Subaru - Overheating - Legacy - Radiators :: 2001 - Coolant Cap On The Reserve Blown Off
May 3, 2015
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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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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Last week I drove my 2007 Honda Odyssey with about 100k on a 4 hour trek in the cold, and all of the sudden the heat stopped working. The fans were blowing, but warm air was not coming out. It was Christmas eve and nothing I could really do about it, so let it be. Drove another 10 minutes that night with no heat to my destination, and many hours later still Christmas eve I drove another 15 minutes. Heat didn't work, but car operated just fine.
Christmas day, drove the car for about 20 minutes with no heat, and all of the sudden the temperature gauge skyrockets, and the engine light goes on, the car is clearly overheating (could smell smoke from the engine). Let the car cool for the rest of the day, check it and there is no coolant at all. Had a local mechanic check some other things like the thermostat but found nothing, so refilled the coolant, and drove 4 hours again with no problems--heat works and everything. I was expecting to have to stop all the time to refill the coolant, but didn't have to because it never leaked on the entire trip. I took the car to the Honda dealer and they check it and find no leaks and nothing else wrong with the car, and offer no explanation on how the coolant magically disappeared, only confirming that they cleaned coolant which had leaked/spilled all over. The only possible explanation was that I had some work done on the car a few months ago (new belts) and the mechanic I used didn't flush the coolant properly.
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I've been driving a 2006 Liberty with 110,000 miles and have had no problems for about 6 months. I didn't get a tune up at the behest of the previous owner who had showed me records of the last time he had it tuned up. I didn't notice that he hadn't flushed the radiator, however. Since the cold weather started, I've been very cautious and making sure not to cold start. On my way home from work, I was stopped at a red light, started to accelerate and heard and felt a POP that felt like the transmission slipping or something to that extent.
I noticed the car started to overheat. I pulled over, and being the rushing idiot that I am, I decided to open the radiator cap. I didn't hurt myself but coolant leaked everywhere and along with it were chunks of rust. I had a lot of trouble turning it over to get it home but ended up doing so and it didn't seem to run any worse, sans the overheating and cloud of coolant. I'm so nervous to take it to a mechanic and see the monetary damage. From the description, what I'll be in for? Did I damage it further by repeatedly trying to turn it over??
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2005 Hyundai Tiburon Keeps Overheating
I live in Washington State and have a 2005 Hyundai Tiburon with less than 110,000 miles. I have had it for 5 years, and have not had any issues with the car until recently (last 2-3 months). My car overheated on me back in May while out running work related errands. I was able to leave it parked downtown while my husband took a break from his job to come pick me up. Since then, it has continued to overheat every time I drive it.
The temperature gauge climbs into, or dangerously close to, the “red Zone” within the first 10 minutes of driving. The first couple of times the car overheated, if I was using the air conditioner, it would start blowing hot air instead of cold air and the air would stay hot. Now when I drive the car with the air conditioner on and it over heats, it continues to blow cold air (if that matters at all).
My super handy husband (a certified motorcycle mechanic) has done the following in an attempt to fix the car:
•Checked coolant levels
•Topped off coolant
•Bled coolant system and added yet more coolant
•Replaced the thermostat
•Replaced the radiator cap
•Water pump was replaced November 2012 (not even a year old yet)
The radiator cap was the most recent fix. It was replaced on a Wednesday evening after testing it and finding that the existing one was not maintaining the proper PSI. The car drove great around town for two whole days without any issues (Thursday & Friday). Saturday, I decided to take it on a longer drive out of town to see if my good luck would hold…it didn’t. I drove a total of 30 miles round trip and my car started overheating after about 20. I limped back into town and barely made it back to our apartment.
My car continues to overheat!! What is going on?! So confused and frustrated I’m hesitant about taking it to a mechanic who, my husband is convinced, will just charge me to check all of the things he has already fixed.
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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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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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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 friends mechanic is telling him his 2000 outback (2.5 4 cyl) has a blown head gasket. there is NO water leaking/seeping out from anywhere outside the motor AND there is NO water in the crankcase motor oil. the thermostat has been replaced. the cooling fans work. I'm inclined to say it's a plugged radiator. he is considering replacing the head gasket (to the tune of $1500+) on advice of his mechanic. is it possible to have a blown head gasket and not be leaking coolant?
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Check out the pics, noticed car was overheating, let it cool down, got it home and found this broken hose (it was a crack in the hose before I broke it all the way taking the throttle body off). What is the part number for this hose and what else I should be looking for now that the car overheated?
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Acquired a 1997 Subaru Legacy a few weeks ago. Drive it for a prolonged time in the heat, at speed, and you can smell warm coolant from the engine compartment. And the temperature gauge hovers in the middle of the dial, no matter what.
My wife explained the smell away by guessing she'd spilled coolant when she topped it up. But it's been weeks since she did that. Also - this sucker drinks coolant. I'm guessing every 2-3 days I'm adding another gallon.
It occurs to me that ... maybe .. a leak on top of a pipe so the coolant doesn't drip out, but the loss of pressure (from the hole) causes the fluid to boil and flash out? This might explain the 'higher than I'd like to see' operating temperature.
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I recently bought a 2002 prius with 65000 mi. I have been driving it for a few weeks and everything seems to be working good. I noticed there was no engine coolant in the reserve bottle and added a quart to bring it to the full line. The next day I noticed leaking coolant, but it is on the drivers side where I believe only the inverter components are. I really don't know though. The engine coolant level has dropped down. Does the engine coolant flow over on the drivers side? I cant tell exactly where the leak is.
