bendecker Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) So I have a 1997 Legacy, 2.5l with 129k miles on it. Last night it overheated while driving on the freeway. Pretty badly. Saw the symptoms and there was just nowhere to stop that was remotely safe. I had it towed to our mechanic who said the radiator was cracked and the head gasket was blown. The diagnostic used for the head gasket was a test for oil in the coolant. So, suba-gurus.... this year is notorious for head gasket problems. Any chance that it could fail his test and possibly be ok for limping up and down the hill? I'm thinking that this dog year of an engine could very well leak enough under normal circumstances to fail the test and still be within the realm of what is "expected." The guy, while very honest, is not a Subaru expert and I just want to be sure no one is jumping to conclusions. That being said, other than me, my family is not fond of the car (to put it politely), so I do not want to put much money into it. But, throwing in a radiator, especially if I do it myself would not be that expensive. BTW, right after the overheat, there was no foamy mess in the oil. Who knows about bubbles in the coolant -- there wasn't enough coolant left to check -- oops... Crap.... Edited November 14, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana tom Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Always worth fixing a subi with only 129,000 miles on it. From your description, just a radiator isn't going to do it ... your going to need head gaskets, or a takeout motor to drop in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) Alas, since my family does not like the car and, assuming what you said really is the case, it is most likely going to the highest bidder "as-is".. (Ironically, I was the one that didn't want to buy it for several reasons at the time, but I don't mind the car and have put a fair amount of work into it to get it up to my standards. Go figure....) Edited November 14, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obwobbles Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Where are you located for the as is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 almost 20 year old radiator - could easily be that or the head gasket eating EJ25. 1. if the radiator has a physical crack in it - then that's obviously the starting point - you have verifiable evidence. 2. oil/coolant mixing - if you can confirm oil and coolant in the oil pan - that's an egregious sign. if #1 then fixing it and selling it is an option since you don't like the car. if #2 then yeah moving on might be a good fit. you can also EJ22 swap that car for cheap and run it another 100,000 inexpensively/reliably. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/153118-ej22-or-ej18-swap-into-ej25d-dohc-vehicle/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 If it's a head gasket you could gut the thermostat and run straight 30w oil and run it till it blows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Subarus are not known for a bad head gasket causing coolant to mix with oil. Other cars do that, but not Subarus that I have ever heard of. When your 97 model blows a head gasket, it causes exhaust gas to get pushed intothe coolant system, that then causes the over heating. Air bubbles (exhaust gas) in the radiator over flow tank is a sure sign of bad head gaskets. There is a good chance taht the over heating caused the radiator to leak, not the other way around. Since you don't like, or want to keep the car, then I guess that selling it "as is" is your next step. Kinda surprised you would take the time to post your trouble, since you simply want to get rid of the car. Seems more likely that you like the car more then you have said. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerthis Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Subarus are not known for a bad head gasket causing coolant to mix with oil. Other cars do that, but not Subarus that I have ever heard of. When your 97 model blows a head gasket, it causes exhaust gas to get pushed intothe coolant system, that then causes the over heating. Air bubbles (exhaust gas) in the radiator over flow tank is a sure sign of bad head gaskets. There is a good chance taht the over heating caused the radiator to leak, not the other way around. Since you don't like, or want to keep the car, then I guess that selling it "as is" is your next step. Kinda surprised you would take the time to post your trouble, since you simply want to get rid of the car. Seems more likely that you like the car more then you have said. Nicely put and he is right as for the why the head gasket blows my girlfriends lagasy hg went out a fu year back what I did was on the thermostat thare is a little rattler I cut it off so there is just a small little hole on the side of it to relieve any presher and remove the AC it blocks the rad from getting a good circulation of air with that being said we drove the car for 2 year with it like that and 6 more months with head stop leek in it tell I fix the HG'S . and now I always do the same thing to all my Subaru's thermostats win I get the car I have never had a problem with are bubbles in the cooling system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 From experience and what I have read, low coolant + overheat = headgasket fail. Sometimes immediately, sometimes months later. Worse the over heat, the quicker and worse the fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I have limped them with slightly blown headgaskets. Check coolant every time before starting. Add water. Only short trips. It will get to the point you can't get a few miles without loosing so much coolant you overheat again. I also run a zero pressure radiator cap when doing this with ea82 engines. Haven't had to do it with the newer ones, so I don't know if it will help or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 (edited) Thanks to everyone who replied. I'm seriously torn on the car, which is why I posted the thread. It's definitely not a slam dunk either way. I love older Subarus, but I also know that sometimes it's better to put money into buying something else. We're going to sit on it for a week and ponder options. BTW, If anyone is interested in it "as-is", I'm in San Diego county. An easy local sale could well move me in that direction. PM me. Edited November 13, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 If it's rust free, and only 129k miles, and you like it, fix or swap the engine . The lower costs of running an older car go a long way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Remove the most problematic engine Subaru has ever made that's in the car now and install one of the best engines Subaru ever made and drive it inexpensively and reliably another 100,000 miles: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/153118-ej22-or-ej18-swap-into-ej25d-dohc-vehicle/ EJ22, new timing kit, valve cover gaskets, cam seal/oring, reseal the oil pump, new water pump, plugs, wires, new ebay knock sensor, and drive it another 5 or 10 years. $500 EJ22 (here is one in CA with nly 114,000 miles (805-343-5552) $200 timing kit, seals, valve covers $500 install/labor -($300) Sell your old EJ25 $1,2000 (or $900 if you sell the EJ25) repair, cheaper than replacing headgaskets on an EJ25 and you've done all the major maintenance items on the engine - drive it another 100,000 miles. I installed a $150 engine in one years ago at 125,000 miles and a friend is currently driving it at like 230,000 or something, thing has been a beast for 100,000+ miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Remove the most problematic engine etc etc That sums up succinctly and exactly what the OP should do. But first he should find a good indy subaru shop. A good question to ask a shop that claims to be able to fix subarus is: "How many subaru HG's did you replace in the last 12 months." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 (edited) Decision made. I sold it to a guy who works at my mechanic's shop. He's a Subaru fan who loves the pre-2000 models, has the time and expertise to do the work himself, and wanted a good, reliable car for his family after the work is done. Fair price, win-win. BTW, my understanding of CA's stringent smog laws is that you can put a newer engine in, no problem, but an older one is not acceptable. Regardless, problem solved. Thanks, again, to everyone who helped out with replies. Edited November 14, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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