Is this anything other than a head gasket?

[foam-n-fibre]

Hi group, I've got a 99 Outback with what I think is all the signs of an internal head gasket failure. Suddenly losing collant, overheating (either due to lost coolant or exhaust in the colling system), coolant reservoir is super full, and it smells like exhaust, and there is white foam floating in the reservoir, along with a few black bits. I also noticed a bit more white exhanst that usual, though still not much, earlier today, and sometimes you get the smell of coolant after the car is stopped.

 

The only weird thing is that I also seem to have issues with the rad cap not allowing collant back into the system as the engine cools. After topping the system and limping home with lots of easy coasting, I let it cool and the hose on the right side of the rad at the top was fully collapsed due to suction, until I opened the rad cap.

 

I'm kind of thinking that I have a problem with my rad cap AND my head gasket. But, it would be nice if SOMEHOW, this could all be traced back to a rad cap. Wishful thinking? Or could this be something other than the head gasket? If I'm going to sell the car as-is, is it worth throwing any money after trying to investigate this more?

 

Thanks,

Peter

[idosubaru]

sounds like headgasket but it's smart to make sure it's not something simple like a cap (a few dollars), thermostat ($12), or radiator, or a leak somewhere else. thing is any leak on these engines can cause overheating.

 

but it does sound like typical EJ25 headgasket.

 

if the car is in good shape it could still be a great candidate for another 100,000 miles or so.

 

i'd plan on replacing everything - headgaskets, timing belt, timing pulleys, tensioner, and water pump, as well as reseal the oil pump and replace the cam seals. make your decision based on that cost - which is probably around $1,500 to have it repaired somewhere.

 

being an interference engine, it's 10 years old and those components are ready for a change anyway. a complete timing belt job runs $800 or so, so you're not paying much more than that really.

 

it's a great deal for another 5-10 years or 100,000 miles depending on condition and you like the car.

[davebugs]

Head gasket, everything else is symptoms other than the white foam. But that could be oilish stuff mixed with the coolant.

 

You may have other issues but I believe the classic head gasket job will solve your issues.

 

I think the rad cap appears not to work (all the time with HG issues) because the air in the radiator can't suck the heavier fluid out of the overflow. But I'm just guessing.

[foam-n-fibre]

With the coolant reservior very close to full, the coolant only has to be pulled up about an inch or 2 to get back into the rad, so for sure there is a rad cap issue.

 

Here's a few more thoughts/symptoms: When the temp gauge was really high, you could hear the sound of boiling in the engine block (or it sure sounded like it). I was able to intermittently get heat from the interior heater, and the hose on the right side of the rad was hot (normal kind of hot, not super hot). If it was a thermostat issue, would the rad hose on the right side of the rad at the top be hot, or would it stay cool until the thermostat opens?

 

The car has an unknown mileage on it since the speedo and odometer have been intermittend working for maybe 1/3 of the time for the last 3 or 4 years. It's for sure over 300,000 km, close to 200,00 miles. Leaking gas tank when full, dead A/C, dead rear wiper, oil drips, a bit of rust at the back corners of the rear wheel wells. Not much in the way of new expensive work done on it recently, so it might be time to cut my losses if this is a head gasket. But, it's been 100% reliable, never a breakdown or non-start ever, so can't complain.

 

Thanks,

Peter

[subaru360]

If it was repeatedly overheated and has 200,000 miles, I would not invest the time and money into the 2.5 engine. Especially if it was bad enough to smoke out the exhaust. My advice is look into buying a complete 2.2 engine. It's an almost direct replacement and available cheap if you want to keep the car running. All the info is on here if you search.

[Fairtax4me]

Really depends on how much you like the car as to if its worth fixing or not. Though to be honest, at 200k, and having all the trouble that the car has, it's probably best to scrap it. There are plenty of others out there in good shape for less than it would cost to fix everything that's wrong with yours.

 

The collapsed hose is just an indicator of bubbles in the cooling system. (air, exhaust, etc.) Foam in the coolant is a sign of a head gasket failure.

[Rooster2]

Here's a few more thoughts/symptoms: When the temp gauge was really high, you could hear the sound of boiling in the engine block (or it sure sounded like it). I was able to intermittently get heat from the interior heater, and the hose on the right side of the rad was hot (normal kind of hot, not super hot). If it was a thermostat issue, would the rad hose on the right side of the rad at the top be hot, or would it stay cool until the thermostat opens?

 

When hot, you hear a boiling sound, intermittent heat, are again indicators of a bad head gasket. What happens on this type of motor is that the bad head gasket allows exhaust gas to enter the cooling system. The super hot exhaust gas gives you the boiling sound, and since the water pump doesn't pump both water and exhaust gas very well, the heater doesn't work well.

 

One guy with your problem loosened the bleeder bolt that is located at the top of the radiator on the passenger side. That allows some of the exhaust gas to exit the radiator to somewhat minimize over heating a bit. It is a bandaid fix, but it can help a bit.

[foam-n-fibre]

Thanks for all the help guys. I think I'm going to be upgrading to a newer outback. I think it is confirmed that this is not anything other than a head gasket, and while I consider myself a handy guy, engine replacement or redoing the head gasket is not something I'd be doing myself. This car does have enough other minor issues that I could throw a lot of money at it, more than it's worth. If I'm looking at something in the '01 to '04 range, any obvious problems with certain years that I need to watch out for?

 

Thx,

Peter