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I recently had a new engine and radiator installed in my 1993 toyota pickup. I checked the coolant and oil every day since the install, then drove it 250 miles or so without checking the coolant, and found that all the coolant was gone from the reserve tank, and there was a sludge at the bottom. I don't see any leaks, and the thermometer indicator was normal.
I don't understand where the coolant could have gone, given that it's a totally new motor and new radiator, new hoses. I'm worried about the competence of my mechanic, not noticing a dirty coolant reservoir and maybe messing something else up.
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I bought my Subaru in 2004 with 14,000 miles on it. The check engine light began coming on soon thereafter. The Subaru dealer has replaced my catalytic converter (the so-called problem) -- 3 TIMES up to 85,000 miles. The check engine has continued to come on and it goes off since then. Mostly, it's on, but now and then, it goes off. I bought my own diagnostics kit because I got tired of taking it in every time the light came on. I'm told it's the usual problems plus they usually have me get the oxygen sensor repaired. I've also been told to make sure my gas cap is tightly closed. Still the check engine light continues to come on and now and then it goes off (it's currently "on").
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I had overheating problem on the highway. Towed car to Automotive Clinic - They said I needed new radiator and hoses, so I installed. Couple weeks later, overheats again, this time said I need new head gasket, so I go ahead. Soon as I get back, my car overheats AGAIN. Now back in the shop, and they told me the head gasket blew again...they have taken all apart, and now say they can't find out whats wrong. The coolant is leaking, but they don't know why...it failed hydrocarbon testing. What can it be?
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Have a 2000 subaru outback 2.5l, automatic, with about 245k, I replaced the thermostat,water pump, the radiator and the car is still overheating. both fans are working. no leaking coolant. Maybe this is related- over heats mostly when driving on the highway. But if a shift the gear to neutral and coast for a minute the shift back to drive the temperature gauge goes down. Whats wrong, running out money fixing the car, but love it driving it in the snow.
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Have a 2001 Subaru Legacy GT, 5 speed manual, 194,000 miles.
A few months ago, I started noticing that my cooling fans are running more often. Even when it is cold out and the temperature gauge was at normal temperature. The fans would turn on, and just keep running. Obviously, they would turn off when I shut the car off, but if the car is on, they will stay on. However, I found a trick to get them to turn off. If I am in neutral, and I race the engine up to around 3000 RPM's or so for about 10 seconds, and let it come back down to idle speed, the fans are now off. Works almost every time, not just a coincidence.
I know my car, and this has never done this before. I know it is not normal. I have replaced the following- thermostat, coolant temperature sensor, flushed the system, changed the fan relays, and most recently, I put a brand new Subaru radiator in. All of this, and the issue is still there. I am beginning to wonder if it is the water pump. Coolant not circulating fast enough, so the fans come on to cool down, but when I race the engine, the water pump works harder circulating coolant faster? Also recently, the temp gauge starts to climb going up long steep grades. If I pull over and race the engine, the temp gauge drops almost immediately back to normal. The pump is not leaking or making any noise, so I'm not sure if it could go bad any other way.
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I have a 2001 Subaru legacy outback station wagon that is making a rotational squeeking/screeching noise from a passenger side wheel (haven't determined which one). I hear the noise when I am going slow, below 20 mph, though I can't tell if it is still making the noise at higher speeds. It stops completely when I apply my brakes. The brakes and tires were replaced within the last 3 months, this noise has been occurring for much longer than that.
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I have a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder. A couple of months ago the check engine light came on and the temperature gauge quickly hit the roof. I was able to pull it into my mechanics shop before any damages was done. They looked at it and said I needed a new thermostat and housing. A few weeks later the temp gauge again went up to near the top. I live, work and shop all in a close radius so am not in my car for long periods of time but the gauge seems to measure high after about 20 minutes of driving in the city (no more than 45 mph) with the AC on.
I turned off my AC and took the car back. They then replaced the fan belt and clutch that engages the fan. Took the car home and two days later temperature was up again. Took it back and they said they had not realized my car had a second thermostat so they changed it (at no additional charge "since they didn't catch that up front") - they kept my car for 2 days. A couple of days later the scenario replayed itself. I took it back in they changed the sensor to the temp gauge (at no additional charge) tested it and still overheated so now they have now also flushed radioator 3 times for any debris. They have had my car for three additional days now.
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I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey touring model. Recently I had it serviced at the Honda dealership. In addition to my requested front end alignment and oil and filter change, they talked me into a radiator flush, fuel inj. service, air filter replacements and battery service. I drove the car home after wards even filling up with gas before going home. This drive was about 55 miles. I never noticed any problems. The next day, I left for Montghomery AL towing a trailer with a motorcycle trike on it. We stopped for lunch and continued. The car suddenly started making a grinding noise from engine compartment and suddenly white smoke started coming out from the hood. I immediately pulled over and we got out of the car for fear of fire. This was the first time I had any indication of a problem.
After a short time, I opened the hood to see what was wrong and noticed that the radiator cap was sitting upside down next to opening. I had the vehicle towed to Chattanooga where I was told there was serious damage to the engine. I had them repair it (they were an AAA approved towing and repair shop). I also took pictures of the engine compartment. I went back to the dealership and asked to be reembursed for my expenses and the cost of repairs and the owner refused. He said he didn't believe they left the cap off and since he started out in the service department he didn't believe the car could even go that far without overheating. My question is: Is it possible for a 2007 Honda Odyssey to travel approximately 220 miles over two days before overheating and wrecking the engine if the radiator cap was left off and/or if no fluid was even added and the radiator cap was left off?
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