jras312 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I recently pulled the motor and got the heads checked out/resurfaced when I replaced the HG and now it seems to be leaking again. I've been noticing a faint smell of coolant for a while but nothing has been leaking until recent, it appears that coolant is leaking from the PS head. It's also started to give me problems on cold starts, presumably from coolant being inside the combustion chamber. I noticed the heater wasn't blowing as hot as it should and so the next morning I went to add more coolant and noticed the upper radiator hose was hard, the engine was completely cold from sitting overnight. Now when I started the engine with the rad cap off there was some steam/smoke that came out of the radiator upon start up. So I put the cap on and noticed that when I reved the engine the pressure in the hose would go up, the higher the revs the harder the hose got. I wasn't sure if that would be simply from the flow of the water pump of pressurizing that quickly from combustion gases. The thing is the temp gauge stays almost all the way at the bottom about 99% of the time, would a bad HG not cause overheating? It's got a new sensor and the actual gauge itself is new also. Also has a new OEM thermostat. I'm wondering if the car was severely overheated before I bought it and caused the block deck to warp? So decking the heads didn't really do any good it seems. The engine also has some piston slap, I know that can be from the shorter skirts on the pistons, but could that symptom be amplified from the cylinders being warped from overheating? Or would overheating only distort the deck of the block? I don't really have a problem with pulling the engine again and getting the block machined flat, I just want everything working 100%. So at this point it's either tear the engine apart and get the block checked out and maybe the heads again and throw a new OEM water pump on, flush the system and go from there. OR look for a replacement engine and take a gamble on that. This car has a little rust but the interior is really clean and I think this car is worth it to keep driving, not a bad commuter car. At least until I get another 3000gt lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRuu Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 What gaskets were used, as in brand name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRuu Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 What does your bottom rad hose feel like when it's "warm" after 10 min of driving or so? Have you noticed your fans turn on yet since you refilled the system with coolant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jras312 Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 What gaskets were used, as in brand name? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fit-99-10-Subaru-Forester-Impreza-Legacy-Outback-2-5L-SOHC-MLS-Head-Gasket-EJ25-/370817185366?fits=Year%3A2002%7CMake%3ASubaru%7CModel%3ALegacy%7CSubmodel%3AGT&hash=item56566d3656:g:69EAAOxyY3ZRlnfG&vxp=mtr What does your bottom rad hose feel like when it's "warm" after 10 min of driving or so? Have you noticed your fans turn on yet since you refilled the system with coolant. Bottom hose is cold when engine is hot which I thought was weird. Fans have always turned on, but haven't been able to verify at what temp they come on at. I went to borrow oreilys scanner to see what the coolant read but the wires on the thing were jacked and it wouldn't connect, so I have been meaning to try another store with a different scan tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jras312 Posted February 28, 2017 Author Share Posted February 28, 2017 Well I smelled something funny while driving on lunch just no, kinda like a gear oil smell, so popped the hood in the parking lot and didn't really notice anything or smell anything more at that point. I felt the rad hoses though and the bottom one was warm just as the top one. Fans were not on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 I bet it's the junk Head Gaskets you used. Did you torque the head bolts in the right order? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jras312 Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 I bet it's the junk Head Gaskets you used. Did you torque the head bolts in the right order? I've seen DSM's run high boost with ebay head gaskets so I decided to take a chance. I did follow the FSM for the torque sequence, but I did not replace the head bolts. As soon as I can get another ride I think I'll pull the motor again and try factory HG and have the block deck checked out. Would it be possible for coolant to somehow not reach the sensor causing a low reading? That damn temp gauge has got me stumped. Also, what would it mean if the lower radiator hose was cold when the engine is warm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Also, what would it mean if the lower radiator hose was cold when the engine is warm?Usually that means the thermostat is not fully open. Make sure you have got all the air out of the cooling system, trapped air can cause some strange cooling system behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeuEmMaiMai Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 first stick a hydrocarbon tester in your coolant at the rad cap second, no name gaskets are a no no.... use 6 star or the new updated Subaru gaskets third, is it seeping around the heads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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