RedRat

Oh, and no the tanks aren't plastic.

You're right. I neglected to burp the system . Poor sube was like a seagull full of alka seltzer. The blow out point was at a plug for a sensor unit. After clearing the remains of the plug from the threaded insert, I picked up an old defunct sensor from god knows what at the rad shop and in it went. Filled and BURPED, good to go.

The t-stat gasket had a slow leak. Been that way for a while and finally decided to fix it. As far as a drain plug, this thing is located halfway down the radiator, which would be a funny place to put a second drain plug. There is a drain plug, and its not leaking.

My EA81 just suffered a massive coolant blow out while idling (fully heated up) in the driveway. The Sundrame brand 2 core radiator that's installed blew its wad, steaming like Old Faithful thru the remains of a plastic bit (?) that is threaded (I think) into the inlet tank on the passenger side. I don't know what this plastic plug is, and didn't even notice it 3 years ago when I got the radiator from 1800RADIATOR. It is located on the passenger side, on outside of the inlet tank between the fan switch and the top (inlet) hose. My stock rad doesn't have any thing like that. A port for an oil or tranny cooler? This is a little bizarre to me. I had put in a new thermostat gasket earlier in the day. That is fine, no leaks there. Funny tho after 3 years a radiator blow out after some coolant work. Coincidence? Anybody got any ideas? Cheers. Its dark now but tomorrow I can pull it and get a better look and let you know what I come up with.

New speedo cable for 91 Legacy. 300k, possibly the original cable (possibly not too) Rewired hella lights on the 84 GL.

You guys were absolutely correct. The ignition switch was suffering from corrosion. After a proper cleaning the wipers (front and back) the heater blower and the cigarette outlet all work! Now bring on the dark snowy days!

Here's an update, better late than never: A burned connection was the original source of fan failure. During the trouble shooting process I blew the fan fuse and didn't recognize it until after I replaced the temp sensor and was scratching my head at the relay (it tested good so I was stumped). Check those fuses often! A fortunate side note is that the cooling fan relay is in the same area as the blower relay (for the heater/defrost etc) and my heater had just stopped working. So I was right there to replace that relay and get my heater blower running again. One thing I noticed, and maybe this is normal but ANYTIME the A/C or DEFROST is on my main fan turns on. So at least I have a manual way to switch the fan on in traffic or anytime I feel like it. I don't know if my A/C is charged with freon but I know it doesn't blow cold air. The A/C fan (smaller of the two, passenger side) does engage when the engine is really hot and the A/C or DEFROST is on. So thats cool. With fresh coolant and fresh oil the 91 Legacy is a much happier camper now. Thanks for the help guys!

That makes sense that the connectors may have been dirty or loose. I did replace both fans a year and half ago when the motors finally died (294k). Very possibly the connectors were compromised then. I just replaced the temp sensor and that didn't change anything. Assuming the new NAPA temp sensor I put in is good I think I am looking at a problem between the temp sensor and the fan. ie a relay or a wire. Tomorrow I will get fresh start and see if the connection from the chassis is getting electricity when the motor is hot. If not, test the relays. If so, well I am going to replace the connector anyway. This is a good job for me because I don't know much about electricity and here is a chance to learn how to properly use a multimeter BTW, does anyone have a lead on those connector housings?

Hey guys. 91 Legacy, cooling fans (both) inoperative. Unplugged the connections and the ground wire from the main fan is charred inside the connections housing. Any ideas as to how/why this would happen? The fans both work fine when jumped to the battery. But they don't do squat otherwise. Even if the AC is on. And yes the engine is getting hot enough, as in too hot for my comfort (especially in Seattle traffic ) I am in the process of replacing the temperature sensor (the one to the ECU or computer) and checking the relays, but still concerned that there was a burning in the connection which I can't see happening from a bad relay or sensor. Another question, on a side note: does anyone know if the AC fan will work even if the temp sensor is bad? How about if the AC doesn't work (no freon) Is it supposed to come on anytime the AC is turned on? Like I said, my AC doesn't work, but would the fan turn on anyways? thanks from bellingham, subaru country!

Thanks for the quick reply, GD. Checking for fusable links under the hood, I found three near the coil. The cover over them says GREEN RED RED. Anyway all three appear to be intact.

The high beams, wipers, accessory outlet and heater blower on my 84 GL stopped working. Anyone know if all of these are linked to a single relay? They all stopped at once. Fuses all are good. Funny thing is, the high beams still work if I hold them in between high and low on the stick. Strange....

Thanks Bratman and edrach, I will replace my fuse wire with a proper fusable link, either from a local junkyard or the dealer. Any thoughts on the 12v adapter?

Yeah, this one was black. Now I did make the new link out of 12 gauge fuse wire, which is supposed to break when the load get too big, right?

Hey again, On the way down to Oregon for the holidays 2 weeks ago my 91 Legacy started to overheat once I got off the freeway and onto the city streets in Seattle. The freeway driving had been pretty hard going, lots of snow and ice and stuck vehicles and cars doing 30 in the fast lane. Anyway, after some trouble shooting I realized that neither of the radiator fans were working at all, they would try to spin when hotwired but were bascially toasted. Which would explain why the car overheated in stop and go traffic after being driven hard. I replaced them both with ones from the wrecking yard, which both tested good before I put them in. Now the passenger side fan seems to run constantly when the motor is on, but I haven't noticed the smaller drivers side fan run at all, even when the car is fully warmed up and sitting. Does anyone know when the smaller drivers side radiator fan is supposed to kick on? Is this fan connected to using the A/C? (A/C in vehicle but it doesn't work) I haven't had anymore overheating issues since replacing the fans, but I am curious about why the drivers side fan isn't switching on. Thanks in advance for any replies, and I hope this isn't tooo long winded of a post. Now bring on the snow!! (again)

Hey everyone, I recently blew the fusable link on my 91 Legacy (290K). Before I realized it was the fusable link under the hood that was toast, I thought that the battery was completely drained (no lights or accessory power) so I tried to jump the car with a mobile jumper that plugs into the cigarette lighter. That seems to have disabled the power to my cigarette lighter. I've checked the fuse under the dash and it is still intact. Does anyone know of another fuse or a relay that could break that would disable the 12v power in the dash? p.s. I made a new fusable link with 12 gauge fuse wire and spade clips. The dealer couldn't tell me what gauge the original wire was, and the one out of the car was pretty well burned up. Anyone know what gauge that link is? Should I bother with the $10 fuse from the dealer? thanks and enjoy this winter weather! Its why we drive subes!