How to diagnose a Subaru that overheats after ten minutes of driving
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
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How to diagnose a Subaru that overheats after ten minutes of driving
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Nice - in the last 5 minutes I learned more about cars than I have from all my time working on cars. Cool and thanks for the info.
You are a good "explainer", Brian. Thanks.
Just got a 06 sti and it just temporarilly gets hot from 192-207. No leaking of rad fluid. Only when it's 100+ outside. Gonna try and "burp" and fill correctly, hardwire fans and then do the mishimoto therm and wrap my header... Dang corn fed big turboed subie. Thanks for showing me this
Brian, love you videos! This is the right way to check a thermostat. However I have to tell you that the spring is not Bi-Metal, it is just a spring. The capsule in the middle is filled with a fluid that expands and contracts at a certain temperature. This is what actuates the thermostat. The spring is what closes it. Keep up the good work!
One very important thing on a Subaru is to ALWAYS use an OEM thermostat when replacing it, the aftermarket ones are a different design and can cause elevated temperatures and other issues. Also, just to add, symptoms of head gasket failure on the older DOHC engines is bubbles in the coolant reservoir from combustion gases (you can also run air into the cylinder in a leak down to check for bubbles) as these ones had internal leaks. The newer SOHC engines had external leaks.
This one helped me repair the grandson's wife Subi, head gasket malfunction. Thank you very much.
It's been a long time since you made this video so you probably already know what I'm fixing to say it's very simple to find out if you have a faulty thermostat in your Subaru 2.5 as you already know the thermostat is on the bottom of the engine .Start your car ,let it get hot, cut the car off, check your top radiator hose if it's hot check the bottom radiator hose it will be cold this shows that the water is not circulating and the thermostat is not working correctly.Also the little jiggle valve on the thermostat should be pointing at the radiator not the block. Thank you for your video
Wouldn't a dead water pump produce the same symptoms?
@odewepe 195-198 is PERFECT! At 220 F gaskets and seals start going melt face.
Classic head gasket failure symptoms. Do a compression gasses test at the coolant tank while it's bubbling. If the fluid goes from blue to yellow it's a head gasket. The combustion gasses collect around the thermostat and it stays closed. you can drill four to six holes in the thermostat plate to let the gasses through for a temporary fix to get by.
Brian, you are da bomb bro. Who knew that you could learn so much while being entertained at the same time? You are awesome. Even the simplest of devices are intriguing when you explain them. Peace brother!
Thank you Brian for posting on youtube, your advice saved me from buying an engine. Thank you,thank you, thank you!
Man, you are a trooper!
Thanks for the info. My car is overheating and I started to panic. Changed the oil (was well overdue), and found a loss of coolant. the only symptom that would match a blown head-gasket was the overheating. I figured that the Pressurized reservoir cap is a bust, or I accidentally introduced air in the coolant system the last time I saw it empty/ near empty, or there is a leaking hose somewhere I haven't seen yet. No visible leaks anywhere, and no coolant found during the oil change. I'm changing out the reservoir caps out for a new one. I'm also doing a super flush, and a proper burping, on the coolant system tomorrow morning.
Wish me luck!
How'd it go?
On my mothers Forester she kept complaining she could smell somthing. And of course when I go over and look nothing. well after months of this, I was replacing a CV boot and saw a slight tell-tale sign of coolant ontop of the exaust right uncer the seam between the head and the block. Strange thing is there was no noticable loss in coolant. I guess on her long shopping excursions, it would heat and warp just slightly and allow coolant out-air in and form bubble on the termostat eventully.
