Petersubaru Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I have driven far more miles with VW cars then with subarus and have always felt more comfortable with the COOLANT warning system that the VW products provide, which consist of a temp gauge along with a flashing idiot light warning me either of a "over heating" or "low on coolant" situation...concerning my newer subaru..what happens if the thermostat mal-functions and the motor starts to over heat, possibly cooking the heads..is there a warning system in place that would say for example:"CEL" long before any damage takes place...this is question more related to my wife's driving habits of never looking at the instrument panel..she cooked the heads on my older EA82 because of a faulty thermostat many years ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I have driven far more miles with VW cars then with subarus and have always felt more comfortable with the COOLANT warning system that the VW products provide, which consist of a temp gauge along with a flashing idiot light warning me either of a "over heating" or "low on coolant" situation...concerning my newer subaru..what happens if the thermostat mal-functions and the motor starts to over heat, possibly cooking the heads..is there a warning system in place that would say for example:"CEL" long before any damage takes place...this is question more related to my wife's driving habits of never looking at the instrument panel..she cooked the heads on my older EA82 because of a faulty thermostat many years ago There is this thing on the dashboard, called an engine temperiture gauge. The gauge will read high if you are low on coolant, or if the thermostat gets stuck closed. Regular coolant changes of every 2-3 years are required. If you replace the thermostat it should be a factory thermostat. DO NOT let a subaru overheat hard, other wise you may blow a head gasket. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersubaru Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 Coolant changes and OE thermostat's still give poor odds...Let me fill you in on the my past of why I asked the question in the first place,..I have had on two separate occasions the heads (subarus) being cooked from other family members driving (not everyone has been taught to scan the dash, although, I don't know what this has to do with being a good driver)...and yes, I do know about the Thing (gauge) on the dash, ...but, after driving more then a million miles in the last 20yrs, I have had my share of broken thermostat's, new car or old car, OE or Napa, all thermostat's eventually give out and sometimes right out of the box... Now, if I understand you correctly, from your answer, just because the rpm gauge is also on the dash , should I be keeping my eye on it??...when the speed is set on cruise should I be looking constantly at the speedometer??...and the same goes for the temp gauge??....Obviously from your answer, I would take it to say that subaru has not updated to anything better and remains antiqueted (still stuck in carburetor land) in this regard...it shouldn't be to much of a problem to improve on this ... There is this thing on the dashboard, called an engine temperiture gauge.The gauge will read high if you are low on coolant, or if the thermostat gets stuck closed. Regular coolant changes of every 2-3 years are required. If you replace the thermostat it should be a factory thermostat. DO NOT let a subaru overheat hard, other wise you may blow a head gasket. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Peter I agree with you. There can be situations where one may miss the temp gauge rising quickly or reading incorrectly. Some old Subes would read normal to low if coolant loss (blown turbo cooling hose - my case) caused the level to fall below the temp gauge sensor - no coolant on the sensor -> incorrect reading. A turbo motor is a terrible thing to waste (any motor for that matter) so I installed an auxiliary 12V sounder (Rat Shack 5 George Washingtons) triggered by a thermoswitch (NAPA around 25 GWs). The adjustable switch has a capillary tube which I taped and insulated to the lower rad hose. Figuring it would have coolant the longest if a leak occurred. I set it to sound at about 3/4 dash gauge reading. I unplugged the fan to force this semi over heat. When/if the sounder goes off, even an inattentive driver will most likely look for the cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I think you have a valid point. Subaru has a "staged" coolant temperature gauge. That's why the temp gauge needle doesn't move even when accelerating up a long, steep hill. Of course, an oil temp gauge is superior to a coolant temp gauge for heading off engine overheating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Coolant changes and OE thermostat's still give poor odds...Let me fill you in on the my past of why I asked the question in the first place,..I have had on two separate occasions the heads (subarus) being cooked from other family members driving (not everyone has been taught to scan the dash, although, I don't know what this has to do with being a good driver)...and yes, I do know about the Thing (gauge) on the dash, ...but, after driving more then a million miles in the last 20yrs, I have had my share of broken thermostat's, new car or old car, OE or Napa, all thermostat's eventually give out and sometimes right out of the box... Now, if I understand you correctly, from your answer, just because the rpm gauge is also on the dash , should I be keeping my eye on it??...when the speed is set on cruise should I be looking constantly at the speedometer??...and the same goes for the temp gauge??....Obviously from your answer, I