right , as you can see from my post count im new to the scooby world. and i need to know some basic things just to stop me worrying .

right ,the car in question is my R reg UK 2.0L turbo. got usually mods like stainless exhaust , FMIC , sti ecu . as for power i think its pretty standard.

so , how quick do they get up to temp ? and where should the needle sit ?

mine gets to temp quite quick , 5 mins . it might be normal for a scooby but this is my first one and none of my mates have had them so i cant really ask for previous experience .

i reckon it sits just under half way .

now the worry i have is it runs fine , but i havent heard the fan kick in once ?

so how does the temp get half way and then sit there with no problems for all the time im driving it or if it sits in traffic for 5mins , then how can it sit at a steady temp with out the fan running ?

ive also found a badly joined wire that goes underneath the top half of the engine (the banana shape bit) on the right and then has a plug on the end that clips on to a point right in the middle of the engine at the front ,again just under neath the top half of the engine . . i tryed taping up the 2 ends that are already joined and couldnt really get to it properly .

but when i then went out in it the fan was running and the CHECK ENGINE light came on and kept going off and then coming on at irregular moments .

when i got home and popped the bonnet the fan was on but kept getting faster and then a bit slower and then faster again and the engine was idolling up and down a bit . so i picked of the tape id put on the wire and moved it out the way and left it .

CHECK ENGINE light hasnt come on and the fan hasnt come on .

bit worrying .

im worried the temp gauge mite be fooked and the temp is getting a lot hotter.

how can the temp stay at one point without the fan kicking in .

should i go out side and leave it running for ten minutes and see if it kicks in ??

 

had mine a year never kicked in sits on half or just under

 

The temp gauge that is next to the dials is soooooo in accurate!
Just cos the needle shows it in the middle, id doesnt mean that its at optimum temp. When my dial shows its in the middle from cold my other more accurate apexi gauge says its only 55-60 degrees.

My car seems to stick to 82-84 degrees when im moving, and the fan will come on at around 86 degrees.

 

really . i just cant understand how it can stay at temp with out a fan ????

 

I find that hard to believe!
Your saying that even when you are sat in traffic on a red hot summers day, your fan has never kicked in?????

 

never heard it myt be coz when its hot i turn the air con on that gets fans spinning can leave it on spot doesnt kick in or even seem hot

 

so should i take it for a drive and then wait to see if the fan kicks in ? im a bit worried ?

is there a way to check the fan switch etc?

 

once you get back home from a drive and leave the car running with the bonnet up to make sure the fan is actually working

 

or you could fit your own switch so you can turn it on and off yourself might put ur mind at rest a bit

 

My MY00 comes on at 92 degrees (Apexi Commander) and goes off once its cooled back to 89 degrees, this will always happen when stuck in traffic.

If the standard temp gauge is more than halfway, say 2/3 way up, then the temps will be around 110 degrees and the fan should be on then!

 

someones said to earth out the temp sender by bridging a bit of wire to join the 2 wires of the sender plug. they reckon this will make the temp go right up and the fan kick in ??? is this true ??

if so where is the temp sender on a scooby . is it on the front of the block sort of behind the alternator ??


cos theres a wire leading to a plug there that looks patched up .

 

My bugeye fan kicks in at 96 degrees and cools to about 88 when stuck in traffic. Normal running (not city traffic) sits around 84-85 degrees, all on my PSI3

 

That is probably the oil pressure sender, sounds like someone has fitted a gauge set in the past

 

i would take a pic of the wire but i aint got my dongle to bluetooth it to this laptop , im at my birds.

here is a pic of the engine



i cant show the wire thou after having a look . but it goes to the plug the is on the block behind the alternator , on the silver part of the engine .

i just a bit worried some thing isnt right

 

and it has got a boost gauge , oil pressure gauge and a temp gauge , but only the boost works ????

 

The temp is usually from a seperate sender fitted below the intercooler (cylinder 3) and the pressure comes from under the alternator. I guess you'll need the senders and adaptors to make them work, but this is my oil pressure sender



The sender is the brass bit in front of the intercooler and the connector is the braided hose coming from under the alternator

 

ive found the plug for the oil pressure sender , its not that one lol

the oil on sits just behind ,to the left a bit , pointing downwards ,,,,,,,,,,,, but the plug im looking at is directly behind the alternator on the block pointing towards the back of the car . does that make sense ???? its a brown plug if that helps

 

Doesn't ring any bells and its too dark to look now, can have a look after work tomorrow.

 

The Subaru's cooling system is VERY efficient!

It will get up to temp quickly, and then the thermostat starts to open and close to keep it at operating temp. Once warmed up, the temp guage should read half way & under no circumstances should it ever go any higher or lower (even if it's being raced/rallied or sat stationary!), If it does then you have a problem.

If you leave the car sitting still at idle, it takes a long time for the fans to cut in, the cooling system is so good at getting rid of the heat it doesn't need air passing through it unless there is a high ambient temp or you have just pulled up in traffic after a run.

Interestingly, almost all Grp "N" rally cars have the thermostat removed to aid cooling, but the Subaru has to run one in this country to keep the engine up to temp.


If you wan't to test the fans, then run the engine up to operating temp & then with the car out of gear, hold the revs at 2 - 3000 rpm whilst watching the temp guage. If the guage starts to rise past half way you have a problem. failing that the fans will cut in after a couple of mins.


Phil

 

cheers mate . i will have a pic up by then hopefully .

 

cheers Phil . that makes me feel better

 

As does mine exactly with the PSI3. Though I sit about 4 degrees higher on normal running.