I have a 1997 subaru..we put a engine that has about 60000 miles..put new timing belts,new thermostat.new water pump,new radiator,but overheats when i stop and go ..it can go with out overheating when i am in the highway..but my job calls for stop and go and that is when it occurs..oh we had it tested for head gaskets .and the mechanic said they are fine...but the computer reads cylinder 2 and 4 are skipping now the mechanic sugested to do a compresion test..i am out of my mind with this what to do please some one help me

there should be no pressure in a system when the engine is cold
the cap is designed to allow extra pressure to blow off into the over flow reservoir and as the system cols down there is a vacuum created in the cooling system which opens a valve in the radiator cap and draws coolant back from the reservoir
I suggest that yo have a radiator shop test the cap for operation and get a new cap

it sounds like the thermostat is sticking and i agree with the mechanic that that should cure the problem.If you still have plenty of fluid in the radiator that rules out a leak and if you had the timing belt replaced then the mechanic should have done the water pump along with the timing belt.So that leaves only one thing and that is the thermostat.

If you take out the thermostat and put everything back together without it, you should see the water flowing in the radiator, if not, replace it. Assuming that the belt isn't loose or anything. But after everything you've said here, I'm saying water pump.

Most likely you put the thesmostat in upsid down. Good luck

ck water pump? did u ck water pump and fan working?

Pretty common on subaru's, try elevating the front of the car whilst bleeding the cooling system.

Check your oil dipstick for coolant, or a mucky substance. Your symptoms sound like a blown head gasket.

The thermostat is behind the upper radiator hose...remove the upper radiator hose and loosen and then remove the two bolts on the outlet (where the upper radiator hose ends) The thermostat is inside that outlet...Another thing to check is if there is water in the oil...If there is water in the oil then it could have a head gasket problem..Did you ever replace the thermostat? If it is stuck then it would also cause overheating...Excessive exhaust backpressure because of a clogged catalytic converter could also cause overheating..Also check belt tension and condition. A loose belt that slips may prevent the water pump from circulating coolant fast enough and/or the fan from turning fast for proper cooling...Another thing it could be is a faulty Water pump -- Any wobble in the pump shaft or seepage would call for replacement. In some instances, a pump can cause an engine to overheat if the impeller vanes are badly eroded due to corrosion or if the impeller has come loose from the shaft. The wrong pump may also cause an engine to overheat. Some engines with serpentine drive belts require a special water pump that turns in the opposite direction of those used on the same engine with ordinary V-belts... Also check the Fan -- With mechanical fans, most overheating problems are caused by a faulty fan clutch, though a missing fan shroud can reduce the fan's cooling effectiveness by as much as 50% (depending on the fan's distance from the radiator) which may be enough to cause the engine to overheat in hot weather or when working hard.

Does it have a 2.5L? If so this particular engine is notorious for bad head gaskets. The after market ones are great but the originals are ****. In a shop this may cost you around a $1000, they fixed the problem in later years. Is there white smoke coming from tail pipe? A milky substance on engine oil dipstick? Lack of power? losing coolant and not knowing where its going (none on ground)? It is the head gasket!

If I am wrong and it is the water pump the job is a lot easier. I apologize but I am going to explain this to you like you are 3 years old , just in case you are not mechanically inclined.

Unlike old older cars the water pump is driven by the timing belt. The timing belt is located under the timing cover in the front of the car. When you removed the thermostat the thermostat came out of the water pump, literally.

1. First you need to remove all the drive belts off the alternator, power steering, etc.

2. Then you remove the crankshaft pully (this is in the pulley in the center of the engine it is surrounded by a black cover behind it). You will have to stick a screwdriver in the flywheel (there is a access hole in between transmission and engine below the throttle body (like a carburetor) ) to stop the engine from spinning while loosing the bolt on the crankshaft (it is on tight).

3. After that you have exposed the timing cover it is maybe in 2-3 pieces (depending on the engine) remove the bolts of the timing belt cover (I believe they are 10mm) The timing cover should slide right off and the timing belt underneath is revealed.

4. Looking at the timing belt configuration you will see several pulleys. The ones to the far left and to the far right are the cam shafts (do not move these it will throw off the timing and make the car run like ****) The center is the crankshaft and there are 2 idler pulleys (they tighten the belt down). Finally on the right in between the camshaft and crankshaft is the water pump (you will see the lower radiator hose going into the bottom.

5. Drain the coolant from the radiator ( should be a plug on the bottom right (while looking at engine)

6. Once it is all drained you can then remove the lower radiator hose (where the thermostat is).

7. remove the 2 bolts holding the thermostat housing (what the radiator hose connects too) on the bottom

8. The thermostat will fall out

9. Mark the place of the timing belt with marker on camshaft pulley (on both sides), belt, and on engine. (this ensures that it goes back on exactly the way it came off. Remove the water pump bolts and remove the water pump (it may stick a little, tap side lightly to break seal) while removing water pump the timing belt will loosen just leave it (when you put new water pump back in it will tighten back up (do not remove the timing belt!!)

10. Scrap the old gasket off and apply new gasket, apply new water pump. Torque the bolts to 20 ft pounds. In a zig zag pattern (this ensures that it goes on evenly and gets a proper seal) Make sure that the timing belt marks you made all line up also. (If timing belt looks old and is fraying it may need replaced email me to get details on how replace it at [email protected]

11. Put thermostat back in and thermostat housing (maybe easier from underneath. Put radiator hose back and tighten clamp.

12.. Put timing belt covers back on, crankshaft (torque this to 90ft pounds) be sure to remove the screwdriver from flywheel, and put drive belts back on.

13. Put coolant back in the radaitor (be sure the drain is closed up first)

14. Run engine for about 15 mins coolant may go down replenish as necessary (getting air out of system).


Hope this helps, please email me if you have questions. [email protected]

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.