XxGHOSTxVIIxX Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I recently bought a '95 Subaru Impreza L with the 2.2Litre engine. It's been about a week and I've run into a bit of a problem. I pulled into work a few days ago and as soon as the car came to a full stop, it made a raddling noise, shook, and then stalled. I immediately noticed white smoke (lr steam) billowing from under the hood and the temperature gauge was all the way up to hot. I let the car cool off and checked the radiator and it was bone dry in both the radiator as well as the overflow. I also checked the oil before I let the car cool off and it was fine. (I had gotten an oil change the day after I bough the car) From there I bought coolant thinking it would fix the problem, but that only led to another issue, my radiator was leaking coolant rapidly from the bottom of the radiator. I replaced the radiator hose (lower), the thermostat (and gasket), and the hose leading out of the thermostat. The car stopped leaking from that point but a new leak immediately started when I put water in the radiator to check. This is where I am stumped. The leak is now dripping continuously and rapidly from just above the oil pan. At first, I drained the oil to check for water, but found none. After further research, I believe my problem is the water pump. Am I correct in this assumption, and if so where do I go from here? I am not the most mechanically inclined, as this is only my second car and I am learning as I go. I would greatly appreciate any and all help I can get. Thank you all so much. - Ghost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 yes, it sounds like a water pump leak. The water pump is driven by the timing belt, so depending on the milage you may be do for a timing belt and seals. Search here or check you tube, there is lots of good information available. Overheating a Subaru engine is bad! Hopefully you have not done major damage. Find a good Subaru Mechanic or USMB member close by to help you out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstevens76 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Your way north of me (I'm in Nampa) or I would offer to help. Overheating any engine is bad, but there isn't any guarantee you did major damage. On the flip side of that, there isn't any guarantee you didn't do major damage either. It's a split road at the moment until you get that leak fixed and can drive it. You don't list the mileage but this is the kit I put on my car: http://www.amazon.com/Evergreen-TBK172AMHWPA-90-97-Subaru-Timing/dp/B00NLLH74C/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1434726580&sr=8-5&keywords=ej22+timing+belt+kit&pebp=1434726581701&perid=00V3EEXZ1GGHRMGHKMYX If your going in far enough to do the Water Pump your going to want to do the Timing Belt, Idlers, and Cam seals/crank seal while your in there. The first step here though is to remove the Alternator/PS belt and the AC Belt so you can remove the Timing Belt Covers. The water pump is to the left of the crank (Right of the crank if your facing the car). Once the covers are off snap a few pictures for us to see (always like seeing work in progress. ) then inspect for a leak. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 verify the source of the leak - can you post a picture of where it's leaking? 1. the thermostat housing can leak too - they can even sometimes crack. that's easy and only 2 10mm bolts to replace. 2. the water pump gasket - if it's been replaced before the aftermarket gaskets are cardboard and prone to leak. 3. it's not the radiator - they can crack and leak. if you replace the water pump use a Subaru OEM gasket - they're metal stamped and much higher quality. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 replacing the water pump really isn't that hard. the timing belt can be removed in less than an hour - the water pump is 5 bolts to remove - cleaning up the surface of the block is annoying but it's just clean up. scrape and scrub it clean and smooth. the only special tool you'll need is a 22mm socket - not special just bigger than most sets provide. that's for the crank pulley. other htan that basic hand tools and a little resolve and the timing belts on these engines aren't hard at all. while it's apart i'd install a complete timing belt kit for that car - they're like $120 or something for a Gates kit on Amazon. new belt, pulleys, tensioner. i do those as routine maintenance to keep older vehicles reliable, very common practice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XxGHOSTxVIIxX Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 Would changing the timing belt be more of a precautionary thing? I was under the impression that Subaru's 2.2 engine wasn't known for the timing belt or the heads needing to be changed. Also the car has roughly 140,000 miles on it. Would it be easier to remove the entire radiator to take the timing belt cover off and inspect the water pump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 On a 95 model 2.2 motor, timing belts should be changed every 60K miles. Any idea when the timing belt was last changed?? One good thing about the 95 motor, is that it is a non interference engine, so if the timing belt breaks, you just get stranded, with no internal damage done to the valves or pistons requiring head removal. Simply a matter of just replacing the T/B to get you back on the road again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XxGHOSTxVIIxX Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 As far as I know it's never been changed :/ I've only had the car 2 weeks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 you can still be stranded or trying to navigate through traffic, maybe at night, with a dead motor if the you lose cam timing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 As far as I know it's never been changed :/ I've only had the car 2 weeks When you buy a used car and you don't know when the timing belt was changed [assuming the car doesn't have the lifetime chain as some recent cars do] then you immediately change the timing belt and pulleys and tensioner and water pump. But you have a more serious problem, which is where is the coolant leak. The driver side of the timing belt cover comes off with 3 or 4 10 mm screws. You don't have to remove the crank pulley or the center part of the timing belt cover. So remove the diver side cover and see if the water pump is leaking. There is no use worrying about anything else until you find the leak. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XxGHOSTxVIIxX Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 I've gotten the belts off and have the new water pump, but I cant for the life of me figure out how to get the timing belt pulleys off so I can get to the water pump. I only have today to figure this out or I lose my job tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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