Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Ultimate Subaru Message Board

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Engine coolant loss, steam under hood, most likely culprit?

Featured Replies

A steaming cloud of coolant was emanating from under my air filter cover, passenger side, this evening!!

See photo for an approximation of what it looked like.   Coolant represented in green.

What is the most likely source of the leak? 

EA81-Engine-Bay-2.jpg

There is a small rubber hose behind the distributer, check that.

Paul

  • Author

I am sure the leak is not coming from the two hoses highlighted in the image.  Is the center of the intake manifold connected to the engine coolant?

 

notleakingea81.jpg

The intake manifold has a coolant passage, along with the path for the intake.

The gaskets between the heads and the intake can fail, one way puts the coolant on top of the engine, the other, it gets sucked into the cylinders and burned.  Get the intake gaskets from a Subaru dealer.  The aftermarket ones are no where near as good.

parts stores will loan tools, one that is often available is a kit to pressurize the cooling system. That way you can diagnose a leak without dodging hot liquid.

On 2/17/2022 at 6:44 PM, DaveT said:

The intake manifold has a coolant passage, along with the path for the intake.

The gaskets between the heads and the intake can fail, one way puts the coolant on top of the engine, the other, it gets sucked into the cylinders and burned.  Get the intake gaskets from a Subaru dealer.  The aftermarket ones are no where near as good.

In addition to the gaskets, I applied some grey silicon to each side of them.  So far, so good.  With a beast this old and unknown, I did that to the intake manifold gaskets, water pump gasket, and thermostat housing gasket in addition to greasing up the mounting bolts to prevent oxidation and fusing to the intake again.  Hopefully it's just overkill and not a future problem. 

+1 to pressure checking the system, make sure it's not the head gasket leaking coolant on top of the engine.

Good luck.

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

Sign In Now

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.