kodiak1232003 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 here's the symptoms.... -no indication of anything till today. engine heats up and stays steady in the middle of the gauge. -got off freeway and came to a stop at a light and steam started billowing from radiator cap. -rad cap hot to touch -hoses intact -steam from under the cap -let it cool and it ran well with temps a bit high, but not damaging-high on the way home from original spot. -oil is clear, fresh and new. no milkshake I might try a thermostat first, just cuz its only 8 dollars and some coolant. thought i would throw a fresh drive belt on there, too in case the pump isn't being spun enough. present one is kind of glazed. any thoughts? new to troubleshooting this motor, but not motors in general... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Try the thermostat, what about the fan? Is it working? Is it topped off with coolant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiak1232003 Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Try the thermostat, what about the fan? Is it working? Is it topped off with coolant? yup, topped off. not sure on the fan. I'm torn about testing it right now, as I'd like to cool it enough to swap the thermostat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Scooby Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 check the fan, and if you replace the thermostat put a subaru one in it, take it from my lesson of loosing heat in the worst snow storm we have had in a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 The thermoswitches are notorious to go bad on these, I went through 2 of them. If its not working, you can always ground it to where it comes on with the switch. I would also replace the radiator cap while your at it, never can hurt to do that. Like The Scooby said, stick with the Subaru thermostat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiak1232003 Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 The thermoswitches are notorious to go bad on these, I went through 2 of them. If its not working, you can always ground it to where it comes on with the switch. I would also replace the radiator cap while your at it, never can hurt to do that. Like The Scooby said, stick with the Subaru thermostat. alright. am i correct in assuming the thermostat is located under the upper radiator hose on the passenger side of the engine? I don't have a service manual, so any pics posted/advice would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I am with the 2 above....just went through this myself . Mine was more on the lines of a minor minor head gasket leak..that resurfaced after replacing... anyway.. OEM T Stat ..only way to go.. you can tell the difference and see why when comparing them. I also direct wired my fans to run continuously now and just bypassed the thermoswitch.. While you are at it ..you might want to flush your radiator. ( I has become a stickler for the cooling systems ..have had too many problems lately with them) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Pressure test the cap first. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 alright. am i correct in assuming the thermostat is located under the upper radiator hose on the passenger side of the engine? I don't have a service manual, so any pics posted/advice would help. You are correct, two bolts hold it on and there it is. Also remember to get the Subaru gasket that goes with it. Here is a picture for reference: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiak1232003 Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 (edited) here's the update -let car cool down for a few hours last night. -added a bit of coolant cuz it was a bit low -fired up the car and let it warm up (cool night, about 60degrees) -started running hot after i ran it up and down the driveway a few times stopping to pop the hood to see if the fan was on after each run up. I checked the fan and it never turned on -I put 12v to the fan, and it spun right up to speed like there was no problem...hmmm...thermal switch? in line fuse? i checked the fuse box under the dash and all fuses there were fine. -Drove the car to work today(had to, no back-up car) and the sucker had the temp pegged right at the normal mark (again, about 55degrees out) and it NEVER moved during my 22 mile drive, with nice cool air blowing through the radiator. good sign. -once i pulled into my parking lot, I let it idle for a minute while i gathered my briefcase. Sure enough, the temps started to raise ever so slightly. so this makes me think the fan is a big part of the problem, seeing how the car runs fine with airflow through the radiator. My next stop would be the thermostat, though it seems like i'd be having trouble even at speed, once the car was warm. ? oh, and both radiator hoses are in good shape and warm up evenly when the engine is running In any case, its going in to get looked at today... Edited February 4, 2009 by kodiak1232003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Well I'd say definitely change the thermostat, but I'd say that you should also replace the thermo switch as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiak1232003 Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Well I'd say definitely change the thermostat, but I'd say that you should also replace the thermo switch as well. thats where I'm at too... thanks for you help so far Bratman...I appreciate it:)...My wife and I have been impressed with the helpfulness of this board (I'm used to Pirate4x4..lol:grin:) I'm Brian, BTW... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 no problem at all, I hope that I, along with all the others can help you solve your problem! And I'm Jason. Good luck with it! At least you made it to work without it messing up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Replace your thermoswitch that controls the fan. Or just wire the fan to be always on or turned on by a switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Txakura Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 How does one test the secondary electric fan to make sure it is working properly? I can never catch mine in the act of running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 How does one test the secondary electric fan to make sure it is working properly? I can never catch mine in the act of running. You have an EA82 which has a different type of switch, but essentially the same thing. When temp gets too hot, the switch connects the neg side of the fan to ground. Couple ways to test are: A. hook up a multimeter to both posts of the switch set to read continuity (2k ohms)(ea81 connect lead to single switch pole and other side to ground) let the engine run, idling until it reaches running temp, then idle it up to like 2500 rpm or so for a while. You should see the switch go closed (read 0 ohms) after a bit. Watch the engine temp, if it has gone up say, past half, and the switch hasn't closed, it is probably bad. B. Remove the switch and perform the same test in a pan of boiling water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Gloyale he said it was an EA81. The secondary fan he is mentioning probably means that he has A/C, which will not run unless the A/C compressor is running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Txakura Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Gloyale he said it was an EA81. The secondary fan he is mentioning probably means that he has A/C, which will not run unless the A/C compressor is running. no no, he's right, I have an ea82, I have turned on the ac when the engine is at a normal op temp, but it never seems to turn on the secondary fan - perhaps the winter isn't the best time to look at that but I can use a multimeter to read whether it is operating or not, but I digress... I don't want to hijack the thread - if I find something concrete I'll post my own dealy, this thread just got me to wondering about it more... carry on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 My mistake, I misread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Don't mess with the thermostat - obviously it's opening if the engine stays cool on a 20 minute drive. Your problem is the fan thermo-switch. Get a new one or hard wire the fan to 12v. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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