Noobie discovering typical Subi faults...

[ShockingChicken]

Howdy USMB!

I love my Subi, "Shocking Chicken," and I love working on it--which is Good! So, of course, I love this forum!

 

Right, so enough of the mushy stuff.

 

I've been reading around and have discovered that my car has a few problems that should be addressed soon... eheh...heh...

And at 217,000mi I guess this stuff is fairly probable:

 

**So, umm, yeah, that frothy coolant is a blown head gasket (HG), eh? Why?

**And what about that coolant leaking from the passenger exhaust pipe? Port crack!? Yikes! Fixable?

**Engine runs a bit warm when not on the highway (i.e. offroad)..hot as in 3/4 on the guage (normal is 1/3 to 1/2...right?) Caused from prob 1 and 2?

**Bog with pedal to floor at low RPMs (<2500)....like going uphill on the highway and the RPMs dip below 2500 and there's a slight, yet noticeable, power drop, etc. No clue...

 

Umm, I guess my question at this point is thus: is the car okay to drive for a while longer (i.e. until get 2ndary transportation) or should it all be addressed immediately? Can I just do a rebuild, or do I need to replace the whole engine? What about just replacing the HGs for now?

 

This is a great car and I want to keep it kickin' for awhile and fulfill the extravagant road trips I have planned. What would y'all recommend as the best course of action?

 

 

Thanks!

[thealleyboy]

Howdy USMB!

 

Umm, I guess my question at this point is thus: is the car okay to drive for a while longer (i.e. until get 2ndary transportation) or should it all be addressed immediately? Can I just do a rebuild, or do I need to replace the whole engine? What about just replacing the HGs for now?

 

Thanks!

Unless the service records came with the car, I would have to assume that you are long overdo for a cooling system overhaul - for starters. In a nutshell, we are talking a minimum of new radiator, h20 pump, thermostat,

hoses and clamps. The coolant must be flushed and replaced.

The motor will probably have to be addressed too, and you should probably attempt to diagnose it first. I would be fairly certain that if any damage has occured, it was due to overheating. So if you are willing to redo the cooling system, you can be assured that you won't burn up the motor again.

 

It's difficult to assess the condition of the heads/gasket until the engine is removed, so worst case scenerio is an overhaul or replacement.

 

The good news is that if you do everything above, you will be caught up on much of the "typical Subi" maintenance for the motor and cooling system. And with this car, that is much of what you need to do to make it reliable again.

 

good luck, John

[ShockingChicken]

Unless the service records came with the car, I would have to assume that you are long overdo for a cooling system overhaul - for starters. In a nutshell, we are talking a minimum of new radiator, h20 pump, thermostat,

 

Well, the good news is that I got GREAT records with this car! The previous owner did a lot of work on it, and it's all documented...the last 100,000 miles! (120k - 220k) :

 

** at 145k the water pump was replaced and the system flushed ("winterized") in response to a coolant leak that started showing up, apparently, at 139k

**T-stat is currently off. With the 192 on there the car temp would climb quite a bit past normal before falling back to normal. But, then. it'd rinse & repeat.

 

Coolant is still its pretty neon green. No rust, etc. Radiator could be clogged, though? I've read somewhere about someone doing a cleaning of their radiator. Any details on that?

 

I couldn't find a working link to the USMB Repair Manual where I'd assume there is an article on head gasket replacement. Any useful links out there?

 

Thanks a ton for the reply!

[KStretch55]

It's normal when starting from a cold engine for the temp to go up above "normal" running temp and then fall back down to "normal". That's just the engine warming up and the thermostat opening. Where "normal" is on your guage may vary from car to car. My '91 and '92 run about 1/8" - 3/16" from the bottom of the range mark. My sons 86 runs slightly below half way through the range mark.

 

I have pulled the radiator out of one of mine, carefully pulled the passenger side tank off and used a wire to clean it out (I've got a couple of aluminum strips specifically for that purpose for next time.), then carefully put it back together with a thin coat of RTV on the gasket. Has been working like a champ for months.

[NorthWet]

Welcome the the USMB!

 

First, some info about your car would be helpful. Year, body style/model, carb/SPFI/MPFI, transmission.

 

"Flushing" a radiator would be more likely to add leaks rather than fix them. They either repaired the leaks or added a stop-leak product, also known as "plugged radiator in a can" (also can plug heater cores really quickly).

 

So, I would vote for a possibly plugged radiator. This can be fairly easily checked (at least as far as really bad or seemingly OK) by placing your hand on the radiator core while the engine is at operating temps and feeling for cold (horizontal) stripes.

 

Froth in the cooling system could be the result of "flush" and/or additives. (Most flushes today are just detergents.)

 

All water/oil/fluid leaks seem to find their way down to the exhaust pipe. The coolant you see leaking could have come from almost anywheres unless you actually see it leaking form somewheres. Depending on engine, there are a couple of hoses that tend to leak. Unless you have a Turbo/MPFI, it is unlikely that you have a port crack.

