Coolant overflow tank full, overheating?

Greetings -

Our 2003 Subaru Outback is overheating, however when I opened the hood... the overflow tank for the coolant was full to the top and spilling over some.

Any idea what could be going wrong here?

Appreciate the help or advice. Thanks, Mahala

Reply to
alaskapodshow
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Welcome to the 2.5L "Blown Head Gasket" club!

Yep, you read correctly. These engines blow headgaskets like timebombs.

Reply to
Porgy Tirebiter

Can you be more specific in what your suggesting this as the issue. I'm not sure i get that feeling as much as I feel the water pump or thermostat.

At further examination, the engine runs fine... When I observe coolant from the radiator top, I don't see it flow anywhere. It just sits there in contrast to the past. I tested the radiator cap and seems functional. However, once the engine overheats, it pushes into the overflow. It would seem water is not flowing anywhere and only backs up into the overflow tank. Water pump? Thermostat?

Interesting as well I notice the bottom hose on the radiator is leaking a little and could pressure be the issue with no flow?

Sorry to challenge you or ask so much... Mechanics in the past have scammed me before... The more I know the more I feel confident interpreting a mechanic suggests so I can save myself time and money and actually get the right problem solved..

Thanks for the response!

Reply to
alaskapodshow

It's *possible* its a stuck T-stat, but do a headgasket leak test (the one where it looks for combustion gases in the coolant). Water pumps usually do not fail to push water, but leak and finally grenade. Check the upper and lower hoses to see if both are hot. The 2.5 engines are VERY prone to "Hot spotting" if there is any air in the system,or coolant missing in the system. This will generate steam in the system and destroy the gaskets. The waterpump should be replaced at the same time as the timing belt.They are in the same location and it's actually cheaper and better to R/R them with the belt. Are you hearing *Gurgling* in the heater coil?(Blown gasket) Are you seeing wild "Excursions" of the temp gauge?(Stuck T-Stat) Squeeze the top hose when cold, it should be soft. Start the engine and see if it gets stiff in a few minutes.If it does, its pressure from compression and not water pressure.(Head Gasket) Look for bubbles in the coolant, does it smell like exhaust?(Head Gasket)

My money is on the Headgasket.....

Reply to
Porgy Tirebiter

Porgy could be right, however, his diagnosis is more appropriate to a late 90s engine. OH - do you have a 4cyl or an H6? Somtimesa radiator cap will fail to allow coolant to flow back into the radiator during engine cooldown. That 'should' happen even if the t'stat is not opening. The lack of flow is probably your best observation and likely the t'stat is 'stuck' closed. Please use OEM when replacing as some folks claim some aftermarket units are inferior. If you DO experience overheating that CAN of course lead to a headgasket leak. There are tests for that as mentioned. Was any work dobe recently that required opening the coolant system? If air is not very thoroughly 'burped' from the system it can fail to circulate properly leading to hot spots and overheating. Make darn sure anyone that refills the system knows Subarus require xtra attention.

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

There is a simple way to test the thermostat:

  • Remove it and place it in a pan of water on your kitchen stove.
  • Heat the water and observe the thermostat.
  • If the water boils and the thermostat fails to open, or doesn't open fully, then it's time for a new one. If you have a thermometer you can place in the water with the stat, you will get a good idea of when the stat opens and closes.
Reply to
TheManFromUtopia

Yea, you could also just watch your temp gage for awhile after you start the car for the first time that day, while driving. The gage should rise slowly and eventually drop back down to normal, before it hits the hot mark. If it does, it's ok. Much easier this way, yes? :O) Of course I assume all Subs have temp gages. All mine have, so far.

Reply to
Bob Noble

My hypothesis would be that as the engine cools, it sucks air in through the leak hole rather than sucking the coolant back from the overflow tank.

When next you start the engine, the air trapped in the engine heats up quicker than the coolant, and expands quickly, forcing the coolant out the easiest way

- through the radiator cap.

Next time it cools, it sucks in more air, and blows out more coolant.

After a few cycles, you end up with a lot of air in the cooling system. Air is not as good at conducting heat as coolant, so you get hot spots inside the engine. This often leads to blown head gaskets. (And a blown head gasket leads to exhaust gas in the cooling system, making the problem worse.)

Having gone through this recently on a 1991 L series, I have been talking to lots of repairers. Several of them volunteered that if a Subaru engine has been overheated through loss of coolant, it is almost certain that the head gaskets (and even the heads) are damaged.

Bad luck if this is the case. Make sure next time that leaky hoses are fixed ASAP.

David

Reply to
David Morrison

replying to Porgy Tirebiter, guardian wrote: I get so sick and tired of people jumping right to the head gaskets as the problem when there are so many other (less costly) possibilities that warrant checking first.. Bubbles in the radiator does NOT only mean head gasket problem! Having air in the line does this as well. So, simply bleeding the line of trapped air can remedy that problem.

Reply to
guardian

Very old thread, but valid question.

Five years ago my 2000 2.5l Impreza developed a bad case of bubbles in the overflow tank and radiator. I was fearing a headgasket problem and even pondering a sale of the car.

Replacing the radiator cap fixed the problem 100%

Basia

2000 Impreza L Coupe 2013 Forester XT
Reply to
abjjkst

BTW, Subaru is one of hard to bleed air from cooling system. Youtube shows how to do it properly. It is time consuming. Probably because it is flat engine....

Reply to
Tony Hwang

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