First, Merry Christmas eve, ... and I hear sleigh bells out in the distance so I best put my tools down...

 

Coolant leak on my 84 Hatch, EA-81, 225,000 miles.

 

Suspected from stud, maybe drilled out from previous owner (you know, Heli-coiled but drilled too deap and into water jacket), but when stud was removed it had never been pulled before and came out dry, so scratched that off the list.

 

See pic at arrow point it bubbles between engine head and exhaust flange area... so suspect out of exhaust path, so is this the air intake cross over gasket or head gasket? No other visible leaks on top running down etc as all new hoses. I can SEE it bubble from the arrow location... still runs great just leaves puddle in the driveway... oil is clean... I havn't checked for bubbles in the radiator...

 

so... ideas?

 

 

 

 

 

 

well that is a strange one. I am unsure, I trust your judgment that it is not leaking down from top, but in my mind that is the only think I can imagine. a leak from the intake down to the exhaust........I am going to ponder this for a while.......could it leak from the exhaust if the head gasket was the source?

check for steam! that would be the ultimate signal as to bad head gasket, and I'm talking about not just the initial steam from condensation of pipes.......let it get to operational temperature and then check for vaporized moisture coming out of your exhaust. if that is present then I would totally pin it down to a bad head gasket.......

I'm sorry the only way I can see

leaks from the area you depict are

 

from the head being cracked.

 

Almost unheard of ??

 

You do not have access to a coolant system leak down

tester do you?

Oh I wanted to mention

congrats for keeping your

exhaust "funace" functional!!

......... head being cracked.

Almost unheard of ??

 

hmmmmm..........

 

You do not have access to a coolant system leak down

tester do you? I can build one...possibly lower exhaust pipe enough too look up and in to find leak....

 

yea... leaks when it builds pressure, stops when it cools...

i would check the intake gasket or the rubber hose betweent the top of block and the thermostat housing.

 

according to the pic it looks like coolant is running down the valve cover, and then one way to the back of the head to make it nasty looking and the other way to the exhaust stud where it is actuall y dripping off.

 

if it were leaking from the stud bore or the exhaust port you would most certainly have overheat issues or at least exhaust bubbles in the radiator pushing out coolant.

 

the intake gaskets are easy to miss if you hadnt thought to look there first.

Yeah, I see coolant on the valve cover too.

o.k.... I get the point so possibly I did overlook the obvious... I will pressureize the coolant system this weekend and get in close and see what I can find... possibly the bubbling I saw was tiny exhaust leak bubbles as the coolant was seeping around.. so will take another look... man.. it's cold out...

 

will post answer when I find out what it is....

 

Thanks guys...

It is leaking, down from inside the exhuast manifold, down the exhaust pipe so it was leaking out at the pic. location.

 

I lowered exhaust, put 15 psi... nothing.. bolted exhaust back up and heated engine. Put 15 psi on the radiator, lowered exhaust and it was running green from inside the exhaust head, dripping out the now open exhuast pipe... also; no bubbles in radiator..

 

so..... am I looking at a probable bad head gasket? Freeze plug etc..?

 

I know I am going to poke the hornets nest with this next comment but what if I were too blank off the heater core, run some "Barrs Engine sealant" and then hook heater core back up.... neighbor made the suggestion but probably not the best solution?

 

I kind of would like to do a head gasket as never done one on the roo's.. so just kind of thinking what would be best.. but yea.... it's cold out there.. WHAAAA...

Bars Leak may fix the leak but I wouldn't use it. You'll be wanting your heater sooner or later, so you'd have to drain the system to re-plumb the core in. Once you take the system down, you'll loose any seal that the stuff formed. The stuff is for temporary fixes only.

 

From the sound of it, you have a cracked head. Very rare on an EA-81 from what I understand from reading on here. I can't picture any other way for coolant to drip from exhaust port like you describe.

..............I can't picture any other way for coolant to drip from exhaust port like you describe.

 

Well... I guess I get to bond with the Subaru .... so will take the head off this week and see what I find.

 

Thanks guys... all good... even when it isn't great it's great to be in the game rather then sitting on the sidelines.