Topic: car overheating (Read 1904 times)

rshaw123 · « **on:** February 15, 2010, 10:02:42 AM »

I have a 97 legacy that is overheating like the title said.

The car keeps creating an air bubble behind the thermostat (or that is at least what the garage told me the last time this car did this). i was told to pull the thermostat inorder to see if the car would curculate the anti-freeze, but i couldnt get a seal on the thermostat cover to run the car without losing all the fluid i just put in. Any suggestions on what to do to stop the car from overheating?

Kavik · « **Reply #1 on:** February 15, 2010, 01:00:41 PM »

I think I'm having that same issue. It doesn't overheat, but it get's up to temp really fast on the gauge, but the car isn't really warmed up, doesn't give heat out of the vents, etc. I haven't had it checked out yet, but I'm assuming air bubble behind the thermostat too.

Try this for a temporary only fix. When the temp gauge rises, floor it to redline just for a second then let off it again. When I do that my temp gauge drops right down to normal, then it runs fine. Seems to force it open and get the air to pass through. But, I stress the 'temporary'. Just swap out the thermostat and some new coolant....those two things are a LOT cheaper than an overheated engine

rshaw123 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2010, 06:48:28 AM »

Quote from: Kavik on February 15, 2010, 01:00:41 PM

I think I'm having that same issue. It doesn't overheat, but it get's up to temp really fast on the gauge, but the car isn't really warmed up, doesn't give heat out of the vents, etc. I haven't had it checked out yet, but I'm assuming air bubble behind the thermostat too.

Try this for a temporary only fix. When the temp gauge rises, floor it to redline just for a second then let off it again. When I do that my temp gauge drops right down to normal, then it runs fine. Seems to force it open and get the air to pass through. But, I stress the 'temporary'. Just swap out the thermostat and some new coolant....those two things are a LOT cheaper than an overheated engine

yeah i put in a new thermostat and coolant and it still was overheating, i have it over at my cousin's house (blackparis) and he is working on it to find the problem

StripesRX · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2010, 07:52:45 AM »

Did you burp the system?

Sometimes theres a crap load of air in the system and you can get rid of it by filling the radiator up most of the way and gently squeezing the radiator hoses. Keep on squeezing and filling until you don't get any air bubbles. Subie thermos are touchy about air and such, happened when we drained the coolant on my dads '99 outback.

Hope its just air in the system!

deadlydave · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2010, 08:06:45 AM »

Quote from: StripesRX on February 16, 2010, 07:52:45 AM

Did you burp the system?
...Hope its just air in the system!

As previous owner of the legacy in Paris' yard (the one on cinder blocks), try 'burping' the coolant with the front end on ramps or jack stands. The bubbles will more easily move forward to the radiator. Sometimes you have to fill, run it for a while, fill, run for a while, etc.

Capitalandmotors · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2010, 09:07:48 AM »

i have one of these spill free funnels for coolant systems. works great everytime.

the funnel screws on to the radiator and you fill it with coolant. Then i leave the car running making sure i keep coolant in the funnel and the bubbles make there way thru the systems, It some times takes up to an hour or more to get all the air bubbles out.

rshaw123 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 16, 2010, 12:14:36 PM »

Quote from: deadlydave on February 16, 2010, 08:06:45 AM

As previous owner of the legacy in Paris' yard (the one on cinder blocks), try 'burping' the coolant with the front end on ramps or jack stands. The bubbles will more easily move forward to the radiator. Sometimes you have to fill, run it for a while, fill, run for a while, etc.

yeah I tried draining all of the air out of the system by opening the bleeder valve in the back of the block, it ran fine for about 10 minutes then it started to heat up again. It did this before but the mechanic i took it (last September) to said that he thought it was the head gasket but he thought he got a seal and the car ran fine up until two weeks ago. And the legacy on cinder blocks has helped me to keep my car going, I have some of "Red" in my car.

