I have a 2001 subaru legacy with 80,000 miles. I started having overheating problems about a month ago. We have done everything. This is what we have replaced: thermostat temp sensor water pump headgaskets timing belt radiator cap and we just did the radiator last night. And yet, hop in the car and it is still overheating......... What else can we do?
Well it sounds like you have covered most of the bases.
One thing that could cause overheating is a restriction in the exhaust.
Do you know if the radiator fan is coming on when the engine reaches 220 degrees ?
How long can you drive it before it starts overheating, and does it boil over when it does ?
SOURCE: overheating
The 97-99 2.5L DOHC Subaru engines were notorious for this problem, blown head gasket is very likely the cause. It is possible to test for the presence of exhaust gas in the coolant to verify. The reason the car seems to be overheating then cools down quickly when shut off is that the hot exhaust gas displaces the coolant at the top of the engine where the sensor is. If it happens consistently you will need to deal with it, I have worked on an engine that was run many miles under this condition and it damaged the block beyond repair. If you are a decent shade-tree mechanic, it is possible to do the work with the engine still in the car, you will have to raise it up an inch or two to get sufficient access. I have personally done 3 engines with this problem, a 98 and 2 99's.
SOURCE: 1990 Subaru Liberty Overheats
Hi,
I had the same problem with my 1993 Liberty LX. Remove the thermostat (located inside bottom radiator hose engine connection - take the connection off and thermostat is inside). Reassemble (minus thermostat), reconnect bottom hose. Slowly (very, very slowly) refill the radiator and remove the bleed plug ( located beside the top hose connection to the radiator - a black square plug with a phillips head cross in the middle). When the radiator is full and clear water (no air bubbles) is coming out of the bleed point, replace the bleed plug and then the radiator cap.
Run the engine for five minutes (approx) or until normal engine temperature is reached. Allow the engine to cool down and recheck the water level - fill if necessary ensuring that the bleed plug is open and clear water is coming out of that point. Replace Bleed plug and then radiator cap. Run engine for five minutes (approx) and then test dive. If the engine overheats keep filling the radiator until there are no air bubbles coming from out of the bleed point.
This fixed my overheating problem. Good luck and safe motoring.
SOURCE: Overheating 93 Subaru Legacy
water pump could be bad again. if the seal is out lets air in around pump propeller and it won't move water and it over heats. its a lot of work but you can fix it your self
SOURCE: 1996 Subaru Legacy overheating in strange way
Was the water pump brand new or rebuilt? I have seen rebuilts fail on the first test drive.
Before pulling the head, I would take it to a shop and request a CO2 test to check for combustion gasses in the cooling system. Shouldn't cost more than $30 and is a pretty definative test.
SOURCE: OVERHEATING!!!!
Since you changed your waterpump, you need to do an air bleed...
This is INSANELY important!
The airbleed is mounted on the top of the radiator on the passenger side.
Its made of plastic, has a seal, and looks like a 1/2 inch (12mm) philips screw head.
To do this, make sure the engine is cold and not running.
Use a large FLAT HEAD screw driver and turn it counter clockwise.
It might be very tight, so be prepared for a bit of torque to turn it!
Unscrew it, and look in the hole.
Coolant should be at the top of the bottom of the screw hole.
It should be low, so add coolant to the open hole.
While doing this, be sure the radiator cap is off so you can balance the fluid level properly.
Why do you need to bleed the system?
The engine has a slight tilt upwards toward the radiator, and both your waterpump, and block will have a tendancy to leave air near the top of the block and heads.
This is a common mistake on several makes after a coolant change.
Make sure all fluids are topped off, fill the overflow tank to its max level indicated on the tank itself and your done.
Provided you havent been driving long on the car in this condition, it shouldnt blow a headgasket.
A good way to know if the headgasket is bad is the radiator cap will have a brownish "slime" indicating combustion gasses are getting into the cooling system.
IF this is the case, your engine is pumping combustion gasses into your system and no amount of air bleeding with help.
Another tell tale sign of coolant being pressurized, is a overflowing "overflow" tank, and a sudden blast from Normal operating temprature to HOT, and then suddenly.. it goes back to Normal again.
There is usually a "gurgling" sound under your dash..
Lets assume you just need to do an air bleed, and things will go back to normal.
Also, if your airbleed screw has alittle coolant leaking around it, replace it with a new one as the seal and plastic have worn due to age.
Good luck!
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