versacewagon Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Spent the past few hours searching these forums for information but couldn't find anything, so apologies for making a new thread. Car is a 1996 Legacy Outback EJ25, 195K miles. Radiator/hoses were replaced 40K miles ago, water pump replaced 50K miles ago- those parts were replaced with OEM components at the dealer by previous owner. Vehicle started trying to run hot if engine speed exceeded 4,000 RPM, but remained completely normal otherwise. Replaced radiator cap, thermostat, and drained/filled radiator twice yesterday. Since replacing those parts, now it just wants to spit coolant back out of the radiator cap at any engine speed. It'll literally spew every drop of coolant from the radiator out of the top if I let it idle with the cap off. Seems that there's some serious blockage in there somewhere for it to wanna do that. Sh*tty radiator design won't let me look down in there to see if the water pump is circulating coolant through there or not. No leaks at radiator itself or at thermostat housing to my eye. As far as I can tell there's no air trapped in the lines anywhere, doesn't bubble up when the coolant rushes out of the top. Cannot drive car without engine temperature rising. Haven't allowed it to run super hot as of yet, god knows I don't wanna deal with head gaskets and related issues so I just shut it off when I see the needle start to climb. Thinking it's either A) bad water pump, B) faulty thermostat, or C) clogged out radiator. I mean, those are the only things it could be, right? Hell if I know. All I know is that I'm up sh*t creek without a paddle if I don't figure this out soon... can't bum rides to work and class forever. If anyone here has any ideas or input I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 did you use ''subaru'' t-stat? this is a must. did you ''fill and burp'' properly? search for "how to fill and burp your cooling system" posted by me. and finally, hopefully not , under possible causes, D) bad head gaskets since you live in south alabama, freezing is not a huge threat. i recommend plain water temporarily until you figure it out. in this order: 1/ subaru t-stat, a must if you want to keep the car. 2/ refill and burp the system properly 3/ drive it until it starts to overheat, if it does. then look for bubbles in the overflow bottle on the rad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGR81 Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 It sounds like a head gasket issue. Those engines have a problem with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90Legacy Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Id try replacing the thermostat. Far as i know they aren't very costly. Maybe someone put it on backwards, then go from there. Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90Legacy Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Oops I just realised you already replaced the t-stat. Nvm Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
versacewagon Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 So, I think I'm f*cked. The bleeder screw by the upper radiator hose is broken off at the screw head. My plan of action at this point, seeing as I have virtually no cash and a very small amount of time to get back on the road, is to gut the old thermostat and run the car like that until I can fix things properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 speaking of old t-stats, before you gut it, compare it to the ''current'' one. if the old one is bigger or taller , reuse it. i have been online reading ''fixes'' for subarus for almost 10 years. and never in that time have i read a difinative post about a ''subaru'' t-stat going b ad. tons of posts about replacing t-stats. and plenty of posts about aftermarket t-stats being crap and causing overheating, but never a post about a subaru made t-stat causing an overheating problem. INSTALL a subaru t-stat, fill and burp correctly. uintil you have done this you do not KNOW what the problem is. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
versacewagon Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 thanks for the advice, man. fill and burp correctly. I found your post about that, you made mention of having to remove the bleeder screw during the filling process but mine is broken off at the screw head. think I'll be okay to drill it out and use a different screw in its place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rideredmx38 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Take off your top radiator hose from the radiator and poor your coolant into it so it goes directly into the motor until it won't take anymore. Then fill up your radiator with the hose still off when it starts coming out your radiator put the hose back on. Works great that way. And you don't have to mess with the bleeder screw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 thanks for the advice, man. I found your post about that, you made mention of having to remove the bleeder screw during the filling process but mine is broken off at the screw head. think I'll be okay to drill it out and use a different screw in its place? yes, you can replace that bleeder. i did the same when i dropped mine in my front yard in the dark and lost it. i ended up replacing it with a stubby bolt i had in the work room, it was metal so i didnt even match the threads. its still in there now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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