tlott01

Thanks for all the feedback - I'm assuming it's head gasket(s). I'm now halfway through the K&W Nanotech block sealer treatment - drained a cool engine, pulled the thermostat, flushed w/clean water, replaced the thermostat housing w/the rubber seal in it, refilled w/clean water and ran for 5 minutes with the radiator cap off to get the rest of the antifreeze out. Drained again and refilled with the nanotech solution mixed with three quarts of hot tap water, started the engine, topped off with regular water, replaced the cap and let it idle for 30 minutes. Shut it down and let it cool for 1 1/2 hours, then drained the system again to cure overnight. I'll leave it alone until I get home from work tomorrow - they say 12 hours to cure, so I assume 20 can't hurt. This is the first time I've used this particular formula, so I'm curious to see if it works. I checked the overflow tank a couple of times while it was idling and no bubbles at all - of course they tell you specifically not to rev or drive it while the solution is in. Again, thanks for all the feedback and I'll let you know if this process works. Tracy

Hello All, My wife recently bought a 1997 Legacy Outback with 106K one owner miles - new car trade-in at a Subaru dealer. We've got a cooling issue and I'm not sure what the exact problem is - we also have a 1990 Legacy that we handed down to her daughter when she bought the Outback. It had classic head gasket symptoms solved when I replaced the gaskets and bolts with new 4 years ago. The Outback never overheats at idle, temperature gauge stays just below the middle of the range when driving (high or low speed). After highway driving the temp starts to climb, then returns to normal. When checking the coolant while running or just after shutdown, there is more coolant in the overflow and a little bubbly - not constant, just occasional. Here's the weird part - after it has cooled off, there is vacuum in the system. The extra coolant is gone from the tank and the upper radiator hose is collapsed. Breaking the vacuum with the radiator cap allows it to expand back to normal. Replaced the radiator cap and just pulled the thermostat and checked it in boiling water - opens quickly and closes when removed from the water. The heater works fine, and running it will cool it down quicker after a high speed run. Fans seem to operate just fine too. Is this head gaskets, or do I have something else going on? Thanks in advance for any advice or insight you can offer. Tracy in Colorado