Spockva Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 I noticed something sort of wierd with my 92 Subaru Loyale. I was driving on a 55 mph road and running the A/C on a day when the temperature was approximately 88 degrees F. The temeprature gauge normally sits about 1/4 to 1/3 but it went up to about 2/3 to 3/4 while moving and dropped slightly every time I stopped. When I got home I sat idling a few minutes and it dropped to about a half. While driving around town where the speed limit is no higher than 45 it seems to remain around the 1/4 to 1/3 area. My question is, could the increased temperature be caused by a fluid fan "clutch" going bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 At that speed, the mechanical fan is moving less air than the speed of the car is. Your radiator is plugged up, or missing fins. Check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 under load (higher speeds, climbing mountains, running A/C) the radiator hose may be collapsing as well. i'm having that problem right now with a new aftermarket hose. insufficient radiator sounds highly suspect like mike said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 radiator nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 I have read issues where the temperature gauge indicated a high temp because of voltage drain from having the AC on as well... was your AC off when you got it home and let it idle? I don't want to "set you at ease" or anything, the radiators and cooling systems on these cars DO need to be well maintained or your engine will not be happy.. BUT there is a possibility that your "high temp reading" was caused by a voltage issue and not a temp issue. I believe GD was the one who informed me of this; it may be more of an older car issue but it may not be. Regular analog dash, right? Like I said, I may be off base even mentioning this possibility.. so do NOT disregard warnings about radiator/cooling system issues.. just bear in mind that this is also a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhelme Posted April 27, 2007 Share Posted April 27, 2007 Have you changed your themostat recently? If not it could be the same problem I had. I stuck about a quarter open and ran fine around town but on the hiway with the AC on it tended to run warm. I put in a NAPA stat and it still ran warm (new 2 core,water pump and fan clutch). I did this twice and finally put in a Stant and the problem went away. If it is the stat stay away from NAPA. On a side note NAPA has had so much problem with thier Victor gaskets they are switching to Fel-Pro. YEAH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockva Posted April 27, 2007 Author Share Posted April 27, 2007 Have you changed your themostat recently? If not it could be the same problem I had. I stuck about a quarter open and ran fine around town but on the hiway with the AC on it tended to run warm. I put in a NAPA stat and it still ran warm (new 2 core,water pump and fan clutch). I did this twice and finally put in a Stant and the problem went away. If it is the stat stay away from NAPA.On a side note NAPA has had so much problem with thier Victor gaskets they are switching to Fel-Pro. YEAH! Now that you mention it, I have noticed occasionally that the engine seems to go over 1/2 on the gauge when it is first warming up then drops back to the "normal" place it usually resides when the engine is at temp. HMMMM maybe a thermostat is in order, after all the car has 162,000+ on it and I have never changed the thermostat since I have owned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockva Posted April 27, 2007 Author Share Posted April 27, 2007 At that speed, the mechanical fan is moving less air than the speed of the car is. Your radiator is plugged up, or missing fins. Check it out. Thanks, but the radiator is clean and there are no fins missing or leaks that I can see. Will see about the radiator hose mentioned here, but I think I am going to change the thermostat as mentioned above and see if that doesn't cure the problem. A nice Stant quick acting model might be just what it needs. They cost a little more, but are worth the money as they respond to temperature change faster than a standard thermostat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockva Posted April 27, 2007 Author Share Posted April 27, 2007 I have read issues where the temperature gauge indicated a high temp because of voltage drain from having the AC on as well... was your AC off when you got it home and let it idle? I don't want to "set you at ease" or anything, the radiators and cooling systems on these cars DO need to be well maintained or your engine will not be happy.. BUT there is a possibility that your "high temp reading" was caused by a voltage issue and not a temp issue. I believe GD was the one who informed me of this; it may be more of an older car issue but it may not be. Regular analog dash, right? Like I said, I may be off base even mentioning this possibility.. so do NOT disregard warnings about radiator/cooling system issues.. just bear in mind that this is also a possibility. Regular analog dash, but voltage stays above 12 with EVERYTHING on, lights, wipers, A/C with fan on 4, and rear defroster, foot on brake and in reverse. The only things not running is the horn and interior light, so I don't think it is a voltage drop but I will check it out too, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted April 27, 2007 Share Posted April 27, 2007 They cost a little more, but are worth the money as they respond to temperature change faster than a standard thermostat. What is needed is an OEM thermostat. I've had problems with Stants sticking closed (quick action type) and the NAPA ones too. Subaru T-Stats are only about $15. Get one, they're guaranteed to work for another 162,000 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockva Posted May 29, 2007 Author Share Posted May 29, 2007 Well, found the heating problem, bad upper radiator hose collapsing when running at higher speeds. Hose blew before I could replace it, but the whole inside was coming apart. Shortly after putting the new hose on (4 days) the timing belt snapped so now it is in the shop with a bill to the tune of 750 dollars. The water pump was also leaking onto the timing belts so I had it replaced and all the seals for the crank and cam shafts were also leaking so they were replaced too. Good thing I like this car, I only paid 450 dollars for it and just sank all that into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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