mad macca mccann

hi all i have a 1996 sti import with a v8 bottom end i had a rad leak last week so ordered a new rad and left the car on the front so not to do any more damage
went to mainland to see my bro for the weekend got the wife to pick me up what i didnt know is she decided to take the sti she rang me saying car is smokeing
got a recovery truck to take us home as i didnt want to start again or chance it
put new rad in next day water coolant started the car let it run for 30mins fans kick in and temp only went half way so i thought great
then noticed the heater in the car wasnt working it was just blowing cold
also bottom rad pipe cold but top one hot there is no white smoke from exsaust and no water in the oil then took it to the top of the road and then temp rose again very quick to hot but slowly went dow again whe ticking over thought it may be head gasket

this is my first impreza and not familier with this type of engine can anyone help

p1junkie

iTrader: (5)

first thing to do is ensure no leaks then try and burp system sounds like possible airlock now

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

sounds like the mrs may have compromised the headgaskets with the overheating.

It also sounds like you have an air lock in the water system when you've refilled.

cushti

iTrader: (7)

When you say the wife said it was smoking, where from? Exhaust or from the front of the car which could just be the hot water coming out of the hole in the rad?

If it's from the exhaust & it's white then it's not good.

Fans usually only kick in with no airlocks but best checking anyway. Also, you say bottom rad pipe is cold & no heater hot air so it's worth checking the thermostat is actually opening & not stuck shut.

mad macca mccann

thanks to everyone for fast reply
the wife says it was smokeing from front but she stopd straight away
will try air lock and thermostat tomorow and let you know again thanks

mad macca mccann

ok put new thermostat in the car and heat is comeing from the heater and water is circulateing and the temp is stable
no overheating what so ever even when driveing

just one more thing is confuseing me i can leave the car for over half a hour running and all seems fine but as soon as i touch the revs the pipes harden near instantly and there are bubbles in the coolant filler on right hand side of bay the expantion tank cap has a button to relese pressure and thats where the pressure seems to go when pressed

is this just how it releases pressure or is it a problem

other than that there is no water in oil no smoke no bubbles in water tank when cap off and running

is it normal for pipes to be solid on acceleration

sory for all the questions and bad spelling but this is the first boxter engine iv ever owned and worked on

mad macca mccann

just took the car around town after sat ticking over for 30 mins all ok till i stared back home about 1 min away from house after bout 30 mins of driveing i stook boot down on strait country road the heater started blowing cold and then the temp rose to hot so i had to stop parked up walked home ad a brew then went to pick car up when it was cooled off please dont tell me head gasket has gone witch is my only other thought also if you think it is how much is reasonable price for fitting as i live in lisburn northern ireland and prices aint so cheap anyway

cushti

iTrader: (7)

There is still a few things it could be. Were there any water leaks & is the coolant filler bottle reading the same water level now as it did before you set off?

First check every single hose & water pipe completely for cracks (twist & bend them if possible in case a split only opens under throttle), loose jubilee clips, rad cap still keeping pressure & no radiator leaks in case air is finding a way into the cooling system.

Otherwise, you can get a block test or compression test to confirm if headgasket has gone. A local garage should do this for around £10-£30. If it is the start of the headgasket going then the reason it seemed ok after new thermostat & bleeding could be from the combustion gases seeping past the broken headgasket escaping into the cooling system slowly, thus creating an airlock & the bubbles in the coolant water tank you mentioned.

mad macca mccann

hi thanks to all who responded i gave up and put it in to a garage aparently the head gaskets had split and the head was also damaged so i had new custom steel gaskets 1.6mm fitted new waterpump and a recon head the guy who done the job charged me £800 for the lot parts and labour so now the wife aint avin her holiday this year as she owes me hahahahahaha
again thanks to everyone