the temperature would occasionally start climbing to the top of the gauge and I finally discovered that if I stood on the gas briefly it would come back down to normal and stay there for a while. I stopped the first time to check on it and I didn't see any signs of over heating other than some barely perceptible bubbling in the over flow reservoir. I'm thinking this is a thermostat issue. Anybody else seen this? It's my first Subaru and I have to tell you, this car is very comfortable to ride/drive. My regular ride is an 04 Grand Am that is out of commission momentarily but is hopefully going to be undergoing a 3.4L to 3.5L swap very soon. Thanks in advance for the help.

How's the coolant level in the overflow and when the cap is removed? Do you notice the coolant in the overflow 'boiling' (i.e. exhaust bubbles blowing into it?).

 

How's the radiator cap? I.e. With the engine cold squeeze the upper rad hose as hard as you can. You shouldn't hear any coolant going into the overflow / feel the hose slowly compress. It's kind of a crude test but it's quick and easy.

Well, I think it was low on coolant and had an air pocket which I managed to aleviate. So far, it has had no more overheating issue. The temp gauge goes about half way up and just stays there. I have a new Subaru thermostat on the shelf. I'll put it when I change radiator hoses in a couple weeks just for grins & giggles.

Keep any eye in your coolant resiviour and make sure you don't see bubbles now that you have it burped.

Quick update. I took it to the local import expert this week. Had two injectors shorted and it runs like a top now. Looks like she'll be on the road to Dallas Monday.