High Temps

Gasaraki · #1 06-14-2004, 11:59 AM

A week ago, I saw the temp meter on my 97 Legacy GT slowly rising to H after 5 to 10 mins of driving. I took the car to the shop and they said it might be the thermostat and they said the raditator cap was bad also so they replaced both things. (My raditator fans are running but my raditators were cool) My temps have been steady ever since but today when I drove my car to work and I was getting ready to park, I saw the temp rising to H again. My question is: 1)What other problem could cause the temp meter to go all the way to H? (I've never had it stay on H for a extended period of time because I don't want to risk it, I would turn off my car so I don't know if its really that hot in the car, but i'm guessing it really is that hot because I opened up the hood and touched the thick rubber hose going to the raditator and it was HOT) 2) Did the shop do the right thing by replacing the thermostat and raditator cap?

All my belts are fine. Car has 102,000 miles on it. I gues the most important question is #1. I'm at work right now and I have to drive a hour to get back home. I hope I can make it....
Thanks everyone for your help

freakray · #2 06-14-2004, 12:10 PM

Have you checked the rad fluid level after the car has cooled down, is the coolant where it should be or has it dropped?
If the fluid is low it can cause the car to run hot.
If it is low, you're losing coolant somewhere, one common place for this to happen is the head gasket.

What engine does your car have, is it the EJ25 DOHC?

Gasaraki · #3 06-14-2004, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freakray

Have you checked the rad fluid level after the car has cooled down, is the coolant where it should be or has it dropped?
If the fluid is low it can cause the car to run hot.
If it is low, you're losing coolant somewhere, one common place for this to happen is the head gasket.

What engine does your car have, is it the EJ25 DOHC?

I have EJ25 DOHC engine and the last time I went to the shop they said I had too much coolant and corrected it when they changed my thermostat and raditator cap.

So i'm guessing if this is still a problem, it's the head gasket? About how much is that? And what can I do to prevent the temp to go up to H. Does turning on the heat help? I need it to last an hour to get home. Also I guess I shouldn't drive 80?

Will2 · #4 06-14-2004, 04:13 PM

The shop did right by changing the thermostat and cap. These are the cheapest fixes and they usually take care of the problem. But they probably should have run a pressure check to see about any other problems/leaks. It sounds to me like a head gasket wish is not a cheap fix but if you drive the car for an hour your most likely going to fry/ruin your engine, which is alot more expensive than the head gasket.

Gasaraki · #5 06-16-2004, 10:01 AM

ok, my car is fine again. It turns out that the temp going to H only happens when I drive highway speeds for awhile and then I stop to park the car or at a light. The minute I start moving again, the temp drops to normal. Also this hasn't happened to me these two days. So I'm guessing that the water pump has gotten weak due to corrosion and sometimes when I stop the radiators can't cool the engine fast enough? I'll keep my eyes out. Thanks everyone

Will2 · #6 06-17-2004, 04:03 PM

Try some water pump lubricant. You just add it to your radiator.

Will2 · #7 06-20-2004, 06:46 AM

Or possibly the new thermostat is sticking

JigokuZ · #8 06-21-2004, 05:47 PM

It's the head gasket. It's a very common problem on EJ25. If the over heating happens more often. Then you should really get the head gasket change.

rozlan · #9 07-08-2004, 06:48 PM

Anybody, Please help me. I had my water pump on my EJ 20 Legacy Turbo 4 Cam changed. The temp goes up close to H. Before its changed there is no problem with it. What is the cause of this problem? The timing belt setting was correctly done. I also noticed that the radiator is cold even though before the fans on and most probably there is no water inside.Thank you.

JigokuZ · #10 07-21-2004, 12:29 AM

Do a vacuum test!!!!

lunatech · #11 07-30-2004, 02:44 AM

Gasaraki-

I had nearly the same problem with my '90 Legacy. I actually replaced the head gaskets, thermostat, water manifold o-rings, water pump, and hoses. Finally fed up with messing with it myself to save money(yeah right) I took it to a radiator shop. We tested the flow of the radiator and found that it was down to about 15 percent of normal. I bought a new one, put it in, and has been cool sailing for the past week.

So my advice is have it checked out if it has not been resolved yet. The place I went checked mine for free and the radiator cost about $135.00.

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