1997 subaru outback legacy overheating

I've had the same problem all year. I've had four different mechanics look at this car - 97 legacy with 2.5. I've had the coolant seals replaced, the radiator cap, the thermostat, the water pump - all to no avail. I've realized now that it only overheats shortly after running sustained high rpm's. Recently the last mechanic mentioned the bleeder valve (I didn't know it had one and think maybe he didn't know either - not a subaru mechanic). Recently it overheated again (again sustained high rpm's - apparently more prone to produce air in the system), I sat the vehicle on an incline (raising the bleeder valve to be the highest point) and let the car warm up and run for half an hour. Now 300 miles and no overheat. I went through alot with this car to get to this point. Unbelievable.

If the cooling system pressurizes BEFORE the engine even gets hot, you have the head gasket problem.
It is a known issue with this year and 2.5L motors
I am actually pulling a motor right now to replace the haed gaskets, I own two 97 subarus with 2.5L and have had to do both head gaskets now

We had the same problem with my GF 97 Subaru... after replacing the thermostat, radiator, water pump, hoses, head gasket, etc... it was a timing belt that was over worn.

Ok over heating is not good. First check for leaks. do this with the engine running. If no leaks present then check the fans and make sure they run when the engine reaches normal running temp. the next step would be to check the thermostat which is in the housing on the waterpump on the bottom radiater hose. this may be jammed closed. if that checks out ok then then the final check i can think of will be the temperature sender which is located on the underneath the intake manifold on the left side of the engine toward the back. I would suggest getting a mechanic to check and replace this as it really is in the hardest spot to remove without taking off the intake manifold. if the temp sender is the problem then get the mechanic to replace and then put a diagnostic computer on to clear all the codes for you. my guess is the person who sold you the car has disabled something to do with the check engine light.

Hope this helps

Let me know how you got on.

Hello, I had similar problem, my '97 Legacy 2.5 , just driving along and the temp guage would jump up to hot , then maybe cool back down. I had to get it fixed. Look for some black oil residue in the coolant reservoir, actually look closely at it under the lid. This was at 140 K miles, the mechanic said, that is usually when the head gaskets go bad, and I had them replaced. It was a bad batch of head gaskets as one person explained.