KennyG

Evening, sorry if this is yet another thread - I've read many and can't make my mind up.

When I got my wrx - the thermostat had "been removed". The car had driven fine and only noticed when the weather got colder and the temperature would drop when accelerating - I immediately stopped driving the car and took it to a local garage (not a subaru specialist) and they fitted a new thermostat..

The car would then overheat when driven (it didn't leave the garage working on it) So the waterpump, radiator and cambelt and even the header tank cap - all changed - some of which revealed other issues which were fixed. (threaded bolts damaged rad top pipe)

Unfortunately the car still overheats.

The temp stays stable at idle.
The heaters are blowing cold when temp is stable or overheating.
The heater matrix pipes are cold
The bottom rad hose is warm... but not very warm
The top radiator hose is hot.
No oil in the water
No mayo in the oil
Not losing any coolant

The garage say its the head gasket, but hadn't and for some reason wouldn't do a sniffer test - they were "that certain" that it couldn't be anything else.

I asked how the coolant was filled and they said they used a pressure system (???)

I thinking... and hoping its airlock in the system?

If its the headgasket - fair enough I'll have to get it fixed,

As I can't currently drive anywhere with it I wouldn't mind opinions if its worth bothering to drain the system and then following the slow and gradual method I have read... which I don't think the garage followed...also I would have thought it would have overheated even without the thermostat being present since it will be open when its happening now?

chesh

Am in same boat same issue it's headgasket

95Kaira

I'd expect the head gasket. Its happened a few times to my cars and some of my friends ones.
The first sign of a problem with the coolant system is the heater blowing cold, but unless you have a leak then that's what I reckon is wrong.