Subaru - Legacy :: 1997 - Overheating / Steam Coming Out From Radiator
Oct 24, 2014
I have a 1997 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited, ~180,000 miles. It has been a good car but we've run into some problems the last few months. About a month ago we were driving back from vacation and experienced a loud belt squeal from the engine. Had a nearby mechanic look at it -- turned out it was a timing belt pulley which we had to have replaced.
Now, a couple weeks ago, the day after getting my fluids changed, I was driving over the mountain on another, shorter, trip and experienced sudden overheating - steam coming out from the radiator - lots of discouraging gurgling and clunking sounds as liquid moved around. Had to have it towed 40 miles back home.First thought being a Subaru person -- head gasket. A couple of mechanics nearby when I was broken down on the side of the road gave that as a preliminary diagnosis as well.
Unfortunately, we were leaving for a week on another trip, so I had to wait to have my car looked at until we got back -- about 2 weeks. Now my regular mechanic takes a look -- he says it isn't the head gaskets, but a hold corroded in the bottom of the radiator that the coolant is just pouring out of. Also the fans aren't working. F
I have heard that most people get their radiators replaced before it becomes clear that it is a head gasket issue. So I am very nervous that this issue is actually a head gasket and that for whatever reason my normal mechanic can't find the signs for because it was sitting for two weeks, or for some other reason. He's not a Subaru specialist. I asked specifically that he check the head gaskets and he says no oil in coolant, coolant in oil or sweet smell from tailpipe.
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My car was starting to over heat and I wasn't getting any heat thru the vents. Thermostat was replaced and so was the radiator cap. The coolant reservoir is still topped off, and doesn't seem to be getting sucked thru to the radiator. If I pour coolant directly into the radiator, car temp stays even, and heat eventually does come thru vents, better while driving. But, I still get steam/smoke coming from radiator cap. I cannot be buying and pouring coolant into the radiator everyday. I have a 99 Mitsubishi Eclipse with approx 140xxx miles...
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So after hitting a deer in my car a few weeks ago I fixed it and drove it around town a little bit and it ran fine. But 15 mins onto the highway the next day it overheated. It was out of oil, which I had checked a couple days before when I fixed it. so after it had cooled down I filled it up with Coolant and oil and started driving it home. the roads where bad and I wanted to go easy on the engine so I took it at about 25-30 MPH. as I was driving it would slowly overheat, but I could get it to start cooling down but dropping it into neutral and just letting it idle while I coasted. I had to get off the frontage road and take the highway the last couple miles before town so I turned the engine off and let the fan run for about 20 mins, and started off again, the weird thing was when I got on the highway I was doing about 55Mph and the engine didn't try to overheat at all, but as soon as I got back in town and started doing 25 again it started overheating again. another thing that is happening is that the car will blow air through the heating system but won't heat it. I realize that was long but I'm really at a loss. I replaced the head gaskets less than a year ago so it's not from worn gaskets.
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No white smoke, no water in the oil. I think the antifreeze is not circulating. thermostat? plugged radiator? faulty water pump? air blocked? I have had heat in the car when the gauge is on "H" and then cool air when in the same place. Have loosened the radiator cap and the engine appeared to cool off quickly then when it got up on "H" again opening the radiator cap just to relieve pressure did nothing.
The next time i let it idle and it started to come down, then accelerated to 2000 rpm and it cooled quickly. The next time repeated this same type of thing and did no good. Next time the gauge said "H" i kept moving and the heater blew hot air for 4 miles then it blew cold air?Start with a thermostat? Try bleeding the heater? replace radiator? take a compression test?
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I drive a 2000 Subaru Legacy and the radiator fan does not always come on. This sometimes makes the car run hot but has not (yet) put it into the "danger zone" overheating. It seems to happen if the car is in stop and go traffic and it's hot outside. If I'm driving down the highway or the weather is cool it doesn't happen.
