cytan299 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Hi all, I just wanted to write this just to add another data point to the infamous overheating problem with the head gaskets so that other Subaru owners can see if their symptoms are the same and can take the appropriate action. First, my Subaru is a 97 Legacy 2.5 GT with less than 70k on it. One day about 4 weeks ago, I was driving to work and noticed that the heater wasn't blowing out any hot air. I then looked at the temperature gauge and lo and behold, it was pegged on high. I drove another 2-3 miles to find a good place to stop and pulled over. I looked at the overflow coolant tank and it was filled with a black oily liquid (not the usual green stuff) nearly all the way to the top. I suspected that I had a blocked radiator because it was one of the coldest days in Chicago (-2F) (since I haven't found this site before, I just had no clue ...). I waited until the engine cooled enough and drove to the nearest garage to have it looked at. The mechanic thought that I had a bad thermostat and he wanted to replace it. He also recommended that I flush the radiator and do a pressure test to make sure everything was ok. Well, that cost be $300 and for 2 weeks, my Subaru seemed ok. Then after 2 weeks, my Subaru overheated AGAIN. The symptoms were strange: (a) There was no coolant in the overflow tank!!!! I had checked that there was coolant in the tank *after* the repair. ( The car would overheat. I would stop it to cool it down for about 3 minutes and the car would drive fine for the next 5 to 6 miles and then suddenly overheat again. I drove it back to the mechanic and complained like hell that he didn't do it right the first time ;-). He did a pressure test again and told me that he couldn't find anything wrong with the cooling system and it was probably a cracked head gasket or block! Well, I didn't quite believe him and so went on the 'net and found this great site. And yep, it confirmed what he had said, that I had a bad head gasket. I brought the car into my dealer just after Christmas and it was fixed in two days for $1850. And so, if anyone is suffering from these symptoms, guess what, you have a head gasket problem. I also wrote to Subaru to complain to see if they would foot part of the bill. I did hear back from them but they haven't told me whether they would or would not. I wouldn't hold my breath. Their email address is: EComCDS@SUBARU.com for those who want to complain too. cytan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 cytan: Have you seen this site? http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/guestlog.html And my little page with some links: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html Probably a day late and dollar short because it sounds like you've already figured out the problem, but there may be some useful information in one of these links. Good luck; my 97's still going strong but I keep a close eye on the temp gauge because of stories like yours and others. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cytan299 Posted January 4, 2006 Author Share Posted January 4, 2006 Hi Steve, Thanks for the links. I've put in my 2 cents at the links you gave me. cytan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cytan299 Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Hi all, Well it pays to complain. I wrote to Subaru and they are sending me $500 to help pay for the cost of the repair despite the fact that my Subaru is out of warranty! I guess I'll be buying another Subaru once this one gives up the ghost. cytan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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