2010 Impreza 2.5I Premium Coolant Leak

[Floydicus]

Hey everybody, new to the forum and a little lost with my current situation.

 

So driving to work today my temp light started flashing (no clue why there is no temperature gauge, just a light that is blue when the engine is cold, off when its in operating temp, and blink/solid red when its too hot), pulled into the closest gas station and popped the hood, and was greeted by the sweet smell of burning antifreeze and steam whisps coming out under the hood and grille. look inside and the coolant return hose coming off of the water pump is soaked in coolant, along with the plastic skid plates and bottom of radiator.

 

Found some how-to videos to self-diagnose a bad thermostat, supposedly the 2 hoses will be extremely different temperatures with the top hose being warm and the bottom hose being ice cold, but the bottom hose is as warm if not warmer than the top hose. 

 

so here are my questions:

 

1. what would cause coolant to be leaking an a rapid rate from around the thermostat/waterpump?

 

2. when i crawled under the car to get a look from below, i found that the catalytic converter and exhaust manifold are blocking any access to the elbow that holds the thermostat in place and connects to the hose. so is there a way to get the thermostat out without removing the exhaust?

 

3. is there possibly another culprit to the antifreeze leak/engine overheating that i am missing? and if so where should i look?

 

thank you for your time, knowledge and patience in helping me fix my car issue. I can be a passable driveway mechanic, but this is the first subaru i have ever owned so i am a little lost at the moment.

[montana tom]

Floyd; Hopefully it did not get it too hot or there could be head gaskets in your future.  Subi's use a heavy duty thermostat that rarely fails. Hopefully you popped a hose for some reason. There are several nearby that could be the culprit. Easiest way  to locate a leak is with a cooling system pressure tester. If you don't have access to that, then a poor mans tester is to fill system with fluid... and have your assistant squeeze first the upper rad hose then the lower while you lay underneath getting antifreeze all over your face, looking for the leak. lol  not fun but it does work. Remove any skid plate/plastic covers that are in the way , dry everything you can. Add water, if it is a busted major hose it will pour out. If it is say a heater hose then you will need to squeeze to get pressure there.   I should mention that the quickest easiest way to fill a subi cooling system up is to remove the upper rad hose from the radiator, pour fluid directly into the hose until the engine is full ... then reconnect hose and finish filling from radiator.  Good luck I'm sure others will have other suggestions to help.

[Floydicus]

found the issue when i was refilling the radiator after replacing the thermostat..........there is a hole in the back side of the radiator. thanks for the advice montana tom