Setright

The sensor could be behind the plastic, plenty of light passes through plastic, so it doesn't have to have a "window" to see through. Alcohol should be okay, it'll remove grease but won't dissolve the plastic.

Remove the glovebox and remove the motor. Check to see if something is blocking it, or the fan itself. 220Kkm is still fresh for a Legacy :-)

NorthWet, maybe it's a EJ engine anomaly. The coolant path was redesigned to provide a more even cooling of the block and heads, and perhaps this is the cause. Anyway, the important thing is to fill the engine block first, through the upper hose. The low mounted thermostat is a Subaru quirk, and filling through the radiator means that the coolant has to flow past the closed thermostat via the tiny air hole. Inevitably, the rad fills first and starts "spilling" coolant into the block through the top hose. I think that this coolant meets the other coolant still on it's way up from the thermostat and traps air inside the block. Yes it will come out eventually, but it takes a week of burping/bleeding.

Up and down sounds like an indecisive thermostat. The sub will only come on along with AirCon, as mentioned above. Why it doesn't kick-in to help out in these situations is beyond comprehension. Get a new thermostat and thermostat gasket - genuine parts please - replace them are see how it goes. Do you intend to DIY?

Pugelly, cold is mainly a concern on starting. If you do a lot of short journeys, like only a few miles, and leave the car for more than hour between drives, you are cold starting often and a colder climate will cause more condensation in your engine. If you run long journeys, outside temp is not a big issue.

Truth be told, I did have the heater control open when I did this, but I put the fan speed on the lowest setting, 'cause otherwise it's a long time before the engine heats up. I am just not convinced that it makes any difference. On a hot day, I think the engine would like to circulating hot coolant into the cabin matrix, but maybe not the passengers..

No. If you restrict yourself to a panel filter in the stock air filter box and only work on getting cold air up to that, you will not have any problems. If you post or send me photo of your engine bay, I could give you more specific advice.

Yes, yes, this is not news to me, I understand the principle. However, I am not convinced that subes are hooked up this way. When me EJ22 started a head gasket leak, the cabin heater matrix would gurgle in the morning, regardless of the postion of the heater control, meaning that the coolant is free to circulate all the time.

One thing is certain, 3k intervals is a waste of oil, filters, time, and money. If you must, just replace the oil filter at 3k and top off the oil.

99OBW, I hear you on the weak mixture. That's why I decided to see if jacking up the rear would remove more of the old coolant. In fact, it's probably best to pour in the three litres of concentrated glycol first and then start on the demin water, that way you are guaranteed a 50/50 mix. I just thought it would be easier to concentrate on the actuall filling part, as opposed to starting a religious debate on coolant mixes :-)

Cookie, I know that most manuals say you must have the cabin heat on, but why? The coolant circulates through the cabin heat exchanger anyway. The cabin heat is controlled by a plastic flap "mix door".

Agreed. Transmission mount, or maybe an engine mount. Lift the car up, and examine the mounts. With age they get softer and allow more movement.