BlackParis · « **Reply #7 on:** February 16, 2010, 02:33:08 PM »

Quote from: deadlydave on February 16, 2010, 08:06:45 AM

As previous owner of the legacy in Paris' yard (the one on cinder blocks), try 'burping' the coolant with the front end on ramps or jack stands. The bubbles will more easily move forward to the radiator. Sometimes you have to fill, run it for a while, fill, run for a while, etc.

Red has been downgraded.. The blocks were needed in the garden.. LOL

Yeah she has moved up the hill and is now resting on the ground.. SHe should be fully parted, and disposed of sometime this summer.

And yes.. I did Help him do everything that has been mentioned.. Going to try one more time. And fred I did have one of those coolant caps.. I think it got borrowed and never returned.

9925leggy · « **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2010, 12:32:10 AM »

i had the same problem with my 99 leggy after tearing the motor apart it was a hairline fracture in one of the heads that was eating coolent not enough to put it into the oil but enough for it to overheat and cause me many headaches and many shops a head scratch

rshaw123 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2010, 10:27:00 PM »

Its doing it again

the car keeps filling the coolant system up enough to put an air bubble somewhere in the car. I have no heat and the car overheats itself. I love the car but I cant afford it, everytime I fix something, something else majorly fails.

Quote from: 9925leggy on March 16, 2010, 12:32:10 AM

i had the same problem with my 99 leggy after tearing the motor apart it was a hairline fracture in one of the heads that was eating coolent not enough to put it into the oil but enough for it to overheat and cause me many headaches and many shops a head scratch

What did you end up doing for this

9925leggy · « **Reply #10 on:** March 17, 2010, 08:22:02 PM »

sold it and bought my 04 wrx lol it was such a headache that i finally threw in the towel too much time + money

rshaw123 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 18, 2010, 09:17:43 AM »

Quote from: 9925leggy on March 17, 2010, 08:22:02 PM

sold it and bought my 04 wrx lol it was such a headache that i finally threw in the towel too much time + money

Thats what I was thinking that you were going to say.

Im at the point where I have put in too much money but because I put so much in, I dont have the money to move on to a different viehical.

skyphix · « **Reply #12 on:** March 18, 2010, 09:23:35 AM »

Listen to what capitaland says. Put the front on ramps, put that funnel thing in, and let it sit there running while you keep the funnel full for up to or over an hour. Have you done this? Air can be trapped in a lot of places. It took a shop, force feeeding water through my cooling system (in my Buick), almost 2 hours before all of the bubbles were out. Air traps can be a PITA.

rshaw123 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 18, 2010, 09:27:07 AM »

Quote from: skyphix on March 18, 2010, 09:23:35 AM

Listen to what capitaland says. Put the front on ramps, put that funnel thing in, and let it sit there running while you keep the funnel full for up to or over an hour. Have you done this? Air can be trapped in a lot of places. It took a shop, force feeeding water through my cooling system (in my Buick), almost 2 hours before all of the bubbles were out. Air traps can be a PITA.

My cousin (Black Paris) had the car over at his house and did all of this and I've done it a few times myself and at a few different shops drain the air out of the system. The car keeps pulling more air into the system it seems.

skyphix · « **Reply #14 on:** March 18, 2010, 01:06:29 PM »

Reading Comprehension beat me there.

Have you checked for cracks in the thermostat housing? The reason you couldn't get a seal is because the only gasket there is actually attached to the thermostat. IIRC the thermostat housing is plastic and could develop a crack.

Capitalandmotors · « **Reply #15 on:** March 18, 2010, 02:53:15 PM »

If you have done all that then i thnk it is headgaskets are leaking. probally putting compression gases into the coolant system

Kavik · « **Reply #16 on:** March 18, 2010, 04:10:51 PM »

http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Detail.aspx?R=BK_7001006_0254158357

followed by a uv dye to test for miniscule coolant leaks if the combustion test comes up negative? that'd be my suggestion.

