Help,Engine problems, 56 plate sti
 

Hi guys just wondering if anyone can shed some light on car problem,
a little while ago our car started overheating all of a sudden
i replaced the thermostat
car still overheats and white froth comes out radiator,so i thought it was head gasket, we used a sniffer kit, and there were no hydrocarbons present in the water so the test said it wasnt the gasket.
theres a bit of steam coming out the exhaust too

any ideas ?

thanks:)

its a 2.5sti by the way 2006 model

-ve sniffer test not conclusive on turbo cars. Ergo, any HG fracture may ONLY open up under full boost/load, thus, only then, releasing combustion gases into the coolant. So not a reliable test to go by when not under boost/load.

Go for a blast around the block near where you live using full boost/load (keep a hawk eye on the temp gauge). Pull up, pop lid, carefully release the header tank pressure cap. Stick your bugle in the hole... does it reek of pungent combustion gases? If so, dead cert it's an HG failure.

Based on your symptoms, HG is the main culprit at this stage, unfortunately.

lovelly :(

API David charges £850 +VAT for head/block surface clean up and STi 3/4 steel HGs supplied/fitted. (That's as long as nothing else needs doing while 'he's in there').

I certainly wouldn't recommend driving the car at high load/boost then immediately removing the header tank cap - You're very likely to get scalded by hot coolant ejecting itself from the header tank.

After giving it a run on boost, check the coolant overflow bottle on the NSR of the radiator for any signs of bubbling - If so, then one of the headgaskets is more than likely to be the culprit.

Repeat a sniffer test on the overflow bottle after a sustained run on boost - This may or may not give a positive result, but is a worthwhile exercise IMO.

Sorry, I did mean to add to let it stand a for a bit before attempting to do that.

My 06 plate STI is currently in the garage having it's head gasket done due to near identical symptoms. I had the car into Subaru and they did 2 sniff tests, saying that both were clear, yet it still turned out to be a failed head gasket. Sorry Kingalzer - but it does sound like you have the same issue......

On a seperate note I wish someone had told me that David @ API did these particular types of jobs at these prices. There's a couple of us that have had the same issue and we've both paid out around £1600-£1800 for head gasket repair work. Having said that I have had cossy head gaskets put back on mine but from what I'm told these are no more expensive than most other ones.

Is this really something that should be going wrong on 3-4 year old cars? I thought head gaskets only went in old bangers? Or is it more to do with how the car is driven or something that can go at anytime. Bit worried as I've got 04 WRX and hearing this happening on 06 plate cars is concerning. :(

Correct. Most MLS (multi layer steel) HGs are around £100+ for the pair, whether aftermarket, e.g. Cosworth, Cometic, etc., or OEM STi ones.

By which time the smell has gone.

Try running a pipe connected to the expansion tank pipe up to the windscreen. If the heads lift at boost then the pipe will squirt over the screen.

Seems to be confined mainly to Hawkeye cars being reported on SN about coolant problems recently? Or I've been tuned into them after my own problem.

Not in my case it didn't.

I had a suspected HG falilure back in April and, after changing pump and stat, Tim at Zen took her for a test drive using plenty of boost/load. I assume he drove normally on the way back to the premises, so as to allow the coolant to settle down etc. Car was left for about 10-20mins and Paul carefully released the cap and that awful stench was most definitely present (as well as virtually all the coolant in the tank having gone! lol).


Ha. I like that - that'd work! ;)

My undrstanding is that there is a known problem with the younger Hawkeye's around. These were the first of the 2.5ltr Turbos, and evidentally Subaru have either not fitted head gaskets that suit or there is a design fault somehow somewhere.

If anyone can shed some light on the exact problem I would appreciate it, as I am sturggeling to explain to the missus why I've had so many problems with the car having only had in 5 minutes :brickwall

arghh nightmare the engine went in the p1 and i had to remove and fit that 6 month ago, now this.....

whats the quickest way to remove the engine?

hi guys, took car to subaru and they said they cannot find the problem, i took the car out for some spirited driving and then tested the gasses myself again and its still coming back as negative, when the car is sitting idling the temperature goes up to the top, yet when i rev it for a while the temp drops? there is froth almost like mouse coming out rad though? but im not sure if thats just because my pals old boy put rad weld in :mad:

if its not the head gasket, and ive replaced thermostat, what are the other options?
the bottom pipe on the rad is cold, yet the top pipe is roasting, i thought it was the other way round?

any ideas?

By the temp gauge going high at idle then dropping under revs is it not an airlock.

Looked at your last post again sounds like a thermostat issue as it is not allowing the coolant to circulate thus cold bottom hose. You could try running it with out the thermostat to see what happens then.

The engine will be really hot, therefore make sure you <ahem>.... "stew it little" :D

Seriously, I reckon HG. Symptoms just like mine. Top hose should be hot yes, but bottom hose warm - not cold. If stone cold, then an airlock is present - this is prob happening when you use boost i.e. fracture in HG opening out under the boost pressure.

This all leads to the symptoms/overheating you're seeing...

Sadly mate, I would put money on it being a head gasket now especially if you have done the thermostat. Sorry fella - sounds exactly like mine, Subaru checked and tested and said they couldn't find anything wrong yet when the block was taken apart it was quite clearly head gasket failure.

As noted some where above David @ API does this exact job for £850 plus vat. And on a newage engine there would be no further work required. Wish I had known that was the case because mine's going to cost me best part of 2 grand when I eventually get it back (although I am having some other work done at the same time).

Don't run a scoob without a thermostat, that's a VERY BAD idea. All the evidence points to head gasket failure I am afraid.

We modify the thermostats on 2.5's and high output engines to allow a better bypass instead of the small dingly dangly thing that the thermo's come with normally. That helps a flow of water through the stat all the time and prevents the sudden opening of the thermo that lets in a flood of cold water.

You might try something like that as a last resort - but I think the heads are gonna have to come off.

David APi

thanks for all the help guys :eek2: