DanielsHardLoyale

If it was an ea82 I would 100% throw another engine in or attempt the head gasket but this big ol ez30 seems to be a little out of my scope with my current situation. I have $1000 to my name right now LOL not really possible, unfortunately.

Definite head gasket. Exhaust gasses in cooling system and it's gotten bad enough to show some gnarly bubbles at idle. I really didn't see notice this when I bled the system the last few times. Not sure how long it's been an issue. I am planning to part ways with this beautiful car. Big respect to the 2003 LLBean. What an amazing daily. Was very much looking forward to the drive across the country in this comfy beast. I learned a lot from the car and definitely will take more preventive measures on all the future vehicles I own.

After bleeding the system I went for a small 5 mile test drive and the temperature was constant at the 9 o clock position. The reservoir was more filled than where I left it at the full position and also both coolant hoses felt very hard swollen right after the drive so I assume I have some pressure issues. Head gasket? Yikes...... Guess I won't be driving to Pennsylvania after all 😞

So the test drive (500 miles with a 96° outside temp and AC on the whole way) was a complete success. Car ran beautifully the whole drive. Some coolant was slightly spilling out weep holes at the top of the reservoir halfway through the drive. I could smell coolant so I pulled over and ended up siphoning some out of reservoir. I just assumed I filled the reservoir up too high... Car temperature was perfect the whole drive. Fast forward a few days of mild city driving (probably 150 more miles over a few days) and the temps were creeping up again. I noticed the reservoir level stayed too high and didn't really fluctuate much at all. Today when I opened the new OEM rad cap (cold car sitting for a few days) there was a big release of pressure and also checked and there was a definite lack of coolant in the radiator. So I added some more coolant and bled the system again. It bled beautifully and fans/thermostat are operating as intended. I didn't have a hose clamp on the hose that fills the reservoir, so I added one just in case that was messing with my pressure. I cut the reservoir hose a little bit shorter and added a 45° angle to it. I noticed a slight brown dirt like substance under the new rad cap and at the bottom of the (recently cleaned) reservoir. Could be head gasket material, the Subaru conditioner additive (that looked very brown/chalky and I wish I shook up better....), Or oil/coolant mixing but it seems like coolant only and it didn't look like all the pictures I seen online. Oil dipstick and oil cap both looked normal inside. I'm gonna see if there is a decent reviewed shop nearby that can pressure test for me. Unsure what else to do. Also wondering if the aftermarket rad and OEM rad cap aren't cooperating...

I ended up throwing a duralast radiator in after an AutoZone comment said "works great with my 2003 LLBEAN" Replaced the old thermostat (NOT OEM) with an OEM thermostat. Also...a bolt was finger loose (YIKES) on the thermostat housing so I'm thinking that was where air was getting into my system and messing with the thermostat. I hadn't touched those yet in my 30k miles with the car. I feel very lucky. I bled the system of air and added coolant with a funnel kit and the new thermostat opened just fine. I used my OBD to monitor the ECT temp and it bounced between 190°F and 199°F as it opened and closed. Burped some air bubbles and I hope it's all good :--) I will be ordering a new temperature sensor even though it seems to be working fine while bleeding the system... At 220k miles, why not. Fans are also kicking on and off as intended. I will definitely be cutting that o'flow tube at 45*, that is very smart. O'flow was also pretty filthy at the bottom so cleaning that was good too. I definitely don't have that...I will make a trip to pick and pull to try and grab one! Also no other signs of engine overheating that I could tell...just that temperature dial moving a bit (I think it was happening on hotter days...but the AC on also seemed to stress the system. With my potentially bad/dirty radiator, dirty overflow, loose thermostat housing bolt and non OEM thermostat...kinda makes sense it was running hot... Thanks ALL for the help :--) will keep updated on the new rad + oem thermostat

Imgur link just in case https://imgur.com/gallery/ZqlMkQV

Hello all! I am the proud 2nd owner of a 2003 Outback LLBean (ez30d) which just hit 221k miles. I have had little to no issues driving the last 30k miles. This car is quite the machine! I am very impressed with it in every aspect; what a great daily driver. Also the previous owners loved the car and had lots of good maintenance logs. Unfortunately I have had mild overheating issues and have been trying to pin it down. It has been high of 80°F lately in my area. Car temperature has risen past the 9 o'clock position 2-3 times but never hit the red. I obviously get very paranoid when I see that temperature dial move... I'm going to be driving the old girl from Nevada to Pennsylvania soon and wanna be ready. Im praying it's not a head gasket but honestly don't think it is! I just replaced the thermostat and some rad hoses and started to fill with new Subaru coolant but happened to notice a small hole in the radiator fill neck area. It seems to be feeding into the radiator itself? I haven't really noticed any loss in coolant...and also did a coolant flush 5k miles ago. Any thoughts on how this hole would affect the system?? I imagine a new radiator is in my future... Thanks all!

Just bought one with 199,900 miles :-) this engine is sweet!!

Just checked Facebook marketplace and there is a SWEET red brat that runs and drives (supposedly) and has the camper shell! 2k obo. Just thought I'd pass this info on! https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/287369206476593/

Hello all, I have a question about the jack points on my loyale. The frame is currently folding over on itself wherever I jack the car up. Should I continue to jack it in the spots I've already used? Or should I bend a new spot of the frame? Any reinforcement ideas? Here is a link with 3 pictures... Warped frame/ Jack points https://imgur.com/a/JFc3pbh Thanks!

@amarine1 Wow beautiful car!!! I really do enjoy my 1992 loyale but would have fun with an older beast like this. And you've owned so many of these beautiful cars. How are the automatics you've had? They seem they would be miserable at times.

WELP. I love when its a really dumb solution that I can only smack my own self for.... I accidentally swapped the return and feed fuel hoses underneath the fuel filter.... Was a great feeling and a slap once i figured that out. Ford fuel pump is very loud and my car has been driving so-so since its been up today. My battery is draining due to the new pump and probably just a failing battery (after being subjected to 30+ tries to start the car to no avail). Tonight ended with the GF and I stranded in the grocery store parking lot. Tried to jump the battery with my mobile jumper pack and also tried jumping from a car but the battery does not want to even keep a charge. Hopefully new battery tomorrow changes everything. Thank you to everyone who helped me figure out my issues. VERY quick and insightful responses. Now i know to take it slow and take pictures before I tear everything up.

Opened up the distributor (moves when car tries to start) and found a black plastic piece that is split in two... Would this be an issue? Im unsure how disty works... Here is an image of the cracks https://imgur.com/a/nYqgMl0

Is the fuel filter supposed to connect to the left or right metal hose below itself? I have my fuel filter wired up like this: Fuel feed and return hose image: https://imgur.com/a/ByrtTL9

Here is an image of the ford f150 pump all wired up. Seems correct to me. https://imgur.com/a/MdbVw6N