overheating

Hi,

Sounds like you nailed it: air in the system's not unusual. Some Subies have an air bleed valve on/near the radiator. Sorry, I don't remember which ones, but if you tell us what car you're working on, I'm sure somebody can help more.

If your car's like mine, an older one without a bleed valve, you can try what "usually" (note the quotes) works for me. After draining the system, I refill it about halfway, then start the car with the radiator cap off. Be sure the heater's on full (most Subies I've seen have a constant flow heater, not a water valve, but it's still a good idea), let the engine run at idle to warm up. Watch the water level in the radiator, and add water slowly as it goes down, but keep the level below the height of the top radiator hose fitting so air can escape. By the time the t-stat opens and you feel the top radiator hose getting warm, you should have most of the air out. Shut off the engine and let it cool. When it's cool, slowly fill the radiator to the top, and fill the overflow tank. Put the cap on, start the engine and run it again until it gets up to temp. If everything's ok, then drive around the block a coupla times and watch the gauge. If it's still doing fine, you should be good to go, but check the level in the overflow tank daily for a few days until you're sure.

OTOH, if you're still seeing things get a little too warm, let the engine cool, siphon some coolant out of the radiator, to below the top hose fitting, start the engine with the radiator cap off, and repeat the drill. Sometimes it's necessary to "force" the air out by running the engine up to speed a few times, but expect plenty of splashing coolant all over if you have to resort to that method, and you'll want to clean it up immediately to keep from endangering any pets who are attracted to it.

Hope this helps,

Rick

Hi, thanks for the offer to help. The car is a 1997 Outback with the 2.5 engine. It is airconditioned. There is the radiator cap on the drivers side of the radiator and there is what appears to be a small cap on the passangers side that is capped with a screw in plug with a phillips screw slot in the top. Again, thanks for helping. Rick

Great advice Rick, and I agree air-lock sounds like the OP's problem. I've had this happen with my '90 Subaru 2.5. I think it's inherent with the horizontal engine design. You have to really be careful to take your time and get all of the air out of the system. One thing that I found helped (though messy) was to take off one of the heater core hoses to the firewall to initially fill up the coolant, and then to even 'bleed' it from there once the engine is running.

Certainly, make sure you remove the small air plug in the top of the radiator if you have one (don't forget to put it back!). And some jiggling and bouncing of the car/engine doesn't hurt either 8-). John

Agree with other comments about air lock but I do wonder if you used factory t-stat as the replacement. Unknowingly I used a high qlty aftermarket t-stat (paid as much as one from dealer)and found out the hard way the replacement part had only ~60% of the opening (water passage) as a factory one. Had to redo with factory part to address the overheating brought on by the replacement.

Mickey

oven covered for 2 hours. Remove cover, stick a cooking thermometer deep into one of the baby?s buttocks and cook uncovered till thermometer reads 190°, about another hour.

Pro-Choice Po-Boy

Soft-shelled crabs serve just as well in this classic southern delicacy. The sandwich originated in New Orleans, where an abundance of abortion clinics thrive and hot French bread is always available.

2 cleaned fetuses, head on 2 eggs 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 1 cup seasoned flour oil enough for deep frying 1 loaf French bread Lettuce tomatoes mayonnaise, etc.

Marinate the fetuses in the egg-mustard mixture. Dredge thoroughly in flour. Fry at 375° until crispy golden brown. Remove and place on paper towels.

Holiday Youngster

One can easily adapt this recipe to ham, though as presented, it violates no religious taboos against swine.

1 large toddler or small child, cleaned and de-headed Kentucky Bourbon Sauce (see index) 1 large can pineapple slices Whole cloves

Place him (or ham) or her in a large glass baking dish, buttocks up. Tie with butcher string around and across so that he looks like he?s crawling. Glaze, then arrange pineapples and secure with cloves. Bake uncovered in 350° oven till thermometer reaches 160°.

Cajun Babies

Just like crabs or crawfish, babies are boiled alive! You don?t need silverware, the hot spicy meat comes off in your hands.

6 live babies 1 lb. smoked sausage 4 lemons whole garlic 2 lb. new potatoes 4 ears corn 1 box salt crab boil

Bring 3 gallons of water to a boil. Add sausage, salt, crab boil, lemons and garlic. Drop potatoes in, boil for 4 minutes.

Thank you all for the advice. I see that my casual approach of dumping the antifreeze and filling the radiator isn't the answer!! I will go at it again with greater care bleeding the air out of the engine through the heater hoses and heater coil hoses. I can't get to it until Tuesday but I will post the results then. Again, many thanks. Rick

Vegetable oil (or hog fat) Salt, pepper, garlic, etc.

