May 8, 200817 yr I have replaced the radiator and just installed a new thermostat from Subaru. If I let the car idle the temp guage reaches the normal spot and stays there. Both rad hoses are hot and I get good heat. Take it out on the road and drive it the temp guage starts to climb and then will take a jump right to the red and pump antifreeze out of the jug. Let it cool down and the jug is empty but the rad is full. I did a search thinking it was a HG but there are no bubbles coming out of the rad so maybe it is the water pump?? I burped the system twice when I put the rad in and everything ran great until now. The engine has 276,000 on it, but I do not know how it was maintained before I got it. Thanks in advance for any opinions, Mark
May 8, 200817 yr my aunt has a 89 mustang with the 4 cyl and the same thing is happening (coolant surges from the overflow with the engine running)....i believe her HG has ruptered although she is not burning hardly any coolant......anyways when it comes to cooling system/ overheating problems i have heard of people starting off with the least expensive repair and working there way up until it is fixed (sounds like a shoddy mechanic to me, but also a good idea)...... coolant temp sensor? i am assuming you replace the Radiator cap when you replaced the radiator? which engine is it? Do you notice any external coolant leakage around the cylinder heads? did the cooling system operate correctly before you installed the parts?
May 8, 200817 yr how long have you had it? how many miles did it have when you got it? have you sufficiently gotten all the air out of the system, some people seem to have problems getting all the air out of the cooling system which causes issues with EJ engines. head gaskets seem likely but you'd certainly want to check other things out, like the water pump.
May 8, 200817 yr 276k miles eh.... I would say it would be worth changing the headgaskets on principal. Sounds like the beginings of them going. You can replace the water pump at the same time.
May 8, 200817 yr Author replaceing the rad cap was something I did not think of. The car ran great when I got it at 275,000 miles. I replaced the rad cause it was all chocked up with dirt. The car ran even better all through the winter, now it has just started to give me grief. The first time it got hot I replaced the stat, then the bugger did it again. I'm trying not to get a ton of cash in it, cause here in PA we have inspections and the car is starting to rot in a few places. The 2.2 and 5 speed along with the all wheel makes this car a great thing in the winter. Guess I'll have to take it up to a shop and do a leak down on it. I was hopeing it would be the pump cause I think I could do that here at the house for a project.
May 9, 200817 yr I have replaced the radiator and just installed a new thermostat from Subaru. If I let the car idle the temp guage reaches the normal spot and stays there. Both rad hoses are hot and I get good heat. Take it out on the road and drive it the temp guage starts to climb and then will take a jump right to the red and pump antifreeze out of the jug. Let it cool down and the jug is empty but the rad is full. I did a search thinking it was a HG but there are no bubbles coming out of the rad so maybe it is the water pump?? I burped the system twice when I put the rad in and everything ran great until now. The engine has 276,000 on it, but I do not know how it was maintained before I got it. Thanks in advance for any opinions, Mark it almost sounds like you are getting air in the system that's why it's blowing out the coolent... and your rad appears to be full because the system is full of air... when you changed the rad and T-stat did you back fill the rad from the upper hose back into the engine? if not you might want to try that so that it dosn't get air locked..
May 9, 200817 yr replaceing the rad cap was something I did not think of. The car ran great when I got it at 275,000 miles. I replaced the rad cause it was all chocked up with dirt. The car ran even better all through the winter, now it has just started to give me grief. The first time it got hot I replaced the stat, then the bugger did it again. I'm trying not to get a ton of cash in it, cause here in PA we have inspections and the car is starting to rot in a few places. The 2.2 and 5 speed along with the all wheel makes this car a great thing in the winter. Guess I'll have to take it up to a shop and do a leak down on it. I was hopeing it would be the pump cause I think I could do that here at the house for a project. also did you open the little bleeder on the top of the radiator? or burp the system properly....yes i would do a combustion leak test on it to see if you have exhaust gas getting into your coolant......
May 9, 200817 yr It could certainly be a head gasket problem. However... replaceing the rad cap was something I did not think of.[...]...since not holding sufficient pressure could be a cause, replacing the cap isn't a bad idea. [...]The car ran even better all through the winter, now it has just started to give me grief.Bad headgaskets will often cause grief even in winter, so it's still possible that this is a cooling system problem. The first time it got hot I replaced the stat, then the bugger did it again.[...]Did you use an OEM thermostat? The aftermarket replacements usually don't function as well. This might be obvious, but make sure you're running about 50% coolant concentration, even in warm weather; ethylene glycol not only lowers the freezing point but also raises the boiling point.
May 10, 200817 yr Author Well the worst fears have been confirmed, It is the head gasket. I was going to get the Fiero out of storage on Monday anyway and put the Soob away for the summer so now is the best time to work on it. I was told by my friend the wrench tunner that I might as well do it right and replace evrything I can while the motor is out. I don't know the condition of the clutch or water pump so I will do those at the same time. Is there anything else I should replace along with the timing belt and the above parts? Thanks again for all your help, Mark
May 10, 200817 yr along with the... water pump timing belt head gaskets clutch kit (with new clips for the throwout bearing and a new pilot bearing) i would do...... cam seals cam cap orings front and rear main crank seals reseal the oil pump valve cover gaskets reseal oil pan new tensioner and timing belt idlers reseal or purchase metal updated seperator plate
May 11, 200817 yr Author along with the... water pump timing belt head gaskets clutch kit (with new clips for the throwout bearing and a new pilot bearing) i would do...... cam seals cam cap orings front and rear main crank seals reseal the oil pump valve cover gaskets reseal oil pan new tensioner and timing belt idlers reseal or purchase metal updated seperator plate Nice list! Thanks.
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