Excellent advice. I'm a 74 year old senior citizen and I understood everything that you described and I can do this. Thank you bcuz I love my 2000 Outback AWS. I always view a UA-cam before I take it to the mechanic.😉
Hey man. Not sure when you will see this but I have an 02 subaru forester, just bought it a couple weeks ago. Its constantly overheating. Ive changed the thermostat twice an checked both of them an they both worked. Yes I burped it an made sure all bubbles were done coming out. But the subaru keeps over heating. I am unsure if its a blown head gasket or a bad water pump. I do not have any leaks or white smoke coming from the tail pipe or the engine bay. The car will run fine but if i drive it just down the road (5min or so) it will start to overheat again. When I just have the car sitting and running for 30min or more it's fine, it wont over heat at all. Just a bit perpexled. I've thought maybe its the radiator but it doesn't show any signs of damage or leaking either. I also took the thermostat off completely an hooked the hose back up an the freaking car will drive fine and wont over heat at all. So i'm assuming the water pump is fine also. Not sure how else to diagnose this issue to figure out what exactly is going on with the car. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you in advance!
I have 2 Subaru Legacy's. Both have given me the same overheating problem at various times. The solution is ridiculously simple. Air gets trapped in the heater element, which sits under the dashboard and is higher than the radiator so that the air does not bleed out. There is no independent thermostat bypass in a Subaru. The hot water flowing through the heater element re-joins the main cooling system at the thermostat and acts as the thermostat bypass, heating up the thermostat so that it can open. The thermostat is at the bottom of the engine and receives cool water coming back from the radiator which causes it to close unless the bypass coming via the heater is flowing properly to keep the thermostat hot. So if you have an airlock in the heater element your car will overheat because the thermostat is not getting hot water to open it. This tends to occur more at low revs, like when driving in traffic. If you rev the engine this often pushes more coolant through the heater and opens the thermostat and suddenly the engine cools down again.
The way to prove this is to bypass the heater element. Get or make a u-bend of 16mm metal pipe and disconnect the two heater hoses at the firewall behind the engine and join them together with the u-bend and two hose clamps. The overheating problem will go away for good. But of course, now you have no heater. The best solution if you want your heater to work is to cut both the heater hoses at a suitable spot next to each other and to fit a T-piece in each hose and join them together. (See photos). Then water can bypass the heater element keeping the thermostat functioning properly and enough hot water will still flow through the heater element to warm up the car's interior. This is the best solution, because every time you have work done on the cooling system, air gets in and it is almost impossible to get it out of the heater element again. You then get erratic overheating problems when you least expect them, and the symptoms mimic a blown head gasket, with water being blown out of the radiator and the expansion tank overflowing. Alternatively one can try to clear the airlock from the heater element by disconnecting the left heater hose and back flushing the element with a garden hose, then quickly reattaching the hose while trying not to let air in. But the above solution with the two T-pieces to bypass the heater element has worked better for me and provides a permanent solution, and getting air out of the cooling system after any future repairs will not be a problem
again.
I used a straight piece of hose to join across the T-pieces in the one car, and I used a U-shaped piece of hose in the other car. The U shape allows one to get away with not getting the T-pieces perfectly aligned, but can be hard to obtain. However a spare of the U-shaped rubber bypass hose that attaches the metal bypass hose to the thermostat housing is the right shape and diameter.
see photos here: - www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t17159_ds614293
I bought my impreza with your configuration and thought that somebody in the workshop was falling asleep. I rejoined the hose as it were supposed to be and suddenly the car overheats like nobody's business. Now I understood why the coolant hose was bend and sent back to where it came from. Gosh, talk about poor design from Subaru...
I just jack the front of the car or put it oon car ramps. This way the the radiator cap will be higher than the heater exchanger thus allowing the air to escape. Good luck with the subarust.
I'm having all the symptoms that you describe, than you for sharing!
Anthony van Tonder THANK YOU!
Wow, I thought my 1999 Subaru Legacy was the only one who had that problem. No internet back then, no suggestions from mechanics either. It happened on a trip, the shop didn't have a thermostat available oh, so we just left it out. I forgot about that, drove another 60000 miles without one. Didn't have any problems at all. Heated well and cooled well. Crazy huh?
dude your a genius and help me out more then you know thanks bro
I have a 2008 Subaru Forester Turbo, blue, tan leather interior. I know, awesome. I bought it with 50,000 miles on it, have had it for 3 years, put maybe 5,000 miles on it. It's my second Forester because the first one was awesome. 8 months ago, there was smoke coming out of the engine, coolant, overhearting, needle went red almost immediately, didn't even crawl up. Put in a new aftermarket radiator. Every two months it overheats out of nowhere. Dealers are stumped. Brainsmobile, prove yourself.