I checked the fuses (yes, even the ones under the hood) and they are all fine. I am just curious if there is a sensor that could be the problem or if it is more likely the thermostat. It didn't quite fit the descriptions I found for thermostat but I'm a broke college student trying to keep an old car on the road, not a Subaru mechanic
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We hear a horrible metallic clunking or cracking noise - only occasionally - when coming to a gentle stop, like at a stop sign. The noise is coming from the driver side front and happens more often when the car is stopping gently on a flat or slight downhill. It does not seem to happen when we stop on an uphill. It does not happen during sudden stops. A mechanic recently replaced the driver side tie-rod, thinking that would solve the problem, but it didn't. The same mechanic looked at the brakes and found no apparent problem. The sound is very loud and sounds almost like something is settling.
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Hitting a diagnostic dead end here - car wants to overheat/drink coolant on hot days when inevitably the A/C is on. A/C fan never comes on. Car was in a front-ender accident about 18 months ago, could be related, unclear. The A/C condenser was damaged then, but I replaced it, recharged the system, and the A/C now blows nice and cold. I've swapped the fans and the same fan works fine when plugged into the other side. I've swapped the fuses.
I've taken a working relay (as the other fan stops when I pull the relay out) and rotated that relay thru the other 3 sockets with the engine and A/C on. Still no movement. So I'm a bit stumped puzzled as to what to consider next, and then a part of me started to wonder if the fan is the red herring, and might I have a radiator issue which is the real culprit. I don't see any leaks. I had the thermostat fail about 1-2 months after the accident but a shop replaced it and this overheating issue really only flared this summer. This is a 99 Subaru Legacy SUS Sedan, the 30th Anniversary edition, with 189K+ miles, so minimal expenditure is the game plan.
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problem is the my 1998 Legacy (142K) overheated this past weekend. It shut off and I had it towed to a "new" mechanic around the corner from my house. He diagnosed the problem as being a faulty thermostat. He replaced the thermostat and returned the vehicle to me. Two days later my wife was driving home and the car had a major overheating incident with resulting serious mechanical failure. I did a little research and within about five minutes found that this problem is quite common for this car and is more commonly related to a head gasket issue. My question is should this mechanic be held responsible in any way for the misdiagnosed problem? If so, what would be the best course of action? The car was otherwise running fine and in fact I recently had the transmission rebuilt.
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So this car is having overheating problems -- it's a 2001, Subaru outback legacy wagon, 125,000 miles on it, automatic. I was driving it an hour on the highway, pulled off an exit, it overheated and stalled. Got it into a gas station only to find the coolant cap on the reserve had blown off and coolant went everywhere. So i put new coolant and water in and got it to go 20 minutes only to overheat again.
Drove it back home blowing the heater and seemed to somewhat remain at 1/2 to 3/4 mark on the temp gauge. Then i took it to shop-- they said probably an air bubble that worked its way out?! and they basically did nothing. Drove it again an hour this weekend, same thing happened--drove it back with the heater on. Brought it to ANOTHER shop that first off thinks its the timing belt. The person i bought it from had head gaskets, timing belt, water pump and thermostat all replaced. The only thing they were told to do was flush the radiator which they did not do.
SO...what do i do? I'm taking it to yet another place and don't want to be ripped off -- Change the radiator cap? Could it be one of the parts blew again? They were replaced last year. Should i flush the radiator-- what would that do really? Could it be an electrical/fuse problem with the fans?
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I have an 04 gti 1.8t and last night it started over heating. I pulled over and checked the coolant and the oil but everything looked good. I let it cool down and drove it home. When I popped the hood there was a little steam coming from the coolant overflow tank but I saw no leaking. I decided to vent the pressure off the system and then I got a little drip on the passenger side close to where the inter cooler is. I can't pinpoint the leak though.
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I just received this car as a freebie but it has come with an issue or two. The most pressing is a cooling issue. They gave it to me with the words, "The radiator leaks". Upon some testing this doesn't seem to be the whole picture.
1) If I fill the radiator up, leave the car parked over night, the next morning the radiator is still full. so I assume it is leaking from steam venting or from something else.
2) The car overheats very fast when the AC is on and the vehicle is stopped. Within about 10 minutes it went through every drop in the radiator.
3) When driving with the AC fan on medium speed, it can go a solid 30-45 minutes with no issue.
4) If I turn the AC fan on to high it takes a matter of minutes for it to begin to over heat.
A friend mentioned something about a weeper valve? I know very little about cars. So if there was any insight as to what it may be that would be excellent.
