small bubbles in coolant reservoir after the car has been turned off?

[dlm5774]

1998 2.5L outback, 139K. Changed the coolant over 15K ago. Temp gauge is normal. I popped the hood to check the coolant level right after I shut the car down and noticed small bubbles comming up through the coolant. In addition the reservoir level was several inches above the fill line. Is this normal? Or is this a sign of a head gasket issue? If so, I'll cry...already got 4K into this car so far this year!

 

Thanks

[nipper]

1998 2.5L outback, 139K. Changed the coolant over 15K ago. Temp gauge is normal. I popped the hood to check the coolant level right after I shut the car down and noticed small bubbles comming up through the coolant. In addition the reservoir level was several inches above the fill line. Is this normal? Or is this a sign of a head gasket issue? If so, I'll cry...already got 4K into this car so far this year!

 

Thanks

 

er ummm er

 

You need to do this with the car running..... then tell us what you see.

Wasnt the radiator rather hot?

Was the car hot or cold? How old is the radiator cap.

 

FYI little bubbles happen. Car vomiting antifreeze into the resivoir bad.

Replace the cap after you check for bubles when running. The little bubbles may be ok

 

nipper

[dlm5774]

er-umm-er. Cars are not my thing (can you tell !). I'll check it when the car is idleing.

 

Thanks!

[yodannyc]

idk man. I know yours is new, but my 87 wagon had the same thing going on and it actually overfilled my resivour. i then came to the realization it was my HG. had milk shake... ugh bad memories. but if you say your temp is ok then i would guess it could be something else. i know i am not being much help but i am tired and i just had a sandwich and so now i am going to bed.

THE END

[Setright]

A few bubbles, especially after shut off are not a sign of anything.

 

Expansion/overflow tank is supposed to have a higher level when the engine is warm. The coolant expands as it heats and needs somewhere to go. Check it again when it's cold. The level should drop.

 

The bubbles are likely just coolant in the the small hose that runs from rad to overflow tank. It rests above the rad, right? This means the fluid in the small hose will be subjected to heat and maybe cause a slight boil in the hose which will bubble in the overflow.

[smashingd]

Thanks very much for all your responses. It's good to know what's normal and what's not, especially when your own a car with a few miles on it! It appears that everything is normal. So, given that my car is a 1998, 2.5L outback, has 139K on it, and the headgaskets are original is there anything I can do at this point to minimize the chance of head gasket problems. I do keep up on all the maintenance and usually change the coolant every 30K (approx 18 months). Last time I did the coolant flush at Jiffy Lube because it's about $50 cheaper than the Sub dealer. However, I have been reading up on this coolant thing and now wonder if I should pay the extra $50 and have it done by the Sub mechanic using Sub coolant or go to an independent mechanic shop (I also wonder if Jiffy Lube checks the pressure..etc on the system). Doing these things myself is not an option, as mentioned before...cars are not my thing, but I'm real good with hair!!!

 

Any thoughts, advice, tips..etc? If I can keep the car, I will, but I'm getting tired of sinking money into it for non-maint stuff.

 

Thanks!