I had a tiny coolant leak that I could never find because it was dripping onto the headers and evaporating without leaving puddles

rshaw123 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 19, 2010, 02:18:52 PM »

Quote from: skyphix on March 18, 2010, 01:06:29 PM

Reading Comprehension beat me there.

sorry i didnt reread my last reply, I was trying to say that all of the previous list has been done several times since October.

Quote from: skyphix on March 18, 2010, 09:23:35 AM

Listen to what capitaland says. Put the front on ramps, put that funnel thing in, and let it sit there running while you keep the funnel full for up to or over an hour. Have you done this? Air can be trapped in a lot of places. It took a shop, force feeeding water through my cooling system (in my Buick), almost 2 hours before all of the bubbles were out. Air traps can be a PITA.

Quote from: Capitalandmotors on March 18, 2010, 02:53:15 PM

If you have done all that then i thnk it is headgaskets are leaking. probally putting compression gases into the coolant system

Ive been wondering that because the underside of one of the gaskets is always damp and Black Paris said that would be the next step if what he did before didnt fix the problem.

mrplow83 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 22, 2010, 08:57:52 PM »

I went through everything you have done on my 98 Outback. The final fix was to yank the heads off and replace the gaskets. It doesn't take much of a hole in the headgaskets to make the coolant system gurgle and play tricks with the temp gauge. You can pull them off without yanking the engine, just unbolt the engine mounts and jack onside up at a time. When I did it, I yanked the whole engine replacing timing belt, thermostat, waterpump, and every gasket from the block out and up. I took the block to Clifton Park Engine Rebuilders and they cleaned the whole engine, checked it for any cracks, and stared reassembly. They did a great job and the car ran like a raped ape until I sold it to buy the LGT.

rshaw123 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 24, 2010, 05:45:24 PM »

Quote from: mrplow83 on March 22, 2010, 08:57:52 PM

I went through everything you have done on my 98 Outback. The final fix was to yank the heads off and replace the gaskets. It doesn't take much of a hole in the headgaskets to make the coolant system gurgle and play tricks with the temp gauge. You can pull them off without yanking the engine, just unbolt the engine mounts and jack onside up at a time. When I did it, I yanked the whole engine replacing timing belt, thermostat, waterpump, and every gasket from the block out and up. I took the block to Clifton Park Engine Rebuilders and they cleaned the whole engine, checked it for any cracks, and stared reassembly. They did a great job and the car ran like a raped ape until I sold it to buy the LGT.

yeah I might do this if the car overheats again but right now its running fine

. The guarage that towed my car, said something that made me start thinking. In August my brother hit a deer and the car was totalled but I fixed it. The owner said that the plastic fins on the waterpump might have broken during the acciedent or the seal was broken on the waterpump. Could this cause the problems im having (its an easier fix then head gaskets)?

Brendin87 · « **Reply #20 on:** April 06, 2010, 12:07:50 AM »

Just an idea and a quick fix, but since it's getting warmer out you could just take the thermostat out. It won't over heat if you do. Again this is a quick fix.

rshaw123 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 11, 2010, 07:51:42 PM »

yeah i was considering that if i have to run the heat on another 90 degree day

rshaw123 · « **Reply #22 on:** June 19, 2010, 04:32:23 PM »

car still overheating and its getting expensive trying to fix the problem. After running for about 30 minutes the temperature gauge starts to spike, it sometimes go down to where its supposed to sit after i run the heat for a few minutes. There is also a smell of burning anti-freeze. thermostat is working the way its supposed too and I'm going down to advanced to run the codes to see if the car is throwing any codes. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Roger

BlackParis · « **Reply #23 on:** June 19, 2010, 10:34:59 PM »

More info..

Car has a P0400 - EGR flow

And the EGR tube is Cut. IDK if this would have anything to do with overheating.

rshaw123 · « **Reply #24 on:** June 22, 2010, 01:20:39 PM »

so I replaced the waterpump in my car but its still overheating any suggestions to what to do next?
Roger

Author Topic: car overheating (Read 1904 times)