[UUNCNDL1]

Okay, our daughters car overheated tonight driving back to school in Ballston Spa NY from Burlington, VT. She turned it off at the Stewarts and it's being towed to Queensbury, NY to the dealership by AAA. They will be checking it out (we're in RI) but daughter goes to school in Cobelskill, NY. Any comments and thoughts you can direct our way? Appreciate it much. We bought this car three years ago with 60,000 miles on her. Now has 120,000 miles on her having the timing belt, head gasket(s), water pump etc at 80,000. Oil changes every 3-4 K miles and nothing else except new tires in three years. Overheating to me in cold weather means either cooling system (radiator water pump etc) or the head gasket. Please let us know your thoughts. Much appreciated

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

might be able to make some educated guesses if we knew if the system was low/empty of coolant or if the overflow tank was full or possibly some other detail - probably best to wait for the shop to examine it.

 

[UUNCNDL1]

over heating

might be able to make some educated guesses if we knew if the system was low/empty of coolant or if the overflow tank was full or possibly some other detail - probably best to wait for the shop to examine it.

Point well taken.
Some causes google found:
http://autorepair.about.com/od/enginetroubleshootin1/a/Figure-Out-Why-Your-Car-Is-Overheating.htm
She's 200 miles away and we can not go up till the weekend. Yes, the shop will examine it and give their diagnosis and estimate. It's been towed to North Country Subaru off the northway in Queensbury, NY. Regards,
cleve

 

[idosubaru]

Generally can go in this order, the first item can be done immediately by any driver, the first 4 can easily be assessed on the spot as well.
1. When overheating does the cabin vent blow hot air continuously (first minute or two will always be hot).
2. Coolant level?
3. When running hot are the radiator fans coming on?
4. Any fluid dripping under the car or wetness in engine bay?

First thought is simply low on coolant or air bubble (that is most likely if work was just done on it).

Until you know that it's all speculation...coolant leak, hoses, radiator, fans not coming on, thermostat, heads, etc.

What headgasket was used - Subaru or an aftermarket?
Was the coolant conditioner added?

 

[DavidPeab]

I'm glad your daughter is OK. Can be kind of daunting to be left stranded. Thanks for AAA.

+1 with 1 Lucky Texan, certainly something the dealership can diagnose and fix. More than likely cheaper to have them do it than pay to have shipped home for you to do.

 

[CNY_Dave]

It could even be just the radiator cap.

Ours looked perfect but had a tiny bit of crud under the refill valve.

 

[RedGeminiPA]

Could also be sludge built up in the overflow bottle, and the tube coming out of the top is submersed down in it. Pull up on the tube about an inch or so to see if it returns to normal.

 

[UUNCNDL1]

Thank you Everyone! Update...Subaru Service just verified "Blown Headgasket". She's been regularly serviced since purchased 3 years ago with 60,000 miles...now has almost 120,000 or so. No major service except for regular lube-oil-filter and a new set of tires. This head gasket failure is depressing as that was done at around 80,000 along with the Timing Belt. Our RI mechanic says he used Subaru head gasket. Yes, the conditioner had also been added.
Estimate is $1,300 +/- depending on what is found when they tear into her.
The "after" story is that the first sign of failure was the heater quit blowing warm air (the dash running lights were out...hmmm, why don't they ever keep you updated on the "little" things?). She says she pulled over right away so hope fully no other damage to engine. I'll have to read up on the head gasket thread(s). Thanks again to everyone for your responses. The only good news is that this repair will be covered for the first year with unlimited mileage, AND the estimate is less than we had figured.

 

[subiesailor]

Thank you Everyone! Update...Subaru Service just verified "Blown Headgasket". She's been regularly serviced since purchased 3 years ago with 60,000 miles...now has almost 115,000 or so. No major service except for regular lub-oil-filter and a new set of tires. This head gasket failure is depressing as that was done at around 80,000 along with the Timing Belt. Yes, the conditioner had also been added.
Estimate is $1,300 +/- depending on what is found when they tear into her.
The "after" story is that the first sign of failure was the heater quit blowing warm air (the dash running lights were out...hmmm, why don't they ever keep you updated on the "little" things?). She says she pulled over right away so hope fully no other damage to engine. I'll have to read up on the head gasket thread(s). Thanks again to everyone for your responses

If I were you I would be hitting up the 80,000 mile hg shop for some money.

My experience with blown HG's is that they are only as good as the hands that do them. I had a Toyota that blew three HG's in three years all redone by a Toyota Dealer. The third time they flew in a Toyota tech to teach their guys how to do it right. I didn't hold on to the car long enough to find out if the pro actually did the HG right.

My 2001 Subaru on the other hand had the driver side HG done by the dealer at 65K - it was perfect and leak free at 180,000 miles when I sold the car and bought a new Subaru. As I said the hands that do the HG are just as important as the job its self.

If you have this dealer do the job - get in writing a 5yr warranty on the work!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[punt speedchunk]

I second subiesailor. If the HGs were done right 40,000 ago, there should be no issues. The correct way to do the job is to pull the engine. When the job is done in-frame, it's very difficult to clean the block properly, and very easy to damage it while trying to do so. The head bolts can't be torqued properly while the engine is in the car. The guy in RI very likely owes you some money.

Make sure that the quote from the NY dealer is not for an in-frame job, although it likely is. They like to do them fast and dirty, and get them out the door. So much the better for them if you're not a regular or local customer. Since the car's been overheated, the block and heads will need to be checked for warpage. I'd try to find an independent Subaru specialist who will do the job right. I realize that you're in a tough spot, and I sympathize. It's not right that you've treated the car well, dealt with the HGs already, and now it's an issue again.

Incidentally, the 2nd gen OBs don't generally develop the internal leak, although I have seen it a few times. Do we know if the overheat was caused by low coolant due to an external HG leak, or was it an internal with cylinder pressure in the coolant passages? If it was internal, that's pointing right at the guy in RI, if you ask me.

 

[UUNCNDL1]

Looks like it was an internal leak via HG on drivers side based on the dealership service opinion. This baby is getting sold as is where is and will look for another Subaru with low miles on her. Thank you for all your thoughts and comments

 

[susiemk]

Strange that the car had an internal exhaust leak (overheating) - sohcs usually have external hg failures (leaking oil / coolant) - sound's like the Hg's were not installed properly.

If you do HG's on a ej25 again use the MLS 2004 STi HG's as it seems that Subarus equipped OR properly repaired with OEM MLS HGs do not have HG failure issues.

I've heard of dealers doing the HG's "in car" which helps turn-around time / frees the mechanic up for another job, but quality of the repair may suffer.

 

[UUNCNDL1]

Head Gasket failure

Strange that the car had an internal exhaust leak (overheating) - sohcs usually have external hg failures (leaking oil / coolant) - sound's like the Hg's were not installed properly.

If you do HG's on a ej25 again use the MLS 2004 STi HG's as it seems that Subarus equipped OR properly repaired with OEM MLS HGs do not have HG failure issues.

I've heard of dealers doing the HG's "in car" which helps turn-around time / frees the mechanic up for another job, but quality of the repair may suffer.

Yes, you are probably correct. Thank You. We have sold the car and bought a New Impreza. Regards