lmdew Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 Friends Legacy 2.2 has over heated a couple of times. When I fill the coolant, it runs fine for me. I know the HG leaks are sometimes hard to find. There was oily black stuff in the overflow bottle. A good indicatoe to me it's the HG. I've run it over 100 miles, short trips and the temp gauge is alway just under half and steady as can be. Small coolant leak that I have not found? HG that need to be run hard to leak? Would the Subaru Coolant conditioner be any good on a 1999 2.2? Thanks, Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 if the hg leak is still small, it might take a while for it to show up again after refilling the coolant - as in 500-1000 miles.. all depends on how bad it is currently. I have had overflow bottles look nasty before and there was nothing actually wrong... just needed a good cleaning. I bought a dryer vent lint brush (something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Ettore-48400-Dryer-Cleaning-Brush/dp/B00972B60K?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER ) to clean out the overflow bottles... a little bit of Dawn dish soap gets any oily residue out, the long brush can get all the way down to the bottom - rinse thoroughly with cold water to kill any remaining soap before putting it back and refilling. I would honestly be more concerned about the water pipe that runs along the top of the block leaking - usually at the point the small tube splits off to feed the throttle body.. I have had way more problems with that than with headgaskets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Sure sounds like a gradually-developing HG leak to me. Look on the bright side: at this stage, you can plan a HG replacement in an orderly fashion. Leave it too long, and you'll be in a panic to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan909 Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 7 hours ago, lmdew said: Would the Subaru Coolant conditioner be any good on a 1999 2.2? I can't imagine any downside to trying. It's gonna set you back what - five bucks? - and certainly won't make it any worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 13 hours ago, lmdew said: Friends Legacy 2.2 has over heated a couple of times. When I fill the coolant, it runs fine for me. I know the HG leaks are sometimes hard to find. There was oily black stuff in the overflow bottle. A good indicatoe to me it's the HG. I've run it over 100 miles, short trips and the temp gauge is alway just under half and steady as can be. Small coolant leak that I have not found? HG that need to be run hard to leak? Would the Subaru Coolant conditioner be any good on a 1999 2.2? Thanks, Larry How much/how quickly is it leaking, is it external or internal leak, is it the original gaskets? If it's a slow, external leak, on the original gaskets then you have a really good chance of it working. I wouldn't try if you suspect a reasonable amount of internal leakage. If it's leaking a lot or the gaskets were previously replaced - chances aren't great. If it's an internal leak - it has zero chance of working. This is when I think it can cause problems. This might not be 100% accurate but for example - Normally coolant conditioner is suspended in solution and doesn't "react" until it's exposed to a leak. So it doesn't do anything to cause issues. In an improperly working cooling system the conditioner may be exposed to air pockets, exhaust gases, pressure/temp fluctuations that may encourage it to react internally where it's not suppose to. This may or may not matter or it might take more than one bottle to cause issues, I haven't tried that enough to say. But I'd probably try to diagnose how much/how quickly it's leaking and if it's internal or external before attempting it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 11, 2022 Author Share Posted October 11, 2022 Water pump leak, it looks like! 213K The belt looked pretty good from the side covers. We'll see when it's opened up. - Water Pump - T Belt - Idlers - Cam and Crank Seals and the oil pump oring - Valve Cover Gaskets That's what I suggested. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 at 213K it is due anyway, if it hasnt been done recently. (and if it has been, then shame on not doing water pump as well) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 (edited) too obvious to mention, but start simple. check hoses at radiator/engine for green crusty residue from tired hose clamps and leaks (happened to me causing momentary HG freakout) leaks can burn off on engine without puddling on the ground. did owner ever notice puddling or smells? Edited October 12, 2022 by brus brother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan909 Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 6 hours ago, heartless said: at 213K it is due anyway, if it hasnt been done recently. (and if it has been, then shame on not doing water pump as well) Oh, piffle. I have yet to replace a water pump, either due to failure - or unnecessarily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 They never noticed leaks. I think I have a good used pump instock. Just need a new gasket if they want to go cheap as possible. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 16, 2022 Author Share Posted October 16, 2022 Had a new T-belt and pulley in stock. I hit the yard for the T-Belt cover rear sections. Man I hate folks who don't do good maintenance. In the yard, the Drivers cam bolt was way over torques. 3' 1/2" breaker bar to get it off. I used the old t-belt in the yard to wrap it around the pulley and tie it to the frame. Nuts. Then when I uplled the water pump off the legacy, they had used a paper gasket. Hour later the flange was ready for the new Subaru metal gasket and water pump. Oil pump changed as the two lower t-belt cover tabs for the bolts were broken off. More poor maintenance. New Cam seals today and it should be back together. Good coolant system flush. It had the dirty dirty dirty coolant for sure. She should be back on the road. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Well done Larry. Enjoy another job well done boss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 Well, after a Holiday in Kauai I got it all put back together yesterday. I added Prestone Cleaner to the cooling system as the old coolant was very dirty. Ran great for 15 miles, temp gauge steady as could be. I was going to head out and put another 30 miles on it and the temp gauge started climbing. I turned around and went back home. Fans kicking on high even though the temp gauge was back to normal. Leaking water, coolant from the radiator. I shut it down and pulled the fans to get a better look. Top row of the radiator on passenger side leaking pretty good. I don't know if the previous owner had stop leak in the coolant system. Needs a radiator for sure, but I still think the HG are going. I let the owner know we could try a new radiator, but if its the HG I'd recommend a different engine. This one has been overheated and run low on oil to many times. I feel like it's one step forward and two steps back. Just trying to help them out. Waiting to hear what they want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 1, 2022 Author Share Posted November 1, 2022 I put a bit of JB weld on the radiator. Leak has slowed enough to run it. I'm going to flush the engine to get the coolant cleaner out and then put in new antifreeze and the Subaru coolant conditioner. I'll run it to see if the HG are OK. If so, I told them they would need a new radiator. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 4, 2022 Author Share Posted November 4, 2022 60 miles on it. Temp solid and below half. No leaks, but new radiator ordered. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 7, 2022 Author Share Posted November 7, 2022 New radiator should be here Monday. Sorry to say, as I thought I believe the HG are leaking. It's still pushing coolant into the overflow and not pulling it back in. I'm going to put the new radiator in and another bottle of Subaru conditoner and let them know it will most likely need a different engine. Up to them what they want to do. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 dont discount it just yet.. it could very well be just the leaky radiator. It wont suck coolant back in, because the system is not sealed properly - and it could be pushing it out for the same reason. get the new rad installed and see how she behaves before going down the "needs head gaskets/engine replaced" route. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Let’s get to the most important matter here. Did you shred the waves in Kauai ? We just had one come through that had work done at a somewhat reputable shop and the water pump practically fell off. I mean loose bolts. Paper gasket. Cowabunga Larry ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 8, 2022 Author Share Posted November 8, 2022 RT Rotator Cuff Surgery the end of August kept me out of the waves. The beach was great. Can't beat PMRF Barking Sands. I'd walk 2 hours and see 3 people on a busy day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 8, 2022 Author Share Posted November 8, 2022 I've never see such a delivery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 wow... that is totally not acceptable. Friggin FedEx.. i hate having to get stuff through them.. they have really gone downhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 Inspection window? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 dang! I do have a low opinion of radiator packaging - but limited to 2 experiences. But that is p!55 poor handling right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 9, 2022 Author Share Posted November 9, 2022 Free Replacement on the way! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 12 hours ago, lmdew said: Free Replacement on the way! hopefully not with FedEx again, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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