Thermostat problem?

[I3mySubie]

I JUST bought a 97 LGT 5spd 6 days ago. It has 121K miles on it. It ran great the first 3 days- now it's been overheating like crazy:spin:- after replacing the thermostat, timing belt & water pump it still overheats. after much research else where on the internet I heard of removing the thermostat- I did it and now it doesn't over heat, but are there any long term problems that could arise from this?? I went thru 2 brand new thermostats that seem to stick shut after 4 miles of drive time and cause it it overheat no mater what- I also heard that Subaru thermostats need to be put in backwards?? any one know if that is true or not? I'm willing to try it but not today I've covered my self in enough coolant for now lol

[rice_rocket]

no T-stat means when it gets cold your car will never warm up.. otherwise in the summer it's not so bad..

 

Don't know enough about Subbies to comment on the rest.

 

Maybe your head gasket is done for.. check the oil for coolant

[Platinum_Racing]

Try it both ways, can't hurt. Just don't drive it if it overheats. The thermostat should generally open with the flow of coolant, not against it.

 

It's not uncommon for thermostats to be bad right out of the box. They are a dime a dozen and it seems the ones you buy at parts stores are certainly made that way. If the car doesn't overheat without the thermostat then the head gasket should be fine, but you should check for oil in the coolant anyway, just to be on the safe side as head gaskets are problematic in engines of that year.

 

If you run with no thermostat it will take you damn near forever to get anything close to heat in the winter time.

 

How about you sell me the car for what you paid for it plus the registration fee and call it even.

[I3mySubie]

Ok so I've been running it with no thermostat and no over heating so it's not the head gasket then right? The thermostat that was in the car from the previous owner was bigger then the one I got from advanced auto ( spring was longer and thicker/wider ), yet the one I purchased tho smaller still didn't work. I've noticed tho that with or without the thermostat the bottom rad hose becomes vaccummed (pinched like) in the middle and when I turn the car off you can hear the pressure being relieved and it goes back to normal sound like some specific problem I'm missing/don't know about to any of you?

[Platinum_Racing]

Ok I think I've got it. The water pump is air locked. There is air in the coolant system, which is creating the vacuum when the engine runs. There should be an air releif valve somewhere on the motor. It should give you some direction as to where it is on the radiator cross member when you open the hood.

 

With the engine cool, remove the radiator cap and fill with coolant. Leave the cap off and start the car. Let the car warm up with a pan underneath to catch any spillage. Once the car is warmed up, give it gas LIGHTLY in an attempt to free air pockets in the system. Leave the car running with the cap off for at least 30 minutes, occasionally giving gas. Every once in a while you should notice bubbles rising from the radiator then a drop in fluid. Refill with fluid everytime this happens until the car runs for at least 10 minutes with no bubbles whatsoever evident in the radiator. This process can take a long time, but it is crucial to prevent overheating/damage to the water pump. You want to burp the coolant system of all pockets of air in order to prevent the pump from becoming air locked.