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1998 Forester Overheating

I just bought a 1998 Forester with around 149k. I got a steal on the car ($1k) as it had a known overheating problem. Just curious if anyone has had a similar issue to this..... It will run at normal (midway temp) all day long if moving down the road, but as soon as you come to a traffic light or let it idle, it will overheat within a couple of minutes and sometimes quicker. The cooling fans are functioning and supposedly the t-stat and water pump have been replaced. The kid I bought it from's mechanic suggested to me that he thought it needed head gaskets at least, and probably heads. I still have doubts about this, and am thinking about changing the t-stat and flushing the cooling system first. Anyone have any ideas? Oh by the way, I already purchased a set of heads, just in case...... I couldn't pass up the deal at $150.

Reply to
jhay77
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Definrtly try to see if there is a 'bubble' of air in the cooling system. There are 2-3 approaches, but, park on an incline or ramp with the nose up. Confimr that the climate system is set on max heat, you have a good rad cap and T-stat, good hose to the o'flow bottle and open the radiator and top up with coolant - be prepared to wipe up any spilled coolant as it is quite toxic to mammals (dogs,cat,kids - seriously, a dog or cat can die from licking up just a little) and start the car. make sure it runs until the fans come on and 'normal' temp is reached, maybe 'rev' it slightly a coupla times, top up radiator if necessary, top up o'folw bottle to max level, replace rad cap and let sit till it cools (overnight works). Double check before starting that the level in the radiator and o'flow are OK. Drive and monitor temp gauge and o'flow bottle. If at anytime you see bubbles coming outta the raditor, could be exhaust gasses from a blown gasket. There is extensive discussion of this issue, try searching this group, and over at

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Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

Reply to
othelloperrello

I'm pretty sure the fans are functioning correctly, unless there is a 2 speed switch/relay and the fans are never making it to high speed. I am a former saab technician, and we had a lot of problems with variable speed fans on 9000's. Maybe this is a similar issue? Either way, thanks for the help.

Reply to
jhay77

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