would take it to say that subaru has not updated to anything better and remains antiqueted (still stuck in carburetor land) in this regard...it shouldn't be to much of a problem to improve on this ... Yes a good driver signals when they change lanes, they dont tailgate, and they wtach their dashboard. I can't beleive this is being discussed. you can be a danger to yourself or somone else by not scanning the dashbord. Dying in the middle of the road is very dangerous. There are a lot of idiots on the road, where the breakdown lane isnt safe either. Also I am 45, dad was a professional driver, and i was taught how to drive in High school, so that driving a million miles thing doesnt mean anything to me. I have driven just as much if not more. I am also an automotive enginner. Ild rather have gauges then idiot lights on my car any day. Yes the tach is something to be scanned also. The gauiges are there not to look pretty. You judge things in order of importance. I can tell you for a fact that the bottom of the subaru temp gauge is sluggish. the upper end reads higher then what the car is actually doing, but thats done for a reason. better for the gauge to read high then to read low and cook the engine. How do i know this? I have a scan gauge on my car so i can compare them. In my 26 years of drivng, i have had one broken thermostat. I have had altenators fail on me, but thanks to a gauge i could tell in advanced it was happening so i could decide when to break down instead of the car. the light its a 50/50 chance it will go on, and it wont go on in all failure modes.I have seen my temp gauge higher then normal, and that has told me that something was wrong with the car before it became an overheat condition. hell YES you shold be looking at the spedo when the cruise is on. How do you know the speed isnt creeping up. So by your a ferari is tuck in the carberator age since it has antiquated gauges instead of idiot lights. F1 race cars are stuck in the carb age since they have antiquated gauges. I'm bowing out of this thread, it goes against every common sense thing there is, and explains to me, and almost anyone on this board who craves gauges instead of idiot lights. Good luck and have a nice day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I've got to say, I really agree with Nipper. If people can't learn to check a car's vital signs, they shouldn't be driving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersubaru Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 Nipper..I stand by my orginal question seeking a non-condesending answer and if you can not provide one without insulting ones common senses, then please do bow out, no matter how naively the question my have appeared to you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersubaru Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 The original question never implied that the gauge was never to be looked at or even to be done away with in place of an idiot light , but simply how to make the subaru set- up better as useing VW's example of: Dial Gauge/Flashing idot light/Buzzer/Low coolant/ Hot coolant warning system all wrapped up into one.. .. I would be the first to agree that if people can not check the gauges, they should not be driving, but in the real world they do drive...simply put, "how to improve on a weakness" as perceived by me and perhaps others... I've got to say, I really agree with Nipper. If people can't learn to check a car's vital signs, they shouldn't be driving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Nipper, it may be that you know more about cars than you do about women. What takes less effort, convincing an unwilling wife to look at gauges, or installing an audible alarm? Installing an adible alarm, a couple of hours. Not having your better half blow up the boxer, priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbrand Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I agree, yes watching gauges is preferable to idoit lights but idioat lights will get your attention. My Sunfire has a "check gauges" light that comes on to get your attention when one of the guages goes into the red zone. Also, I had a second alternator failure on my Legacy recently, and in both cases (1998 and last week) the charge light DID NOT come on(it does work) even thought the alternator was not charging the battery and the car died in the middle of the freeway(both times). A Volt meter or Ammmeter would have given much advance warning of the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersubaru Posted December 10, 2006 Author Share Posted December 10, 2006 all the more reason to keep checking my battery/alternator especially now that the colder weather is here...also I will have to find out how to check the alternator charge light for proper operation... I agree, yes watching gauges is preferable to idoit lights but idioat lights will get your attention. My Sunfire has a "check gauges" light that comes on to get your attention when one of the guages goes into the red zone. Also, I had a second alternator failure on my Legacy recently, and in both cases (1998 and last week) the charge light DID NOT come on(it does work) even thought the alternator was not charging the battery and the car died in the middle of the freeway(both times). A Volt meter or Ammmeter would have given much advance warning of the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I've often felt an alarm beep should sound if the oil pressure light came on while driving. Still, plenty of vehicles have been driven just fine without it. Nice to have - not critical if missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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