This was the most helpful video, explanation, possibilities I could find! Thank you so much. I learned a ton in just that small time frame. Things no one has informed me of in a month of trying to figure out wtf is wrong with my car.😊
If your head gasket is leaking and you've patched it up to make the car run without overheating as a short term fix by drilling the thermostat, you still have a compression loss that causes a weaker engine performance as a result.
It is funny you mention that. It is a TURBO and a couple of years ago, there was a long plastic thing that covered the bottom of the car that came loose. The mechanic took it all off and since then I have had this issue. He said it had something to do with air flow.
Sounds like an 03-04 EJ25 (2.5L) These are VERY HARD TO BLEED AIR OUT OF. You have to "heat cycle" bleed them. Air collects and gets trapped at the thermostat spring. It takes a while to accumulate there, but when it does it shuts the heat off and begins to raise the temp quickly. The best thing to do is drill three holes evenly spaced like a Benz symbol in the plate just inside the O-ring and run it till the heat comes on- shut it down and let it cool. Come back and top off. Repeat.
Can you help me? Sounds like the exact problems I'm having
Not sure if you realized just how much information,good and important information you actually spit in this video..ALOT. I literally took down some notes from things you said in this video..thank you.
My 2002 subaru legacy 2.5 began overheating a year ago.Did the head gaskets.Still overheating,at least the temp gaige says so.The mechanic says it's a faulty gauge and wants me to get another instrument cluster.I say,when he pulled the motor out,he didn't get all the air out and he put a thermostat in that is deliberately stuck open.I want to put the right thermostat in the right way but don't know how,and I'm done with that mechanic.Is there a certain position for the thermostat to be placed so air won't get trapped?
Worst case scenario: cracked cylinder wall on #4. Ever seen that before? Now I have. Thought it would be a standard head gasket job and then...GAME OVER lol
Did it leak coolant when your cylinder cracked? My 06 wrx just started leaking coolant from under the engine
Test it while it's out. If it's good drill three small holes equally spaced in the main plate of the thermostat where the bleeder hole and brass bobble are.
Very helpful video! I had my whole coolant system inspected and radiator replaced and still experiencing overheating. Thermostat is hopefully the cause!
got a problem,i have a 2003 subaru outbback,replaced the head gaskets,thermostat,water pump,radiator,hoses,and it continues to over heat,the coolant builds up in resavoir tank and does not return to radiator.i am at my wits end,any suggestions (other than junk it as my friends say)
That's air trapped in the heater core due to the coolant (antifreeze) being low in the radiator (as apposed to the coolant over flow tank).
Hi Brian. Thank you very much for these most helpful videos. You're awesome! I've never bothered to work on my cars in the past but am now learning to do a few minor jobs myself. You have a great way of explaining things. Your videos rock! Cheers :)
Hey! I appreciate the video! I needed to know this! I got white smoke out of my hood. Never the back end. Now I am facing replacing an engine- even though I got it serviced before it blew. Keep posting! My suby is driving me nuts!!!
Usually that type of system is related to the ignition control module getting hot and there not being enough white heat conductive paste on it anymore so it burns up and cuts out when too much heat accumulates.
This is the best video I’ve seen, thanks for your help and information. Made perfect sense.
Hi thanks very much for this. I drilled a few holes in my thermostat flange and that really help. Car no longer overheat. Still have to check coolant daily to ensure coolant not get blown out too much from the system as the HG's still leaking.
Trapped air in the system around the thermostat. Drill a couple holes for burping. This WILL make your heater warm up slower, but not by much.
