dimka3186

its time to work on the subie my current situation 1) car drives in low speeds up to 60km or 2.5k rpm fine and can idle for 1 hour without any overheating 2) if i rev the engine above 3k RPM there is bubbling in the radiator fluid. If its idling then there are tiny micro bubbles can barely be seen 3) water used to evaporate from radiator but when keeping an eye on the RPM and keeping it below 3k it stays there the car is a 1990/1991 and has a 2.2 engine with 16 Valves. Questions 1 i do not see any smoke in back or leaking on the engine. no white goo on the dipstick or oil cap. How do i DIY diagnose it as a head gasket forsure? even though i do see a bit of an oily glow on the surface of the rad water 2. is there a way to check the water pump for failing? it used to leak from the bottom sip hole but after using bar soap it doesnt do it anymore. and there is no squeeking noise from the pully. 3.is it worth trying some liquid sealant that can seal small head gasket cracks??? any recommendation for liquid seals? thanks for all the help and support

Thanks for all the replies and support I just limped the car closer home and will start working on it in the next few days or so. Had a 70km stretch that I drove at low speeds (below 70km/hr ) and there was no issues at all. I did refill the rad with water before and kept feeling the heater in the car. As I know once heater is not blowing hot usually the temp rise into overheating. The engine is not feeling super smooth like it used to. This is a 1990 legacy with a 2.2 engine. A few days earlier At one portion of my drive I did red line it for a few minutes. Is there a way to know if I should look for another engine or just look into swapping HG. Will be looking for a friend with a hoist plus download some vids of people doing the swap.timing belt would be done as well at same time. Thanks for all the great info and support Cheers

Thanks for the replies Ended up renting a U-Haul to bring the car back. It probably a head gasket now. I'm sure it started as a leaking waterpump and then after using bars soap it must have escalated. I haven't noticed water on the dipstick yet. And there is no white smoke coming from the exhaust. The fluid is trying to push out of the rad cap and it did pop the overflow cap off from the pressure. When I open the rad cap and just idle the engine it doesn't bubble in the rad just flows out. I'll have to find someone to help me out with the car. Never done any engine work before so if anyone know of good guys around the Vancouver area it would be great. Also is there any other tests you guys do to confirm a fault head? The car currently starts and drives a bit. Untill it hits steep hills and the t-gauge just shoots up. Will have to determine if it's worth fixing. By far its the most fun car an adventures person can have

I'm on way back to Canada but the car cannot be driven anymore. Anyone knows friendly folks who can help out with restoring the car to a working order so I can get home?? Car overheated on I5 . It's parked in Medford and would really appreciate some help. I'm thinking that the water pump is the issue. So I'm considering to get a kit and replace it. Any advice on how to know for sure it's the waterpump ?? Also is there a check for bad headgasket? I'm concerned that a headgasket has gone bad and not sure if it's worth fixing. Even though the engine has less then 120k miles Any help would be much appreciated Cheers

Hey guys thanks for the Quick reply!!! i really appretiate it for now i have been on the watch out before every drive and make sure there is enough liquid to fill it off the big concern is if its a pretty loong drive and i cannot just stop in the middle and fill her up... i guess the engine could overheat. the goal for now is to find decent quality replacement parts and DIY type of deal iv looked up on ebay and there are so many options for timing belt kits and water pumps how can one know what is a good quality one vs a cheapo?? would a cheapo not work as well??

my 90 Legacy has a constant leak of coolant (a drop every second or so) The T stat does not show any like it overheating and it seems as the leak stop at some point i keep refiling the radiator every day or two with just a few ounces of coolant for a temporary solution i bought a liquid in Walmart to drop in the rad (it smells like eggs) it seems like its coming from the Gasket . where the Timing Belt plastic cover is and drip right where the bottom bolt holds it the car has 211k not sure how to approach this issues I hope one of you subie pros can point me to the right direction id like to know if i should be looking at replacing the Timing belt/water Pump and the whole deal or would it work with just buying a Gasket? Is there a simple way to stop the leak or do i have to take it apart?? thanks appreciate any help