johnuns

My subaru Impreza STI typr R year 2000, heats up approximately three minutes after stopping. Not while driving, but only after i stop. Also if I just turn it on from cold and leave it running, it never heats up. Sombody please tell me what the prob is.

matt75racing

[B][I][[COLOR="DarkGreen"]FONT="Century Gothic"]
HI There

Sounds to me like you have one of three likely Problems .
1. Blocked cooling system , good sign off this is the heater in the car not blowing hot air , although not always the case if it the radiator thats blocked !! which is highly possible as on tick over the themo really opens to use the radiator.
2. split hoses or cracked radiator. wil lose coolant under load and then over heat as it runs low on coolant.
3. head gasket gone . this will presure rise the system under load only . You will usually find that its losing coolant at a quick rate
Just my opinion of course
regards Matt][/FONT]

johnuns

Thanks for speedy reply mat,

sounds like blocked cooling systm as heater does not work.As I live in Cyprus this does not bother me ,but over heating when standing still is a problem.
I did think maybee head gasket had gone. What do you mean when you say system will be pressurised under load.

matt75racing

Hi
If its a head gasket , the pistons forces air through the gasket seal in to the cooling system this will make the radiator hoses rock hard and then push out the coolant through the radiator cap and out the over flow . lets hope it not that as it can become a major £££££ job .
Though sounds like blocked system or low coolant ! if no hot air from heater , make sure once cleaned out that every now and again you turn on the heat on in the car, the heater matrix (small radiator behind the dash ) is an important part of the system and can block up easily if not used regularly Regards Matt

johnuns

[B]Hi mat,
thanks for reply. The hard hose pipe has caused some concern for a while. Also I can smell fumes in the metal box, as well as bubbleing in the plastic top up thing. I tried a rad clean chemical after I talked to you last week and finnaly the heating is working. But still have problem two minutes after standing still, ie sudden heat up.
So the big coolant hoses should not get rock hard at all. is this a sure sign the gasket has gone. Do this car have two head gaskets by the way.

Thanks again John

johnuns

Hi mat,
thanks for reply. The hard hoses have been a concern for since I bought the car. I also believe I can smell fumes in the rad top up. Tell me should the rad top (square metal box) have water in it at all. After filling up the system and then driving when I check this box there is no water in it. The plastic top up point always reads full though.

After talking to you last I used a rad clear chemical and hey presto now I have heating for the first time. So rad was clogged. I fear though that the clogged rad has caused a possible blown head gasket. Is a rock hard gasket a sure sign of this. After clearing the system it appears I still have the same problem i.e approx one minute after I stop it suddenly heats up fast. What I do find thiough is this that if I turn the engine of and ten seconds later turn it on again the temp gauge returns to the position it was in when i turned it of but then instead of getting hotter as it was doing, it suddenly cools down and returns to opperating temp and then does not heat up again. It crossed my mind that maybee the thermostat was playing up.
Awiting your thoughts thanks John.

matt75racing

Hi
Ok firstly the top metal tank with the radiator cap on it should have coolant in it and topped up , there is an expantion tank in the near side wing which when the engine is hot the coolant expands in to as it cools it then returns in to the tank untill the cap closes it off .
Are you having to regularly top this up ?? why dont you private message me to discuss

johnuns

Hi again,
sorry for double posting the other day thought first one had been lost.
Yes i am having to fill up metal resovior often. Would happily go to private communication but do not know how to.
Thanks again John

smokingkills

iTrader: (3)

Sounds very much like headgasket. You can get a "sniffer test" done fairly cheap at a decent garage to confirm. Do you get water shooting out of the resevoir near the battery when you "boot it"?

johnuns

Sniffer test sounds interesting. Thankfully everything is cheap in Cyprus at least compared to the uk. So even new head gasked should not be to bad. Any idea whats involved to get the head of .Are there two head gaskets on the boxer engine ,if so how to know which side is blown.The more you know the cheaper you get it in Cyprus as is probably the case anywhere. The garage I bought the scoobi from has a rally thing going. They are quick and cheap but maybee a bit slap happy. I took the car in last week complaining of overheating and loosing water, it came back with "we found a couple of hose leaks" bull. Any idea what a head gasket costs in the UK (Type R STI).
Thanks for help john

matt75racing

Hi John
Sorry cant help with prices but sure some one will be along with a guide , sounds very much like head gasket to me as well .
Yes there is two heads and so two gaskets .
As for identifing which I can only think you will have to get both done and you will need to find a good garage for this as its not just a case of replacing the gaskets, the heads may need resurfacing and will definatley need checking for softness and any warping or it can repeat the gasket faliures very soon after rebuild.
Sorry the news aint good but make sure it isnt leaking elsewere.
any body got any other thoughts

smokingkills

iTrader: (3)

Its an engine out job which is the expensive bit & your heads will need a skim. A compression test may show which side the headgasket has gone but you should replace both sides, if one side has perished then the other side won't be far behind. The physical gaskets will be fairly cheap compared to the labour cost (mine cost around £200 for a pair of gaskets).

Here's an example "sniffer":

Cylinder Head Gasket Leak Tester on eBay, also, Diagnostic Tools Equipment, Garage Equipment Tools, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 05-Apr-08 20:30:00 BST)

johnuns

Hi to all'
much thanks to all for help and advice.I went to the garage today and told mario the head gasket had gone.He told me,, just as you have now, that if one head needs skimming both have to be done. I think, knowing the prices here in Cyprus, that the labour will be less than the cost of the gaskets, believe it or not. Trust me the government in Britain is killing everybody with tax. Things are pretty cheap here even though the euro has caused some prices to rise.

Anyway the new Scoobie which is a very old one really, 1993 WRX with a STI type R motor, is going in on monday and hopefully they do a good job and I can then enjoy for the summer.

thanks again John