If your coolant is low, you need to find if you have a leak/ or if it's being pushed out by compression gasses. (head gasket failure). Once you top off the radiator the gurgling should desist. If it does come back you know you've got one of the for mentioned maladies.
if took my 1995 subaru legacy to a garage,for overheating (temp gage goes to H after about 5-10 min + cold air only coming out of interior heater)can you tell me what I should expect for cost for replacement of thermastat vs head gasket failure. I really enjoyed your video as I know nothing about this and was able to get a fair idea how the heating system works.
forgot to mention the interior air is quite cold-feels like a/c is on
thank you
Love the music in the intro i hope you don’t get copyrighted
My suburu is overheating after a few minutes of driving, i checked the therm and it works fine. Im not sure if it is a head gasket problem, because i figured if that were it it would have to burn off enough coolant to make it overheat, and it getting hot after just a couple miles when the radiator is full. So my question is do you think it could be a clogged up radiator?
Thermostats work via that little brass cylinder in the center , it's a "wax motor" , it contains a small brass pellet, as the temperature around it goes up, it expands, working like a hydraulic cylinder to move the valve against the spring. Cut an old one open and examine it. As far as "peak oil" goes, I've read articles from people in the petroleum industry that say over 90% of the oil is still in the earth.
I'm a VW Vanagon guy, the water cooled motors are notorious for bad head gaskets. A good tell is to hook a pressure gauge into the cooling system, with a bad gasket pressure will quickly (3 minutes) go to 15 lbs, normal is slowly (10 minutes) build to 7 lbs.. Might work for Subaru too.
@easydoz1 Keep an eye on that. If a fan dies and stops it can do that and then free up again.
No. That would make the engine not ever warm up properly. The check engine light CEL would come on and the vehicle would not be as efficient.
Saved me once again! your videos do nothing but help! Thank you!
Brian , my 98 subi e20 would be dead without your , amazing ,guidance, it has 375 klm's , still going strong ,!st model of Forrester in Australia , Thanks my friend ,
It’s funny when you said people are cooking a turkey around this time. Im watching this on 11/26/20 😂😂 happy thanks giving!!
I have this problem!
I went ahead and replaced the T stat and it still boils into the overflow tank after 10 mins. Both top and lower hoses are hot and the bottom one seems to bulge a little.
Trapped gases? Poor rad?
2005 outback.
Great videos thanks!!
Depends on how long you let it cool down. You can drive up to 5minutes when the engine is cold in most cars with no coolant at all and be OK.
Thanks Brian, once again you help us to remember the lil'things that sometimes in the complexidy of a job, we can forget or overlook these things. As far as the other topic. In my opinion(
dude your awsom ty for all you're help we love the way you explain everiting
I've been told that the combustion gas problem can be temporarily dealt with by drilling three small holes similar to the vent you showed because if that vent isn't sufficient or twisted to the wrong clock position gasses will still collect
Sweeeeet freestyle to the WKRP vocal melody!
Could be the knock sensor if it's a pigtail connector and it's on the drivers side.
Many good tips here. I'm new to the Subaru "boxer" engine. Thanks for the post.
Air pockets in the engine going across the sensor can cause that. The sensor tells the temp of the coolant/engine where the sensor is. No more, no less.
Having overheating of 08 legacy white smoke when first starts up it really Sims like thermostat I'll give it a shot
Nice review, Brian. It's worth emphasizing to your audience that every time an engine overheats, it runs a risk of causing expensive damage to the head and seals. Once steam forms within the water jacket, engine temp will skyrocket, pressures rise, and cooling capacity goes to ground. So, I wouldn't let a problem like this go for long without a diagnosis, or you could be facing secondary warping of the head, even if the initial cause was an easy fix.
Cooling a boxer engine isn't easy. Oil cooling could be improved with some air fins on the oil cooler and some directed forced air.
I have a 2005 legacy non turbo and I love it.
