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Temp gauge spiking in 95 Legacy...


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Hi Subarufolk!

The temp gauge in my Dad's 95 Legacy is starting to spike intermittently. It will go into the H and then settle back down then spike and settle back down. No evidence of leaking coolant, no bubbling or residue in the OF tank.

 

I'm thinking faulty thermostat...any idears?

 

Thanks,

Damien

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This is an ej22, yes? I don't know my Legacy's too well. Could be the thermostat. You can test it by putting it in a bowl of boiling water. If it's working right, it should open. If it's old, you may as well just replace it anyway. Cheap insurance. Headgasket failurs on the 2.2 are pretty rare, and you don't have any of the typical evidence.

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<<The temp gauge in my Dad's 95 Legacy is starting to spike intermittently. It will go into the H and then settle back down then spike and settle back down.

I'm thinking faulty thermostat...any idears?>>

 

i think if you keep letting it go to H, your going to need a new engine. have you had any work done to it recently?

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Hi Subarufolk!

The temp gauge in my Dad's 95 Legacy is starting to spike intermittently. It will go into the H and then settle back down then spike and settle back down. No evidence of leaking coolant, no bubbling or residue in the OF tank.

 

I'm thinking faulty thermostat...any idears?

 

Thanks,

Damien

 

exactly how fast does that happen and when?

 

nipper

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I'm not sure about other years, but in my 95 Legacy I noticed the temp gauge never going above the mid-mark, even when I heard the cooling fans kick in.

 

After some research, I found that the gauge does not accurately reflect the temperature of the engine. It is more like an idiot light. The only time it will rise above the mid-mark is when the engine is reallly hot. I can't remember if it is the gauge or the sending unit that creates this 'feature'. You could use an OBDII reader to grab the accurate temp reading (from the other temp sensor IIRC).

 

Anyway, if the gauge hits H, the engine is hot! That much is true. How much cooler it is once it drops from the H will require some investigation. Hopefully that will help you figure out the cause.

 

jim

 

Hi Subarufolk!

The temp gauge in my Dad's 95 Legacy is starting to spike intermittently. It will go into the H and then settle back down then spike and settle back down. No evidence of leaking coolant, no bubbling or residue in the OF tank.

 

I'm thinking faulty thermostat...any idears?

 

Thanks,

Damien

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OK I did a few checks today....after starting the car it heated up pretty quicky...spiking to H and then settling down to a warmer than normal temperature. I parked it on an incline and then opened up the bleeder screw opposite the radiator. The upper radiator hose was very hot and steam was coming out the bleeder screw. The radiator itself was cool and only one of the fans was spinning.

 

--Damien

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OK I did a few checks today....after starting the car it heated up pretty quicky...spiking to H and then settling down to a warmer than normal temperature. I parked it on an incline and then opened up the bleeder screw opposite the radiator. The upper radiator hose was very hot and steam was coming out the bleeder screw. The radiator itself was cool and only one of the fans was spinning.

 

--Damien

Sounds to me like you have a block in the system.
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OK I did a few checks today....after starting the car it heated up pretty quicky...spiking to H and then settling down to a warmer than normal temperature. I parked it on an incline and then opened up the bleeder screw opposite the radiator. The upper radiator hose was very hot and steam was coming out the bleeder screw. The radiator itself was cool and only one of the fans was spinning.

 

--Damien

 

hrmmmm

a few questions

when was the last time the timing belt was replaced, and was the thermostat replaced at that time.

When you turn the ac on do both fans come on

is one radiator hose a differnt temp then the other

When if ever was the last tiem the cooling system was serviced.

 

AGAIN ill ask how fast does this happen.

 

nipper

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i've reading post for almost a year, and i i've read a lot of people changing t-stats to cure over heat problems... but this may be the first time it was actually the cause of the problem. i guess there's a first time for everything.

 

I love it when it is simple to fix. Thanks for the update.
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i've reading post for almost a year, and i i've read a lot of people changing t-stats to cure over heat problems... but this may be the first time it was actually the cause of the problem. i guess there's a first time for everything.

 

 

...we'll see. with all that overheating, there will almost definately be more problems to come.

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i've reading post for almost a year, and i i've read a lot of people changing t-stats to cure over heat problems... but this may be the first time it was actually the cause of the problem. i guess there's a first time for everything.

 

not really. When people put in non OE T-stats it can happen too

 

nipper

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