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Car heater gone cold????????

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Old Apr 11, 2005 | 11:35 PM
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Default Car heater gone cold????????

Driving home from my Lasse's house tonight i had the heater on full blast. For no apparent reason, all the heat went and only had cold air blowing at me All my various gauges were as they should be. Any guesses?
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Old Apr 11, 2005 | 11:48 PM
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When the same thing happened to me,it turned out to be a leaking radiator.
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Old Apr 11, 2005 | 11:53 PM
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Mine just went from hot to cold in a matter of 30 seconds. Am i right to assume that the water temp would rise if the rad was fooked?
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Old Apr 12, 2005 | 07:25 AM
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Check theres coolant in it? The first thing lost when coolant is very low is normally the heater.
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Old Apr 12, 2005 | 08:02 AM
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Gone to work this morning and all is fine Coolant is fine
I hope it was just an air lock that's cleared itself
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Old Apr 13, 2005 | 12:34 AM
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Best keep an eye on the coolant level to catch any problem in the bud.
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Old Apr 13, 2005 | 12:08 PM
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Will do Harvey.
Cheers
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Old Apr 13, 2005 | 01:13 PM
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Agree with Harvey, also make sure you keep checking coolant levels.. the Dash gauge is very missleading.. temps can reach 115degh before the needle reads any higher than normal.

Rob
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Old Apr 13, 2005 | 05:36 PM
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Old Apr 14, 2005 | 03:08 PM
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mark give me a bell m8,big fek up with my mobile ive lost all my phone numbers
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Old Apr 14, 2005 | 04:05 PM
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No probs, ring ya later
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Old Apr 15, 2005 | 07:59 AM
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Si, you have mail
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Old Apr 15, 2005 | 08:04 AM
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Could be trouble.
Drove home from my Lasses last night. I went via town so i did about 4 miles. Got home and left the car running while i opened the gararge. While doing so i noticed the fan running I checked the coolant which was a touch low. Had to put about half a litre of water in.
Drove to work this morning and again the fan was running but the water level is fine.
Anyone care to give a list of possabilities?
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Old Apr 15, 2005 | 09:06 AM
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Had a similar thing on a Citroen diesel many years ago. The temp went hot/cold/hot/cold etc for a couple of days. Then the head gasket went.

Hope yours okay. Check the colour of the water under the radiator cap. If its white might be worth checking the gasket.

Fingers crossed
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Old Apr 15, 2005 | 11:09 AM
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Old Apr 15, 2005 | 02:56 PM
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Top for an ill Scoob
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Old Apr 15, 2005 | 06:04 PM
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Just done my 9 mile drive home from work having been stationary in traffic for at least 10 minutes. I kept an eye on all the gauges, in particular the water temp. It stayed solid in it's usual position all the way. Anyway - got home and jumped out with it running on the drive and popped the bonnet. The fan wasn't running but clicked in after about 40 seconds. I think i maybe a little paranoid and the car has done this all the time - i dunno
Is there anything i can check just incase it's not just me? Ecu reset etc?????
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Old Apr 15, 2005 | 10:34 PM
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Like Rob explained, the temperature guage is pretty inert and this is a deliberate ploy by Subaru and many other car manufacturers so the owners do not see a rising temperature guage when the car is sat in traffic or on a long uphill. The temperature guage will remain static in its normal position anywhere from 72 to 100 degrees C. approx so that is not a good indicator.
What ECU are you running ? OE or Link ?
It is quite normal for the fan(s) to come on while stationary in traffic when fully warmed up or when you come to a stop after a journey when the engine is left ticking over. The fact you have only used a very small amount of water is no reason for concern.
To put your mind at rest you can ask a local garage to do a check on your coolant to detect combustion products. Hopefully the results will be negative. The test should only take 10 minutes and cost very little.
It is quite normal for the coolant to find its own level, taking into account expansion and contraction as the coolant warms and cools so adding half a litre after a weeks usage is nothing to bother about.
Good luck with it and let us know how you get on.
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Old Apr 15, 2005 | 10:47 PM
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Have you got auto climate control, if so it could be that cooling down the cabin to the set heater level.
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Old Apr 18, 2005 | 11:43 PM
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No climate control....................yet and i'm on a Tekked stock ecu.
Cheers harvey, my mind is a bit more rested now. I've been driving round as usual for the past few days and nothing is out of the ordinary Coolant level is fine etc
So if the car remains fine then it's all systems go for the VF35 i have parked on the bedroom floor
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Old Apr 18, 2005 | 11:55 PM
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Doubtful but: Sludge in your cooling system blocking up the heater matrix?...when was it last changed?....and was the cooling system flushed out when it was drained?
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Old Apr 21, 2005 | 11:17 PM
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******Update******

Just checked my coolant tonight and had to put in about a litre of water
Anyway - checked the oil for any sign of water, but there's none
Started looking around the radiator area for leaks, and again - none
I noticed just behind the driver's side headlight under the abs thingy - some bright green water I popped the expansion tank cap off and i found the very same coloured water
I've taken some pics of the area and was wondering if the cylinder thing with three pipes coming out of it could be to blame. All the pipework looks to be fine so i was wondering if water could be leaking from the bottom of it???? or is sealed at the bottom?








Last edited by Brun; Apr 21, 2005 at 11:20 PM.
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Old Apr 21, 2005 | 11:51 PM
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I have just had a similar pool of water on mine. I had a small pin hole in my top radiator hose that put out a fine jet of water when fully warm and pressurised/
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Old Apr 21, 2005 | 11:55 PM
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On the bottom of the radiator on that side is the drain tap - it could be leaking - have a look - you should be able to get your hand down there to feel it (cold engine though - don't want you burning yourself )

That big black canister in the 3rd picture is the charcoal cansiter - nothing to do with the cooling system - it holds the petrol vapour from the fuel tank!
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Old Apr 22, 2005 | 08:37 AM
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I see
It's just that the pipes from it go to the expansion tank thingy
I shall investigate the pipes a bit closer
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Old Apr 22, 2005 | 02:10 PM
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Old Apr 22, 2005 | 06:41 PM
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Right - i think i've found the leak
I think it's a possible new radiator I'll get some pics up for you lot to see.
In the meantime - how much is a new rad inc. fitting?
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Old Apr 22, 2005 | 07:58 PM
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Here are the pics. The crack is in one of the vertical edges of the radiator very near to charcoal thingy. The surface that's cracked is actually plastic i think. Is this a new radiator or can it be repaired?


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Old Apr 22, 2005 | 08:10 PM
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new rad API do them for £165 easy to fit DIY job m8
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Old Apr 22, 2005 | 08:13 PM
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The end tank split just like that on mine as well. I noticed it when I was sitting in traffic and saw what I thought was smoke coming from under the bonnet. I think someone on here had found a place that makes them up with metal end plates instead of the plastic.
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