Lots of great tips. I have one for you, check out "Uview Airlift" and you will never have a hard time getting all the air out,sure beats trying to use the bleeder valve. As for peak oil,
syncrude up in Alberta has more oil reserves untouched than all the middle east. Great Vids Brian,well done!!
You're welcome Jane! Take care cutie!
I once had to temp cycle bleed one EIGHT TIMES before it would work properly. I cussed. Alot. That's 10min drive + 45min cool down times EIGHT. That's over seven hours! It's really stressful- especially when you've already covered your bases. There's an outside chance (8%) you have a cracked head and compression gasses are coming in, but you can test for that using a compression gasses test kit like in my videos.
This is very rare but I proved to myself that a free floating water pump impeller was causing the over-heating problem. Take out the thermostat, from under the car look at the impeller with a flashlight, try to spin the impeller with some type of prying tool. I was spinning the crankshaft while feeling the impeller movement. At first it seemed to be turning properly; but after a few tries it became obvious the impeller was free floating. That's tricky. After the pump is re[placed, I hope my engine will stay cool and the cabin heater will warm me.
Just wanted to thank you for your video, & helping me out !
Dude, you're the best. This video helped me out immensely.
@briansmobile1 You are freaking me out by your fast and nice responces..We have done everything that we can do. new raditor, new cap, new hoses so we know they are not closing up, checked on thermistat 3 times, checked the fan belts, the gear also and we made it spin faster, we had the entire top of the engine to make sure their was nothing stopped up. nowhere to go from here
I truly enjoyed learning about thermostats thank you. well done!
@ncrdisabled It was outlawed NOT because of health, but because it made the DuPont and Rockefeller families super rich to outlaw it.Nylon, gasoline, polyester, and many other products would be worthless/too expensive by comparison and far too dirty to the environment to even consider if cannabis were legal the way it used to be. Trouble is if the leaf becomes legal the stalk will become plentiful. Can't make the stalk illegal because that's stupid-so they went after the leaves.
@briansmobile1 Its basically an overhead cam version of the VW boxer engine
On blown head gaskets/cracked head/cracked block - You forgot the 'mayonnaise' on the oil fill cap, and bubbles on your dipstick, along with an oil level that constantly goes up to the point it overflows out the dipstick tube
@beefystik Thanks. I'm glad to make videos as long as I know people like you like them.
@odewepe Is the water pump impeller rusted away? If not it's time for a compression gasses check at the radiator filler neck.
Dude you are a genius. Very helpful.
Good stuff. Appreciate your videos, there definitely unique and I mean that in a good way.
Appreciate the video and info sir 👍👌🏿
Tell the truth...You were GONGED on the Gong Show back in the 70's, right?
2011 Outback only overheats when the A/C is not in use, radiator, thermostat, and water pump have been replaced. Water pump was replaced for regular maintenance, the overheating issue started after the water pump was replaced 2 months ago. The thermostat and radiator was replaced to try and fix the issue. Suggestions ?
I let it cool down for like 20-30 mintues at a time and even tried using the heater to help it disipate heat. but once I got home, I stopped driving it and have a new radiator on order. I was just hoping I didn't kill the head gasket...it's my first and only car that I also plan on tuning into a racing car...
My gfs 03 legacy is over heating after about 10 mins or 30 mins of driving. Only one fan is kicking on. The driver side fan does not kick on.
Both lines are hot.
Hey man, your videos are immense. Thanks heaps.
Brian, How about leaving the factory thermostat out, and using an aftermarket inline hose thermostat, installed in the upper hose. Wouldn't that allow a good burp, eliminating the problem? Thanks for great videos. Example: JEGS 53260K1 In-Line Thermostat Housing Kit
Another sign of a blown head gasket is that if the white smoke coming out of the tail pipe smells like a fog machine.
You might mention that buying a aftermarket thermostat is not a good idea Subaru thermostat only also when it comes to the jiggle valve in my opinion it does need to be facing towards the front both of these things caused me a problem in overheating on my 97 legacy with a 2.2
@ncrdisabled What if we just make ethanol from weed again? It grows like a weed.