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I've had my Subaru for 8 yrs and never had a problem with the A/C, even in 100+ degrees of Arizona. I always had to turn down the temp. I've been in Maryland for nearly 4 yrs and it's worked fine even on very hot and humid days. In March I noticed that it didn't seem as cold as usual. I also didn't hear the compressor coming on when I turned it on. Mechanic checked it out and said the compressor was working but it probably just needed freon (I hadn't added any since I bought the car). They added a dye in case there was a leak and said I'd be able to tell in 2 weeks if it was leaking, but that the dye is greasy and might actually fix a leak if it's just due to a dry seal somewhere. They didn't charge me for the freon. (These are honest mechanics. I've been with them for several years and they've had numerous chances to bilk me but never have.)
Couple weeks went by and it seemed okay, though maybe not quite as cold as when I picked it up. Sometimes I'd drive and it would be very cold so I'd think it was fine, but a few minutes or some time later I'd know for sure it wasn't right. The weather vacillated between hot and cold too, which made it harder to tell. Finally the past 2 weeks it got really hot and I knew for certain it wasn't putting out cold enough air. Yesterday was in the low 90's and I was sick from the heat while driving. Only felt like a fan blowing. I left it at the mechanic's today. They just called and said the vent temp is normal and there are no leaks. They're going to check for an electrical problem, as I also have a brake light that blows on a regular basis. (Though he said those aren't on the same circuit)
As far as my operating behavior, I don't turn it on and off all the time, and once it's going for a few minutes I put in on recirculate. I'm the only driver.
1999 Subaru Legacy sedan, 160K miles
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Have a 1997 Subaru Legacy 2.2 liter. Having stalling issues after 20-25 minutes of driving. Will restart but gets shorter and ashorter intervals between stalls and then stalls right after start every time until in has sat a while and cools down. Changer ECU.
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I hear a thumping sound in the rear of my '97 Legacy wagon (Brighton model). The sound occurs when the car moves. Once the car has been running for several minutes the sound goes away. What is the cause and fix?
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All lights/radio etc. come on but my car won't start at all. There's a leak in the engine (see photo) and I'm wondering if this is the problem...or an additional problem and if it's something I could fix on my own.
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There is a knocking, hesitation in the wheel rotation? transaxle?
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After having the wheels aligned, my 1997 Legacy wagon developed a vibration. It started to shake at about 60 mph. Now it vibrates when the car is "under load", going up a hill and accelerating . The vibration disappears on the down hill or decelerating. I had the drive shaft rebuilt ($500.00), and the problem is basically the same.
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My truck over heated and I now have a looks like a pin hole leak next to the front injector on the left side looking at it. I have used sealers and it does not work. Water pools around the injector. Does this sound like a cracked intake housing? I have done many repairs but this is something I'm not sure I want to do. I can get a new intake setup for 160.00 on rock auto but ford would be in the 300 or more just for the part.
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I have a '95 Subaru Legacy L Wagon AWD 5-speed manual shift. There a new noise that seems to be coming from the front half of the car. I can't really describe the noise, but it only happens when all three conditions are met. If they are, the noise is continuous.
1.) The car has to be in gear--not neutral. But it doesn't matter which gear. I tried revving the engine in neutral, but nothing happens.
2.) I have to be accelerating on the gas petal. If I let off the gas--even if the engine and vehicle speed haven't yet dropped--there's no noise.
3.) Engine speed needs to be at or above 2,000 RPM. It gets louder at higher engine speeds, but it's pretty much proportional to the "normal" noises at higher speeds.
What might be causing this?
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Today I opened my oil fill cap while my truck was running to find a milky substance on it and then noticed lots of steam coming out of the oil fill. I assume this is a head gasket as I have hard miss at idle on cylinder number two and cannot get it fixed. So far I have replaced a plug hoping it would fix the problem, it did not. I also noticed my temperature gauge going from normal range all the way up to the hottest it can go. Is all this just a coincidence or am I looking at a blown head gasket? 1997 4.6L F150.....
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What would cause the vechile to die randomly, while driving? have check all ground wires, coolant, spark plugs, air filter, and changed fuel filter. no check engine lights come on.
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