 

Relax, fix the usual stuff (I would recommend putting the t-stat back in after cooling system is stabilized, but that is just my bias).

[thealleyboy]

Well, the good news is that I got GREAT records with this car! The previous owner did a lot of work on it, and it's all documented...the last 100,000 miles! (120k - 220k) :

 

!

Excellent!! You can build on what the previous owner has done, and save a lot of $$ by replacing only what's needed. I'd still begin with the cooling system, and make sure it's in A-1 condition. If that is still your original rad, you're due for a new one. Not a waste of $$ at all.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions that your head gasket has failed until you've found specific evidence. A compression test is a good starting point when turning your attention to the motor.

good luck, John

[ShockingChicken]

Shocky is an '88 Wagon GL, SPFI 1.8 (ea82) 5spd, dual-range 4WD

 

KStretch55, thanks for the cleaning details!

 

I'll check it using your process, NorthWet.

Also, the coolant leak seemed to be coming out of a bolt that's conveniently stripped where the passenger side's exhaust pipe attaches to the engine. I found it quite odd that I would find coolant THERE and nowhere else on the sides or top of engine or hoses or anywhere. hmm... Crazy thing is that when the car is off after coming to temp you can hear a quiet hissing coming from that side of the engine.

 

Hah, thealleyboy, yes, those records do help me from replacing new parts. 'Course, they told me the t-belts were only 30k old when they snapped. I though I'd at least have until 60k! Maybe they only replaced one belt! Yikes!

 

I will try a compression test. That would be a great place to start, too.

 

Thanks a ton, everyone! Y'all rock!

 

Any clue as to the little bog problem?

[MorganM]

My hunch is that all symtoms you describe are interelated. 3/4 up the guage is overheating; the more you do it the worse things will get.

 

How much coolant are you using over how long?

 

Any oil in your coolant? It will float to the top of your radiator and into the over flow tank.

 

Inspect the radiator from inside the engine bay near the fan(s). Are all fins in tact and minimal discoloration (green to rust colors)?

 

Check these in addition to checks mentioned above.

[ShockingChicken]

How much coolant are you using over how long?

Any oil in your coolant? Are all fins in tact and minimal discoloration (green to rust colors)?

 

No oil in the coolant. It's been consistantly neon green with no discolorations. Fins are in remarkably great shape! It leaks about a quart of coolant over 1000-1500 miles.

 

The temp guage only climbs to 3/4 under "extreme" conditions (i.e. offroading, A/C in rushour, etc). Hmm..

 

Thanks for the reply!

[MorganM]

No oil in the coolant. It's been consistantly neon green with no discolorations. Fins are in remarkably great shape! It leaks about a quart of coolant over 1000-1500 miles.

 

The temp guage only climbs to 3/4 under "extreme" conditions (i.e. offroading, A/C in rushour, etc). Hmm..

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

I never go above half under 'extreme' conditions and neither should anyone else. It's overheating

 

Are your fans working properly?

[NorthWet]

Your bog could be a number of things. Start with the basics of ignition: How new are the plugs, wires, cap and rotor, and are the plugs and wires good quality? (I am biased towards NGKs being the best.) Is the ignition timing PROPERLY set (using diganostic connectors near wiper motor)?

 

Has injector cleaner been run through it recently? Compression test results? Also, it might be "off of the cam", too far below its torque peak and just naturally gutless.

 

I had a brand new, myself-installed, t-belt shed itself after less than 2k miles. Welcome to timing belts.

[NorthWet]

I never go above half under 'extreme' conditions and neither should anyone else. It's overheating

 

Are your fans working properly?

ditto.

[thealleyboy]

From everything that has been said, your cooling system is still fair game...A compression reading would be helpful right about now.

 

Bogging can be a symptom of faulty emissions. If you've ruled out spark, fuel and emissions, I'd go there next.

good luck, John

[555Ron]

**T-stat is currently off. With the 192 on there the car temp would climb quite a bit past normal before falling back to normal. But, then. it'd rinse & repeat.

This is why your car will run "hot" when you 4wd. It doesn't get so much air flow so it runs itself up to normal temperature. Then the thermo fan kicks in and this is what your car should run at. Running it cold isn't at all desirable, get a thermostat in there (maybe a 180) and get it running at the right temp.

[Subaru_dude]

**Engine runs a bit warm when not on the highway (i.e. offroad)..hot as in 3/4 on the guage (normal is 1/3 to 1/2...right?) Caused from prob 1 and 2?

**Bog with pedal to floor at low RPMs (<2500)....like going uphill on the highway and the RPMs dip below 2500 and there's a slight, yet noticeable, power drop, etc. No clue...

 

mine runs a bit warm too... I don't really care if it overheats, I know where I can get a good engine for cheap. bog with pedal to the floor..... could be vacuum leak or a fuel pump. My car did that until I put a new one in and BOY.... that's where all those horses went, lol.