OK, I'm stumped...(97 Legacy Wagon overheating)

Technical aspects of automobiles, et. al., post #17,677
Author:
Date:
Subject:
 Hachiroku
 2008-04-15 03:18:53
 OK, I'm stumped...(97 Legacy Wagon overheating)
Been overheating. As some of you may have read, I tried the Headgasket in
a bottle trick. It seemed to be working but when I took it out for a
little cruise tonight it overheated. Here's what happens:

The car will go along for a few miles just fine, small rises and dips in
temperature, and then after 20 minutes or so the temp will begin to rise.
It then goes into full overheating, right to the top of the guage and
stays there. Sometimes revving the engine more will get a little cooling,
and sometimes coasating will. But not always. Sometimes revving will raise
the temp, and sometimes coasting will. OK, sounds like a blown HG, and
there was exhaust gas in the radiator back in December.

Now, this is the part I don't get: when you open the radiator cap, the
radiator looks full. Also, tonight when I refilled the radiator, I filled
the opening where the cap is, and filled the other side where the
'bleeder' is. The radiator was full, and the overflow bottle was full of
plain water.

When I got back from my little excursion, all the coolant on the bleeder
side of the radiator was...STEAM, and the filler neck side was full. The
overflow bottle had coolant mixed in with the water. I refilled it and ran
the engine for a while, and the temp climbed up to about 3/4 on the guage,
and then settled right down to normal again. This is the part I don't get!
Also the radiator was STONE COLD, even though the temp was elevated. Also,
there was no heat; when I refilled the 'bleeder' side of the radiator, it
took a while but the heat came back...HOT!!! I mean HOT!!!!!!

I'm stuck. It looks like, besides a BHG, I also might have a blocked
radiator.

This car is worth $500 to me. That's about the most I will put into it.

Open to all suggestions...
Author:
Date:
Subject:
 Carl 1 Lucky Texan
 2008-04-14 23:19:37
 Re: OK, I'm stumped...(97 Legacy Wagon overheating)
Hachiroku wrote:

> Been overheating. As some of you may have read, I tried the Headgasket in
> a bottle trick. It seemed to be working but when I took it out for a
> little cruise tonight it overheated. Here's what happens:
>
> The car will go along for a few miles just fine, small rises and dips in
> temperature, and then after 20 minutes or so the temp will begin to rise.
> It then goes into full overheating, right to the top of the guage and
> stays there. Sometimes revving the engine more will get a little cooling,
> and sometimes coasating will. But not always. Sometimes revving will raise
> the temp, and sometimes coasting will. OK, sounds like a blown HG, and
> there was exhaust gas in the radiator back in December.
>
> Now, this is the part I don't get: when you open the radiator cap, the
> radiator looks full. Also, tonight when I refilled the radiator, I filled
> the opening where the cap is, and filled the other side where the
> 'bleeder' is. The radiator was full, and the overflow bottle was full of
> plain water.
>
> When I got back from my little excursion, all the coolant on the bleeder
> side of the radiator was...STEAM, and the filler neck side was full. The
> overflow bottle had coolant mixed in with the water. I refilled it and ran
> the engine for a while, and the temp climbed up to about 3/4 on the guage,
> and then settled right down to normal again. This is the part I don't get!
> Also the radiator was STONE COLD, even though the temp was elevated. Also,
> there was no heat; when I refilled the 'bleeder' side of the radiator, it
> took a while but the heat came back...HOT!!! I mean HOT!!!!!!
>
> I'm stuck. It looks like, besides a BHG, I also might have a blocked
> radiator.
>
> This car is worth $500 to me. That's about the most I will put into it.
>
> Open to all suggestions...

Did you fill the system with the nose up and heater on max? Could be a
bubble in the cooling system. Though, of course, the 'bubble' could be
exhaust gasses.
Did the o'flow bottle - um - overflow itself? When the system cools off,
does it draw back from the o'flow bottle? For a simple concept, there
are multiple ways for a cooling system to 'go wrong'. If coolant mixed
in with the water, AND coolant is sucked back from the o'flow when the
engine cools off, probably the rad cap is OK. Is it new? How about the
thermostat? Can you see bubbles in the neck if you run with the cap off
idling? probably exhaust gasses.

