water temperature too high?

Pickler · 11-11-2012, 11:44 PM

the water temperature on my car seems to hover around 88'c most of the time. however sitting in traffic for long duration (+3min) i get spikes to about 95-100'c (boiling temperature). on a hot summer day with A/C on i saw it hit 103'c in traffic. but once you get rolling with good speed it goes back to high 80s Celsius. this is concerning because on some of my cars i used to run straight water in summer and if i do this with the subaru (which i won't) it means i will boil the water and cause problems. that's not right!? even still is this temprature healthy for a subaru with only 40k miles and 4 years old? is the oem coolant Not good enough?

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chazly413 · 11-11-2012, 11:57 PM

That's the boiling temperature for water at atmospheric pressure. The coolant system is pressurized, the water will have to be at a higher temperature to boil. I'm also pretty sure that the coolant-water mixture has a higher natural boiling point, also.

RaceFaceXC · 11-12-2012, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pickler

the water temperature on my car seems to hover around 88'c most of the time. however sitting in traffic for long duration (+3min) i get spikes to about 95-100'c (boiling temperature). on a hot summer day with A/C on i saw it hit 103'c in traffic. but once you get rolling with good speed it goes back to high 80s Celsius. this is concerning because on some of my cars i used to run straight water in summer and if i do this with the subaru (which i won't) it means i will boil the water and cause problems. that's not right!? even still is this temprature healthy for a subaru with only 40k miles and 4 years old? is the oem coolant Not good enough?

Are both of the fans working?

Pickler · 11-12-2012, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaceFaceXC

Are both of the fans working?

not sure i do sometimes hear them turn on when my window is down but to be honest they are not as pronounced as on my other vehicles. i will pay attention to that. but my main concern is wether 100 deg Celsius temperature is normal for an impreza in traffic. on my Acura the radiator fans still remain on when i shut off the car in the parking lot if the coolant temp is a bit higher than normal but the subaru doesn't do this.

chazly413 · 11-12-2012, 08:44 PM

Get the car good and warmed up and then park it, let it idle, and watch the fans to see if none, one, or both come on. They should come on eventually, regardless of outside temp. Also, if you're stopped at a light and you have the windows down, you should hear the fans kick in, assuming the engine is good and warmed up.

RaceFaceXC · 11-12-2012, 08:52 PM

Thermostat could cause slightly higher temps if it's opening slowly or partially.

Mishimoto · 11-13-2012, 02:25 PM

^ Your temperature does not seem too excessive. I would still check to see that both the upper and lower radiator hoses are getting hot when up to operating temperature and that your fans are operating.

Pickler · 11-13-2012, 04:00 PM

ok the fans are working although thry are very quiet so i couldnt tell from inside my car. they work when temprature hits 100'c and cease when its 95'c again.

eg33GC · 11-13-2012, 04:09 PM

you may just have an air bubble somewhere, but even at 105* it is still OK

V8Slayer · 11-13-2012, 04:23 PM

When was the last time you flushed your coolant? Also, what are you using to view your coolant temps?

Mishimoto · 11-13-2012, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Slayer

When was the last time you flushed your coolant? Also, what are you using to view your coolant temps?

I would also like to know this.

Pickler · 11-13-2012, 05:43 PM

coolant was never flushed still original. according to the manual i still got 5 years but i was planning to just do it next year summer. some have told me that long life coolants like the oem are generally poor performing. but i'm too scared to use after market because of the demands in the user manual and the head gasket issues with our cars.

i use Scangauge 2 to monitor temperatures, it just displays back the numbers the ECU is reporting. according to some SGII users i have talked to the water temprature number is bullet proof. also i know this number is accurate because the blue water temp light turns off after the coolant temperature reaches 50'c (122'F) as described on pages 3-16 and -17 of my Subaru's manual.

V8Slayer · 11-14-2012, 06:47 PM

Scangauge is a reliable source to get your reading, any fin damage to your radiator? Being that the temps have come down(just noticed your from TO!), have you noticed if the temps still shoot up when stopped in traffic? If all else fails you could always contact your dealership about this problem.

Bluefoton · 11-18-2012, 12:17 PM

Seems a few degrees high to me. On my 08, I hardly ever see it going above 95, even in summer heavy traffic . On my old 03, the only times I saw it go beyond 100 was during autocross and when my HG blew.

If you don't flush the coolant, check its pH though. One of the alleged reasons for HG failure in our engines is that they're sensitive to the pH..and my local mechanic prefers to flush it too often than not often enough. Your thermostat could be due for a change too..