Well, yes, but I don't know where :-(

Hiya everyone, maybe this write-up should be moved to the Ultimate Subaru Repair Manual, but I thought I'd hit a bigger audience here. Having replaced coolant on my boxers many times, I have been searching for the right way to get all the old fluid out and getting as much new fluid in, without having to burp the system for a week after I'm done. I think I have finally cracked it! Draining Drain the radiator as far as possible with the little "faucett", and then detach the lower hose from the radiator. (If you are like me, replace any coolant hoses that you remove, and use stainless steel clamps on the new ones) Even more fluid will drain from the radiator, and some will drain from the engine block. Detach the upper hose from the radiator, and run clean water through the rad until it comes out of the bottom clear in color. Now, I do not contest that the best way to flush the engine block is by unscrewing the two drain plugs, but these are often seized and could turn into a source of trouble if you strip the threads or if they won't seal tight when you screw them back in. SO, I jack up the rear of the car until the engine block is tilting slight forward, ie. wheels about 6 inches off the ground, unscrew the thermostat housing, and let the old fluid run out through the thermostat opening. (Needless to say, I replace the thermostat gasket) Run clean water in through the upper hose until clear water comes out of the thermostat opening. Leave the car in this position until it stops dripping water. Remove the expansion tank and flush it, there will be plenty of "snot" in the bottom of it! Rinse the hose too. Install the tank again and fill to the FULL mark. Filling Close up the bottom end of the cooling system, ie. thermostat and lower hose. If possible, perform the next phase on a slight incline, car pointing upward. Get a funnel with about 10 inches of half-inch diameter hose on the end of it and slide this down the upper hose in toward the engine block. I do this because bending the upper rad hose causes it to collapse and that makes pouring coolant into it impossible. Pour your preferred coolant directly into the engine block. Pouring slowly, and pausing along the way will help keep air from being trapped inside the block. It should swallow at about two litres before it starts to rise and threaten to come out of the hose. At that point, attach the upper hose to the rad and continue to fill slowly through the rad cap hole. Once it seems full, start the engine, let it run for twenty seconds and shut it off again. This will dislodge the few air pockets that are unavoidable and the fluid level in the radiator should drop a little after the burp, top it off. Start the engine again, and let it run until the fluid rises and threatens to come out of the rad cap hole - and bleeder hole if you have one - and install the rad cap. Take the car for a shortish run, just a few miles to get it fully warmed up, and park it on level ground. Check hoses for leaks of course, and let it cool. This will take a number of hours, overnight is good. In the morning, note the level in the expansion tank, it will probably be a little lower than FULL. Fill to the FULL mark, and you're all set. Obviously, you should check the level in the expansion tank for a few days afterward, but there shouldn't be any problems. Resist the temptation to open the rad cap, this will only interfere.

Unless the window is full up, it will rattle.

This sounds like the way my EJ22 behaved when the head gasket was leaking. Bleed on a slight incline with the front of the car highest. Idle until fluid rises in the radiator. Then switch off the engine and usually there a little air will be burped out. Wait 15 min, idle again, fluid rises, screw in the bleeder screw and rad cap. You can go far with a leaky head gasket if you keep an eye on the coolant level, but a repair is of course best.

1.1 millimeters - how does that come out in inches?

Wires rarely break spontaneously. Sometimes bad routing makes them rub on stuff and that causes shorts or breakages. I would suggest removing each wheel individually and examing the "Pulse rings" that associated with each hub, and the corresponding sensor. Pulse ring looks like a big castle nut, about 4-5 inches in diameter. These can crack and cause a wierd signal which causes the ABS computer to shut down and leave braking to your right foot. If the ring is intact, then maybe the sensor is blocked by rust, mud, metal bits, whatever. There should be a small gap between ring and sensor. Examine the sensor wire and follow it as far as possible to see if it's broken. Pulse ring and sensor are easily visible in this photo of a motorbike: http://faq.f650.com/GSFAQs/Photos/BrakePhotos/Iceman_caliper_and_abs_sensor.jpg

Nice one, obw99 !

Both my Subarus have done this. My old EJ22 and my present EJ201. I think it's normal, and have never investigated this phenomenon on other cars, which probably do this aswell. My logic is this: Once the fluid has expanded and slipped past the radiator cap, it is only under atmospheric pressure, and therefore begins to boil and sends vapour bubbles into the overflow tank. It only needs to be around 90 degrees celcius to give off steam, and it's easily that hot when it leaves the radiator.

What drivvle is this? Because your engine is full of old mineral oil gunk, you should continue to strangle it?? The seals are probably cracked, but not leaking because they are full of sludge. Synthetic will NOT CAUSE leaks, but the cleaning action will expose leaks. I say, make the switch, and be ready to replace rocker cover and camshaft seals. Replace the PCV valve too, and check all the PCV hoses for blockage. After say 1000miles, replace the oil filter again, and top off the oil. The filter will likely be full of the deposits that the synth has cleaned out. Synth will handle 6k mile intervals easily, so don't change it more often than that.

Glad you and the Legacy are ok. Fingers crossed on the Ivan situation. (Frances is "hitting" us tomorrow here in Denmark, but of course it's only a weak shadow of itself and will bring little but rain and a few gusts of wind.)

Of course! Fill block, fill rad, start engine, cap the rad when the fluid rises! Preferably nose up on a slight incline.

Heating before removing anything has helped me in that past.

Blitz, remove the upper hose were it attaches to the radiatior, flex upwards and pour it straight down into the engine. Once fluid threatens to flow out of the hose, attach it again. Then fill through the rad cap opening. (Yes, I know this is the reverse order of the original post, but it works for me)