Anyway - sounds like you definitley did not get water flowing through
the heater core - so a plugged up radiator OR a gas bubble or a stucl
thermostat are likley.

hmmm....

Carl


--
to reply, change ( .not) to ( .net)
Author:
Date:
Subject:
 Hachiroku
 2008-04-15 04:29:50
 Re: OK, I'm stumped...(97 Legacy Wagon overheating)
On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:19:37 -0500, Carl 1 Lucky Texan wrote:

> Hachiroku wrote:
>
>> Been overheating. As some of you may have read, I tried the Headgasket
>> in a bottle trick. It seemed to be working but when I took it out for a
>> little cruise tonight it overheated. Here's what happens:
>>
>> The car will go along for a few miles just fine, small rises and dips in
>> temperature, and then after 20 minutes or so the temp will begin to
>> rise. It then goes into full overheating, right to the top of the guage
>> and stays there. Sometimes revving the engine more will get a little
>> cooling, and sometimes coasating will. But not always. Sometimes revving
>> will raise the temp, and sometimes coasting will. OK, sounds like a
>> blown HG, and there was exhaust gas in the radiator back in December.
>>
>> Now, this is the part I don't get: when you open the radiator cap, the
>> radiator looks full. Also, tonight when I refilled the radiator, I
>> filled the opening where the cap is, and filled the other side where the
>> 'bleeder' is. The radiator was full, and the overflow bottle was full of
>> plain water.
>>
>> When I got back from my little excursion, all the coolant on the bleeder
>> side of the radiator was...STEAM, and the filler neck side was full. The
>> overflow bottle had coolant mixed in with the water. I refilled it and
>> ran the engine for a while, and the temp climbed up to about 3/4 on the
>> guage, and then settled right down to normal again. This is the part I
>> don't get! Also the radiator was STONE COLD, even though the temp was
>> elevated. Also, there was no heat; when I refilled the 'bleeder' side of
>> the radiator, it took a while but the heat came back...HOT!!! I mean
>> HOT!!!!!!
>>
>> I'm stuck. It looks like, besides a BHG, I also might have a blocked
>> radiator.
>>
>> This car is worth $500 to me. That's about the most I will put into it.
>>
>> Open to all suggestions...
>
> Did you fill the system with the nose up and heater on max? Could be a
> bubble in the cooling system. Though, of course, the 'bubble' could be
> exhaust gasses.
> Did the o'flow bottle - um - overflow itself? When the system cools off,
> does it draw back from the o'flow bottle? For a simple concept, there are
> multiple ways for a cooling system to 'go wrong'. If coolant mixed in with
> the water, AND coolant is sucked back from the o'flow when the engine
> cools off, probably the rad cap is OK. Is it new? How about the
> thermostat? Can you see bubbles in the neck if you run with the cap off
> idling? probably exhaust gasses.
>
> Anyway - sounds like you definitley did not get water flowing through the
> heater core - so a plugged up radiator OR a gas bubble or a stucl
> thermostat are likley.
>
> hmmm....
>
> Carl


Thanks, cARL. yES, THE NOSE WAS IN THE AIR WHEN i FILLED THE SYSTEM (oops...)
HEater on MAX, and there also seemed to be a bubble, but the STEAM coming
out of a stone cold radiator is what's really puzzling...

I tried to get the bubbles out before I took off...ran it until the T-stat
opened, and then added more, and then opened the bleeder.

I guess my $9 Headgasket repair, didn't...

So, I'm thinking, either new head gaskets (and plane the heads...?) or
another new motor (supposedly this one has ~125,000 miles on it...)

It runs smooth, there is a very slight knocking noise sounding like in the
center of the engine, very very slight.

