11pies Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) I'm about to embark on yet another road trip with my '96 Sub Leggie 2.2 @ 130K. This the 4th time I've taken her/she'll be taking me across at least 4 states, so I know she can do this one. This time we're driving from Chicago to Halifax and then to Norfolk and then back to Chicago- Total: 4200 miles. I've done all of the work to her since I bought her a few years ago, and I've prepped by giving her a tune-up and all before the trip - I'm confident in my decision to switch from Bosch to NGK plugs. I've not had a single major chronic problem with her. In fact, the last time she gave me an issue was with the radiator on my way back from Atlanta - turned out to be a bad radiator cap. Since then, I've been having to top of the radiator fluid with maybe a cup of fluid every 3-4 months. This is not a major problem. But, now that I'm about to drive 4200 miles (Highway) in 2 weeks, that whole radiator issue may come back and flare up. Does the fact that I have to top her off every few months imply an issue with the radiator. More importantly, would it exacerbated enough to stall me on the side of the highway? I plan on bringing extra fluid and water, and an extra radiator cap. But is there anything else that someone would suggest to bring just in case of an emergency - aside from a whole new radiator. Maybe Bar's Leak? This trip is happening in a week, so it'll be highway miles in cool to moderate temperature. Edited April 9, 2009 by 11pies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Take a look at the bottom of the water pump to engine block area, it sounds like a slow leak and sometimes the water pump seal starts leaking and you will see it. Have you replaced the coolant hoses? If they are original, I'd at least take spares along with me. Have fun on the trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 i would suggest you clean up the engine bay nicely and look for leaks particularly on the bottom if it is the water pump. Did you get a oem cap btw ? If it is the water pump it can really start leaking fast on a long trip all of a sudden but i wouldnt worry about the car stalling if you notice it overheating a bit it would be a good time to top it up . Or every like 500 miles wait for the system to cool down and depressuseize and pull the cap. I would still strongly suggest you locate the leak and look at the bottom of the motor looking near the driver side of the motor near the timing covers for a leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11pies Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 The collant hoses have been replaced about 2 years ago, and the cap is OEM. I'll check under the motor for leaks this weekend when I'll have access to a garage. Thank you so much for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Sounds like you're off on a nice drive, 11pies! I wouldn't worry about things too much--just check your coolant and oil levels regularly. Oh, and glance at your temperature gauge once in awhile! Might want to carry an OEM thermostat with you just in case. Subies hate cheap parts-store thermostats! Is your timing belt okay at 130k? Have a great trip--and let us know how it goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StructEngineer Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 When I drove 5000mi through the desert southwest and rockies I had the following: tire plug set portable tire pump a good tire iron a spare ignitor a spare coil XM Satellite Radio (worth every penny) tools (duh) Made sure my hoses and belts were good, and obviously all the regular tuneup stuff had been taken care of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11pies Posted April 11, 2009 Author Share Posted April 11, 2009 Haynes mentions 2 things as common signs of water pump failure: "...coolant leakage and a howling or screeching sound. Don't mistake drivebelt slippage, which causes a squealing sound, for water pump bearing failure..." CHECK on both of those. All of your helpful comments & Haynes' mention have lead me to believe that I may have a faulty water pump. So I'm preparing myself for some time in the garage during this Easter weekend. Could be worse - I could be spending some time on the side of the road with a failed pump. I'll let you know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Just look at it from the bottom, no need to pull the timing covers. Every one I have seen leaking you can see from the bottom, it will run back towards the front drivers side corner of the oil pan. If you have good nice green coolant in the system you should see the leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 if you have a leak it's best to try and find it rather than just guessing. have you looked for leaks at all? a radiator shop can test your radiator for leaks. might be worth a few bucks to find out for sure what's going on. the water pump is a rather involved job, includes removing the timing belt. it's not as easy as some vehicles. if yo'ure doing the pump your best bet is to do a complete timing belt change including an Ebay timing belt kit. more than likely at least one (if not all) of your pulleys isn't going to be in great position. if they fail, they take out your new timing belt so kind of a shame to not replace it all. you might be due for a timing belt change anyway, they're supposed to be every 60,000 on that engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11pies Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 UPDATE: I removed the left-side timing belt cover and checked for leaks - not a single drop anywhere near the pump. No leak around the thermostat housing, and the weep hole is still holding tight - there's a "red dot" that I've read about that acts like a gasket/seal to the weep hole, and it's still intact and dry. The previous owner had recently had the timing belt, pulleys, etc. replaced before I had bought the Legacy about 4 years ago. Perhaps there's a small crack somewhere in the system, and coolant is getting burned up or evaporating. I have been looking for small pools of coolant on the ground, but haven't found any. I'll take another look tomorrow. My next option may be to add some Bars Leak into the coolant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Sounds like good news on the water pump. Now you can "drive easier" having checked it out yourself. By all means give it another once-over tomorrow. Naturally it would be better to not lose any coolant, but I don't think a cup every three or four months is enough to panic about. Just check it regularly on your trip. And personally I would NOT put stop leak in the coolant system. Good luck and, again, have a great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 +1 for no stop leak, that stuff causes more problems then it fixes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StructEngineer Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 (edited) Sounds like you're steam cleaning one or two of your cylinders. I personally wouldn't take it unless I absolutely had to. Granted it's a 2.2 and not the POS 2.5, you still shouldn't be losing that much coolant so often while daily driven. No big deal if you top her off every gas stop, but if you start getting air into the system it's another story.... Edited April 12, 2009 by StructEngineer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11pies Posted April 13, 2009 Author Share Posted April 13, 2009 I was this close || to buying some AlumiSeal at Autozone. While the cashier was ringing me up, i decided to return the bottle back onto the shelf and find that leak. Sure enough - While I was looking on the L side around the timing belt cover, the leak was dripping down the R side. It was leaking a small drop from the top right-side radiator hose, and the drip was traveling behind the inner timing belt cover, on the firewall side, where I couldn't visibly see it if I was looking in from the front. Problem solved, new hose, Leggie is road-trip ready, got peace of mind, and a new knowledge of the cooling system. Thanks guys. Thank you for all of your help on my first posting. I'll be leaving for Portland, ME in about 5 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Problem solved, new hose, Leggie is road-trip ready, got peace of mind, and a new knowledge of the cooling system. Yay! Success! Tragedy averted! Now you can smile as you drive. Enjoy the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11pies Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 Thank you again for all of your helpful comments. The trip was a great success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now