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Old 12-12-2003, 07:36 PM   #1
Stephon
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Member#: 50449
Join Date: Dec 2003
Vehicle:
1997 Legacy Outback

Question Heater and Temperature Problem

I'm driving a '97 Legacy Outback automatic with 100K+ miles on it.

The weather is cold here, so after the car had warmed up I turned the heater on, but got cold air coming from my vents.

About 2 minutes after dicovering that, my temperature gauge shot all the way to the top.

I turned for home, turning the car off as needed to let the engine cool.

Seemed normal otherwise. No odors or smoke coming out of the car.

Any thought on what's going on?
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Old 12-13-2003, 12:07 AM   #2
1 Lucky Texan
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06 WRX Sportwagon
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3-4 things come to mind, some of which could be in combination now.
If you're lucky, you just have a bad thermostat that is stuck closed.

If you want to work on this yourself, start by replacing the thermostat and radiator cap. In a Subaru ,anytime you work on the coolant system you must take xtra care to triple check that you have gotten all the air out. It helps to put the front up on ramps or a curb/incline and make sure you run it till the fan comes on. Then make sure there is coolant in the overflow tank for it to draw from when it cools off, then check the level in the radiator again,then cycle it back up to operating temp again and double chek the coolant level in the overflow tank. Check the tank 2-3 more times over the next few drive cycles. Seriously, it's that tricky to get all the air out. If you ever see/hear bubbles in the radiator or overflow tank, you should have an exhaust gas test done on the coolant to check for possible headgasket leak. Too many phase 1 2.5l engines suffer from it. Could be a clogged radiator, feel for cold level/spots on it when engine is at operating temp.
This could be an $8 fix - or $1200 or more. Get it diagnosed soon.

Carl
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Old 12-13-2003, 01:21 PM   #3
Stephon
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Vehicle:
1997 Legacy Outback

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Thanks for all the info!

I have some basic auto mechanical knowledge, but this is an area in which I'm ignorant--could the bad thermostat cause both these problems?
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Old 12-13-2003, 05:00 PM   #4
1 Lucky Texan
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Chapter/Region: TXIC
Location: Outoftheblue&intotheblack
Vehicle:
06 WRX Sportwagon
Aspen White

Default

I don't have specific enough experience to tell you much more. If you don't have a mechanic that can test it for you, and then you could decide whether to do the job yourself - you will need to investigate more about testing it yourself and maybe find a link to some photos showing some repairs. Try posting this on the forums at www.usmb.net - those guys will have some suggestions to help pin down the problem (I hope) and maybe some links to photos of how to proceed.

Carl
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Old 12-15-2003, 10:58 PM   #5
Stephon
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Vehicle:
1997 Legacy Outback

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Turned out to be the thermostat, luckily.

Thanks for the help
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Old 12-16-2003, 12:13 AM   #6
1 Lucky Texan
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Location: Outoftheblue&intotheblack
Vehicle:
06 WRX Sportwagon
Aspen White

Default

That's great - and thanx for posting the fix.!

Carl
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