things just get better and better for me,picked up car yesterday and im so not convinced it what the seller says it is........on the way home it devoped a slipping clutch! and a slight water leak aswell,the water leak looked like it was coming from the top rad hose,so this morning i have replaced the clamp that secures hose with a jubillee clip,nice and tight.
ive ran it for 10 mins on idle to notice there is still steam (small amounts from the same area.i had a look underneath and found that in the backbox there is a pin hole,with water coming out!!!! my brother followed me home(4 hr drive) with nothing visible blowing out the back,the water seems to have run down the exhaust system from the back to the front underneath and visibly wet. i topped up water(which was about half a pint) due to the so called minor hose leak with the car running and it seems to bubble a bit the the top up bottle! im starting to think ive been done and that there is something majorly wrong with this car! it dosent overheat but im getting very concerned!
PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!

 

Head gasket(s) blowing???
Any emulsion in the rad cap or oil filler???

 

Did you buy a type R in the end?
The plastic at the top of the radiator has a tendancy to crack when old and the pipes can get minute splits in them, it could be your problem there, a new (ebay) all alloy rad and some new pipework should sort it
Also remember that your engine will produce condensation when cold, it can take a fair time for it to clear, but to be on the safe side I would get the car inspected by a qualified (and decent) subaru mechanic.

Tony

 

many exhausts ahve a pin hole in them at lowest point for drainage thats not neccasarily a worry, but the other things may be, diagnosing from the web isnt always the best idea if im honest. That aside sounds like it may be the radiator that has a pin hole hence the steam which again isnt the end of the world, i would check if there is a thermostat in it as it may have been removed if head gasket has gone and it was overheating as this would help it run cooler.

 

If no gunk in the header tank then im suspecting the radiator has gone at the top. I know of four that have split along the top which is almost impossible to see without the radiator out (the split is under the slam panel)
Water from the exhaust is not uncommon to have some condensation build up.

I had the same problem as you for two months.....it took me this long to find the split! it was tiny.

 

no nothing in either.

 

how much did you pay for it mate. have you contacted the seller about the problems.

 

This is a depressing story....I feel for you mate, there is nothing worse than the feeling your car is ****e. Keep positive it could be nothing at all......for a start ..... i should be fairly easy to trace that water leak....get her upto temp and once the thermostat opens keep your eye on everything....trace the leake and make yourself feel a touch better. Could well be a cracked Rad. Is the oil clear...no whitey slim on the filler cap/ dip stick.


All this aside get it into a garage....quick inspection to set your mind at ease

 

yes i did mate,i bought the white v4 in the for sale section and its very tidy but i am starting to panik as i already have an unsuspected clutch and flywheel to do.

 

When the head went on my old Pug i did not get emulsion in the water as it was blowing exhaust gasses into the cooling system. What it did do was to blow a smallish hole(s) the (old tired) rad and low past the rad cap through the overflow due to the pressure build up in the system so emulsion in the oil/water is not always a sign/indicator. Get it to a garage and get a 'sniff test' (should cost about a tenner) done to check the gasses in the water that will confirm one way or the other.

 

As Tony said have a close look at the plastic end tanks of the radiator, it's very common for them to split. Get a torch and look from the top down the end tanks.

 

Stop panicking about head gaskets, and get it checked by a qualified mechanic. They will tell you 100% yes or no.

Then you need to get the water loss checked. It COULD be rad, but that's minor, costs less than £100 to put right and is dead easy to do. It might be top hose, that's even less ££££.

When my rad went, (at the bottom near the drain plug), the top hose went soon after, TINY little split that sprayed water only when the system was hot and up to pressure. I think I probably caused it manipulating the hose off the rad, because when I removed it, the inside was split as if it had been sliced, in HUNDREDS of places. I was lucky, I was looking at a catastrophic failure and found it almost by accident before it happened.

Get the head gasket checked and report back.

 

I had the same thing happen on my old classic, sounds like the radiator has had it.

 

right,ive just taken her for a drive,no water out of exhaust. so it appears to have been condensation,no water bubbling in top up tank and all seems ok,the water leak like you all say looks like the rad is fooked..not the end of the world by my repair list better stop growing soon.already found.......needs:new clutch,flywheel,radiator and needs rr tune as its been fully decated with no tuning.having said all this it does run nice.

 

old posts from seller show that he new about the clutch as hes been looking for one.my fault,should have checked his posts first if he had of been honest with me i still probably would have bought the car as it is in great condition.we could have worked something out.

 

Never mind mate. I'd rather buy a car needing a clutch than a rust bucket etc. It's essentially a service item, albeit one that only needs doing every 80k or so. A second hand car is never going to be perfect. I work on 3 month old vans and you'd be amazed the amounts of problems even new cars and vans have let alone a 13 year old one.

 

yeah i know,it just would have been better if he had been honest with me as i stilll would have purchased the car.

 

Yes and me too!

 

yeah it aint no rust bucket

 

Hopefully just teething problems of buying a new car, get a good checkover and once done then enjoy your new purchase.
Use the forum to find a good local mechanic to you.

 

 

I had 2 rad s go exactly same place twice on my classic pal not end of world and at least it's going to be a nice new one do what indonif anything breaks or needs replacing and upgrade it so it's actually a improvement not just a make do repair.
Chin up good luck budd
It can only get better

 

bloody hope so as the car looks and drives awesome! upgrades are a bit out of the question at the min as with unexpected repair list is already clutch,flywheel,radiator and also got to pay extra labour cost on swapping the whole exhaust system as its too loud and if i dont, it means that everytime i have mot ill have to pay labour to keep swapping it,also gonna have to pay rolling road cost to make sure car is running ok as im pretty certain it will be overboosting due to it not being mapped as it has full 3" straight through kakimoto race exhaust from turbo back.

 

radiator is an easy job. they are £35 quid off ebay. £15 on some antifreeze, 90 mins and you back up and running.

 

his pistonheads ad says no faults whatsoever. youve found 2 major ones on the way home. bit unfair that, but its buyer beware. still looks a nice car.

 

you do not need a rolling road to check if its running correctly.
A good diagnistic check should be ok to see if its running lean or rich at various engine revs.
A good specialist will do this for less than the cost of a rolling road session.

Good idea to change the exhaust esp. if the car has not been mapped for it.
Selling your existing system will get you some cash back!

 

Sorry fella but.....firstly you should of checked for clutch slip on a test drive and secondly, for me the seller is a total **** for knowing and selling in that condition.....there is only one cause of action id take and it wouldnt be the legal route!

 

You dont need a new flywheel, just get the one you have face ground.

 

If you have found posts saying he knew his clutch was gone, yet didnt inform you of such and said there were no faults, then you have a case for compensation. It isnt strickly true that buyer beware is the situation, you can claim for some costs in situations like these.

Small claims court if they dont come to some agreement following your discusing this with them.

 

I should hope the seller has offered some sort of refund?