ashesh Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 Hey, I took my subaru for a drive tonight ( its a GL-10) and whenever I come back from a drive the engine is extremealy hot and there is lots of steam or whatever riseing from the hood but the car sounds fine and all the fluids and stuff are good. What could it be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89Ru Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 Ashesh, Welcome to USC. Quesnel is up in BC? As good as they are, if there is one thing that kills subarus its running hot for long periods. Replace the thermostat (< $10) or run without it, be careful when removing the two bolts to get to the t-stat as they often sieze in the aluminum threads and pop their heads off. Use anti-sieze on the threads when you replace it and use a straight razor blade to scrape off the old gasket. How hot? In the red? How long are you driving before it runs hot? Any strange sounds when you shut down (like hissing?) Any idea where the steam is coming from (leaky hose or seal somewhere?) Does it smell sweet like coolant? What color is your coolant (bright green or something else?) If you have a high water ratio it might boil over at normal operating temps. 89Ru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spideyz Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 I strongly urge you to take care of this sooner rather than later. I found out the hard way when my GL-10 engine overheated one too many times. Mine was a turbo, which only makes matters worse. Is yours turbo? You should also consider swapping out the radiator if it is original or you dont know the full history. Check your radiator cap. Could be worn out causing it too lose pressure (eg, steam from the hood) at too low a temp. Next time it is time to do the timing belt, be sure to put in a new water pump. $40 well spent. Make sure your engine oil is full too. I was driving through las vegas once, hot as hell, and kept overheating. Turned out I was a quart low on the oil. Added a quart and she kept nice and cool. Funny what oil does for the engine... Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 Ash: All the comments above are good ones... Let me add that the electrical cooling system (fan, thermosswitch) should also be considered if you are troubleshooting/overhauling the cooling system. The first thing about your post that jumps out at me is "all the fluids are good". It makes me wonder if your cooling system is really faulty at all. Overheating, {especially if to the point of steaming} would most definitely suggest a coolant loss condition, and this would be readily obvious. Also, when you said the engine is running "hot", is it the temp guage or the presence of steam that makes you beleive this? If it's only the steam, I would suspect some other fluid burning on your hot engine. Keep these thoughts in mind as you further pinpoint your problem. good luck, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89Ru Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 Ashesh, Without knowing exactly what your trouble is, I'll offer some repeat generic advice. Consider replacing your radiator (my 89 is on its third, for ~$140 every 100K although my '95 is twice the $$). My latest radiator came from Indonesia and works great. They don't last forever, the engine can outlast the radiator several times over provided you keep it running cool. 89Ru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegablade Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 thats pretty funny my cousins live in indonesia i should have them send me one lol. my car does that and i have had a few problems like my thermostat was all messed up and a hose was split. but i also had to fill my radiator up. i might flush it out then fill it up and try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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