I am in the horrible situation where my WRX 2.5 may have blown it's head gasket. I have no symptoms other than bubbling noises in the heater matrix. The noises only started when I had a blonde moment and opened the radiator cap. Car has since had the coolant changed twice once by Subaru badly and once by me (3 times as I ran for a few days on just water). Nothing seems to stop the bubbling noise. Sometimes it does not do it for days but then it comes back. Car never overheats and the coolant does not get pushed out of the overflow tank. The level rises and falls as expected. Coolant looks normal and I have no smoke from exhaust, oil is fine and no mixing with water. I have read many stories of the HG failing so I am ready for the bad news if it has gone.

Anyway can anyone recommend a sniff test kit that is below £40. Kits I have seen vary from £10 to >£100. Are these cheap kits worth the bother?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/273012579567




https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Bt-3-2x50ml-Combustion-Leak-Tester-Kit-Co2-Head-Gasket-Block-Test-Fluid-2a/11026959824?iid=283484512010&chn=ps&norover=1&mkev t=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=283484512010&targetid=59465218460 0&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1006959&poi=&campa ignid=6619152122&mkgroupid=84510981968&rlsatarget= pla-594652184600&abcId=1140496&merchantid=116618883&gc lid=CjwKCAjw9L_tBRBXEiwAOWVVCWUKvgqvAn_erkGs3o5yfh gc7OhfBBsRckUiEG6tOP5h7pZP6R_snBoCuf8QAvD_Bw

Thanks in advance.

 

Air lock maybe?? When my head gasket went i had over heating and coolant pushed out the over flow tank but only when being driven on boost, normal driving showed no signs of a problem

Im not sure i would bother with a sniff test, i had one done and it come back all clear but the head gasket had gone

 

I have refilled it 3 times and bleed it. I did have an air lock when filling on one occasion but managed to bleed it out. Still I hope it still is and it is working its way out but seems to like to end up in matrix sometimes. The idea of the sniff test was piece of mind. I have no other symptoms. I have read loads of stories on the subject and most overheat. Car drives great too. What would you do?

 

If its just a water running noise behind the dash i wouldn't worry if there's no other symptoms. Mine does it even after a rebuilt engine.

 

Thanks. I might just add that your favorite mapper Mapped it. Lol. Do I still not worry.

 

yeah be very worried,,,, hahahahahaha

 

My worst mistake was giving the car to a local Subaru Dealer who tried to bleed the system from the cap on the radiator. All caught on dashcam what a bunch of idiots. Needless to say the evidence was damning and I got them to grovel as they should.

The map has been fine and was done long before I had any bubbling noises.

 

Just an air lock. Very difficult to bleed the Subaru system properly without using one of these to burp the trapped air out of the system. They always get air locks.


See this thread.

https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/sho....php?t=2437371

 

Exactly what happened with mine, coolant was also a horrible colour as it was full of bits of the gasket as it broke down.

 

Thanks, I use a funnel with gaffer tape to make a seal in the filler tank opening. I have bleed it lots of times and yes I have managed to free an airlock with it as the cabin heater never blew hot air.

I have studied the cooling system and yes it is very convoluted and I can see that it would be very easy to trap air in the system. The turbo cooling also by design produces vapour in the system which unlikely could be getting into the heater matrix.

The bubbling sound always comes back either the next day or a week or two. Driving me nuts. Like i said it never did it until I took the rad cap off during a brain fat, but now I cannot get rid of it.