2000 legacy Gt wagon....i have been warned by my mechanic that i have an external HG leak. when they warned me of that, they also wanted to give me the possible worst case scenario...and said i may also have an internal issue.

 

i had the gurgling and low coolant levels. they bled the system and added some coolant to my existing coolant. the gurlging has stopped. the coolant level in the overflow seems to sit in the middle between 'min' and 'max' when hot, and hovers right at 'min' or slightly (1cm) above 'min'. the levels under the rad cap seem consistant.

 

so...that all said....how rapidly would one lose coolant with:

a) external hg leak

internal hg leak

 

i wanted to watch the level before adding the conditioner....to see how rapid the loss was.

 

i guess it would depend on the size of the leak, but my coolant levels seem to have held steady for the past week. i guess im just trying to figure out if i have 'issues'.....car issues.

impossible to tell. But i will say an internal leak, the coolant gets pushed out really fast, but may not happen al the time. the external leak would be just that, a leak. Depending upon size can be fast or slow. Watch your temp gauge very carefully.

Have the coolant tested for exhaust gasses, that will give you a a better idea if you have an internal problem or not. ALso look for bubbles in the collant when the car is running.

 

nipper

I had the external leak before Subaru came out with the conditioner. The people who owned the car before me were not so fussy and added a bit of water every few months. When I checked the oil I check the water, it would seem to go down about a half pint to a thousand miles.

I had the gaskets changed but I may have only needed to add the stop leak. I now run the new gaskets and the stop leak and have had no further issues.

If you think of a leak that small what you would find is that it would seem to get dangerous about the time of an oil change, or about 3,000 miles. At this point I would just add the conditioner to your car, good chance you'll have no further concerns.

thanks nipper, you're always helpful

 

i've been a bit neurotic this past week with the coolant, and have checked the coolant before and after driving...it always appears the same...bubble free. the temp always rises to mid-level within a few blocks, then holds steady. i don't drive too far to work, so its hard to tell. i took it out for a 30min drive last night at speeds between 60km/hr and 90km/hr and the temp still held steady at the mid way point.

 

 

 

 

impossible to tell. But i will say an internal leak, the coolant gets pushed out really fast, but may not happen al the time. the external leak would be just that, a leak. Depending upon size can be fast or slow. Watch your temp gauge very carefully.

Have the coolant tested for exhaust gasses, that will give you a a better idea if you have an internal problem or not. ALso look for bubbles in the collant when the car is running.

 

nipper

just another quick q for you two sub masters....

 

with a coolant leak, would the coolant that is being lost drip to the garage floor? i have had newspaper out the past few days and nothing has appeared...

On my car they may have driven it that way for years. I would have just thought it was a small hose leak or something if I did not rear this board. I crawled under and saw the telltale wet spot. My engine had to come out for a clutch and major service anyway so I had the gaskets changed too. Today I'd probably just add the goop as it is such a small problem if you keep it full. Folks who don't go under the hood much have had serious problems running them low on coolant.

Mine evaporated before it hit the garage floor. You could see a stain on the head joint but that was all.

just another quick q for you two sub masters....

 

with a coolant leak, would the coolant that is being lost drip to the garage floor? i have had newspaper out the past few days and nothing has appeared...

 

It can be leaking on a a bocy panel, or being sprayed out while driving, it wont necassarily leave a puddle. SUbarus are good for leaks that never make it to the ground, the exhaust pipes are good at burning the stuff up. On the bright side sounds like a small leak, may be worth dumping the sooby stop leak in it and see what happens

 

nipper

what is this subaru brand stopleak stuff? how much is it and how much do you use?

 

i have a 1998 leg brighton and i noticed the coolant was dangerously low...

 

the belts are about to fall off and it smell like burning oil every now and then....

 

the gf's mom didnt take good care of it....also she hasnt had the tranny flushed once in 130,000 miles

 

thanks for the help

Sorry mate, it is only for the phase 2 engines, and only stops minor exterior coolant leaks. Waste of money for your car.

this morning it thought i would check for bubbles while the car was running. i started 'er up with the rad cap off, and watched....there was no bubbles, but the coolant level raised right to the top of the spout that holds the rad cap.

 

common sense tells me that this is normal, and that it would normally just drain into the reservoir tank....

 

the fluids rose to the top of the spout within one minute of starting the car on an even surface in my parking garage. it spilt over slightly before i decided to turn the car off and wait for levels to recede.

 

again, im an amateur, and just at the beginning of my relationship with coolant, and understanding said coolant.

 

tell me please....this is normal, right?

My car would do the same thing. I believe that might be why you have a cap.

haha...are you taking the mickey out of me?!

 

as i said...im pretty new to this whole 'self-diagnosis' business. im just wanting to cover my bases...even them basic ones.

 

after a week of watching the levels, i think i should be good on the leaks, aside from maybe an external hg leak. im going to add the stop leak, get the coolant flushes and refilled and begin my summer road trip season.

 

awh yeah.

 

thanks.

You may want to get a turkey baster and remove about as much antifreeze as the can holds. This will give you a bit to top up with later.

Sorry to poke fun at a Noofie...er noobie.

Thats normal, one big burp. No air bubbles are good. I think you have an external leak, not an internal leak.

 

nipper

Idle it like that until it gets warm enough to turn the fans on. It'll overflow but any trapped air will be expelled when the fan comes on. '

 

Waiting for the fan means you can be sure the thermostat has opened and isn't holding onto any air bubbles.

 

Install the cap, fill overflow to FULL mark. Presto, air free cooling system.

 

 

Drive for a few weeks, open rad cap. If the coolant doesn't reach up the spout, then you have some sort of issue.