Lightly brown onions, celery, garlic and meat in large heavy pot. Add a little water and the greens (which should be thoroughly cleaned and washed). Smother slowly for at least 2 hours, adding small amounts of water when it starts to stick. Stir frequently. When ready - serve with rice, grilled smoked sausage, green salad, and iced tea. Coffee and apple pie then brandy.

Maternity Ward Pot Luck Dinner

If you can?t get anything fresh from the hospital, nursery, or morgue; you can at least get rid of all the leftovers in your refrigerator.

1 - 2 lbs. cubed meat (human flesh, chicken, turkey, beef...) 1 -2 lbs. coarsely chopped vegetables (carrots, potatoes, turnips, cauliflower, cabbage...) Bell pepper onions garlic ginger salt pepper, etc. Olive oil butter

Brown the meat and some chopped onions, peppers, and garilic in olive oil, place in baking dish, layer with vegetables seasoning and butter. Bake at 325° for 30 - 45 minutes. Serve with hot dinner rolls, fruit salad and sparkling water.

Bébé Buffet 1

Show off with whole roasted children replete with apples in mouths - and babies? heads stuffed with wild rice. Or keep it simple with a hearty main course such as stew, lasagna, or meat loaf.

Some suggestions

Pre-mie pot pies, beef stew, leg of lamb, stuffed chicken, roast pork spiral ham, Cranberry pineapple salad, sweet potatoes in butter, vegetable platter, tossed salad with tomato and avocado, parsley new potatoes, spinich cucumber salad, fruit salad Bran muffins, dinner rolls, soft breadsticks, rice pilaf, croissants Apple cake with rum sauce, frosted ban

butter

3 tablespoons oil

First stuff the heads, or make the patties (see index) then fry or bake. Set aside to drain on paper towels. Make a roux with butter, oil and flour, brown vegetables in the roux, then add chicken stock and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add the patties or stuffed heads, and some loose crawfish, lobster, long piglet, or what have you. Cook on low for 15 minutes, then allow it to set for at least 15 minutes more. Serve over steamed rice; this dish is very impressive!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Babies really can be found under a cabbage leaf - or one can arrange for ground beef to be found there instead.

8 large cabbage leaves 1 lb. lean ground newborn human filets, or ground chuck Onions peppers celery garlic soy sauce salt pepper, etc Olive oil breadcrumbs Tomato Gravy (see index)

Boil the cabbage leaves for 2 minutes to soften. In skillet, brown the meat in a little olive oil, then add onions, peppers, and celery (all

Hi

I am considering buying a 2004 Impreza WRX. I have been impressed by what people are saying about the handling and the power. However, in my research I have found some troubling issues: (1) there appears to be abnormally high degree of paint chipping; (2) the clutch appears to prematurely wear out; (3) brakes prematurely wear; (4) get the extra warranty for the power train (5) warranty is insufficient , i.e. 3 years 60,000 kms; (6) sedans appear to have a very small trunk; (7) problems with the engine idling during cold weather. I am presently driving a 2002 VW Jetta.

I have focused on the negatives since I want to be sure of what I may be potentially getting myself into. I would appreciate your thoughts on this both positive and negative.

Thank you Ed

Keep reading! The folks here DON'T like my comments one bit, call me a troll and other names because i tell it like it is. MOST of the owners have multiple problems with these cars after only a few years. Subaru denys damn near every known problem with their cars. Please read the comments provided by actual owners right here in this forum. These little shit-wagons are pretty quick(when not in the repair facility), but worthless when it comes to resale and reliability..some of the problems.... Engine oil leaks causing fires (oil control valve) Subaru actually admitted this one! POOR fuel mileage for a small car. Engines blowing head gaskets. Premature CV joint failures. Fuel leaks in cold weather. Water leaks into the trunk Alternator too small to keep up with demands A/C & heater performance is a joke Paint is worthless and hood dents if you look at it wrong Windows squeaking Multiple brake problems Resale (in the USA) is ZILCH! as these cars are a bag of crap when new, after it has been raced and abused it's REALLY worthless. This is just the tip of the iceberg..read on IN THEIR WORDS the problems THEY have with these cars.Some will even tell you this is NORMAL with a car of this class (Rally) car hahahaha..yeah right. As far as resale (tradein) and reliability Subaru is right up there with Kia, Daewoo, Hyundai and Daihatsu. Be advised that while Subaru is NOT a Korean car, it's built like one.

>

Let me add another question. Insurance costs? I called my company about several sporty/sports cars and the WRX or STi run several hundred more per year than other cars with similar horsepower. Is this a universal problem?