The bosy has 335,000 on it, that's why I'm not putting a lot into it...
Author:
Date:
Subject:
 EdV
 2008-04-14 23:11:02
 Re: OK, I'm stumped...(97 Legacy Wagon overheating)
On Apr 15, 12:29 am, Hachiroku <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:19:37 -0500, Carl 1 Lucky Texan wrote:
>
>
>
> > Hachiroku wrote:
>
> >> Been overheating. As some of you may have read, I tried the Headgasket
> >> in a bottle trick. It seemed to be working but when I took it out for a
> >> little cruise tonight it overheated. Here's what happens:
>
> >> The car will go along for a few miles just fine, small rises and dips in
> >> temperature, and then after 20 minutes or so the temp will begin to
> >> rise. It then goes into full overheating, right to the top of the guage
> >> and stays there. Sometimes revving the engine more will get a little
> >> cooling, and sometimes coasating will. But not always. Sometimes revving
> >> will raise the temp, and sometimes coasting will. OK, sounds like a
> >> blown HG, and there was exhaust gas in the radiator back in December.
>
> >> Now, this is the part I don't get: when you open the radiator cap, the
> >> radiator looks full. Also, tonight when I refilled the radiator, I
> >> filled the opening where the cap is, and filled the other side where the
> >> 'bleeder' is. The radiator was full, and the overflow bottle was full of
> >> plain water.
>
> >> When I got back from my little excursion, all the coolant on the bleeder
> >> side of the radiator was...STEAM, and the filler neck side was full. The
> >> overflow bottle had coolant mixed in with the water. I refilled it and
> >> ran the engine for a while, and the temp climbed up to about 3/4 on the
> >> guage, and then settled right down to normal again. This is the part I
> >> don't get! Also the radiator was STONE COLD, even though the temp was
> >> elevated. Also, there was no heat; when I refilled the 'bleeder' side of
> >> the radiator, it took a while but the heat came back...HOT!!! I mean
> >> HOT!!!!!!
>
> >> I'm stuck. It looks like, besides a BHG, I also might have a blocked
> >> radiator.
>
> >> This car is worth $500 to me. That's about the most I will put into it.
>
> >> Open to all suggestions...
>
> > Did you fill the system with the nose up and heater on max? Could be a
> > bubble in the cooling system. Though, of course, the 'bubble' could be
> > exhaust gasses.
> > Did the o'flow bottle - um - overflow itself? When the system cools off,
> > does it draw back from the o'flow bottle? For a simple concept, there are
> > multiple ways for a cooling system to 'go wrong'. If coolant mixed in with
> > the water, AND coolant is sucked back from the o'flow when the engine
> > cools off, probably the rad cap is OK. Is it new? How about the
> > thermostat? Can you see bubbles in the neck if you run with the cap off
> > idling? probably exhaust gasses.
>
> > Anyway - sounds like you definitley did not get water flowing through the
> > heater core - so a plugged up radiator OR a gas bubble or a stucl
> > thermostat are likley.
>
> > hmmm....
>
> > Carl
>
> Thanks, cARL. yES, THE NOSE WAS IN THE AIR WHEN i FILLED THE SYSTEM (oops...)
> HEater on MAX, and there also seemed to be a bubble, but the STEAM coming
> out of a stone cold radiator is what's really puzzling...
>
> I tried to get the bubbles out before I took off...ran it until the T-stat
> opened, and then added more, and then opened the bleeder.
>
> I guess my $9 Headgasket repair, didn't...
>
> So, I'm thinking, either new head gaskets (and plane the heads...?) or
> another new motor (supposedly this one has ~125,000 miles on it...)
>
> It runs smooth, there is a very slight knocking noise sounding like in the
> center of the engine, very very slight.
>
> The bosy has 335,000 on it, that's why I'm not putting a lot into it...

I recall you posted months back that you have a subie that you want
the fans not to work during winter season because the engine gets very
cold. And you said you only used the subie during snow season. Is this
the same car? The engine gets very cold in winter and overheats in
warmer weather?