hi guys im new here just bought my first subaru today

she a 96 wrx sti wagon

im just a little worried at the moment

she drove perfect home on the motorway for over an hour

but once i got her near home on the back road i gave her a few bursts nothing major

i then looked at the temprature hand and it was up near the top not all the way but very close to the top

the car had been lying up for a long time previous it was last taxed in 09

anyone have any ideas what may be wrong?

all help appreciated

 

Hiya mate.
If its been sat for that long without being used at all then it's best to check/change all the fluids.Basically give it a real good service and check everything including brakes.
Has it been serviced before you picked it up?
Any mods?
First thing to check is the water in the header tank,see if it's clean and flush the system.fill back up with coolant and water.
Also check all water pipes going to the radiator ect.



Danny.

 

thanks mate

yeah the water is clean and the pipes seem ok

she was only tested back in september

everything seemed grand when i test drove it and even after 1 hour drive on the motorway

theres lots of extras
apexi ecu
full exhaust system
induction kit
apexi boost controller
paddle clutch
short shifter
lots of hard pipes
front mount intercooler
uprated rad
few other bits too

im really hoping its not the head gasket

 

If the water is clean that's a good sign.
How does the oil look on the dipstick?Is it golden or black.is there any white in there or in the oil cap.
It might just be the radiator fan not kicking in.If you leave it idling the fan should come on just before the temp gauge reaches half way.



Danny.

 

Mate , i think youve maybe got a fluid leak, its been a cold day,steady cruise on the motorway wont bother it much , but once off and you start working the gearbox a bit, and revs going upndown , thats when it gets hot, and if your low on fluid its loads worse.
Let it cool and look at the hoses and gasket edges from underneath. If the bottom tray is still on , then it maybe pools up on the tray. otherwise sorry ,,, maybe the headgasket/s. Did the two fans come on???? one should cut in followed by the other if it still gets hotter. You can hear the fans, if youre like me,prefer engine/ex to radio blahhh. Hopin that its a loose hose mate. x

 

Similar thing happened to me when i bought my gtir ten years ago, driving home and the temp gauge shot up to the top. I thought the worst in the end it was a fuse for the rad fan.

 

the fans are coming on alright

where abouts is the thermostat i want to check its not stuck

is doing a headgasket an expensive job on one of these?

 

dont jump to conclusions yet, i would flush the system through, hopefully, there was antifreeze in it rather than water especially if its been standing. could be stat, could be an airlock.

the stat is to the front ,r/h side of engine, follow the pipe from the bottom of the radiator. take it out and try it then, at least you will know then if its the stat or not

 

thanks very much mate

 

It's been mapped for all those mods then?

 

not sure mate

 

just an update it was only a blocked pipe thank god

thanks everyone for the help

 

good to hear, which pipe was blocked btw