Hoppy

To cut a long story short, API eventually sorted my overheating problem. Thank you David. I was beginning to panic as the only thing left to check was the head gaskets - an engine-out job

It was a bit of a riddle which I'll explain below if it helps anyone, but in the end it turned out to be a cracked metal pipe, feeding water to the turbo.

David has a good bunch of guys at API. They also know a bit about the real world of modded Scoobs - perhaps more than anybody else right now, given the number of cars they have passing through their workshops. Plus they have a massive stock of just about everything, mostly second-hand and at a fraction of the cost of new Subaru parts. They're near Leamington in the midlands www.apiengines.com

It started in the summer when the temp gauge suddenly moved to the danger zone. I stopped, put some water in it - not much - but managed to get going with the heater on full and the needle holding just clear of danger, 40mph on the hard shoulder of the M4. Then the temp suddenly dropped to normal, so I pulled on to the carriageway and upper my speed to 50. All was fine until nearly home, when the temp rose again. Oil temp was reading just over 100 degs but holding (normally under 90) so I pressed on. Then the temp dropped again and I was home.

I let the car cool, then put over two litres of water in it. Warmed it up, checked that all the pipes were hot, looked for leaks but found nothing. After that, the car was fine for several weeks. I put it down to an air lock after a service and pretty much forgot about it.

Then it over heated again. I wacked up the heater, stopped asap to let it cool, put a lot of water in it from the petrol station tap and bought a 2l bottle of mineral water before setting off again. The car was fine for a couple of weeks.

Then it overheated again. I searched ScoobyNet and found a few threads. Given the complete absense of any apparent leaks, it looked like a head gasket - a known weak spot of my 2.5l motor. I even had bubbles coming up the overflow pipe. Sometimes. Sometimes not. (Thanks for making me panic, 911 )

I took the car to API for a pressure check, which confirmed I didn't have a leak, and they found nothing obviously wrong with the plumbing. Filled it up carefully. Warmed it up. Test drive. Car was perfect.

But only 20 miles down the road, I was in trouble again. I turned on the heater but only got cold air. Then hot. Then cold again. Still losing a lot of water from somewhere. I concluded that the thermostat was sticking, the car would over heat and pump water out of the overflow (somehow without leaving any trace) then the thermostat would open but air locks would cause inconsistent flow, hence the sometimes hot and sometimes cold running. I convinced myself that this was the problem.

So off to API again who fitted a new thermostat. Same day service! Local offical dealer would not even look at the car for two weeks Car was filled up and fully checked, test drive. Everything 100%. Sorted.

But it wasn't, and I had to stop twice on the 65 miles home to fill with water. I gave the old thermostat a good boiling in a saucepan, and it seemed to open and close perfectly. And still no sign of any leaks. WTF?

Emailed API and David was reluctant to heave the engine out before he was certain that it could only be head gaskets. He said fit a new rad and if it fixed the problem, I'd pay. If it didn't, he'd roll the cost into the head gaskets job.

I drove the car a few times, accompanied by several bottles of water. It would get very hot within two miles from home, but would then settle down until I next switched off, then it would overheat and sometimes recover, sometimes not. Then I'd fill it up with a couple of litres or more and start again. But still no sign of a leak, car otherwise running perfectly.

Then one dry day, I noticed a few drips under the car. Were they from my car? Where from? Still no sign. But fortune was with me this time, and I later saw drops coming from the sub-frame behind the sump. I have never been so pleased to see something seriously wrong with my car!

I somehow managed to get over to API and as I pulled in to the workshop, she dully dripped water from the sub-frame on to the floor. A strange place to drip from, but at last proof of a leak.

It took sometime to trace, but by a process of elimination the path eventually lead to the turbo - a TD05 modded for front entry. One of the metal water pipes was rubbing and had cracked. When the car was hot, the crack would leak (sometimes) but the water would evaporate immediately without trace. Mystery solved.

Thanks API.

Richard.

911

Graham (the scaremonger...sorry)

Hoppy

LOL Graham

APIDavid

iTrader: (4)

Thanks Hoppy It did take a while and it exercised our collective grey cells. Strange what an Impreza can do to itself.

Now we just got to find where we can get a set of water pipes for a TD 05 from as they are not easy to find [ without a turbo attached to them ]

Good Luck and thanks again for the testimonial.

David APi Engines / APi lmpreza
www.apiengines.com

RON

I had trouble finding new copper washers the right size for the water pipes when i fitted my 05, so i had to use thicker ones, but, because they were thicker, theye didn't bed in so well, and i had a tiny leak when hot, more like steam coming out rather than water, what a sod of a job it was aswell, i ended up making the two hoses two pieces, instead of them being joined, cos i didn't wanna take the torbo off to fix the problem.... sorted now though!!

Hoppy

I guess the learning point from this is: if an Impreza is losing the amount of water mine was - like 2l in less than 40 miles - then you have a leak. I find it hard to believe the car would run otherwise absolutely perfectly with a head gasket problem of that magnitute.

So it's losing lots of water without leaving a trace? It's got to be rapid evaporation, which leads you to something exhaust related, which will lead to the turbo. Only trouble is it is very hard to see anything without pulling a few bits apart, which at official Subaru labour rates, that are DOUBLE API's in my case, you could spend a lot of money and find nothing unless it cannot be anything else.

Then I have a TD05 turbo, and I know plumbing bits for this are hard to come by (without a turbo attached) as API had trouble getting pipes when they fitted it for me. What would an offical dealer do then? Whatever, I hate to think of the cost. On the other hand, David just robbed a donor TD05 he has, and will get my old cracked pipe welded up good as new for a few quid, and then refit it to the donor. Everybody happy Especially me

Richard.

911

Another member of the 'API Sales Team' just HOW MANY of us are there!?
Justified reputation.
My engine has been slaughtered repeatedly since he did the head gaskets @ 407 bhp x 1.45 bar and things are perfect.

scoobfan

Same here !

Rob

APIDavid

iTrader: (4)

You'll all be wanting ' team shirts ' next !! Doh!, Now I've done it.

David APi Engines / APi Impreza
www.apiengines.com

scooby-k

full marks to David and his team never too busy to help.
ken
(medium size David) lol

big daz2

sorry another member of api's fan club,i havent got a bad word to say about david and the team they are all first class and they are on my christmas card list.

dowser

David,

I get TD05 service kits from an Italian firm for just over 100 quid from memory. The kit includes the water pipes (as well as all gaskets, washers and bearings). I need to check with my mechanic for full details - let me know via email if interested.

Cheers, Richard

APIDavid

iTrader: (4)

Thanks Richard, we have now sourced them from APi Japan. It was a big problem about a year ago but a few emails to Japan and problem solved.


Thanks for the helpful thoughts though, much appreciated. I will ask Japan about the service kit, as we are just buying the pipes and banjo bolts at the moment

Kind regards

David APi Engines / APi Impreza
www.apiengines.com

dowser

No problems David - think I posted the Mitsu service kit part number somewhere on here or 22B a while back.

PS: I'm only being so nice 'cos I maybe in the market for a DCCD 6MT soon

APIDavid

iTrader: (4)

Flattery and assistance always does it for me.

David

dowser

You'll need to charge me double then.......service kit comes with oil return, not water pipes. Whoops!