1998 Legacy 2.2: After the storm here, I started to loose coolant. It starts losing right after starting. There is a trail of coolant in the snow when I move slowly around. When I start it from cold, running for just 20 secs and shut it down, there is already quite some pressure in the system, so when I open the rad cap then, some 100-200 ml spills out, COLD! I don’t believe this is normal. Coolent is dripping close to where the exhaust pipe branches, but only when I do a short (20 to 40 secs) start and shutdown. Not when it just sits. Haven’t driven it since I realized this. Looks like it comes out of the motor, boy-oh-boy. What could be the problem? It has 203000km.

Thanks very much.

Could be a few things. Since its a 2.2 we will rule out a HG for now.

 

Sis you have the proper freezing protection in the coolant? There have been a few posts on the lists the last week or so with people who got caught off guard by the super bitter cold.

 

When was the last time the water pump was replaced?

 

Freeze out plug?

 

Leaking hose.

 

I would suspect a leaking waterpump.

 

 

nipper

10 year old car, good mileage and unknown maintenance history?

 

there's any number of things this could be.

 

if it's leaking you need to take photo's or look and find out where exactly it's leaking from. or at least narrow it down with some good descriptions. if it's leaking, frankly that's the easiest diagnosis to make, find the leak.

 

radiator cap, upper hose, lower hose, bypass hose, inlet heater core hose, outlet heater core hose, water pump, thermostat housing, head gasket, throttle bypass lines, radiator, heater core.....then there's more.....

 

remember, we can't see, hear, drive, taste, touch, or examine the car. info is good!

If you are seeing a trail and you think its from the motor, it has got to be the pump. Make sure its not leaking from lower hose and running back to the engine, that would be a cheap fix.

could be a pinhole in upper or lower hose