eseiler Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Hi Subarufolk! The temp gauge in my Dad's 95 Legacy is starting to spike intermittently. It will go into the H and then settle back down then spike and settle back down. No evidence of leaking coolant, no bubbling or residue in the OF tank. I'm thinking faulty thermostat...any idears? Thanks, Damien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiefan Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 This is an ej22, yes? I don't know my Legacy's too well. Could be the thermostat. You can test it by putting it in a bowl of boiling water. If it's working right, it should open. If it's old, you may as well just replace it anyway. Cheap insurance. Headgasket failurs on the 2.2 are pretty rare, and you don't have any of the typical evidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svxpert Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 <<The temp gauge in my Dad's 95 Legacy is starting to spike intermittently. It will go into the H and then settle back down then spike and settle back down. I'm thinking faulty thermostat...any idears?>> i think if you keep letting it go to H, your going to need a new engine. have you had any work done to it recently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Hi Subarufolk!The temp gauge in my Dad's 95 Legacy is starting to spike intermittently. It will go into the H and then settle back down then spike and settle back down. No evidence of leaking coolant, no bubbling or residue in the OF tank. I'm thinking faulty thermostat...any idears? Thanks, Damien exactly how fast does that happen and when? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsavrtka Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I'm not sure about other years, but in my 95 Legacy I noticed the temp gauge never going above the mid-mark, even when I heard the cooling fans kick in. After some research, I found that the gauge does not accurately reflect the temperature of the engine. It is more like an idiot light. The only time it will rise above the mid-mark is when the engine is reallly hot. I can't remember if it is the gauge or the sending unit that creates this 'feature'. You could use an OBDII reader to grab the accurate temp reading (from the other temp sensor IIRC). Anyway, if the gauge hits H, the engine is hot! That much is true. How much cooler it is once it drops from the H will require some investigation. Hopefully that will help you figure out the cause. jim Hi Subarufolk! The temp gauge in my Dad's 95 Legacy is starting to spike intermittently. It will go into the H and then settle back down then spike and settle back down. No evidence of leaking coolant, no bubbling or residue in the OF tank. I'm thinking faulty thermostat...any idears? Thanks, Damien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 It sounds to me you may need to get a block check done to check for exhaust gases in the coolant. If that test shows things ok then it may be the thermostat causing this trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseiler Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 OK I did a few checks today....after starting the car it heated up pretty quicky...spiking to H and then settling down to a warmer than normal temperature. I parked it on an incline and then opened up the bleeder screw opposite the radiator. The upper radiator hose was very hot and steam was coming out the bleeder screw. The radiator itself was cool and only one of the fans was spinning. --Damien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manarius Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 OK I did a few checks today....after starting the car it heated up pretty quicky...spiking to H and then settling down to a warmer than normal temperature. I parked it on an incline and then opened up the bleeder screw opposite the radiator. The upper radiator hose was very hot and steam was coming out the bleeder screw. The radiator itself was cool and only one of the fans was spinning. --Damien Sounds to me like you have a block in the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 OK I did a few checks today....after starting the car it heated up pretty quicky...spiking to H and then settling down to a warmer than normal temperature. I parked it on an incline and then opened up the bleeder screw opposite the radiator. The upper radiator hose was very hot and steam was coming out the bleeder screw. The radiator itself was cool and only one of the fans was spinning. --Damien hrmmmm a few questions when was the last time the timing belt was replaced, and was the thermostat replaced at that time. When you turn the ac on do both fans come on is one radiator hose a differnt temp then the other When if ever was the last tiem the cooling system was serviced. AGAIN ill ask how fast does this happen. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseiler Posted August 22, 2006 Author Share Posted August 22, 2006 Hi all, Turns out it was just a faulty thermostat...jammed shut apparently. Cheers! Damien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I love it when it is simple to fix. Thanks for the update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 i've reading post for almost a year, and i i've read a lot of people changing t-stats to cure over heat problems... but this may be the first time it was actually the cause of the problem. i guess there's a first time for everything. I love it when it is simple to fix. Thanks for the update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svxpert Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 i've reading post for almost a year, and i i've read a lot of people changing t-stats to cure over heat problems... but this may be the first time it was actually the cause of the problem. i guess there's a first time for everything. ...we'll see. with all that overheating, there will almost definately be more problems to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 i've reading post for almost a year, and i i've read a lot of people changing t-stats to cure over heat problems... but this may be the first time it was actually the cause of the problem. i guess there's a first time for everything. not really. When people put in non OE T-stats it can happen too nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.