-John

Try a different insurance carrier.

Those "in-the-know" will increase the charge on an STi, for certain, especially if you fall into one of their high risk catagories: (males,

18-35yrs, breathing, etc). Somehow, this does not seem unreasonable. I would think STi's, especially in the hands of an oversexed, undertalented, too rich skaterboy, is a high risk deal. The car invites aggressive driving and the wing invites aggressive clue light action!

Philip

I've owned 2 Subarus, one a 1998 with over 100k. I've also owned an Audi 100.

The Subarus have been (so far!) far more reliable.

Not that they are without problems. 4wd is more complex and suffers more problems, though the subie CV problem seems very real. I've had no unusual problems with brakes or any clutch issue. I live in the frigid north (it's -10F now and routinely hits -25F). The cars idle fine and start reliably. I live on a dirt and stone road. The paint is not anywhere as good as the Audi's, no contest. But it is not bad, either.

I agree that the warranty should be longer, but I also think the work week should be shorter so I can spend more time with my STi.

The Audi was a much more upmarket car, but it wasn't better quality. I doubt it was even as good.

Philip

The clutch is a common problem issue with bone heads who like to run up high rpm's and drop the clutch. Imagine that! Same issue with brakes. If you want to abuse any car, premature wear is bound to happen in the clutch and brake area. 200 plus HP in an AWD car, add an idiot behind the wheel and you have a combination for trouble.

When I used to drive a DSM and there were lots of kids who smoked their clutch in the first few months of ownership. I had mine for

60,000 and the clutch was working perfectly when I sold it. I think a lot of it depends on how you treat your vehicle. I too have heard the rumor that the Subaru paint is "soft". But, I haven't had the particular issue with mine. I haven't had any warranty issues. And my STi runs and idles fine in the cold weather. The boxer motor does feel different at idle. I seem to have plenty of room for groceries and such. I guess if you are really looking for room you can get the WRX wagon. Subaru's are not known for their great gas mileage. I get between 20 and 24 mpg. But, I don't think that is too bad for a car with 300 hp. But, then again I don't even hit 0 lbs of boost most of the time. And I shift around 3000 rpms. There are some inherent drive train losses with AWD so it will always be a little bit of trade-off in fuel economy. In an earlier post Dr. R. seems to have some huge issue with Subaru's that are beyond rational understanding. I don't even know if he owns a Subaru. And personally, I don't know why he even posts to the group. Apparently, he has no interests in the vehicles other than to bash them. The reason I bought a second Subaru is because my wife drove her Legacy for 160,000 fairly trouble-free miles on a mail route. Take it from me that a mail route will tear the crap out of a car. So, all I can say is that in my situation the Subaru has been a great investment. BlueSTi "Scary-Fast"

Phillip and 'Blue' touch on an issue I think is important to consider. How are these cars being used? Are there more reports of chipped paint simply because other cars are not out during the snow storms?)I think the Kyoto Treaty forced a change away from paint with too many VOCs - all cars may soon have worse paint) or regularly navigating gravel roads? Maybe CV boots,clutches and brakes are getting more severe use/abuse because Soobs are affordable(more kids get them) and sporty/rally type cars? Would your average Civic or Toy hold up as well UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES? The 1/3 or so items on the troll's list that are legit(just exagerrated) may be partly due to Soobs getting an inordinate amount of use in extreme road and weather conditions AND being abused by kids. OK, there is no excuse for the 2.5l headgasket problems. But I recall Toyotas that threw rods and had oil sludge problems. In Japan, Subaru ranks behind Honda and Toyota, but I think they are well ahead of the Korean cars (admittedly Hyundai has made great strides). They are also well ahead of many other cars. The Troll acts like you couldn't buy a car worse than a Soob. I wonder if he has ever owned British or Italian cars? (BTW - my '78 Honda Civic seized it's camshaft and destroyed piston/cylinder #2)

Get what you WANT. just do the research. people continued to buy Jaguars even when they regular won the 'most likely to strand you at the side of the road' surveys for decades!

Carl

1 Lucky Texan

BlueSTi wrote:

This carrier quoted me far lower rates (i.e. $400 lower) for other 300 HP 'aggressive' cars, such as the 2005 Mustang GT. The quote for a plain WRX came in second ($200 lower) behind the STi and above the Mustang. I've got a clean driving record.

Any data or consensus on this?

-John

Insurance actuaries are one step away from witch doctors - who knows what they take into account. The diff may have more to do with parts prices than horsepower.

Carl

1 Lucky Texan

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