1987 Subaru Wagon Coolant Leakage

[TweedleDee]

First of all, I don't know all that much about working on Subaru's or any car. Yesterday while driving the Subaru, my wife was going up a steep mountain and it overheated. She found that it was low on coolant and filled it up. She then proceeded to drive it to her destination. She said that the heater would blow hot air while the car wasn't overheating, but would blow ambient air when it started overheating while the heater was turned on. She also complained of some kind of rattling that she had trouble describing and I have not heard yet. I met drove home with her and it started to overheat again. I thought it might be the thermostat, so I removed it and refilled the coolant with water. We proceeded to drive it home 30 miles, but it did start to heat up again at one point and then cool off.

 

This morning I noticed most of the coolant had leaked out onto the driveway. I refilled it partially and noticed that it was dripping very quickly out, what it appeared to be, the exhaust port of the engine. I started it up and it seems to be running pretty rough now. It was running a bit rough last night too.

 

Doing a search in the forums has given an idea what it might be. I just wanted confirmation I guess. Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

Alan

[Cougar]

It sounds like the head gaskets are going to have to be replaced. This is a fairly common problem. If you have bubbles getting into the coolant reservoir this will confirm it.

 

The reason the heater did what you described is because the water in the heater core is being displaced by air being forced into the coolant. When this happens you don't get a transfer of heat from the coolant to the heater core. Water is needed to make the transfer.

[TweedleDee]

That is what I was afraid of. It's frustrating because the previous owner (mechanic) changed the heads and gaskets just before selling it to us just over a year ago. Can the gaskets be changed while the engine is in the car. Is it something that can be done by a noob in a weekend without a huge investment in tools?

 

Thanks for the reply.

[Subaru_dude]

well... investing in tools is a good thing really. especially with the older soobs, it's always good to have some around. all you really need is a good ratchet, I find that 3/8 drive is a good size, and a good metric socket set. the more specialized stuff can be borrowed from autozone or some other parts stores. I don't think they can be done while in the car, there's not enough clearance for the head bolts. the removal of the engine isn't that difficult actually. just be sure to use a cherry picker to lift it out cuz it's a heavy SOB, believe me... lol. If you decide to go through with it, you won't regret it cuz the experience is well worth it. And unless your tranny and engine are very VERY stuck because of corrosion caused by salt, removal of the motor shouldn't be a prob.

 

-jordan

[Cougar]

The work can be done while the engine is in place but it is harder to do. If you do this yourself be sure to have the heads checked by a pro, they may be warped or cracked. I would also use genuine Subaru gaskets when you start the rebuild.

[Tom63050]

Another place the coolant can leak from is the metal pipe that goes from the lower (i.e. driver's side) radiator hose to the water pump. There is a rubber o-ring where this pipe connects to the water pump; when that degrades, it leaks coolant. So check that out too. Cheap and easy fix: buy the o-ring, put it on the pipe, use a little grease to make it slide back into the water pump easily (using coolant as a lubricant here has not worked for me), put the hose back on the other end. You might have to remove some stuff to get to the pipe, but it's good experience and character-building too. These cars are so easy to work on, it's a shame to pay a mechanic for most of the maintenance.

[4x4_Welder]

Also, the intake gaskets can leak coolant into the intake runners or to the outside, and the bolts that hold the intake to the head can get stuck and break.

I have found lots of times that just because somebody is a mechanic, doesn't mean they know what they are doing with the vehicle in question.

Case in point:

My 81 Hatch, the girl told me her father was a mechanic, and helped her work on the car. It kept overheating on her, so they pulled the thermostat. It overheated worse. She finally sold it, and I had it fixed inside of ten minutes-

When they bypassed the thermal switch and ran power to the fan, they hooked it up backwards so it was blowing out. New thermostat, some fresh coolant, and it hasn't overheated once.

Now I just have to sort out the hack exhaust in this thing, so I can make it sound like a real car, less like a lawn mower.

[TweedleDee]

I removed the radiator cap and let it idle. I could see bubbles immediately. Does that always mean a headgasket?

[Cougar]

Very possibly. You can verify a leak by doing a leak down test with the cylinders or have the coolant analyzed for exhaust gases.

[TweedleDee]

I think I'll take it to the local garage for a leak down test. Last night I drove it around and it seemed pretty normal with no bubbles in the coolant reservoir. Still lots of coolant in the exhaust. I see no sign of water in the oil, or oil in the water. And no foaming under the oil cap. I'm starting to wonder if I was too hasty in thinking it was the headgasket.

[Cougar]

There may be a leak in the intake manifold gaskets as was suggested. This is a common problem.