98OBW
12-08-2014, 03:29 PM
My 2.2GT lost it's headgaskets, so I thought I knew the tell-tale signs of this happening (overheating, over pressurization, massive coolant loss, no interior heat) - but this has me kind of second-guessing the usual diagnosis.
Car has never overheated, and if anything it always runs cooler than it should. Normal driving according to my Scangauge II is 180-190, very rarely making it higher than that in the two, almost three years I've owned and driven the car. No matter how long the trip or the outside temperature, that's just what it's always operated at. Car has OEM thermostat, when I did the timing/water pump I just swapped it over since it was working OK. Never really used any coolant (continue reading).
Now, I noticed two weeks ago while doing other things, the car was slightly low on coolant. I added a bottle of the Subaru coolant conditioner (since I never did when I did the TB/WP about a year and a half ago) and about a cup of antifreeze. There seemed to be no air to bleed out of the system, and I had the front of the car slightly elevated.
Now yesterday I was on a trip, about 30 minutes of interstate driving (sustained 3.5k RPM) and then about 5 minutes of in-town driving, and then shut off when I got to walmart. Car sat outside for about 30 minutes, and when I started it up the heater was blowing out extremely cold air (it was -15* outside) - but my Scangauge said the car was still 130* and the temp gauge was slightly above the C - showing the car was kind-of warm. I put the HVAC fan on low and drove the car about a mile, where it warmed up about 10* - but still no heat. I parked the car and it sat for another ~15 minutes, when I got back in the temp was 120* and still no heat. Drove another mile, no heat, car slightly warming up, sat another ~15 minutes, came back out and started the car, same situation.
So I started my drive home, car got up to 215* which is the highest I've ever seen it after some stop/go in town (temp gauge on dash was almost half-way). After about 5 minutes on the interstate, the heat came back and the temperature dropped quickly from 210 down to 185, and stood between 180-190 with heat the entire 30-minute trip home.
This morning, being -8* outside, I plugged my car in (Subaru coolant/block heater, Subaru battery warmer & Katz oil pan heater) about an hour before I was ready to head out to work. 10 minutes before I was going to leave I went outside and started it up, Scangauge reported a nice warm 25* water temp (which is usually much higher after being plugged in for a little while). After starting the car I popped the hood to the familiar site of coolant all over the radiator and surrounding area after coming out of the overflow bottle. The overflow was completely dry, and the radiator took about a cup of coolant. I went inside, with no feeling in my fingers, and proceeded to finish getting ready for work. I come outside about 10-15 minutes later, hop in my car (Had the heat on and the HVAC blower on 2) and it's cold as $#% and my windshield is still frozen over. The HVAC is blowing out ice-cold, -8* F@#$ air. I looked down at the Scangauge and the car was at 160*. So I proceed to let out a string of curses as I back out of my driveway and head off down the highway. About 3 minutes into my trip, which seemed like an hour in some sort of a frozen hell, my heater started blowing out warm air. I looked down at the Scangauge, which was showing 210* and watched it quickly drop down to 188* and stay there for the remainder of my 5-minute longer trip through town, where thankfully I had heat - although I couldn't feel it because my fingers had frostbite by then.
It's now sitting outside, and I have no idea what it's going to do in two hours when it's time for me to leave. Similar thing happened to me around the exact time last year with my 2.2GT. I'd be driving on the highway, lose my heat, the temp would start to rise, car would blow the coolant out of the reservoir tank, temp would fall, I'd gain heat back, and I'd have to let the car cool down and refill it with coolant to do that all over again to get home. That car has been sitting since last December with no engine because I haven't had the time to swap another in.
Oddly enough, I have an automatic '98 OBW with the same amount of mileage that runs normal operating temp, but eats about a cup of coolant a week. Never overheated, and it has the Subaru coolant conditioner. Haven't lost the heat in that on (yet) - but it's sitting because both rear calipers went and I haven't had the time to replace them.
Being in the negatives, with about a foot of snow, an only having my driveway and hand tools to work with - doing anything to either car until spring is out-of-the question (although a blast heater, some tarps & cardboard might get those brake calipers replaced). I'd drop it off at the local dealership for at least a diag, but this being the car's last winter, and how hard they screwed me with mounting my wheels - they can get bent. I called the local used subie specialists where I normally get parts (if I don't have any in my ridiculous inventory of 2nd gen Legacy parts), but haven't heard back (they're snowbirds). I have three (well four including the 2.2) other lower-mileage engines, so this one could grenade and I wouldn't care - but it would have to wait until spring!
Seriously, when it's -8* out and you have no heat, that sucks. When it's -18* and you have no heat, that really sucks. When it gets down to -30* and -40* with no heat, it gets tough because your breath instantly freezes to the windshield and you can't see, so you gotta drive with the windows partially down. That REALLY sucks, and it's coming soon.
