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Car overheating at idle


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So I left the office at lunch today to go let the dogs out. On the way back to the office, I pulled into the McDonalds drive-thru that is down the block from my office. For some reason, they were extremely slow today and I was probably sitting in line for 5-10 minutes (I know i probably should have said screw this, but i was hungry and out of options). It's 76 and sunny out today and i rarely use the a/c, but sitting there in the sun it got a little warm. I turned on the a/c and got cool air for about 30 seconds, then it turned to warm air. I immediately noticed that my temp gauge was slowly creeping up on the red area. I got my food, and proceded to drive a block back to my parking garage. When I parked, I opened the hood and noticed that neither fan was :spin: .....

 

So I'm thinking bad fan relay? Anything else I may want to look into? Any advice is greatly appreciated as I have never had this happen before!

 

Thanks in advance!

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Got home this evening and the car seemed fine. It's only a short drive, and the air has cooled off a bit. I let it idle in front of my house and the temp didnt really seem to rise much at all. The fan on the drivers side did kick on, which wasnt happening earlier. I think my car is possessed.
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This happened to me after leaving the dealership. Supposedly, there was an "air bubble" in my radiator after they flushed it for 30K maintenance. The temp. gauge slowly rose into the red at idle, but went back to normal shortly after.
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The car has been fine the past couple days... I just dont get it. I dont understand why the fan would not work one day, then be fine the next. Fuses were fine, coolant was at normal level. The only thing i didnt test were the relays but that wouldnt explain why the fan has run since Monday.

 

It really must have been pissed about sitting in the McDonalds drive thru like you said. haha guess I'll just be keeping an eye on it for a little while.

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The car has been fine the past couple days... I just dont get it. I dont understand why the fan would not work one day, then be fine the next. Fuses were fine, coolant was at normal level. The only thing i didnt test were the relays but that wouldnt explain why the fan has run since Monday.

 

It really must have been pissed about sitting in the McDonalds drive thru like you said. haha guess I'll just be keeping an eye on it for a little while.

 

Thats funny, I was at McDonalds yesterday and the car had a fit! It was running rough while I was sitting at idle, very wierd!

 

I wonder why the Legacy hates McDonalds? Or is it Subarus in general? Maybe it would rather prefer a burger grilled over a campfire in the rugged terrain of the Appalachian Mts.? I think it craves adventure.

 

BTW, I have seen your pictures on Facebook in the Subaru Legacy group :)

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This happened to me after leaving the dealership. Supposedly, there was an "air bubble" in my radiator after they flushed it for 30K maintenance. The temp. gauge slowly rose into the red at idle, but went back to normal shortly after.

 

I agree with the air bubble idea, which is an easy fix. With the engine completely cooled down take off the radiator cap. Turn the car on and let it idle, watch the open nozzle of the radiator and if there are air bubbles in the system you should see them rise to the top and or see a slight drop in the antifreeze level.

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Thats funny, I was at McDonalds yesterday and the car had a fit! It was running rough while I was sitting at idle, very wierd!

 

I wonder why the Legacy hates McDonalds? Or is it Subarus in general? Maybe it would rather prefer a burger grilled over a campfire in the rugged terrain of the Appalachian Mts.? I think it craves adventure.

 

BTW, I have seen your pictures on Facebook in the Subaru Legacy group :)

 

 

Yeah I do agree with the hamburgers over a campfire... but it will have to wait until next weekend for that.

 

I forgot I put some pics up on the Legacy group on Facebook. That seems like so long ago haha. I just took a couple more pics this past weekend... I'll put them up this morning.

 

Also, I'll have to check for the bubbles in the radiator. I'm not sure how they would have developed, but hopefully that was part of the issue. It still doesnt explain why neither fan was running when I pulled into the parking garage :confused:

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btw I put a couple more pics up on the facebook group, as well as the atlantic blue thread here... nothin special done with the car, just out for an afternoon shootin some pics

 

I will send you a friend request on facebook, btw

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I know im coming into this kinda late but i noticed you said that you turned the A/C on and then the temp gauge started to rise. I live in Pottstown PA and know that its been pretty dam hot for the past couple days. Have you used the A/C and noticed any thing?
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I'm taking my car up to the dealership tomorrow morning to have them look at this. This has happened to me a few times now, sitting at a drive-thru and having the temp. gauge needle slowly rise into the red. It is fine when I'm moving though. I did take the radiator cap off at idle, and I did notice a few bubbles come to the surface. It seems when the needle rises now, its not as quick. Still, I'll report what I find out tomorrow.
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I'm taking my car up to the dealership tomorrow morning to have them look at this. This has happened to me a few times now, sitting at a drive-thru and having the temp. gauge needle slowly rise into the red. It is fine when I'm moving though. I did take the radiator cap off at idle, and I did notice a few bubbles come to the surface. It seems when the needle rises now, its not as quick. Still, I'll report what I find out tomorrow.

 

Cooling fan relay needs to be replaced. Other 06 Legacys at the dealership have had the same problem. Getting this fixed tomorrow.

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