Help! 2.2L Head Gasket!!???

[northgeorgiaroo]

Hi all,

 

I am another newbie to this forum, having recently bought a 90 Legacy Wagon after about 10 years since I gave up on my 84 GL wagon. (Man, I loved that thing).

 

I have already read a lot about the 2.5L engine and its head gasket issues, so I aimed for a legacy with the 2.2L.

 

I was pretty happy with my purchase until today, when the car overheated for no apparent reason on my lunch break.

 

Following the overheat, I noticed that the heater would work fine while I was moving (engine above 2,000 RPM seemed to be ideal), but would then quit when I stopped. (engine at idle).

 

This sounds suspiciously like some of the problems I have read from ppl with 2.5L engines. My legacy has about 210K on it, so I wouldn't be too surpised if the engine needed a little help, but I was wondering if the 2.2L head gaskets have been known to fail the same way as the 2.5L?

 

If a compression test won't show it, what is the lithmus test for a head gasket?

 

Thanks, y'all.

[idosubaru]

I was wondering if the 2.2L head gaskets have been known to fail the same way as the 2.5L?

definitely not. overheating will blow a headgasket on any motor though, so try to avoid letting it get hot at all. really high on the gauge could mean severe local heating within the motor. this is probalby not the head gasket, but will be if you run it hot.

 

make sure the coolant level is full, sounds like low coolant level to me.

verify this and report back.

 

then you need to find out where the coolant is going. more likely water pump or radiator leak.

 

thermostat should be replaced as well. costs less than 10 dollars, two bolts and who knows how old it is.

[northgeorgiaroo]

Thanks!

 

I probably overreacted after reading all the horror stories on here.

 

Coolant level was low. I walked to a Walgreens and bought a jug of water to add, but it was after that that I noticed the heater issue. (works only when engine revs climb).

 

I don't know where it went, but I will check all the hoses and replace the thermostat.

 

I will let y'all know how that goes.

 

I hope it is just a thermostat.

 

Failing that, just a radiator or a water pump.

[nipper]

Remove the radiator cap and look for bubbles. Usually a HG is the opposite of what you have with the heat. i dont think you have a blown HG. Also replace the radiator cap. im going to guess you have a ton of miles on this thing.

Under what conditions did it overheat?

 

nipper

[Chef]

sounds also liek you may have a somewhat clogged heater core and possibly radiator too - when the engine revs are up the water pump forces the water through bette, forcing it through instead of by-passing it. This cna happen after someone has used a stop-leak product, perhaps due to a leaky rad.

 

I'd flush the entire system out well, and replace the thermostat. I'll bet your problem disappears. I've never once had the coolant temp needle exceed 1/2 way on my car, despite lots of driving.

[Subarian]

The first task is to make sure the coolant is full and the air is bled out. Once that's done, drive it and see if you have a heat problem still.

[northgeorgiaroo]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Here is an update:

 

I still haven't had time to replace thermostat, but went ahead and changed the oil, something I wanted to to immediately after I bought it, and I thought I could make sure no coolant.

 

Oil looked fine, coolant level looked fine, so I went for a short drive, watching that temp the whole time.

 

about 5 minutes, including mild hill, everything seems OK -- needle rose slowly to 1/2 point on guage and stayed there the whole time. Heater still doing the same thing.

 

Then I stopped, and looked at the coolant overflow tank. It looks like a Starbucks cappucino!!! About 1 1/2 inches of foam on top.

 

What does this mean?

[nipper]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Here is an update:

 

I still haven't had time to replace thermostat, but went ahead and changed the oil, something I wanted to to immediately after I bought it, and I thought I could make sure no coolant.

 

Oil looked fine, coolant level looked fine, so I went for a short drive, watching that temp the whole time.

 

about 5 minutes, including mild hill, everything seems OK -- needle rose slowly to 1/2 point on guage and stayed there the whole time. Heater still doing the same thing.

 

Then I stopped, and looked at the coolant overflow tank. It looks like a Starbucks cappucino!!! About 1 1/2 inches of foam on top.

 

What does this mean?

 

ewwwwwwwwwwwwww i hate to be the bearer of bad news but thats a HG,

 

nipper

[Chef]

Ouch - it's a rare event a HG goes on a 2.2, but it can happen to any engine. PErhaps a previous owner had allowed it to overheat some time and it damaged the gasket.

 

Will you have it fixed? If so, it's a good opportunity to do a lot more on it (e.g. timing belt, seals, tensioner, water pump, etc).

 

Good luck

[northgeorgiaroo]

Yep, that's what I was afraid of.

 

There goes my "great deal" -- $800 for a great-looking legacy with 210k miles.

 

I will definitely fix it. -- now I can fix that leaking rear main, too.

 

With an engine this old, do you think it would be worth a total rebuild, while it's out? I would think at least a total head job, but once I am looking at that much $, taking care of the pistons, bearings, etc. seems cost-effective now.

 

Time is as much of a factor as money for me, so I am contemplating a used transplant instead of taking this engine out and tearing it down. Anybody seen a 2.2L w/ less than 100k mi. for sale?

 

Any other ideas?

 

Thanks for your help, guys,

I will probably need more before I'm done.

[dxrflyboy]

While you may have a leaking rear main seal, it's most likely a plastic cover in the bellhousing area. The replacement piece is aluminum. Unfortunately, like the rear main, the engine has to come out replace it. A wrecking yard not too far from me listed a 2.2L on Ebay with around 150K on it for $400. That should give you some idea what a used engine will cost you.