Hi guys and great forum,

before I get flamed by regular posters I have done a search

I bought 98 JDM WRX as a car for getting to work and just generally kicking about in. Its not a minter by any means but seemed quite unmolested and straight so I took it.

Anyways, all was going well till i started having a few problems with the cooling system. Basically when the car gets up to temperature, it starts dumping water out, the fans start coming on and it generally sounds like its starting to cook. Fortunately ive caught this before anyhting has got proper toasted, im just a bit unsure how to go about testing the cooling system on one of these as Ive very limited/no experience on scoobys. Im praying its just a crack in the radiator and not something more terminal.

The leak seems to be occuring if you are stood at the front of the car, on the drivers (same side as the turbo) side,between the rad and the block itself. As I said its only happened the once, and it left a small puddle under the car. Also checked the expansion tank and thats bone dry, but the filler tank on the rad has still got water in it.

I dont know enough about scoobys, but having done some reading it seems like radiators are quite a common weak point.

Ive had someone who rates himself as a bit of a scooby expert have a look and he reckons the headgaskkets gone. I think hes talking out of his are as there is no coolant/oil mix, idles fine, boosts fine no lumpiness or apparent lack of compression.

I suppose the point im tryin to get to is whats the best way to diagnose either headgasket failure, or whether there is a break in the cooling system?

also is there a simple check for airlocks and would this cause the heater to stop working.

thanks in advance

 

sounds like the drivers side radiator cap has split i dought it is your headgaskets because if it was you would have coolant blowing out of the overflow and the engine would overheat fast and i mean fast. pop the grill out between the headlights and check the front of the radiator on the drivers side. thats normally where the plastic splits, if it is the rad? if not then you will have to check everything withing the area that the steam is coming from or the area above the developed puddle.

 

Top rad hose does have a tendency to develop holes. can be hard to trace...there is another post on here these days about a pinholed top rad hose...classic fault. Sometimes, the hose will rupture in a big cloud of steam !

 

Ive also got a coolant problem am losing water. Topped up again this morning with a good half litre but idles fine, no white smoke or gunk around coolant lid. I checked the over fill once it had warmed up and no bubbles in the water. Checked under car and no wet patches. Im hoping it aint the head gasket

 

thanks for your help guys, ill start pulling bits off shortly.

I dont suppose theres any god online resources for familiarising yourself where everything is on these engines is there? As mentioned before ive never worked on a subaru and only experience with boxer engines is in an alfa 33 p4 a few years back -

thanks again, and for cheering me up as I thought it would be the headgasket...

 

Just a quick one on head gaskets fellas! You dont always get an air/oil mix. Sometimes the coolant will get into the combustion chamber and simply turn into steam out the exhaust. The best way is to get the tester which sits on the header tank and measures the gas in the system to see if there is a leak between the cooling chambers and combustion.

 

lads thanks so much for your help, found the problem. Looks like a very very small stone has flicked up and nicked the bottom of the rad. The holes very small so im just going to quicksteel it as it doesnt warrant a new rad.
Obviously im going to drop all the coolant out and replace. I take it I just need to drop the bottom hose off to do this? Also whats the best way to fill back up as there seems to be a couple of different methods and these cars seem to be prone to airlocks so I want to get it right.

thanks again!

 

any offers??