Alexis90 Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 I have a 2002 Subaru Legacy L AWD Sedan. About a week ago I noticed the cooling fan spinning up really high, and I kept my eye on temp to make sure it wasn't overheating ( which it wasnt at the end ). Earlier this week I drive it to work and about 20 minutes later it start to overheat. Weird thing was, if I let go of gas and left it there ( of course it would heat up a bit ) but then stay at that current temperature. I haven't driven it since because I went out of state, but when I go to clear some snow and turn car on ( put more coolant to test some more ). No leaks when cold, no leaks when running for about 10 minutes. Get to operating temperature, nothing. Once it stay in operating temps for about 5-10 minutes this the fan kicks up high. I go outside and check under car and I see this. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EbzCIFwgPE18i7OjHTlpfDIKUM_7TjHK/view?usp=sharing I bought this Subaru because I wanted to learn about cars, and so far I figured out some neat stuff, but what could be causing this? Clog, thermostat? Bad radiator? Water pump? I don't know the location of where the pump or thermo is, so if anyone could help me out . If I have to take it to a mechanic, I'd at least have a lot of information to give them and where to look/ start. TL;DR: Look at the google drive link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttnio Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) head gasket been replaced since? it is a head gasket failure symptom. welcome! Edited February 8, 2021 by ttnio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis90 Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) Yeah, when I got the car the person said he replaced it. Dang, head gasket eh? Oof. And thanks for the welcome Edited February 8, 2021 by Alexis90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 Find where the coolant is coming from. Top of engine, hoses, water pump or what? Does it only leak under pressure? Have to find the where before we can help. O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis90 Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 Find where the coolant is coming from. Top of engine, hoses, water pump or what? Does it only leak under pressure? Have to find the where before we can help. O. Okay, I'll be doing more testing tomorrow when there is more light out. This was when it was in idle for a bit and I turned it off immediately when I heard the fan spin up. Was clearing snow so I didnt wan't to be out much longer. I'll be posting my finds tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublechaz Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) +1 to Osei. Let's actually look at the car for a sec before we jump to head gasket and pay big bucks by saying 'head gasket' to a mechanic. edit: Finally got the video to work. That is absolutely not a head gasket leak shown. It is either the lower radiator hose, or the radiator near where the lower hose goes in. You can't drive it or even run it much with a leak that bad. First is to get a look from close up when it isn't scalding hot to see exactly what is leaking and then we can go from there. Edited February 8, 2021 by doublechaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublechaz Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 A couple points to watch out for since you said you are new to this. Never use any kind of water in the cooling system besides distilled unless it is a 'get me out of downtown Detroit' emergency level. In that case, use the cleanest purest water possible. Doing this work will get a lot of air into the system that has to come out before you can drive it normal. There are some special tools that help a lot, but the simplest, if you can manage it, is to have the front of the car significantly higher than the rear. If there is enough air in the system it can make false readings on the temperature gauge to where you can be seriously overheating and not know it. Before I had special tools and more than very basic knowledge I did burp out that air by driving at high engine RPM (low gear) up a very steep hill very close to my house. Worked a treat, but if you don't have such a hill closer than normal warm up time, or you would like to do it more correctly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis90 Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 Thank you all so much for the replies. I appreciate it, and appreciate how the Subaru community is so tight packed and helpful. @doublechaz, I will be looking over it with my dad today ( hopefully ) and give more accurate assessments. But I am prepared for worst case. If it's the worst case, I will use whatever spare cash I have ( around 1.5k-2k$ ) for a down payment on another car ( do love this dam 02 Legacy though. My goodness this thing is tough as hell, got me through a lot of close calls and eats snow for breakfast and stable as hell ). I also never put water in the cooling system. I had about 2 gallons extra ( I had overheating issues with a Jaguar and Honda before this ) and decided to be prepared in case it happened again. I am not pouring European model anti-freeze in this Subby though. Only the ones recommended to me. I filled up the reservoir before I even turned the car on ( noticed it was low, when the car was cold ) and when I noticed the fan kick up on super ultra high mode I immediately turned the car off and inspected it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis90 Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) Double Post: My dad came over and we inspected the radiator and oil, etc. Radiator was bone dry and we filled it all the way up ( no leaks ), and the oil looked normal, not milky ( milky is bad, right? ) No excessive white smoke coming out of the exhaust. But the strangest thing happened. After we filled it all the way up. I drove it a good 6 miles, ( in Boston thats a good 20-40 minutes depending on traffic ). It went up hill, downhill, idle in traffic. Meter didnt go above operating temperature, and we pulled over and 0 leaks. There was nothing near as ridiculous as the video I posted. Literally nothing was coming out No trail of coolant on the road, no fan kick up, no hose leak, nothing. It was as smooth and normal as when I purchased it about 2 and a half years ago. Do you think there could be a small leak in the hose/ water pump and over time it just drains it, but very slowly? My guess is, they'll do a pressure test and see where it's leaking from ( if any ) on the system. Father got lazy and took it to a mechanic who is a family friend since they were kids. ( honestly though, it was like 20 degrees F when he came ) Hopefully I'll hear back in a couple of hours. Edited February 8, 2021 by Alexis90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublechaz Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 I don't expect it to be worst case. Probably the leak happens when the system is good and hot and pressure is up from that. Could also have an intermittent problem with the radiator cap that builds more pressure some times than others. I'm sure that garage will have you sorted out in no time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis90 Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 I don't expect it to be worst case. Probably the leak happens when the system is good and hot and pressure is up from that. Could also have an intermittent problem with the radiator cap that builds more pressure some times than others. I'm sure that garage will have you sorted out in no time. We pressured tested it, and they confirmed it. It just seemed to be a leak with the lower water hose. The one that is under the coolant reservoir tank, just below the cooling fan. The big one that connects to the lower part of the radiator. If any more symptoms develop I'll post here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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