11-11-2012, 11:44 PM	#1
Pickler Scooby Newbie Member#: 301247 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Toronto Vehicle: 09 Impreza 2.5i AT White	water temperature too high? the water temperature on my car seems to hover around 88'c most of the time. however sitting in traffic for long duration (+3min) i get spikes to about 95-100'c (boiling temperature). on a hot summer day with A/C on i saw it hit 103'c in traffic. but once you get rolling with good speed it goes back to high 80s Celsius. this is concerning because on some of my cars i used to run straight water in summer and if i do this with the subaru (which i won't) it means i will boil the water and cause problems. that's not right!? even still is this temprature healthy for a subaru with only 40k miles and 4 years old? is the oem coolant Not good enough? * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

11-12-2012, 08:52 PM	#6
RaceFaceXC Scooby Specialist Member#: 165749 Join Date: Dec 2007 Chapter/Region: South East Location: stupid Florida Vehicle: 2007 No YELLING on the bus!	Thermostat could cause slightly higher temps if it's opening slowly or partially. Last edited by RaceFaceXC; 11-12-2012 at 10:43 PM.

11-13-2012, 05:43 PM	#12
Pickler Scooby Newbie Member#: 301247 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Toronto Vehicle: 09 Impreza 2.5i AT White	coolant was never flushed still original. according to the manual i still got 5 years but i was planning to just do it next year summer. some have told me that long life coolants like the oem are generally poor performing. but i'm too scared to use after market because of the demands in the user manual and the head gasket issues with our cars. i use Scangauge 2 to monitor temperatures, it just displays back the numbers the ECU is reporting. according to some SGII users i have talked to the water temprature number is bullet proof. also i know this number is accurate because the blue water temp light turns off after the coolant temperature reaches 50'c (122'F) as described on pages 3-16 and -17 of my Subaru's manual. Last edited by Pickler; 11-13-2012 at 09:09 PM.

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11-11-2012, 11:57 PM	#2
chazly413 Scooby Specialist Member#: 151079 Join Date: Jun 2007 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: College Park, MD Vehicle: 2005 2.5RS RBP s-techs mad tyte yo	That's the boiling temperature for water at atmospheric pressure. The coolant system is pressurized, the water will have to be at a higher temperature to boil. I'm also pretty sure that the coolant-water mixture has a higher natural boiling point, also.

11-12-2012, 08:44 PM	#5
chazly413 Scooby Specialist Member#: 151079 Join Date: Jun 2007 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: College Park, MD Vehicle: 2005 2.5RS RBP s-techs mad tyte yo	Get the car good and warmed up and then park it, let it idle, and watch the fans to see if none, one, or both come on. They should come on eventually, regardless of outside temp. Also, if you're stopped at a light and you have the windows down, you should hear the fans kick in, assuming the engine is good and warmed up.

11-13-2012, 02:25 PM	#7
Mishimoto NASIOC Manufacturer Member#: 207954 Join Date: Apr 2009	^ Your temperature does not seem too excessive. I would still check to see that both the upper and lower radiator hoses are getting hot when up to operating temperature and that your fans are operating.

11-13-2012, 04:00 PM	#8
Pickler Scooby Newbie Member#: 301247 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Toronto Vehicle: 09 Impreza 2.5i AT White	ok the fans are working although thry are very quiet so i couldnt tell from inside my car. they work when temprature hits 100'c and cease when its 95'c again.

11-13-2012, 04:09 PM	#9
eg33GC Scooby Specialist Member#: 206851 Join Date: Mar 2009 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Vehicle: 99 V4 EJ20K RS	you may just have an air bubble somewhere, but even at 105* it is still OK

11-13-2012, 04:23 PM	#10
V8Slayer Scooby Specialist Member#: 111565 Join Date: Apr 2006 Chapter/Region: W. Canada Location: Winnipeg Vehicle: 1999 Legacy 2.5GT Boosted & meth injection!	When was the last time you flushed your coolant? Also, what are you using to view your coolant temps?

11-14-2012, 06:47 PM	#13
V8Slayer Scooby Specialist Member#: 111565 Join Date: Apr 2006 Chapter/Region: W. Canada Location: Winnipeg Vehicle: 1999 Legacy 2.5GT Boosted & meth injection!	Scangauge is a reliable source to get your reading, any fin damage to your radiator? Being that the temps have come down(just noticed your from TO!), have you noticed if the temps still shoot up when stopped in traffic? If all else fails you could always contact your dealership about this problem.

11-18-2012, 12:17 PM	#14
Bluefoton Scooby Specialist Member#: 141373 Join Date: Feb 2007 Chapter/Region: E. Canada Location: Quebec, QC Vehicle: 2008 2.5i-hatch - now with a HID retrofit	Seems a few degrees high to me. On my 08, I hardly ever see it going above 95, even in summer heavy traffic . On my old 03, the only times I saw it go beyond 100 was during autocross and when my HG blew. If you don't flush the coolant, check its pH though. One of the alleged reasons for HG failure in our engines is that they're sensitive to the pH..and my local mechanic prefers to flush it too often than not often enough. Your thermostat could be due for a change too..