Okay, check the thermostat (pretty positive I have a head gasket leak,) first, thanks!
@briansmobile1 Its a new water heater, timing chain, motor oil after driving her for 2,000 miles look clean as it could be. new preasure cap on radiator too. Radiator is also new and does not leak. I am so lost..lol
I changed out my thermostat and it seems like there in no fluid going into the line. My heat is not there and the outlet on top is hot. Do i have a clog somewhere? I did find cloth like material when i removed cap. Last owner used radiator stop leak I think?
i think is too late but happy thanks giving bro. thanks for the video
I have a 97 legacy L wagon, and a few weeks ago I followed your channel because the car was overheating I replaced the thermostat. It's been running good since. Until today it overheated again so I popped the hood and there was no radiator cap, so I found and put it back on, but it kept overheating. I filled with water, and replaced the cap. It's not overheating, but the needle is just above the center mark on the meter.
I am not a mechanic, and glad to have found you.
What do you suggest is next for me to do with my car?
@odewepe "water heater?" Any who. If the water Pump is good it may be a head gasket. Are both hoses hot?
Thank you so much for your help!!! Great video!!!!!
Thanks man! I learned lots from tis video!
I've got a 2000 legacy outback,
I've changed the thermostat, put new spark plugs, changed oil and filter, and top off engine coolant, and it's still over heating, It doesn't show any signs that the head gasket is bad but when I was putting coolant in it, the radiator kinda geysered. Heaters and defroster don't work so I think I need a new heater core but I don't think that has anything to do with the overheating. My engine fans work as well fyi. Anyone have any thoughts? Have not tried the burping thing yet, but will soon.
Thanks man, everything you said makes perfect sense... =( Unfortunately for me. I do indeed have a leaking head gasket on my 2002 Impreza 2.5 RS, and EVERY fall or winter I have these issues with overheating when I try to use my heat. Within a week of using heat I start getting issues with overheating. But it was fine all spring and summer bc I didn't use the heat... usually I replace the T-stat and its fine for awhile. But this time I barely lasted a month after my last T-stat replace... Don't know what to do i cant afford the $2000 they want for a gasket replacement... Oh well, keep posting wisdom my friend!
We just bought a 1999 Subaru and it over heated on my husband. The upper hose was collapsed and I could hear some gurgling noises then all the sudden the coolant went down in the over flow and the coolant went down in the over flow.
Hi! That is exactly what my 99 Subaru Legacy Outback is doing. Curious to know what your outcome was??? I have bled air from system multiple times and replaced thermostat- and drilled several little extra holes in thermostat to allow better flow through it all of the time. Hot hose on top and cold hose bottom.
@odewepe How is the radiator on it? Is it full of cat hair, corrosion, stop leak?
The singing though 🤘🤘
Really appreciate this video and explaining done. My Tribeca keeps over heating we changed the radiator, fan and thermostat. But it keeps doing it. Last time we ran it without the Thermostat and it wasnt over heating. Is that a sign that its probably the head gaskets?
Hey Brian..my husband Barry commented about the Suburu thermostat and it saved us! I now would like to ask about the engine wants to stall when you have the air conditioning on and you come to a stop and, sometimes even when the air is not on the engine wants to miss at 40 to 50 miles per hour. Help, Sherri Hinkle
You are my new favorite youtube guy!
Thank you, very comprehensive videos. I do have a Subaru, it have been good 2 me but lately I start 2 loose cooling, no white smoke, no green or humidity on oil cap, no oil deposit in the cooling idle thank, engine temperature indictor never show sign of overheat, engine sound good as usual. But My daughter borrowed it last wk and now sit on my driveway 4 overheat, I did change Thermostat but NO fix?????
Dis you find out what was the problem ?
The good old piston #4 problem.. its the way subaru designed the flow of the coolant thru the water jackets.. kinda like the human centerpeed..