TL;DR: Car has never overheated, has always run cooler than normal, used a cup of coolant, has intermittent cabin heat, now ate another reservoir tank and cup of coolant.
Car has never overheated, and if anything it always runs cooler than it should. Normal driving according to my Scangauge II is 180-190, very rarely making it higher than that in the two, almost three years I've owned and driven the car. No matter how long the trip or the outside temperature, that's just what it's always operated at. Car has OEM thermostat, when I did the timing/water pump I just swapped it over since it was working OK. Never really used any coolant (continue reading).
Now, I noticed two weeks ago while doing other things, the car was slightly low on coolant. I added a bottle of the Subaru coolant conditioner (since I never did when I did the TB/WP about a year and a half ago) and about a cup of antifreeze. There seemed to be no air to bleed out of the system, and I had the front of the car slightly elevated.
Now yesterday I was on a trip, about 30 minutes of interstate driving (sustained 3.5k RPM) and then about 5 minutes of in-town driving, and then shut off when I got to walmart. Car sat outside for about 30 minutes, and when I started it up the heater was blowing out extremely cold air (it was -15* outside) - but my Scangauge said the car was still 130* and the temp gauge was slightly above the C - showing the car was kind-of warm. I put the HVAC fan on low and drove the car about a mile, where it warmed up about 10* - but still no heat. I parked the car and it sat for another ~15 minutes, when I got back in the temp was 120* and still no heat. Drove another mile, no heat, car slightly warming up, sat another ~15 minutes, came back out and started the car, same situation.
So I started my drive home, car got up to 215* which is the highest I've ever seen it after some stop/go in town (temp gauge on dash was almost half-way). After about 5 minutes on the interstate, the heat came back and the temperature dropped quickly from 210 down to 185, and stood between 180-190 with heat the entire 30-minute trip home.
This morning, being -8* outside, I plugged my car in (Subaru coolant/block heater, Subaru battery warmer & Katz oil pan heater) about an hour before I was ready to head out to work. 10 minutes before I was going to leave I went outside and started it up, Scangauge reported a nice warm 25* water temp (which is usually much higher after being plugged in for a little while). After starting the car I popped the hood to the familiar site of coolant all over the radiator and surrounding area after coming out of the overflow bottle. The overflow was completely dry, and the radiator took about a cup of coolant. I went inside, with no feeling in my fingers, and proceeded to finish getting ready for work. I come outside about 10-15 minutes later, hop in my car (Had the heat on and the HVAC blower on 2) and it's cold as $#% and my windshield is still frozen over. The HVAC is blowing out ice-cold, -8* F@#$ air. I looked down at the Scangauge and the car was at 160*. So I proceed to let out a string of curses as I back out of my driveway and head off down the highway. About 3 minutes into my trip, which seemed like an hour in some sort of a frozen hell, my heater started blowing out warm air. I looked down at the Scangauge, which was showing 210* and watched it quickly drop down to 188* and stay there for the remainder of my 5-minute longer trip through town, where thankfully I had heat - although I couldn't feel it because my fingers had frostbite by then.
It's now sitting outside, and I have no idea what it's going to do in two hours when it's time for me to leave. Similar thing happened to me around the exact time last year with my 2.2GT. I'd be driving on the highway, lose my heat, the temp would start to rise, car would blow the coolant out of the reservoir tank, temp would fall, I'd gain heat back, and I'd have to let the car cool down and refill it with coolant to do that all over again to get home. That car has been sitting since last December with no engine because I haven't had the time to swap another in.
Oddly enough, I have an automatic '98 OBW with the same amount of mileage that runs normal operating temp, but eats about a cup of coolant a week. Never overheated, and it has the Subaru coolant conditioner. Haven't lost the heat in that on (yet) - but it's sitting because both rear calipers went and I haven't had the time to replace them.
Being in the negatives, with about a foot of snow, an only having my driveway and hand tools to work with - doing anything to either car until spring is out-of-the question (although a blast heater, some tarps & cardboard might get those brake calipers replaced). I'd drop it off at the local dealership for at least a diag, but this being the car's last winter, and how hard they screwed me with mounting my wheels - they can get bent. I called the local used subie specialists where I normally get parts (if I don't have any in my ridiculous inventory of 2nd gen Legacy parts), but haven't heard back (they're snowbirds). I have three (well four including the 2.2) other lower-mileage engines, so this one could grenade and I wouldn't care - but it would have to wait until spring!
Seriously, when it's -8* out and you have no heat, that sucks. When it's -18* and you have no heat, that really sucks. When it gets down to -30* and -40* with no heat, it gets tough because your breath instantly freezes to the windshield and you can't see, so you gotta drive with the windows partially down. That REALLY sucks, and it's coming soon.
TL;DR: Car has never overheated, has always run cooler than normal, used a cup of coolant, has intermittent cabin heat, now ate another reservoir tank and cup of coolant.