87 Subaru DL. Couple issues

[Poehring]

I have an 87 Subaru DL 4 Door Sedan. It ALWAYS runs warm but lately the temp has actually been spiking into the red. Radiator is full and the Oil is Full. I dont know a whole lot about cars, but im slowly learning. Any ideas?

Also I think the starter is going out. I have trouble starting it on occasion. I just turn the key over and over until it finally catches. Is replacing the starter easy? Also where is the best place to find one? Thanks in advance.

[somick]

Overheating issue is most likely a thermostat. Quite easy to replace. Everythihg is right in front of you. After replacement make sure you burp all the air before taking it back to normanl use.

Starter is also an easy target. The only bad spot would be the bottom bolt. I had to jack a car and reach it from underneath.

I bought my starter from Kragen with lifetime warranty. My starter is acting up as of now. So I have to dig through my paperwork to get a replacement for free.

Good luck,

Sam

[Poehring]

Thanks for the info. I'll have to get to work on it. So I'm going to guess, (As I stated above I dont know a whole lot about cars) The Thermostate monitors the temperature of the engine, and in turn, releases Coolant if needed. Because its broken, not enough, or no coolant is being released...which would explain why my coolant tank hasnt gone down since I bough the car 3 months ago.

[somick]

The expantion tank (that what you are probably talking about) does not suppose to have its level changed much. Coolant heats up, expands and being pushed into the tank. Coolant cools down and being drawn back into the radiator. This is all done by the radiator cap. Replace the cap and see it your overheating issues are resoved.

Thermostat keeps the most of cooling system closed at start ups, so the engine will be able to reach it's operating temperature faster. After that the thermostat will open and the coolant start flowing through the system colling off the engine and preventing it from overheating. You should be able to see when the thermostat opens looking at the temperature gauge. It may drop a little. The bottom radiator hose will become hot in an instant: the coolant started taking high temperature from the engine into the radiator where it suppose be cooled off by the air flow when you drive or the radiator fan when you idle.

Hope this helps,

Sam

[Poehring]

Well I notice that the faster I go, the temperature drops out of the red, but when I slow down usually below 50, it goes right back up.

[somick]

Originally Posted by Poehring

Well I notice that the faster I go, the temperature drops out of the red, but when I slow down usually below 50, it goes right back up.

This is all correct. The air flow cools off engine while you drive.

Do not play games with overheating! You will loose your engine.

Start with the radiator cap.

Sam

[Poehring]

Alright I'll look around and see what I can find. Stupid question but its the cap I take off to put water into the radiator, correct? will any cap work?

[somick]

Originally Posted by Poehring

Alright I'll look around and see what I can find. Stupid question but its the cap I take off to put water into the radiator, correct? will any cap work?

Radiator cap is the one in the very front of your car. Go to any automotive store and ask them for a cap for Subaru (your model). The radiator caps come in different shapes and varieties. You need the one for your specific model. I do not remember the ratings but they come in 13 and 16 pounds I believe.

The expantion tank is located on the driver side ot the vehicle and has a green cap on it. Do not bother with it as of now.

[somick]

One more thing!

Be very careful with the cap. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES open it when it is hot. This is dangerous. The system is under pressure when it is hot. Whait for it to cool down.

If in dought, place a rag over the cap, turn it counterclock until you hear one click. If nothing happens, push down on it and remove it completely.

Good luck,

Sam

[Poehring]

Heh I know better than to remove it when its hot. Ive removed it before to see if the radiator needed water, and it didnt. The cap felt just a little loose so I will try and get that taken care of today.

About the expansion tank, its always full every time I look at it. I haven't put anything into it yet, so im not too worried about that right now either. Stay tuned :P

Thanks again for all the help. I really appreciate it.

[Lewis_17]

Did you check to see if there are any cold spots on your radiator when its at operating temperature? If there are, your radiator could be plugged, and you'll either need to flush it, or if that doesnt work, replace it.

[4Wheel]

Follow what Somick is telling you here. Don't worry about the radiator just yet, especially if you can cool it down by driving fast.

With that said focus on the radiator fan, is it running when it gets over temp?
Sounds like it might not be running at all. this could be as simple as the connector being unplugged but MAKE SURE the fans are engaging.
There is a thermal sensor that engages the fan when the engine is up to temp, that can be checked with a 12v bulb soldered to two wires. You will need that schematic found in the haynes manuals.

The hard starting is usually the gap on the spark plugs is too wide, they do open up wider with time, but that is the usual hard starting problem followed by a close second being the plug wires.
Good luck

[subpaul]

Many perfectly good subarus have bit the dust because people monkeyed
around with swapping out thermostats,etc. instead of just checking the obvious: Is the radiator fan/s coming on after the engine warms up..........................duh. subaru gives you a temp guage on the dash
or if that is broken you could always feel the radiator! I can't believe how
many Subarus I have seen in junkyards dead from heat prostration,with
swapped out water pumps,brand new thermostats,etc!@@##
When you go to remove the intake manifold bolts out of the heads
very often these bolts are welded or break off from being overwelded.
Subaru motors don't take overheating well NEVER EVER operate a sub
in the red on the temp.guage,very dangerous!

[scooter7777]

the cooling fan failure is very common with late 80 subaru's. my cooling fan was siezed so replaced with one from the junk yard. then started blowing fuses every time the car reached running temp. replaced the temp sensor with no change. i added a higher amp fuse which did the trick until that fan siezed. finally replaced with a universal fan that has worked great ever since ( 3 years no heating issues). another problem that i have had with the car since i bought it ten years ago, on occasion when the ignition key was turned the starter just clicked. with the assumption it was a bad starter i replaced it. several starters later and the same problem i decided to try replacing the ignition switch. that did not work either. finally i discovered it was the neutral safety switch. i have replaced and no issues!