Still Losing Coolant

[subsince77]

When we picked up this 09 Outback 2 weeks ago, I noticed that the coolant in the overflow tank was down to about 1/2 inch. The car ran fine over the mountains, showed no tendency to heat up, and I couldn't smell or see evidence of a leak.

 

It took me about 10 days to acquire some blue coolant. In that time the overflow tank stayed exactly the same with about 1/2 inch in it. A day or two after I had filled the radiator and tank, together they took a pint or so, I noticed that the tank had dropped about 3/4 inch below the full line. I had been told that if that happened the rad cap was probably bad, and to just replace it. No dealer nearby so I got one from Car Quest. My 97 was OK with those, but the 09 doesn't seem to like them.

 

Today we left on our first road trip in the car. Two adults, 200 pounds of gear, two bikes on top, and a dog. On the first long climb (4 miles of 6 & 7 percent grade) I noticed the temp gauge going up. Outside temp was only in the low 30's. It just went up to a click or two below 3/4 in the white, no where near the red. When we got down the other side, I pulled into a dealer and checked under the hood. Super Blue was all over the place right behind the rad cap. I bought a new Subaru cap and some coolant. It took just over a quart to fill the radiator and overflow tank.

 

We continued the next 70 miles to our destination and a Subaru dealer that I trust. There was no sign of any further leaking, but I had them pressure test the car. They found no problems and no leaks. We drove around the rest of the day, probably 30 or 40 miles. Tonight I checked again, and the level in the overflow is down about 1/2 inch from the full line. There is no sign of any leakage around the cap or anywhere else. I am hoping that it was just some left over air, or the difference between the coolant temp from being on the highway for 3 hours, and now that it has really cooled down.

 

I topped it back up to the full line, and I will see what happens tomorrow. We have to drive the 2 1/2 hours back home, and it is mostly uphill. I guess I learned not to put a generic cap on this car, but I am wondering what is going on. Love the car, but this is a real pain, especially since the nearest Subaru parts for me are 1 1/2 hours from home.

 

Any thoughts. Sorry this was so long. Just trying to be thorough.

[Fairtax4me]

If the cooling system has been serviced recently there may have been some air in the system that needed to be worked out.

 

The cheap radiator cap didn't do you any favors as far as getting an idea for how much if any coolant the car may be loosing. Give it a few weeks and check the coolant level only in the morning when the car is cold. Top off the coolant level once more, then don't add any more coolant to the reservoir unless it gets well below the full line. Check the level every few days to see if the it drops back to near the bottom of the reservoir. It can help to make marks with tape or washable marker to keep track of where the level is each time you check it.

[1-3-2-4]

sorry long night and a little sleepy but your problem is just the level in the overflow tank?

 

My past legacy had that same issue.. it would always suck from the overflow tank but not any missing under the cap which btw was a brand new cap I replaced.. car never overheated I never could figure it out.. and letting the overflow run dry had no ill effects as well.

[subsince77]

sorry long night and a little sleepy but your problem is just the level in the overflow tank?

 

My past legacy had that same issue.. it would always suck from the overflow tank but not any missing under the cap which btw was a brand new cap I replaced.. car never overheated I never could figure it out.. and letting the overflow run dry had no ill effects as well.

 

No. It took about a quart to fill the radiator yesterday, then more in the tank. My problem seems to be an inability to get a cap to seal properly, but I'm not sure yet. Today should tell if it is still a problem or not.

[subsince77]

Just so you can all stop losing sleep over this, it looks like the coolant problem might have just been the cap. We came all the way home with no issues today. I pushed it up the climbs pretty hard. The temp gauge did not budge, and we didn't lose any coolant.

 

I may still buy an STI cap for it next time I get near a dealership. But for now, all is well.

 

My only complaint at this point is the lousy milage. One reason I went with an auto this time is because I had read a few threads saying that the new ones get better milage than the manuals on the highway, and about the same in town. So far, this car doesn't even come close to my 97 MT. I like the tranny OK, but I think it lacks about 5 mpg from an MT. Oh well, it's mine now and it's a nice car.

[greenleg88]

eh. well didnt you say it was all uphill?

[subsince77]

Well, yeah, but it was all uphill for the old car too:)

 

That milage is combination town and highway, up and down, some flat. Just compared to the old car. But, I have only put about 700 miles on the new car. I'm still getting used to the best way to drive it in the hills. I have to say that without the Sportshift and manual modes I would hate this thing in the mountains.

 

I still have a few tricks, synthetic gear oil, haven't changed the air filter yet, haven't even found the fuel filter yet, plugs and wires really shouldn't need to be replaced yet, but this is what I would have expected from an AT. I just thought they had improved them. I'll get used to it.