1992 Legacy 4wd, Help Please!

[SickLegacy92]

Hi, I'm new here. I searched for a site like this because my car is very sick, and I do not know what is wrong.

I've had this car for 6 months. It ran just fine when I bought it from a used dealership. First thing we've changed is the air filter, ran better. I ran it almost 2000 miles so far. I only drive it around my city(Very small one), and have taken two trips to a city out past the mountains(about 150 miles away), I do not "Rally" my car.

SO! My Bypass hose had a cut in it, the car overheated and broke down(not completely, but enough that I didn't wanna drive it another 100 miles home), so I changed the hose myself, it quit leaking, I put new antifreeze in it, it still overheated, so it got towed home on a flat bed, we(my husband and I) flushed the radiator out completely, I cleaned the coolant holder, and changed the Thermostat! It's still overheating. I don't know what to do. My neighbor bought me a Chilton book and I've been reading it like crazy, but I can find out much. I was thinking maybe it's the thermosensor.

Dose anyone have any tips? Been though this before? have no idea what I'm taking about? Either way, thanks lots.

[lmdew]

You need to bleed the system. Jack the front of the car as high as possible!

Remove the upper hose and slowly fill the system.

When the upper hose will take no more collant, connect it to the radiator

Continue to fill the system through the radiator cap with the bleed plug removed.

 

Burp the system, squeeze the upper and lower hose.

When you get no more bubbles, start the car and let warm up

Collant should start to come out of the radiator cap, install the cap and let it get to normal temp. Shut the car down and let it cool. Collant should be pulled out of the overflow bottle and into the radiator.

 

Complete the warm-up & cool down cycle a couple of times.

 

Take the car off jacks and test drive. Subarus get air locked and coolant does not flow.

[Sweet82]

Welcome to the board,

 

I'd agree with Imdew.

 

Burp it and I'd bet your troubles will be over.

 

This happend to me a few weeks ago for no apparent reason.

(no reasons I've figured out yet anyway)

Keep an eye on your coolant tank and make sure it's always topped off.

 

Good Luck,

Glenn

82 SubaruHummer

01 Forester

[SickLegacy92]

What upper hose? The one going from the coolent reserve, or the large one going to the engine?

The radiator is a reverse system.

Also what lower hose, the lower radiator hose, with the thermostat, or the bypass? Sorry to act so helpless but I really am. My books don't really tell me much when it comes to this.

Also I just took my car for a drive. It didn't totally overheat, but it did get very hot(to the dotted area), also the coolent reserve had filled past the full line, and now looks black. I'm confused.

Thanks for the help, I'll try this out.

[SickLegacy92]

I now think it's either clogged because it's not surculating... or maybe it's the water pump????

[blackbart]

I now think it's either clogged because it's not surculating... or maybe it's the water pump????

If you have air in the system the water will not move. Check for a head gasket failure, this isn't all that easy on the Subs, most of the symptoms make it look like a bad radiator, water pump.....etc.

With the engine cool, top off the coolant in the radiator and up to the "fill" line on the overflow tank. Start the engine and look into the overflow tank, you may see bubbles for a short time but if they continue for more than a few minutes the exhaust could be blowing into the coolant...bad head gasket. You may even want to try removeing the radiator cap while the engine is cold and starting it, look for bubbles there also.

[v8volvo]

You don't want to hear this...but if it was overheated badly enough, it could also be terminally damaged head gaskets and or cracked/warped heads and block, which would cause chronic overheating and many other problems. Try the other stuff first though.

[SickLegacy92]

I was reading back on some of the other posts and I was thinking maybe it's the head gaskets too. Course it could really be anything the car has really been mistreated, and I had to drive it hot for quite a few miles. I think I might just give up and take it in once I get the money for it, their's a little subaru shop in the next city over.

I hate to give up but I'm poor and their are no junk yards around here.

We'll see though, I'll keep updating. Thanks lots!

[SickLegacy92]

Start the engine and look into the overflow tank, you may see bubbles for a short time but if they continue for more than a few minutes the exhaust could be blowing into the coolant...bad head gasket.

