Coolant problems

[tradesman]

So I recently bought a '99 Legacy Outback with a 150k miles. When I test drove the car everything seemed to be running great. Unfortunately shortly after (with a day) the check engine light came on and seemed to run pretty rough off the start and in idle. Took it to my mechanic and when we popped the hood there was a lot of radiator fluid all over and the reserve take was to the brim. Obviously where fluid was coming from. Diagnostic said misfire in cylinder 3 and thought it may have been from liquid getting all over the cables and connections. After drying everything off and syphoning some out of the reservoir. seemed ok but light promptly came back on and was still running rough. couldn't  get car in until weekend so had to wait a few days. Meanwhile the temperature gauge began to run all the way up whenever I would stop or slow down real slow. But preceded to go back to normal once I got going again. Did this for a few days until eventually peeking out on hot while I was actauuly on the way to getting plugs and wires replaced. Steam was pouring out of what I think was a pressure release valve on top left of radiator (opposite of cap). So we replaced the thermostat and all plugs and wires. Also epoxied the top of that valve cuz it seemed to be cracked. The problem seemed to be fixed. Car ran smooth and didn't overheat. Also coolant seemed to stay at normal level. Ran great for about a week. Until today. When I noticed the temp gauge acting up again and pulled over and noticed that coolant was all over again. presumably out of reservoir. And was doing the same thing where the gauge would spike at a stop but return to normal once I was cruising even going about 60mph. Seemed to run cooler at higher speed. and hotter around 30 mph. If anyone has experienced this issue before or has any ideas would really appreciate some feedback. My mechanic said this could possibly be a head gasket problem. Feeling like I may have gotten taken by the seller who was a mechanic and wont return any of my calls. Thanks for any input

[Olnick]

Welcome to the USMB.  Sorry to hear about your misfortune--but you'll get good, honest, straightforward advice here.

 

Sounds like classic headgasket failure, very common in the 2.5 liter DOHC engines.  I think your seller knew exactly what he was selling!

 

You have two options:  1) Replace the headgasket, which may or may not be a good option depending on the severity of the overheating. 

 

Or 2)  Replace the entire engine with the "bulletproof" EJ22 from '95 or '96 model--a little less power but super reliable.  It's a fairly simple "plug-and-play" swap.

 

Talk to your mechanic about it--and by all means ask any questions you have here on the board.

 

Again--welcome.  And good luck.

[Fairtax4me]

The plug opposite the filler cap on the radiator is a bleeder cap for letting air out when filling the system.

 

Head gasket problems are very common on that engine and the typical symptoms are almost exactly what you describe.

 

A few things you may want to try first.

Get a new genuine Subaru thermostat. It's an easy change, and if the old thermostat is an aftermarket it will make a difference.

 

Replace the radiator cap. Again, Subaru OE is the best source for this, though this is not as critical as having a Subaru thermostat.

 

Once those are done the system will need to be properly filled and purged of air. If the bleed plug is broken you can replace it with a short bolt that has the same thread pitch. Be sure to keep the rubber o-ring under the plug.

[Rooster2]

Welcome to USMB. The home of great advise for Subaru owners.

 

Any guarantee come with the Subaru when you bought it?? I also think previous owner new of this problem, and sold the car rather than fixing the problem.

 

I echo the same advise as two previous posters. Both my 98 and 99 Subies have the same engine as yours, and blew head gaskets with results just like you describe. If the motor has not been severely over heated a number of time, new head gaskets will fix the problem. If too much over heated, then there is warpage with the aluminum motor, and the motor will have to be replaced.

 

There is much written on this forum about head gasket problems. Access the "search" on this forum to read the archives on this topic.

[tradesman]

Thanks all for the replies. Seems my fears are correct. Now just comes the decision to invest the money or eat the loss. Only paid 2300 for vehicle and from what I've heard head gasket replacement can get pretty expensive. Also if the last owner dumped it because of this who knows how long they let the problem persist so the issue of warping is another hidden concern. Thanks again.

[Olnick]

How's the condition of the car overall?  Do you like it? 

 

Give serious consideration to replacing the engine with a used EJ22.  Buy one for a reasonable price, invest $200 for new timing belt/idlers/water pump & re-seal, slap it in.  Would give you another 100k or more of dependable, generally trouble-free driving!