jeff121

hi guys i have a 1999 2.0 turbo uk spec, the problem im having with the car is that the water level keeps going low. i startd the car today let it warm up, it warms up pretty quickly but never overheats, the water starts coming out of the water filler hole, the top radiator hose is warm however the bottom isnt? what could it be seems like its a thermostat or water pump to me. but ive also noticed that there is allot of dirty water in the radiator its all rusty and orange. im not very technical with the imprezas as its the first ive had, the cars awesome but the water level issue doesnt quite seem right, it just pours it out. could anybody give me any advice please before i end up frying the engine.

any help is greatly appreciated guys.

thanks

Butty

iTrader: (2)

Water filler hole? Is that in a plastic tank to side of radiator? That's just the expansion tank.
Are you filling the metal tank with rad cap on it?

if its not due to filling the wrong point then I'd go for a HG.

JulioJordio2

Without trying to scare you mate, those were the symptoms I had when my head gasket began failing.

You mentioned water loss, where from exactly?

If its coming from the expansion tank by the battery on the right hand side, that could point to HG.

Water pumps are noisy when they begin failing. Have you heard any whining noises?

Thermostat is a possility, check it in some boiling water. If it is opening, you may find that the water is being forced out due to an air lock, this could be from where you've topped up the coolant (using proper coolant or tap water? as tap water has a lower boiling point) or if the HG has gone, the exhaust gases will be mixing in the combustion chamber, and will cause airlocks constantly.

Check the stat, dump all your coolant and re-fill using the proper method if you havent already (do a search on here lots of posts)

If things continue, get a sniffer test done mate.

HTH

Splitpin

As Butty asks where exactly are you gauging the "level" from here?

The header tank (on the side of the inlet manifold) should be brim full (with engine cold), and the level in the air separator in the expansion tank (in front of the battery) should be around midway between the H and L marks, again when cold.

As has been said if there's coolant peeing out of the separator then that's an indicator of a failing head gasket.

Also, are you using a correct mix of a quality coolant or just topping up with water?

For what it's worth you can probably rule out a failing pump here, as the normal symptoms of that would be coolant dripping out of the timing belt cover, or overheating.

jeff121

hi guys from the top where the water goes in the middle of the engine compartment is where im filling with water, not the coolant plastic tank bottle on the right hand side. i have just drained the radiator water from the bottom there is allot of orange water coming out and it is seriously like corrosion inside, as i said the top hose is warm and the bottom rad hose is cold is this a HG symptom? im thinking of checking the thermostat next as it could have seezed up as the car has been parked up for a while prb 3/4 months. furthermore my heaters inside are not working and cant really turn the heaters on to bleed the air out. when the car was started before the water was coming back out of the middle compartment near to the air intake whilst the radiator cap was removed, however after flushing it out it doesnt come back out, but the top hose is still warm and bottom cold, there is still allot of dirt in the system as water is continuously coming out orange.

jeff121

anybody have any info on this?

StickyMicky

Your headgaskets are likely ****ed, the coolant is probably escaping from the overflow behind the headlight, most likely when "on boost"

jonny_693

iTrader: (5)

Before ****ting yourself Buy a new filler cap. They are £6.80 on Importcarparts. Mine kept doing similar and has been fine since the cap was fitted. Even if it doesn't look too bad the seals go hard with age.

Scooby715

Hmm... well i'd say chances are it probably is HG but... also your filling it wrong which can't be helping it and usually causes airlocks in the system so i'd suss that first.
This is a rough procedure of how subaru filled mine (which has held fine since) so should be pretty good for yours:-

- with the engine off fill though the header tank (next to the inlet) using plenty of antifreeze i'd say 30% as an absolute minimum until it brims and stays there.

- start the engine and warm it up (with the cap off) filling through the header tank so keeping the level to the brim, until it over-flows (at this point rev it slightly and it'll pull the coolant level down so u can put the cap on).

- now fill through the expansion tank on the side of the radiator till the level goes to the top FILL level, keep the cap off and keep the engine running.

- the air bubbles still in the system will now work their way to the expansion tank and to the FILL level so keep watching until there are no more air bubbles, put the cap on and thats it!!

Other than that i'd say keep your eye on the level, if its still going down after this then i'm afraid its gonna be HG in my opinion...

Myles

iTrader: (40)

Holed rad?

spratster

i have just started to get same symptoms on my v2 sti engine !!!!! had a leaky hose that i didnt nitice for a while ,, all was well before this , topped it up with about 2 ltrs of water and has now begane to overheat every couple a days ,,,,,,, same with the bottom rad hose (cold) am hopeing air lock .... so will drop the water on sat and go for the refill approach with plenty of antifreeze ..... hope its not hg myself ????? fe**n engine out ??? no ta ...lol

dantastic

Cold bottom hose & heater not blowing hot air are symptoms you would get with a buggered thermostat.

spratster

my heater blows out red fe**n hot !!!!! so lets just hope its an air block !!!!!!! as got no ****e in oil ??? and water isnt showing signs of any smeg as yet !!! ???? lol just spent £480 on gearbox and relined clutch etc etc .....

sssssteeeee

my header tank went down 2 times this week empty, so i assumed worst case possible as said head gasket, well picked the lad up today and x girlfriend said yes that happened on my rover and then said try radweld! mmmmm??? so popped to shell and stuck the bottle in and topped up with water, after 5 miles i checked for leaks - no water dripping from under car, checked level in headertank dropped prob 10mm but holding so then did some heavy boosting at 7000 rpms hasnt moved - happy days. might save your self a lot of time and money for sake of 6 pound. whats to loose give it ago.

Turbotits

iTrader: (2)

Whats to loose? Radweld is a temp emergncy fix. It can block waterways that are not meant to be blocked. Its unlikely any decent mechanic would reccommend using it. Problem you now have is that youve masked any leak or fault so finding it is going to be a pain. If you wanted a quick temp fix then you could have saved £6 and instead cracked a raw egg into the system.

sssssteeeee

lol yes raw egg, well i agree its a temp mesure, and will keep eye on level, espes before inducing the turbo!. or the vf34 is dead. shall give thwaites a ring and ask mark see if he can suggest possible cause. heater is working very well, car starts fine and runs pretty good even the temperature guage reads normal,i checked the water in header tank with finger and theres no yellow or white sludge on it so cant be all doom and gloom so far.radweld is good its either use it or scrap the car etc. a new lump would be likely otherwise. wonder what it would cost anyway to repair HG mab a stroker kit should be installed as well if its engine out depends i spose on level of strip down.

Turbotits

iTrader: (2)

Yea raw egg works well as a temp repair. Does exactly the same a radweld. The egg poaches in coolant and as it reaches the point where the leak is, it blocks it up.