I've done this. When the exhaust is blowing into the coolant tank(everything going in reverse pretty much), is that why the brand new antifreeze that I just put in their has turned black. If so It might be worth taking the radiator off.

Course in my lil' Chilton book I can't find "Head Gasket" maybe it's under Cylinder Head ....

[Gnuman]

I've done this. When the exhaust is blowing into the coolant tank(everything going in reverse pretty much), is that why the brand new antifreeze that I just put in their has turned black. If so It might be worth taking the radiator off.

Course in my lil' Chilton book I can't find "Head Gasket" maybe it's under Cylinder Head ....

 

That chilton's covers many models and years. look under the 2.2L engine for the torque specs, and procedures for replacing the head gaskets. If you do end up replacing them, I also recomend replacing the valve guides, valve cover seals, and the gaskets that go below the bolts that hold the valve covers on. While you are at it, go ahead and replace the cam seals as well, as you will have to take the cams off to get to the head gaskets. The Chilton's boks are good for this, but not much more. Go out and get a Haynes manual as well, to fill in some of the gaps that the Chiltons leaves out.

 

Now for my diagnosis: there was probably a lot of backed up gunk in the system, so your best bet is to have the coolant removed, as well as the thermostat, and the system flushed/cleaned. I mean all of the system tooset the heater for max heat, rev the engine, let it run for a while with the cleaner running through it, then flush again to remove the cleaner. Now replace the thermostat being careful to position it correctly (Spring part goes into the engine and the hole goes toward the radiator). You are using a genuine Subaru thermostat, arn't you? It makes a difference. Fill from the top hose so that the engine area is the first part filled (that way the heat from the engine gets to the thermostat and it knows to open), then fill the radiator with the bleed screw off, and fill the overflow tank to the fill line.Let it run until the bubbles stop, and you should be fine. Keep the car running, while on ramps (that is the easiest way to get the nose up high enough) until the radiator fans start to cycle. If the car overheats once the system is sealed, shut it off, and let the overflow tank fill the gap that has formed due to bubbles. when the car is cool, try running it again. Continue this until the cooling system works correctly (temp guage just below center, fans will cycle). If flushing and filling do not fix the problem, and you get constant bubbles, then you start turning your eye to the head gaskets. I also have a 92 Legacy with 165500 miles on it. Mine is in great condition (engine wise) and I expect many more trouble free miles out of it. If flushing and filling does not work, and you want someone more experienced to look at the engine, i will offer to to do the job for you. Just pay for the gas (round trip) and the parts, and I will fix whatever turns out to be the problem. Send me a PM if you are interested.

[abanic1]

I am new here and I have question about my 1992 legacy 2.0 4×4 (european market ).

Every time when i want to start my legacy at morning (cold start), car start without a problem but after a few seconds die ? - but if I step a little on throtle is fine. The same problem I had on may old legacy 2.0 GL 2WD. There is no Check engine light - blinking.

Thank you for your answer

[subiefan]

hmmm.... my 93 Impreza does something similar. It starts fine, but then rpms drop till it nearly shuts off. Then it revs itself back up and runs fine. If you blip the throttle while its trying to shut off, it revs up immediately and runs perfectly. I have noticed that it seems to idle a little slow all the time though, sometimes reving itself back up to the right idle speed if it drops very low. It doesn't surge. This only happens every few minutes while idling, not up.....down.....up..... every few seconds. It doesn't really happen when the A/C is on, though it will still try to die at startup.

 

Your problem just sounds like what mine does, only a little worse. As to the cause, I'm just as clueless as you are though.:-\

[subiefan]

In reply to SickLegacy's question -

 

 

Likely Causes:

 

a.) still debris somewhere in the cooling system.

Run some kind of cleaner through and flush again.

 

b.) head gasket.

hang your head and weep for your poor subie.

[abanic1]

I want to discous about this problem, beacouse this might be a problem of cars when reach about 235k - 245k kilometres (miles about ?). But this problem is not so big becouse every time when I start my subi I step on throtle to 2000 or 2200 RPM - then works perfectly.

I heard that you dont have any 2.0 ordinary subi-s in America without turbos.

I am also intersted in your fuel comsumption which is? I dont know what time is in your country but I am going to sleep now.